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!

Good to know other people have struggled with sleep. Hope it's not a long term thing. Dd2 (nearly 3) has only just started sleeping through and I was enjoying my sleep.

Really enjoyed my toast this morning but no desire to stuff myself so that is good. Am going to weigh myself on Monday after I survive a weekend but do feel a bit lighter.

Thanks for tips everyone.

Hello. I'm not a mum since I'm a guy but thought I'd join just to let you know my experiences on this 5:2 diet.

I saw the Horizon programme on the 7th August (think it might have been shown on the 6th August 2012) and have been on the diet since the 8th August. Either Tuesdays and Saturdays, or Wednesdays and Sundays have been my fasting days when I've consumed up to 600 calories.

In addition I have been exercising almost every day, initially in the form of either a 3 mile run or 30 mins on an exercise cycle, but since around 6 weeks ago I've only been running or on an exercise cycle 3 days a week, and I have introduced weight lifting 3 days a week. I should also note that I was exercising before the diet started, although might have increased it slightly since commencing the diet.

Unfortunately I didn't actually weight myself prior to starting. I first weighed myself 2 weeks 2 days into the diet on the 24th August when I weighed 14 stones 3 lbs (199 lbs). I'm 5ft 11 ins.

Here's how much I've weighed in each subsequent week:

STONESPOUNDS
14 3
14 2
14 0
14 0.75
13 12.5
13 11.25
13 8.75
13 8.75
13 7.5
13 6.5
13 5.75
13 4.5
13 7.5
13 5.5
13 4.5
13 5.5
13 4.25
13 2.75
13 4.75
13 6.25
13 6.5

A stone is 14 pounds. The first weight 14st 3lbs is what I weighed on the 24th Aug 2012, and the last weight 13st 6.5 lbs is what I weighed approximately about an hour ago. I've lost 10.5 lbs in 20 weeks, although it can be seen that in the last 11 weeks there has been no weight loss whatsoever. So all the weight loss occurred in the first 9 weeks. Am I unusual in this or has anybody else experienced the same?

I'm afraid I know nothing about my IGF-1 levels or other disease markers mentioned in the programme. In the book "the fast diet" by Dr Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer (Dr Michael Mosley presented the original Horizon programme) Mimi Spencer says "six months in, I have more energy, more bounce, clearer skin, a greater zest for life" (page 17). Speaking for myself, so far as I'm aware, my skin looks exactly the same. And my zest for life remains exactly as it has always been. I do however feel marginally better in myself.

I'll continue on this diet anyway because many of the alleged benefits occur independently of any weight loss. And I'm not really too fussed about restricting myself to 600 cals for 2 days a week.

Incidentally I'm currently reading the aforementioned book by Mosley and will be writing an extended review of it, as well including my experiences and thoughts on this diet, and will be putting it on my blog sometime in the next few weeks. Once it's up there I'll come back and give you the link (if I remember!)

It amazes me how much less of an appetite i have on normal eating days. I ate 500 cal yesterday and found it quite easy but didn't get round to having anything to eat today until 1pm. I've had a big plate of jumbo oats and a banana - I find I'm eating healthier on my eating days also, not having the cravings to eat so much crap. Saying that, I had a crunchie bar on my last eating day and it was bloody delicious!.

I can really see this way of eating being achievable life long as it does not involve 'missing out' of any food type.

Afternoon all.

Weighed myself this morning after my swim and am back down to 9:2.
Pretty chuffed with that because having got down to 8:12 before Christmas and then pigged out in New York for two weeks, restarting fasting and losing the weight again has been much MUCH easier than I thought it would.

Just got back from the funeral of a University friend, having been told by two people who'd not seen me for a lot of years that I looked amazing. Chuffed

NB
Ignore comments from people who say you are too thin unless they are thinner than you. Slim people know what lean feels like. Fatter friends are just jealous of your success.

Finished 2 dys fasting this week on mon and wed. Wanted to try 4:3 this week but unfortunately I had to go for a lunh meeting today. Today I had half a croissant for breakfast and thai food for lunch. I feel so stuffed now after eating something that I would have comfortably eaten before. Don't think I can see food again. Interestingly I have just got a wave of exhaustion and feeling cold whih is something I get now after I eat a large meal. Interesting as when I used to get this before (literally every day) I thought it was my anaemia that caused it. And I tended to deal wih it by eating more comfort food - in the end it is the comfort eating that is triggering these symptoms.

Think will skip dinner tonight.

InterestingIan Well done on the weight loss and for sticking with it despite stalling in recent weeks. Many of us have stalled too and have found variations on ways to get going again i.e changing fasting days or switching to 4:3 for a while.
Also you mention you have started weight training recently. Could you be putting on a bit of muscle which weighs heavier than fat? Do your clothes feel looser even though the scales show no loss? It's a shame your scales don't show body fat loss as this would help.

Can I ask, how long did it take before you all started noticing the lbs start to come off / clothes feeling looser? (I just tried on my jeans and am irrationally disappointed that they still don't fit, given that it's only been 4 days/2 fasts!)

(I think I have replaced my snack addiction with an addiction to this thread )

Hi maniacbug the weight dropped the first week - largely water I think. It then kind of stalled but then I kind of fell sick so not convinced I was doing the fasts properly. The clothes started feeling looser I would say week 2-3. But I think this really varies by each person. I have lost a little weight his week but don't feel as clothes any looser. So really varies week by week.

maniacbug, I think it was a few weeks for me, as I was already losing weight before I started by only drinking alcohol at weekends, but stalled in the weight despite exercising as well which is one reason I decided to try this.

It has carried on dropping, but I don't weigh myself that often as I'm not really that hung up on the numbers. For me, the comments from people who I haven't seen in a few weeks, plus having to add extra holes in my belt are more useful indicators (I know I've lost over 4" off my waist and have had to get new belts, and clothes!)

@virginposter The weight training might well be contributing to my failure to lose weight, but I started it after my weight loss stalled. I tend to think my body has become acclimatised to this way of eating. Clothes feel looser than they were a few months ago. As I say I'll continue with the diet. Indeed I intend to continue it for the rest of my life although perhaps dropping to 1 fast day a week eventually. Unless some new research casts doubts on the benefits!

Another thing is that I've been having a tin of branstons low sugar baked beans on toast (warburtons wholemeal bread) for the past few weeks on each and every fast day (my only food for fast days plus 2 or 3 cups of coffee and lots of pepsi max).

Might change the food I eat to see if it makes a difference. A fast day tomorrow and will have 17 walnuts (in their shells) instead. That comes to about 450 cals, but I always have a few cups of coffee too which I put milk and half a teaspoon of sugar in.

InterestingIan i'm certainly no expert on exercise (a natural sloth who is trying to do ANY exercise right now)

But theres a whole set of stuff out there on weight lifting and intermittent fasting. ..( Google 'Leangains' ).. that may have some answers for you on weight loss or not

BTW... walnuts in their shells? Dont know how you are exercising them, but you must have VERY strong teeth!!

Well .. I can crack them with my hands. Don't fancy using my teeth! LOL

Don't they taste better without the shells InterestingIan

why is it I managed some fasts over christmas but just can't get back into it since new year. Still feeling snotty and tempted to start again on monday but that is a bad diet mantra!

Maybe it is some ancient winter instinct to gain weight?

TIP from your descriptions of eating and excersie you have amazing willpower- what's the secret!

Yes they do. And they taste nicer having just been taking out of their shells compared to buying shelled walnuts

Contemplating starting this and have been reading thru the old thread for inspiration ..... And there's lots there :-) I do have a weight problem - currently just over 4 stone to lose before I could class myself as a healthy weight.
I did try this last autumn but got a nasty head cold soon after and I reverted to my normal bad way of eating.

I would just like to ask what people do when they fall ill with colds etc? Do you try to fast regardless or skip fast days until you feel better?

Many thanks

Skip days hefferlump This isn't a torture diet there's always another day ..

Nice ride bro? i've been stuck in 'ere .. BUT unless its a hooley or snow drift im out tomorrow.. I did go into the shed and check me tyres..

For anyone thinking that added muscle might be masking weight reduction be aware you would see a significant difference in your body shape if that was the case. Muscle is heavier than fat for the same volume!

Five pounds of fat is about the same size as 3 grapefruit, five pounds of muscle is the size of 3 Satsuma.

Hi pookey i was like that earlier in the week and whinged about it , but ok now.. Wots wrong with Mondays? (I usually do Sun/Mon back to back ..)

Now tonight .. to or not to ? THAT is the question (ooh.... ive come over all The Bard...)

pookey
I'm 47 and have no cartilage in one knee. If I put weight on I end up in so much pain I cannot walk. My options are - keep the weight off / major surgery - pain is a great motivator.
That and I'm naturally a very pedantic pretty mildly psychotic person so I stick to things.
Funeral of an old friend who I thought was fit but died of heart failure also focuses the mind.

DEFINITELY tonight.

Laska mon wed fri were my fast days but I haven't been fasting because of this cold but have had it for over a week now maybe I should get on with it and just do a saturday fast? Glad you have managed to get back into the swing of things now :)