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Fasting / 5:2 diet

Talk about intermittent fasting and 5:2, including what’s worked for others. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

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

999 replies

GreenEggsAndNichts · 14/12/2012 15:51

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. Wink 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!

OP posts:
Souper · 18/12/2012 23:31

Thanks Talkin I've just been looking at pictures of myself from the summer and I do look a bit slimmer but not hugely so. I'm quite tall so I hide my weight well but I do feel so much lighter and more energetic now.

6kg is also very good going and I seem to remember that you are at a much lower BMI than me!

pookey · 19/12/2012 00:26

Laska, such a lovely picture, thank you for sharing it, he is lovely and very content in his grandmother's arms :)

Weighed myself this morning and I was finally a lb lighter after yests fast! Have been baking today though, a gingerbread house for ds' teacher and gingerbread mocha cupcakes and cranberry ripple cupcakes for oh to take to work so it will prob have gone back on tomorrow thanks to a bit too much sampling. Will try to fast tomorrow, but decorating house with ds will be a challenge!

pookey · 19/12/2012 00:41

hmmm couldn't quite follow everything on the link B&W do they think fasting is bad? I found this section interesting as might explain why my weight loss is a little slow:
"the body will not allow one to burn off fat so long as toxins continue to enter the body as toxic chemicals are fat soluble so 'hide' in the fat to protect the body. However if you burn off the fat too quickly it would overload the body with toxic waste which would cause a lot of damage. So hanging on to body fat is the body's way to maintain homeostasis until one has a purer diet.
its the best theory I have heard so far. And they also mention water retention fat caused by stress hormones and the best way to deal with it is to get sufficient sleep."

frenchfancy · 19/12/2012 07:02

Morning all. Still feeling crap, but managed my fast yesterday. Beans on toast with poached egg was nice, but not as filling as a veg chilli. Have a bowl of steaming porridge in front of me now which is helping.

Planning 1.5 fasts next week. Full fast on 27th then fasting til dinnertime on Sat 29th. Hopefully will be enough to keep my weight stable over the festive period.

OnlyWantsOne · 19/12/2012 07:40

Morning!!

Well Monday was my fast day which was fine - but on Monday night my tonsil burst (ive developed a quinsy) and so I haven't eaten since. I have been so so poorly :(

Aftereightsaremine · 19/12/2012 07:45

Oh poor you. Forget fasting & just concentrate on getting better. You probably won't be able to eat much anyway .

Breadandwine · 19/12/2012 10:53

"hmmm couldn't quite follow everything on the link B&W do they think fasting is bad?"

pookey no, fasting - up to 30 days at a time - is what they're all about. The site is a bit far out in some respects - they're big on expelling toxins, for instance, and there's a 5-step detox you're urged to follow - but they are an excellent source of info and links.

I've watched those two videos linked to in that thread and they're both well worth watching. The first is an inspirational story about juice fasting, and the second is an complete expose of the diet drinks industry among other things - it's pretty frightening in places!

It specifically mentions 'diet cola':
"Nothing else does it like a diet cola. That's because there's a deadly combination there of aspartame and caffeine and those two together create a very unique blend of 'excito-toxins' that kills off brain cells. But before they die they give a burst of excitement, or buzz..." And that, of course, brings you back for more.

Sounds like you knew most of this, TiP?

I shall link to these two documentaries directly on the other thread. Far better to watch these than the X factor, or Strictly (although I love Strictly! Grin), IMO!

TalkinPeace2 · 19/12/2012 12:07

Breadandwine
I'd not known about the brain cell theory about the evils of carbonated drinks, but the combination of
sugar / aspartame / saccharin / caffeine / azo dyes /pthalates
that carboated drinks contain is why I'm not a fan.

My kids love lemonade and pepsi, but we treat it the same as alcohol - for a treat with meals at the weekend and on holiday. That way the two are linked in their heads for health / addictive properties - as they should be.
I won't buy diet drinks. I know too much about the history of the chemistry of sweeteners Shock

frenchfancy · 19/12/2012 12:19

Better than X factor perhaps B+W, but strickly is sacred in our house. :)

I will be watching the diet drinks one this evening.

Interesting thing today, DH has been fasting with me since September. Today - a non-fast day - he claims to be hungrier than he has ever been since starting 5:2. Just when you think you are used to it. (I on the other hand have been fine today)

BecBro4 · 19/12/2012 12:59

Hi all,
so i have done one fast and one feed (not sure what you call it) day.

yesterday was my fast day, I was still able to do the 30 day shred easily, I didn't get hungry until about the 20 hr mark but still waited until the 24hr mark before eating. I ate my full 500 calories at dinner.
But last night i hardly slept, i tossed and turned so much, i ended up getting up and just sat with my brain buzzing for over an hour :(

today was feed day, when i did get up i wasn't hungry?? so close to 36 hrs with only 500 calories in my stomach and not hungry? any way... i made myself eat and once i started i got a bit hungry but filled up quickly. I still did the 30 hr shred today, I was worried about not having enough energy after such a poor sleep and not much food, but it was no harder than on previous days so YAY :D .

Tomorrow is a fast day and i am hoping that i will sleep better tomorrow night than i did last night.

AmericasTorturedBrow · 19/12/2012 15:51

Fasting today and I have the DC cold - sore throat, snotty nose, generally feeling crap. Food tips needed!! All I want is hot toddies permanently sliding down my throat

RosinaCopper · 19/12/2012 16:10

I have a quick question for you seasoned 5:2ers.

I keep meaning to try this WOE and today I haven't eaten since breakfast (which unfortunately was a McDonalds Sausage and Egg Bagel!). So if I now don't eat until breakfast tomorrow, does that still count as a fast, becasue it would be near enough 24 hours without food? Or should I eat supper early tonight and then start a 'proper' fast day tomorrow? I just wondered whether it mattered when the 24 hours started, IYSWIM?

TalkinPeace2 · 19/12/2012 16:21

how many calories in the food - the point is that its 500 calories in the 24 hour period
not two big meals 25 hours apart !

RosinaCopper · 19/12/2012 17:06

Oh. I didn't really think of it like that!

Well so far I've already had 750 today, so I guess I'll have an early (light) supper and start the 500 calorie thing tomorrow. Thank you

AmericasTorturedBrow · 19/12/2012 17:12

And it generally works out more like 500kcal in 36 hours

pookey · 19/12/2012 18:21

BecBrod4 sounds like you really did well, maybe it was in part to do with the type of food you ate keeping you awake or did you drink a lot of black coffee during the day to stave off hunger?

Feel better ATB - chicken soup? :)

Rosina well done for fasting for 24 hours. Some of the people on here fast for 16 hours, have their 500 cals then fast for another 16 which is prob what ATB referred to with 36 hours. I don't generally manage this tbh but my weight loss is slow.

pookey · 19/12/2012 18:27

B&W I think I need to reread and watch the links! Sounds hardcore!

I Try not to let my kids have fizzy but they have been having no sugar squahs however having checked label I will be knocking that on the head. I tend to have lemonade when out for a meal or with whisky :) like a treat as you do TIP

AmericasTorturedBrow · 19/12/2012 19:42

I had no idea about the fizzy drink stuff. I just don't like them (apart from tonic and only then if it has a hefty helping of gin!) so we just don't have them around

Discovered a tin of chicken noodle soup in the cupboard - 90kcal for half a tin which has filled me right up and made me feel tons better. So I can have the other half later and still have lots of kcal left for whiz zing up what veg is lurking at the bottom of the fridge into home made soup for tea. Good good.

TalkinPeace2 · 19/12/2012 20:03

ITV1 RIGHT NOW .......
about the surgical option to what we are doing ....

Breadandwine · 19/12/2012 20:43

Sorry, TiP! I tried watching it, but 90 seconds was enough. Shock

I'll be happy with a resume later, thanks.

I'm currently trying to track down the research in the Mirror this morning "Exercise and diet a 'cure' for diabetes."

Breadandwine · 19/12/2012 21:02

It's hopeless trying to find anything in the Mirror online.

However, all the article said was:
"...people with Type 2 diabetes found 11.5% were either partially or entirely cured...Their calorie intake was cut to 1200 a day with 3 hours exercise a week."

No indication of numbers, or length of trial, I'm afraid.

TalkinPeace2 · 19/12/2012 21:12

B&W
I did watch it - the lesbian taxi driver was the most entertaining character.
The sense of defeatism was astounding among all the patients.
And the realisation that many of those facing surgery had Permanently destroyed their insulin systems.
Therefore their own metabolism will never know a proper dietary feedback
Also, a SiL of my best man died of a heart attack five years after surgery due to heart strain.

this WOE - for all those well enough to not be on the surgery list HAS to be the answer.

Breadandwine · 19/12/2012 21:15

Thanks. TiP. If Dr M's book takes off, don't suppose those surgeons will thanks him!

Just read this on 'The Fasting Connection', which I thought worth repeating:

'Having a small snack about half an hour to an hour before "meals" would "spoil your appetite" as Gandma used to say.. well, that's exactly what we need in an overweight population!'

André

FlojoHoHoHo · 19/12/2012 22:25

Hi, can I join? Gone from size 10/12 to 16 in 12 short months and struggling to motivate myself during the trying xmas period.

TalkinPeace2 · 19/12/2012 22:31

Welcome Flojohoho
your best bet is to read GreenEggs opening post and click on the links ...
We think that Dr Moseley is releasing a book based on his programme in Augusts and the fact that it has caught on faster than an STD. Grin

The principle is simple.
The detail is still being refined.
Other recent joiners to these threads have commented that we are the most consistent and complete resource forum on the subject.

Good luck and join in the fun ...