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!

Am embracing the hunger pains today
Went over my TDEE yesterday so will try and claw back some of those calories today.
Will do a weigh in on Saturday. Whatever happens I must keep on. In theist Sid I haven't lost weight I lose motivation and fall back into the old habits. I just cannot allow this to happen

Thanks for the inspiring words Ezzza and Salbertina.

Mornin Sis, sorry to hear about yesterdays clotted cream incident I think we've all had moments like that . There's always a positive though to every negative so I suspect in future when the same circumstances arise you'll remember how you felt after 'clotgate' and think 'nah, don't wanna go there'.. I know I had plenty of moments like that over Christmas.

Just had my break fast and it's amazing how good tea and 2 slices of wholemeal toast taste!!! My problem though is once I start, the floodgates are open and.....well you know the rest. Someone asked up thread how many calories are eaten on a normal day, well my normal day cals are around 3000-3400 but weather allowing I do cycle a lot most week days. I still lost weight doing 5:2 or 4:3 (especially 4:3) but the 12lbs put on over Christmas when I knocked the fasting on the head are easily explained.....no new healthy eating habits here I'm afraid.

Have a great day all (it was great to see another inspirationl post from Piebald up thread, and all the other great success stories). If you're fasting today, comfort yourself with the fact of how amazingly GREAT food will taste tomorrow morning

clotted cream seems to be the way to go .. down a pound this morning !

I think there's a book in that diet Laska

I have a weight loss pattern that shows no loss for a couple of weeks and then a massive loss. Weight loss is not linear, you don't automatically lose 2lbs a week it's the downward trend you need to look at. I know zero movement in the scales can be demotivating but there are many reasons why you haven't seen a movement and it has nothing to do with you failing to lose on a weight loss plan.
Reasons why the scales may not have moved if you haven't over eaten.

Water retention is a right bugger when it comes to weigh ins, it can be caused by numerous factors:
Exercising muscles that previously were underworked and are now sore - the body send water to them to help them recover.
Excess salt intake will cause you to retain water.
Dehydration can ironically cause you body to retain water.
Totm as has already been said.
The amount of carbs you eat - their energy is stored in the liver in the form of glycogen, the body uses water to aid that storage - quite a bit of water actually - which is lost as your liver energy reserves are used up - usually the reason why people report huge losses in the first couple of weeks of a diet esp a low carb diet.
Have also read that some people have fat cells that when emptied of fat, try to continue to hold their shape by filling with water, it can take a while for them to give up that water too. anywhere up to 6 months they think - sometimes bodies are not very helpful!
The muscle is heavier than fat arguement for stalling is not very likely though, muscle is very hard to gain especially for woma, so unless you have been focusing on muscle gain and lifting heavy weights at an amazing rate, most exercise will not deliver enough of a significant increase in muscle mass to affect the scales.

having read lots of posts I've just realised I'm fasting maybe too long. In my mind it was for a day, so I eat nothing from going to bed the night before until breakfast the day after - yesterday this totalled 34 hours. But lots seems to be doing exactly 24 hours. If 24 hours works well then I could avoid going to bed rather hungry the 2nd night......

On the plus side I did a sneaky weigh-in this am and have lost another 2lb.

stickygingerbread thanks for your encouragment. Glad its finally working out, can be so fustrating when DH just seems to melt away. Am consoling myself that I want to lose 2 stone and he wants to lose 4.

congratulations on the weight loss Scooby , but you were doing it the way most do on here i.e. a day being about 36 or so hours in regard to a Fast. But this WOE of eating is in it's infancy and people are trying new ways all the time

scoobybaby well done on the 2lbs! It sounds like you?re doing your fasts just fine. Like TheCyclistist said, everyone?s doing it slightly different so do it the way that suits you.

If I could I?d fast from dinner one non-fast day to breakfast the next (so around 38 hours) I would, as I find I?m less hungry if I don?t have to think about food at all. Unfortunately, my body rebels: even though I manage to convince myself I?m not hungry, if I go all day on only water I get nauseated. So instead I eat something dry ? like a hobnob or a couple of rich tea biscuits ? at noon and again at 6pm just to stave of the nausea. That way I can get two 16 hour fasts in each fast day. If I eat a proper meal in between the two 16 hour fasts I awaken my appetite and end up spending the evening undoing all my good work with a packet (or six) of M&Ms.

Everyone?s different, I?d never make it through a fast day if I tried to eat a normal meal, but I?m sure there are people on this thread who?d be horrified at the thought of going 38 hours on only a few biscuits!

Wow snowkey. I'm copying down your post for periodic reference!

Main think thinkIcan is that you don't lose heart and give up because if you do there will be no uncertainty as to why you haven't lost! Good luck!

Thank you - it is this group that keeps all of us going. All those who support anyone who looks like she's going to fall off the wagon!

Snowkey that post deserves repeating on the Tips thread, don't you think?

scoobybaby that's what I'd like to do - but my wife would object strenuously! She's only just got used to me not eating for the full 24 hours. I'm one of the lucky ones, I've still to find my 'hunger point' when I fast.

However, as others have said, there seems to be no reason why you shouldn't have a >500 cal meal after 24 hours.

But 34 hours - respect!

Making 2kg marmalade this morning - 18 hours into my 2nd fast of the week - and I'm going to a bit of experimenting. I shall make a few jars of plain orange, most of it I shall turn into ginger marmalade, but I also want to try some with blackstrap molasses.

All you fasters today - hope it's going as well for you as it is for me!

(This water tastes divine! )

Hello again, it's my second fast day this week and I am finding it so much more difficult. I am about to buy some low fat cottage cheese to have with celery for lunch - i hope that stops the cravings! I'll le you know later xx

Cancelled fast today. Did not feel like it. Will do tomorrow.
That's the wonderful thing about this WOE!

How did everyone feel after their first ever fast day, because I'm feeling rough today. Yesterday wasn't great but I got through it,, felt very tired in the afternoon and cranky in the evening (just ask my wife and kids). Woke this morning with a bit I tummy ache just put that down to hunger, but after my Bran Flakes this morning my ache got worse an has got worse through the day. Have kept my hydrated all day but I feel lousy. No diet can be worth feeling like this.
Just wanted to know how others felt.

New to the 5:2 diet but have quick ?, I've looked everywhere and can't find answer so hoping someone can help on here, is it ok to fast when bf, I'm not exclusively feeding as I've just started to wean lo and not planning on fasting on 2 consecutive days, any advice would be appreciated

Dad73 I'm guessing you've either got some sort of a bug - or your body is unsuited to fasting. My money is on the bug.

What you report is completely untypical - so, I'd just cancel any other fast days you may have planned and listen to your body. See TiPs post above.

Good luck!

emsie here's what LiteraryGeek posted on the 14th Jan:

I am also exclusively bf a 5 month old, and have been doing this since beginning of November. For me, it is working - not super fast but also not too slow.

Other reports I've seen have said that it's absolutely fine to bf whilst fasting.

Hi all. I am new to mumsnet and new to the fasting diet. I bought the Dr Mosley book and started yesterday.

I am a lifelong dieter and my weight ruins my life. I am 5'5" and weighed 14.5 on Tuesday, but after my first fast I weighed 14.1. I want to lose 40lbs by August when I am 40!

I plan on having 2 fast days but notice comments that people are doing 3....is it better doing 3?

Have any of you lost large amounts doing this diet? Over the years I have lost about 12 stone....losing a couple, putting it back on etc etc, the most I lost was 4 stone at WW but it doesnt work, (or interest) for me anymore. I also lost 4 stone a couple of years ago on LLife but put it all back on when I started on solids again.

So, this looks a good option for me, one I can incorporate into my busy life and jiggle about to suit.

Any suggestions or advice welcome.....do you think I could lose 40lbs by August?

Hi guys, I'm going to show my ignorance now (I'm not called virginposter for nothing) re web chat with DrMM on 23rd. How does this work? Where do you go? What do you do if you'd like to ask a question? I still would like to know if, when we are all at target (yes we will be), doing 6:1 will still give us all the health benefits of doing 5:2 because if it doesn't then it will be 5:2 forever for me but with more indulgence on the non fast days for

I am on my second and last fast day this week. I have no idea what I weigh or what my bmi is or anything else. I just thought I would wing it, and if my clothes started to feel more comfy I would know its working. Do you think I have made a boob? Everyone else seems very organised. Also I found Mondays one harder by this part of the day. I think it's because I am back in the swing of eating by the time Monday morning comes around whereas by wed I am still eating sensibly from Monday. So far today I've eaten a small slice of brown bread with a boiled egg and a glass of water and lemon along with bottled water. Tonight I'm having fresh tuna and green beans. Good luck and happy eating or slimming to all you lovely people.