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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:
Ezzza · 22/01/2013 05:11

Weigh day today. Very excited as I have lost another kilogram this week, that?s 2kg (almost 4.5lbs) in 2 weeks! I think that?s the plateau officially over then! I must remember my weight loss always slows to just under pound a week and must not be disappointed if/when it does that again. That?s 11kg (1st10 or 24lbs) down since September so far. Grin

whatkungfuthat, if you have a look at my very last post on thread 9 I posted my weight loss for every weigh day since I started. I?m still really excited about this WOE (refuse to call it a diet, I give up on diets within the first month or two when the motivation goes).

If anyone wants to listen to the Dr Mosley interview on the Richard Bacon show here?s the link to listen again. If you want to skip straight to the interview it starts at 1:22:18. To start with they?re talking about Dr Mosley?s new (non-fasting diet related) programs. They start talking about this WOE at 1:28:02. They have to cut away at one point to listed to the PM talking in the commons, then the Dr MM interview resumes at 1:46:46.

Could someone post the link to the MN thread for the Dr MM webchat please? Sorry if someone already has, but I can?t seem to find it. Sad

Ezzza · 22/01/2013 05:17

Don't worry, found the thread now. It's here.

Ezzza · 22/01/2013 05:21

Oh wooops, seems that's the wrong thread. Seems the MN thread is this one. Sorry to confuse you all.

Bordercollielover · 22/01/2013 07:01

Welcome to mobile shopgirl. You sound as though you are all set up to find this WOE just right for you. There is lots of friendly support on this thread, let us know how you get on.

Piebaldrider · 22/01/2013 07:15

Hello to everyone new and old and an extra big hug to those of us that have been hanging around for a while now .

Well i'm rubbish , Monday is always a fast day except yesterday were i got rather cold and hungry so gave in and ate. This weather isn't making it easy for those of us that have to spend time outdoors doing physical stuff like mucking out etc. I am still not back to 4.3 and will do my best to keep up with 5.2 until i feel ready to try again. I doubt i have lost weight this week but i will weigh in at some point. Someone mentioned earlier that i post a picture of my bright red hair , i will do just as soon as i have done it . At the moment i think the deep red is still to strong and the bright red wont take but i am told Head and shoulders strips hair colour out so i have bought some to give it go . There are no pictures of me around that have been taken in the last 10-12 years apart from and odd few that were taken when riding at a show ( but you wouldn't know it was me lol) so i will get a work mate to do it for me. Its quite sad and almost a thought for another thread but the reason there are no pictures of me would be because nobody has actually wanted one . I think some pictures would be interesting as a record so i will get some taken because i want some . I would have done it today if i could have got the silly hair colour chalks i bought to work , i was hoping to go to work with some purple and pink sections but all i got was a mess everywhere.

Right im well off topic now so better put my boots on and face the elements . Good luck everyone and keep posting as i think i may need some inspiration and motivation this week .

Snowkey · 22/01/2013 07:21

virginposter I would imagine Dr Mosley was talking about when we go on a diet, in the first couple of weeks especially but not limited to, we lose water as well as fat but the fluid levels in our body continue fluctuate in both direction depending on loads of different factors, increasing water retention causes alarming (temporary) upwards movements on the scales, leading us to believe that despite following a diet properly we have gained fat when in fact we have only gained water and that can make us feel like failures and give up. Around my TOTM I gain around 4lbs of water, after a carb heavy day/meal I can gain 3lbs of water, there is a relatively long list of factors which will cause the body to gain water and mask fat loss/gain.

It's almost impossible to tell whether a gain is water or fat until you get to know what's normal for you. I plot my weight everyday on mfp - I can see what is a normal daily fluctuation and i need to look at, at least 2 weeks of data to determine whether I'm losing, gaining or staying the same.

knittingmumof4 · 22/01/2013 07:49

WI day today and I've lost half a stone in two weeks. Woo! Yeah I know a proportion of that is food not going through my system and water loss but even so it's nice to see those numbers on the scales again :-) Hopefully it won't be long before the loss starts to become noticeable to other people

catsrus · 22/01/2013 08:01

I had a blip last night Blush to reward myself for being good on a 'stay at home in the snow' fast day I had a nip of my homemade vanilla vodka as a nightcap - went inot the living room to say goodnight to my dcs and they were watching an interesting trashy real life TV prog and i got hooked. 2 more 'nips' of vodka later I started on the ryvita with a thick layer of real butter Blush. I think I only ate 3 so it could have been worse but honestly you'd think I would know better by now and had a herbal tea instead . Today is another day and we have had a thaw so I'm off to the office and the joys of a proper fast day lots of lovely stairs to run up and down to get to the loo too Grin

Breadandwine · 22/01/2013 08:07

Morning all! Welcome to all the newcomers on the thread - you've come to the right place! Smile

Well done to all you losers - and to those on the plateau, keep going, this will work for you!

Thanks for those links, Ezzza! I've posted my question:

^If we've completed a 24 hour fast - from 6pm until 6pm the next day, say - why do we then have to restrict our evening meal to

chipstick10 · 22/01/2013 08:23

Fast day yesterday, omg I found it the worst yet, so hard. I was so hungry all day. I would love to get to the point where I actually enjoy fast days but I actually actively hate them. [big grin]

whatkungfuthat · 22/01/2013 08:40

Thanks Ezzza found it, that's impressive! Today is my first fast day, quite excited about being in control if that makes sense?

bubbles1231 · 22/01/2013 08:58

Weight to date each week
12 4
12 2
11 13
Weigh in tomorrow- missed a day fasting so not expecting much this week.

virginposter · 22/01/2013 09:14

piebald it was me who asked to see a pic of you and your new 'do'. Would still love to see it and hang in there - a lot of us are finding it more difficult at the moment, maybe it was the festive season or maybe this winter weather (we've not yet had a full year on this woe so maybe it's quite normal for it to be hard in January?).

snowkey thanks for that reply.

literarygeek · 22/01/2013 09:14

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Jadean · 22/01/2013 09:19

Hi - im about to start the 5:2 "way of life" - just a few questions before I start that I really need help with:

On the "non" fast day - is it ok to restrict calories, i.e. 1200?
Ive heard that you need to leave 16 hours before eating after a fast day?
Do you have to eat the 500 cals in one go or can you split them for the day?

This seems to be having great results with people, saw Hugh Fernley Whittingstall and Chris Moyles have both lost quite a bit of weight doing 5:2 and im really keen to get going [SMILE]

BetsyVanBell · 22/01/2013 09:30

Yesterday was my 3rd fast day (5:2) and it was ok! Dividing calories between a larger lunch and early light supper (6pm) was a preferable approach for me and one I will stick too - I slept well and wasn't ravenous this morning and I think feeling less hungry generally - though that's easy to say at 9.25 isn't it Wink.
Checking my food diary I was slightly disappointed to see I hadn't really lost weight, though it has been far more stable than usual and I do feel slimmer! However, I looked back and realised that I have lost 3lbs overall, just all at the beginning, since then it's been down 1lb on fast days and up 1lb over the non fast days. I note I have been drinking 3 glasses of wine and happily tucking into puddings every non-fast day and barely exercised (snow!) this week so overall I'm happy with the results.
However, this week I'd like to aim to not stuff my fat face all week on non fast days!

BetsyVanBell · 22/01/2013 09:36

Hi Jadean! I'll let more experienced fasters answer you properly but the consensus seems to be to not restrict on non-fast days, instead work out your TDEE on the link in the opening post and stick to that number of calories. You can split the 500 calories on fast days however you want and don't worry about the 16 hours in the first instance - from personal experience it's worth letting your body get used to the reduced calories first. If you want to restrict further you might want to think about doing a 4:3 regime instead perhaps.

BetsyVanBell · 22/01/2013 09:41

There's some nice fast and non-fast meal ideas on Get the Gloss

Salbertina · 22/01/2013 09:52

Fast day but being called by leftover birthday cake in fridge. HELP!

MatildaMay · 22/01/2013 09:57

I completed my second fasting day yesterday and it was much easier to do than the first one! I thought I'd find it difficult as no work and DS was off school, but it was fine. I had an early lunch (2 big bowls of homemade lentil and veg soup - 162 cals), then spent about 3 hours outside clearing snow, a lovely snowy walk (up some steep hills too!) and sledging. I felt hungry when I got in so had a cup of herbal tea then prepared an early tea (peppers stuffed with brown rice, pine nuts and veg with a tiny bit of cheese on top), then nothing else.

Other good news - I just had one can of diet coke yesterday and it was 24 hours since I'd last had one. I don't feel ready to stop drinking it completely but I'm so pleased how much I've cut down. In fact, I'm making a note of when I have one in my diary to challenge myself to gradually have less and less.

MatildaMay · 22/01/2013 09:58

Be strong, Salbertina! Resist. Grin

BetsyVanBell · 22/01/2013 09:59

Salbertina try putting it in the freezer! Much less appetising Wink

BetsyVanBell · 22/01/2013 10:00

MatilidaMay Yay! Well done Grin. How are you feeling today?

Salbertina · 22/01/2013 10:05

Thanks guys... Have cleaned my teeth... Again. To put self off.

Well done, Matilda

Ch1ckpea · 22/01/2013 10:14

chipstick10 I feel the exact same way! Tomorrow will be my third fast day and i am dreading it!! The only thing i have found so far is that on my feast days i can go a little longer without needing a snack!

On my fast days all i do is think about food and once my 500 cals are up i'm gutted! Very difficult indeed (plus i get VERY ratty when i'm hungry so not much fun for others either)!

I'm initially doing this for 4 weeks just to see how i get on. I think i've lost a couple of pounds this week as i feel a little more comfortable!