5:2 Diet Thread! Number 8, fast away fast away fast away all!

[GreenEggsAndNichts]

The continuing thread for those of us following either the 5:2 diet or the alternate-day fasting diet. Both are two versions of Intermittent Fasting, which you can read more about here.

The 5:2 diet was featured on Horizon in August 2012, and essentially requires you to fast for 2 non-consecutive days per week. The other 5 days, you can eat what you like. Alternate-day fasting is just how it sounds; you fast every other day. By "fasting", we mean that we keep our calorie consumption very low, around 500 calories on average, on those days.

I know a number of people lurk on this thread, as this is currently quite popular. Please just jump in and post if you're new- we won't bite. Well, maybe on a fast day. You'll find a lot of support here.

Here is a list of links to get you started with this way of eating. Please let us know if you find a new article or some other information online:

First things first, here are links to some of our previous threads: most recent one before that another one etc!

Another thread which breadandwine has started is a good resource for some of the links and tips that get lost in these big threads. In addition to sharing links, we try to condense some of our top tips for fasting there. Keep in mind, we all do this differently, so these are just tips, not rules.

frenchfancy has a recipe thread over here, please post any low-calorie recipes there so they don't get lost in these bigger threads!

Here is the link to the BBC article regarding Michael Mosley's findings, which was featured on Horizon.

Here is where I would link to the aforementioned Horizon programme, but it appears as if the BBC have finally noticed it on YouTube and have taken it down. Here is a link to the programme's page on iPlayer, which features a couple of clips, and might have updates eventually. Let us know if you find another site hosting it.

A blog post here gives some of the scientific explanation for why this way of eating helps you to not only lose weight, but improve your all-around health.

A Telegraph article which comments on the diet and gives a brief overview.

A study discussed here gives commentary specifically addressing the effect of this diet on obese people (both men and women), with regard to both health and weight loss. ("After 8 weeks of treatment, participants had an average 12.5 lbs reduction in body weight and a 4 cm decrease in waist circumference. Total fat mass declined by about 12 lbs while lean body mass remained relatively constant.) it also mentions "Plasma adiponectin, a protein hormone that is elevated in obesity and associated with heart disease, dropped by 30%. As did LDL cholesterol (25%) and triglycerides (32%).")

Important link if you are currently your ideal BMI: this appears to suggest the benefits for women at a lower BMI might not be seeing the same health benefits that are found on men at their ideal BMI.

And for those already fasting, here is a link to 100 snacks under 100 calories. We tend to favour lots of hot drinks during the day (count your milk if you use it!)

Another food link, here is a link to the BBC Good Food site, with a list of low-calorie soups.

We mentioned BMR and TDEE often. Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) quantifies the number of calories you burn in a day. This measure is best estimated by scaling your Basal Metabolic Rate to your level of activity. TDEE is critical in tailoring your nutrition plan to desired fitness goals. Here is a link to a calculator to help you figure out how many calories you should be eating in a day. (This is a new calculator to previous threads, this one seems to give me approximately the same results the last one did, but without the virus warnings on my browser!)

A BIG THANK YOU to all who have been contributing, btw. Most of us are learning this way of eating as we go along. All of the links above have been posted by others in our previous threads, and they've been very helpful. Sorry if I haven't given credit where it's due, but it was just enough of a job getting all the links re-copied and back into one post.

Come join us, and tell us about your experiences with this diet!

Top advice I've got from this thread - think to yourself "I can have it tomorrow".

I am on my first day and finding hard, but nearly bed time now! Good luck.

This year I have decided to run the Women's 10K in May after making excuses for years . I will start the couch to 5K thingy when my cold gets better. I know some of you have mentioned it and was wondering if anyone can recommend a good thread to join? I figure if MN can help me loose weight what else can it help me with

New Year New Me

Yes, my weight all went on during 40s and refused to move throughout 50s. Thanks to this WOL it will be ALL GONE for my 60s and I reckon it will feel like 30s!!!!!! Thankyou Dr MM!

For anyone who feels they are not losing much weight, I rarely weigh but for the first 2 months I tied a string round where my waist should have been and was thrilled beyond belief very time it fell to my hips and then to the floor!! the reduction in my volume was dramatic at first and hugely motivating though my weight possibly didn't drop that much.

If you are struggling to extend the time of fasting, don't forget it includes sleeping time. Perhaps a way forward would be to skip breakfast 2 days a week in Week1, then breakfast and lunch on 2 days in week 2, then set about making sure the evening meal is under 500 cals and mainly veg from week 3 onwards?

Hello, can I join? First fast day today, had no breakfast, waitrose love life soup with one slice of granary bread and a tuna salad for dinner. I feel ok. Am using mfp.

Haven't read thread yet but will do. Am hoping to stick at 1500 calories on no. Fast days. Is that reasonable?

Hello. I have just started the 5:2 and would love to join the convo. Decided not to tell anyone except my partner as I dont want the pressure.
I did not fast today- will do tuesdays and thursdays as it fits in better with work, kids etc. But I did stick to the recommended 2000- in fact I actually have over 400 left!! So that part is easily manageable. I look forward to reading any tips and advice and if I have anything interesting to say I shall post here.

I'm 47, 5'5" and just over 9 stone - size 8.
If I did no exercise AT ALL my TDEE would be 1500, but as I have a gym habit its nearly 2000.
If you are a lot shorter than me you'll have a lower TDEE, but for most people, non fast days of 1800 - 2000 are probably reasonable

Good evening all! This thread is so encouraging, thank you so much for the tips all of you, who have started earlier. Such an inspiration to read of the weight loss that's been happening throughout the autumn and winter so far. Bordercollielove that's a good idea with the string around your waist! And well done!

Today is my second fast day and after eating 800 calories on my first fast day, today I've sticked to the 500. Have had two canned soups, one cuppa soup and three mugs of Miso (18 calories per mug), so I think that's still a lot of food! I'm currently BFing a toddler, who is teething and BFing like a newborn, so feeling slightly lightheaded at the moment, but I know it will pass.

I read the discussion you had up-thread about fasting having an adverse effect on fertility with great interest. My goal is to drop 3 stones in order to be fit and healthy to start TTC for our second DC hopefully in the autumn. I'm hoping I will have managed the weight loss by then and having now read this, will propably do 6:1 or something similar to maintain the weight.

TBH, losing this excess weight is really crucial, as in my last pregnancy I was really struggling and couldn't really walk towards the end. I was already 2 stone overweight when I got pregnant and being severely hypermobile, the extra weight pregnancy brought on made everything unbearable..

Having watched again the youtube-video I posted earlier on intermittent fasting, I was wondering if anyone was taking the supplements the doctor, who made it recommended. I thing it was Omega 3 fish oi, fibre abd some kind of a third oil supplement, I can't remember wich one it was, I'll have to check.. I'm taking a multivitamin tablet right now and thinking to switch to liquid multivitamins, as I heard the body digests them better..

Thanks for the heads up. It is 1800 so will stick to that. Will seem a positive feast after today!

LOL Just thinking of B&Wstanding over the pot fork in hand counting down that last minute !! .....

Laska - pretty much! I get a perverse kind of pleasure out of sticking exactly to the plan. I did have a glass of stout at the ready - once I began sipping that, the pressure was off!

Interesting that, although we're all acolytes of Dr M, we're approaching 5:2 slightly differently.

Here on Mumsnet, most of the regular posters, plus Dr Mark Mattson, Dr Krista Varady and Brad Pilon (he of Eat, Stop, Eat fame) all go for a clear 24 hours without food, coupled with a >500 or >600 calorie meal either before or after the 24 hours.

Conversely, Dr M, whilst doing 36 hours (including two overnight sleeps), splits his 600 calories between breakfast and dinner - so, clearly, he thinks the health benefits still apply.

Can I ask anyone who has his book what he has to say on this?

Oh, and I heard on Twitter his new website will incorporate a discussion forum, where, presumably, he'll be available for questions such as this.

According to twitter Dr MM's website will be up and running on Thurs 10th. I hope we get more answers like 'will doing 6:1 for maintenance still give the same health benefits? (low IGF1)' as I'm sure there are a few of us who are fast approaching our goal and need to start thinking about this - yes?

Really excited to hear about Dr MM's website virginposter. I don't need to lose weight but am doing this due to very dodgy genetic heritage. I would love to know if more work is being done on women and fasting and also what information emerges about the health benefits of fasting for those at a lower weight.

I was just wondering when everyone else usually weighs themselves. I usually weigh myself first thing in the morning after a normal eating day. My thinking when I decided to weigh after a normal eating day rather than after a fast was that when I weighed myself before starting this WOE it was after a day of normal eating. What do you guys think?

I thought it was interesting this week. My fast days are Tues, Thurs, Sat and I weigh on Tuesdays, but this week a few of us are going out for a celebration this evening so I weighed myself and fasted yesterday instead of today. Just out of curiosity I jumped on the scales this morning to find I was almost 3lbs lighter today than yesterday. I figured I'd be lighter the morning after a fast than after a normal day but I didn't expect it to be by that quite that much!

Hi everyone

Would like to join having done this last year (lost 5 kilos, actually too much) then regained most of it when fell of the wagon...

1st fast yesterday did 20 hrs (bar 1 coffee with 1/2 teasp cream) then lentil/tom soup, houmous, yog & berries as my 1 meal that day. Works better for me than 3 tiny meals.
Back to it, worked well for me. My intention is to do a good few weeks of 5:2 until i lose 3 kilos then maintain at 6:1 longterm thereafter. Anyone else done/doing this?

Ezzza - i cheated and weighed after fast day...key is to be consistent, i think, so always weigh same time etc. well done on weight loss tho!

So today is my first fast day. Is it normal to be unable to think of anything but food?

Hey Salbertina, I'm planning to go down to 5:2 when I'm close to my goal and maybe down to 6:1 for maintenance once I'm there, depends on how well I do at learning to stay inside my TDEE I guess. As for when to weigh, I'm going to keep doing it after a normal eat day, I'm jut curious when others are choosing to weigh.

MrsHelsBels74, I hope your first day goes well. I found the fast days hard for the first week or so and was constantly thinking about food, but they got easier after that. Yesterday was a fast day for me. I usually split my calories into 3 small snacks around breakfast lunch and dinner. Yesterday I wasn't hungry at lunchtime and only ate half of what I'd planned to and actually forgot to eat dinner. I rarely feel hungry on fast days now. What helped me get through fast days in the beginning was instead of thinking about what I want to eat now, think about what I'm going to eat tomorrow on my normal eating day. That usually helped me stick the fast out.

So I managed my first fast and went OK - although woke up feeling very hungry this morning. I'm going to eat very healthily today but after yesterday even 2 weetabix and skimmed milk has seemed a big treat today! Feel good after managing yesterday and can't wait to see some results on the scales!

I agree with Ezza that in the beginning, when you feel on a fast day that you have set off on a long voyage into uncharted territory on a fast day, it helps to think about tomorrow's goodies. In reality when tomorrow comes you probably won't need the treats anyway. I found I was able to manage with thoughts of "jam tomorrow" where I could not cope with a "diet" which promised " jam never again without feeling like a failure" or " jam in such small amounts that you will never be satisfied ever again". Completely different outlook.

In the early days I tortured myself on fast days with thoughts of what I could eat the following day, I had to stop myself reading foodie websites and cookbooks...I still think about food but i found throwing salt in the wounds didn't help.

second fast day yesterdAy. went to bed hungry but slept really well. woke up not very hungry! odd. I swapped my planned fry up for a bowl of muesli. bit worried about what people are saying about very slow weight loss! I'm Hoping it's not too slow! really want this to work for me and be something I stick to long term.

did home cholesterol test last night. it's higher than it should be, but not as high as I thought it would be at 5.9. going to exercise, watch my saturated fats and test again in a month to see what difference there is.

niki* don't forget slow weight loss is good. It allows your body to adapt, especially your skin. Lose weight too quickly and your skin goes saggy.

In terms of sticking to it long term, I have NEVER been able to skick to a diet for more than a month. I love food, I live for it, dream about it, watch cooking programs and read cook books. I have been on this since September and do not feel deprived at all. I believe I will be on some form of this diet forever.

Ezzza I weigh in after a fast day, because I think it gives a good baseline (I've usually consumed the same amount of food on one fast day as on any other fast day). I know it's not my "real" weight; as you see, it goes up a bit once there is more food processing through your body. It's just to chart if my weight is going down.

I don't think it matters too much, though, as long as you're consistent. So if you're weighing in after an eating day, then keep doing that.

A week into serious 5:2ing (and 30 Day Shredding, and no alcohol) I've lost 6 lbs and a notch on my belt!

Well MrsHelsBels74 I'm 13.5 hours into my first fast and so far so good. I was asleep for most of it though! I am thinking about food but not actually that hungry. I had a massive tummy rumble about an hour ago (about the time I would normally eat breakfast here at work) but it seems to have passed. Am about to have a cup of redbush tea and am hoping that will see me through till lunch at 12. I've got a ww chicken soup (92 cals) and I thought I might go & buy some ryvitas to go with it. I haven't told anyone at work I'm doing this as I don't want the comments/pressure but DH family know. Good l

Sorry, posted to soon - good luck to all new fasters & well done to all the old ones