5:2 Diet Thread! Number 9, welcoming the new year...

[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. This might be a good place to catch up with us if you're feeling a bit lost!

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.

B&W has found a new link to the aforementioned Horizon programme here. If you're keen to see it, watch it soon, because BBC has been quick to find these copies and shut them down online. We're hoping they'll re-play it again soon. I know these threads are popular, maybe they'll read my request.

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!

BCL
Home made mayo: 300ml oil (your choice)
1 lge egg
1 heaped tsp mustard
Juice of half a lemon
Black pepper
Put all ingredients into a tall container. Insert stick blender and whizz untill blended. This keeps for over 2 weeks in my fridge (I keep it rather cool) but you could make it with half the ingredients and a small egg.

Home made ice cream - serves maybe 4?

1 very ripe banana cut into chunks and frozen individually
1 mango also cut and frozen (try to keep pieces separate)
1 tsp vanilla paste (or essence etc)
1 tub double cream 300ml
Put into blender and whizz untill smooth

Now I have a wonderful Vitamix blender which does this perfectly and easily but I'm not sure how others will cope with the frozen fruit. This is wonderful ice cream with no added anything!

Oh forgot to say I have no idea of calorific content of these two but I don't care as I never have them on my fast days

A just wondering..... On the feed days how many calories, roughly, are people eating? I know that everyone will have different needs but broadly speaking.... Is anyone eating 1200 or less, for example? Am trying to work it out using MFP as a guide but it keep coming up with 1200 which seems really low. That said, my age and activity level may be giving me this figure. I can't do exercise as such because of an old (nasty) riding injury

Well done molliesfollies you must be chuffed. Don't eat too many lovely pies in NZ!

Taking up fasting has reminded me that I have done this all before in my teens and 20s (am 42 now). Has anyone had similar experience?

I didn't do it from knowledge or in any planned fashion. I skipped meals if I felt like it, or didn't care for what was offered. At that time I didn't talk about it or feel it was necessarily a good thing. I suspected it would be considered disordered eating.

But, in those days my diet was fairly bad. I might fast all day but drink one diet coke and eat a choc bar. Or I might eat a bagel only and then fast all day.

Under those circumstances, I then would experience shakiness, hunger, headaches, brain fog.

More knowledge and experience puts those earlier fasting assays into context. If you are fasting and feeling intense hunger or other symptoms like I describe above, it may be you need to avoid refined carbs in your fast day or even dinner the night before. Refined carbs spike your blood sugar and your appetite - they make you more hungry.

Another alternative approach I have read is to put your refined carb last after eating a protein and a fat. This slows impact of the carb on your blood sugar.

Yet another alternative I have read is to only eat the carb with fat, like toast with butter or a nut butter.

Some ideas to experiment with and see how it works for you.

Happy fasting/feasting all.

Vp thanks, will try both, they are making me drool!

Hello, just started the 5:2 last Friday so marking my place whilst looking for ideas and support.

absolute I'm doing 1200 on feed days but I average about I usually go for a run every day or do some other kind of exercise so often I eat 1500 - 1700kcal. For January I've given up my two favourite calorie sources - alcohol and sugar, so I don't really eat outside my meals, I just want to quickly get rid of the Christmas bulge! Will return to normal and maintain in Feb.

Thanks for the feedback. Sugar is my weakness...... Terrible sweet tooth. DH used to say that when we got to the chocolate aisle when shopping I would go into the 'Cadbury trance' as he called it.
I am averaging about 450 to 500 on fast days and about 1400 to 1500 on feed days. Really hope this works

I really struggle to control my sugar habit - it's quite embarrassing. I had hoped I'd be able to eat some sugar and the rest of the time eat a low starch diet but the wheels came off half way through Dec and by Christmas Day I gave up sugar - it annoys me that I can't control it....and I felt much better about myself for doing so. The first week is hard but after that it gets easier.
We still have loads of chocs and sweets in the cupboard from Christmas but I'm not even remotely tempted - there's a real freedom in that. All is not lost though I can usually follow the rule that I can have puddings when we eat out - maybe once a month, without falling off the wagon.

snowkey .... I was that desperate for chocolate one night I started eating dry chocolate drink powder..... My DH came into the kitchen and asked what I was eating. As I said "nothing" I sprayed him with chocolate powder....oh the shame

absoluteeightiesgirl ha ha ha that is so embarrassing; I have been caught eating cooking chocolate

Understand the 'Cadbury's trance' feeling too!

Heres daft question , but actually its bugged me since i've started doing this WOE

Why is broccoli so relatively high in calories? 110g broccoli is 33 cals
100g cauliflower is 25cals.

I love broccoli and often have it for a fast day supper with s/f prawns.

I usually have the whole head about 400g .. but it usually takes me about 50 over the 500... .

Bro yep but its more greasy spoon caff than bistro, but I changed tactics today. No breakfast , and out for a walk at lunch .. then I had a small bowl of my roasted carrot and pepper soup when I got back and managed it this time.. DESPITE some of them eating chips in the office today.... (if its not that its sending one of them out to the van on the industrial estate for bacon and onion rolls ..or a McD .. but I can easily resist the latter! Food snob wot I are.. )

btw the broccoli cals of 33 are for 100G not 110g..I am comparing like for like !

Just a quick update - after 2 weeks +1 day of determined 4:3 fasting. I have lost 8 lbs!! I am over the moon. . I am having 2 boiled eggs for breakfast on fast days, then nothing until a large bowl of Covent Garden veggie soup for supper. On non fast days I'm eating more, but still trying to ensure my evening meal is no more than 350 cals.

I plan to carry on with 4:3 until the end of January, to get as much weight off as possible as quickly as possible, then switch to 5:2 for the final half a stone.

I was 11:2 on Jan 1st, 10:8 today and my aim is to be 9:7 by the summer.

Hi just popping to say I?m still around and still on target ? sort of. This forum moves so fast now with so many new people, I am happy to step aside and make room for those who are just starting out and need to ask the same questions as all those who went before them.
So how?s it been going? Well unbelievably I have lost another kilo and that must be around a 2 stone loss now. I struggled to get back to 4.3 and have really only just managed 5.2 since Christmas. My calorie intake as always on fasting days has been over the recommended 500 and I would guess its at least been 700 recently but 200 would have been alcohol related. I look back and see I have totally changed the way I do this over the 3+ months and remember how i have fallen off the wagon several times. I am delighted to have lost weight after eating Pizza at work again twice last week ( we don?t eat small portions either). You can?t work for a company that makes the best pizza ever and not eat it when they bring it round. I have had more than my fair share of winter viruses this year but it seems everyone has so I can?t say it?s the woe that has reduced my resistance but I have wondered. I am back at the gym but I don?t do a great deal at the minute just 20 mins cardio and then 10 mins on vibration plates that I still highly recommend to anyone trying to lose weight. I am truly a happier more confident person since I gained control over my body and im still changing my look as often as I can to keep the feeling going. My red hair was very popular and wearing black Jeggings got me lots of comments on how much weight I appeared to have lost. I am not thin ( yet) and still need to lose 2/12 stone to be where I think I should be but every change I make has had an effect on my motivation , confidence and general happiness. Im thinking of using one of those Ferrier Hair colour in a brighter red this time, they are so vibrant they are not natural. My youngest daughter ( aged 28) who has the same colouring as me did hers and I loved it . I feel no hesitation at making such a change and standing out even if others don?t like it. I have always wanted to be more authentic to myself so look out world here I come.
As I said at new year- im sure there are lots of other butterflies around here emerging from there chrysalis and they are just getting ready to open their wings and fly.
Good luck one and all and if you don?t get the results you want then just change something until you find what works for you.

Forgot to add I am also not drinking alcohol during January, so perhaps that is helping with the weight loss too.

So after 3 fast days I have gained a pound, even worse that the last time I tried the diet before. I have 5 more fasts to go before I give up. I'm at the top of the BMI and there is a history of cancer in my family. I'm definitely not eating more than usual on my feed days and I'm doing more exercise. I do feel bloated and have stomach cramps on and off today.

So many more inspiring stories to read on coming back to this thread!

And none more than yours (I think others will agree), Piebald!!

I absolutely love hearing about the progress you have made - I'm sure it's motivating - not just the posters on here - but the hundreds of lurkers out there. Long may it continue.

So, what I'm saying is, please don't 'step aside'! Continue the Piebald ----> Butterfly journey!

Piebald Rider to Red Admiral ?

Very good, BCL! [clap] [clap]

Laska - on this calculator (geddit?), 100g of cauliflower is 31 cals - the same as broccoli!
www.weightlossresources.co.uk/calories-in-food/veg/Cauliflower.htm

If this is true, that's a good rant, wasted!

well done piebald that so fantastic and such an inspiration . Its great to see you back.. Please keep posting.. we love the newbies , but need the oldies for inspiration . to help answer the questions..a nd for us who've been here a while to have someone to chat to about being here a while.. . ( well I hope so she says being one herself..

But B&W the point of the rant (not very well made) is that if i'm going to have a ton of veg on a fast day I want a ton of broccoli ( stamps foot!) and is its just too darn high in calories for something I love so much.. and it simply shouldn't be !!.. Its a bleedin' vegetable for f88s sake!!!!

Anyway too late I've just totally wreaked my fast .. dont ask for too many details its just too embarrassing.... (but involves clotted cream ..and no scones ) Now I not only have I gone way way over but I also now feel sick