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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.

See all MNHQ comments on this thread

5:2 Diet Thread! Perfect number 10!

999 replies

GreenEggsAndNichts · 20/01/2013 15:24

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.

Michael Mosley has recently unveiled a new website to accompany his new book on the subject. Please go check them out, as he's the whole reason most of us are here!

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. 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. Wink

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:
Bordercollielover · 25/01/2013 06:50

Tomorrow eat, I am ok on a fasting day provided I don't eat. Anything. I have black tea and one cup of dark brown coffee for breakfast then black tea or lime juice in hot water all day. I sometimes have TiPs mix of a dollop of Knorr vegetable stock glop and a spoon of Miso paste in hot water on a cold day.
In better weather I don't eat at all until the next day but in the cold, which I am feeling very much while fasting, I tend to eat in the evening. That will be a huge serving of steamed greens with a very small portion of whatever veggie meal my daughter is having. Or a big vegetable soup.
I think it is harder to fast if I eat carbs the night before.

SarahWithAFringeOnTop · 25/01/2013 07:23

I was really pleased with myself last week - it was a fast day but the canteen at work was selling these fabulous chunks of homemade millionaire's shortbread - they always disappear really quickly and it was a fast day! So I bought one... and didn't touch it until the next day! I admit to hvaing had to keep it out of sight so I wasn't too tempted... but I managed not to have any of it on my fast day. I wouldn't have believed I could do that several months ago... and when I did eat it, I split it over two days and enjoyed it properly, instead of scoffing it all at once. I think I have turned into someone else... Grin

Northstarmum · 25/01/2013 07:41

Have decided to fast today. Last fast day (Wednesday) was unsuccessful Sad so I'm hoping for better outcome today. I've felt a bit down in the dumps this week, hoping its not to do with fasting, but I do seem to have no energy whatsoever. Wish me luck!

ErikNorseman · 25/01/2013 07:49

Can I just say, I'm so pleased I found this WOE. It suits my 'all or nothing' mentality to dieting, because I can have all and nothing! I've lost 7lb so far since December, including a 2 lb gain over Christmas. It has averaged at 1lb a week, though it has been more really due to the Christmas gain. That's perfect for me. And I just had toast with Boursin for breakfast! I'm planning to go to student union for lunch (jacket pot with veg chilli) and it's cauliflower cheese and potatoes for dinner. I can't believe I get to eat like this and lose weight! At this rate I could definitely get to 10.5 stone by the summer. (My dream, haven't seen that weight since before getting pg with DS, now 4)

LittleAbruzzenBear · 25/01/2013 07:54

Wow! There's loads of you on here. Hello. Smile I use My Fitness Pal and it's going ok, I've lost almost 15lbs in 6 months, but I would like to lose another stone and a half. I haven't read the whole thread, but just intrigued as to how you all manage and I want to take my weight loss up (or down!) a notch. I think I could do without breakfast and then have a light lunch and then simple dinner, does it work for any of you that way? I also have PCOS so wondering if that makes any difference.

niki3108 · 25/01/2013 08:08

disappointed!to poorly this week to manage2 fast days. no energy to cook! hope I'm well enough to try again on Monday.

Laska42 · 25/01/2013 08:12

manic post it note away! ...

He actually aid 'I'm not empty'.. that was what really got me and stuck with me..

But better still get rid of your snack drawer!!

BTW I'm no angel .. i eat snacks , but not in the way i did and Friday and Saturday night Wine.. (hey... its Friday!!) Grin

For example I no longer have anything in my desk drawer, and I buy expensive very dark chocolate keep it at home and eat 2 sqs at a time only. Strangely enough I probably eat more choc now than i ever did as I wouldnt 'allow 'myself it on WW points system. But like greeneggs choc wasn't the problem.. it was things like cheese and bic s....I do buy cheese though.. thats one of the great things about this WOE..I dont use it as a snack as I can have it on eating days as its real food)

And tortilla chips .. - now I just dont buy them Sad).........Ha ha ! EXCEPT.. Christmas and new year ..I bought 4 large packets of crisps/ tortilla chips ..that was it our whole snack allowance for the period .. but not too mean as there were only the two of us here this year..having said that . I did eat most of the chilli doritos .. Hmm

TOP TIP ( reiterated here often by our lovely TIP2 and she's so right

ITS SNACKING THATS THE PROBLEM.. we didn't used to snack.. it was invented by the food industry to sell us more (along with the idea that we should eat 'slots ' of small meals to keep our metabolism 'fired up.' ..ITS A BIG FAT LIE!!!

Once again i recommend new posters people read Dr John Briffa 'Escape the diet trap' and his blog (its compatible with 5:2 - lots about debunking the diet and food indiustry )
and also look at the the Getting stronger website

oops better go to work

Laska42 · 25/01/2013 08:16

that's 'lots' of small meals not 'slots' LOL..
quite Freudian though.Grin

Stop posting snacks through your slot , unless you want to look as lumpy as a mailbag Grin

Lakota · 25/01/2013 08:17

Wow SarahWAFOT - that's some serious willpower! I LOVE mililonnaire's shortbread. In fact I may have to make some soon. Mmm, homemade Twix.

I stepped on the scales this morning and there is an 8 on there! I am amazed! 8st 13. Not sure I've been that since before my first pregnancy and he's nearly 8! Fasted yesterday and am already looking forward to making my chicken korma for dinner.

Happy almost weekend everyone!

Lakota · 25/01/2013 08:18

Apologies for all the hyper breakfast show radio presenter type exclamation marks. I may be a little excited.

welshmill · 25/01/2013 09:06

Another occasional poster here who's been around since thread one. Yes I'm still doing this! I've dropped from 4/3 to 5/2 now which I find more sustainable but to encourage new starters since the last week of August I've lost 6 inches off my waist and 21lb. Ideally, given my height (4ft 11 inches / 149.86 cm) I would like to be around 8st. I'm now 8st 12lb (I was 11st 2lb in June last year Blush ) but as this WOE has now become an integral part of my life I'm not getting too stressed about getting there. I feel fitter and healthier than I have for years and my mental health has improved dramatically. The day before a fast day I finish eating at around 6pm, then on the fast day I skip breakfast and have a light lunch (so around 18 hrs not eating) and then dinner at 5.30. I'm still not sure I could just do one meal in a day like a few on here (not that I've tried!)but as this arrangement has worked for me so far I'm not planning on changing it.Grin

tomorrowweeat · 25/01/2013 09:06

BorderCollieLover thanks for the info. I am fine on fast days. It was what you eat on feeding days that really interested me. I've learnt that porridge for breakfast sets me off on a carb seeking quest!

Betterlatethan · 25/01/2013 09:08

Morning everyone....I am continually amazed at the time and effort people put in to answering questions, so thank you to greeneggs and bandw for their extensive replies to my earlier message about the 'all or nothing' conundrum. That has really helped and I will cut and paste your comments in my diary.
bandw you are the same height as me and I am currently at 11 stone 4 (was 11 stone 8), my first goal is 10 stone and will see what I decide to do once I get there. Interestingly, my body is a size 12, but my belly means I have to go up to a size 14 in trousers and skirts....so that tells you where my fat sits doesn't it?!
It's a fast day for me today and tomorrow I will weigh myself. Be prepared for another post tomorrow....your comments have given me a good shot of extra motivation! Grin

Bordercollielover · 25/01/2013 09:09

Tomorroweat, by the way there is a very interesting article about over eating on the Getting Stronger website. It is called something like Obesity Starts in the Brain. I used to think that hunger is driven by the steepness of the fall in blood sugar after eating high GL foods, hence the urgency to eat more of the same. Since reading this article I think there is another explanation which points to hunger, for some individuals, being not in the mind but driven by brain chemistry. Somehow fasting seems to reset this so that the cycle is broken and the urge to overeat diminishes after a few weeks. That is what stopped me from snacking, I could not have imposed it on myself as a diet rule. If I HAd been able to then any other calorie restricting diet would have worked for me in the past.

buttonspoon · 25/01/2013 09:24

Hello, I've been doing the 5:2 since January and have lost a bit of weight which is great (have about another 1.5 stone to lose). At the weekend I got a horrible stomach bug so was very sick and didn't really eat properly for about 4 or 5 days - I ate bits of dry toast and pitta bread and lots of water and hot drinks. I ate properly for the first time yesterday. I am not planning on doing a fast day until next week now.

The thing is, whilst it wasn't very nice being ill I thought oh well it might help with the weight loss but I haven't lost a single oz! I weighed myself on Tuesday and Wednesday after 3 and 4 days of barely eating anything and I was exactly the same weight each day. How can this be? everyone else I know who has had a stomach bug recently seems to have lost a bit of weight with it - my brother in law had it very badly and lost nearly a stone!

Does anyone know why this could be?

chasingtail · 25/01/2013 09:24

Morning - still churning my way through all the threads but just wanted to say I completed my 1st fast day yesterday (5:2). Not as bad as expected, kept really busy and it was actually manageable as I knew I'd be eating again today.
As MM points out in his doc, rather than being constant, hunger comes in waves. I second that, as laying in bed last night the paigns (SP?) definately came and went.

Surprisingly when I woke today, wasn't starving and could only eat half a bowl of cereal. Oh well, early days.....

BetsyVanBell · 25/01/2013 09:31

Yesterday I had my 4th fast day (5:2) which went really well - yes I got hungry but no more so than when I'm on any kind of calorie restricted diet. Previously I've felt really peculiar after breaking my fast but today feel absolutely fine and I've no desire to pig out. Hurray!

I can't say I've particularly lost any scale weight but I feel leaner and my weight is being a whole lot more consistent than before I started - it used to veer 1 to 3 pounds +/- each morning and often there didn't seem to be an awful lot of rhyme or reason for it.

I haven't experienced an initial 5lb loss like many do simply because I've been monitoring my food intake for 16 months and had already lost an awful lot of weight (approx 32lbs) - I still have more to lose but I had been looking for a sustainable way to do so as I had definitely plateaued and I still put weight back on extremely easily (Christmas was 7lbs...). My feeling is that even if I only lose less than half a pound a week that's still heading in the right direction and I'll get there eventually!

maniacbug · 25/01/2013 09:33

Laska good point, but unfortunately getting rid of snack drawer not an option (would lead to mutiny amongst the DCs). It's not too unhealthy at the moment (cereal bars, home-made cake, popcorn, nuts, dried fruit etc... OK, and jaffa cakes) but I do need to have easy stuff to hand for them after school as well as fruit, which they don't always fancy. So it's for them really, but I work from home and can often hear it calling me! Today is the first non-fast day I am not automatically cutting myself a slice of cake/making toast to go with my cup of tea as I sit down to work. I'm 'not empty', so I don't need to. This WOE really is about breaking habits, isn't it?
PS Sarah and Lakota and all lovers of millionaire's shortbread, have you tried Salted Macadamia Millionaire's Shortbread? Insanely good - in VERY small pieces!

maniacbug · 25/01/2013 09:37

(I don't mean just about breaking habits, but you know what I mean!)

GreenEggsAndNichts · 25/01/2013 09:49

oh yes Laska I don't regularly purchase tortilla chips, but I bought them over Christmas as a treat. I think I meant to make proper nachos with them. Then they sat there for weeks as I couldn't find a day where I could justify eating nachos. Grin Finally I just opened them and we ate them over the course of several days.

Which, like Sarah's millionaire shortbread, was an achievement in its own right! And shows how this really is something sustainable in the long term.

OP posts:
lirael · 25/01/2013 09:59

Giraffes - thanks for answering my question - this thread moves so fast that its hard to keep up! Interesting comment about your driving - I can be very anxious when in the car, so will be good if it lessens that. I am as sure as i can be that my moods are diet-related - but when I've tried low carbing, for example, they've got much worse, which is why I'm slightly scared about trying this one. But have to say felt great on first day of fasting (Tues) - second day today, but also coinciding with first day of period, so not great timing!

GiraffesEatPineapples · 25/01/2013 10:21

Glad its going well so far lirael fingers crossed it helps :)

Yes yes Greneggs and Laska nachos and pizza mmmm we tend to have nachos as a late (7 or 8 pm) sat tv/ film meal now and would just have soup for dinner. Wine isn't my downfall, I would usually pick a choc bar and a cup of tea over a glass of wine Blush but some times a lovely glass of dry white wine really hits the spot! [bgrin]

Ezzza · 25/01/2013 10:38

Hee hee! Love the burns smilies [bgrin]

encyclogirl · 25/01/2013 11:03

Hi all, fast day number two is underway. Feel really good and not hungry or craving lunch at all. Yesterday on a feed day I was pretty hungry by this time. I guess I 'awakened my hunger' yesterday.

Coffee is my friend however...

Thanks Snowkey for such a detailed response to my exercise questions. I am really excited about starting again.

I need to do some reading now, but I wanted to check in first. Happy fast/feed day!

Lakota · 25/01/2013 11:13

maniacbug You are an evil evil woman! That recipe looks amazing. I really can't imagine being able to keep it in the fridge a couple of days before eating it. I love salted caramel, my favourites are the ones done by Hotel Chocolate.

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