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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.

5:2 Diet Thread! Going up to 11!

999 replies

GreenEggsAndNichts · 29/01/2013 13:17

The continuing thread for those of us following either the 5:2 diet or the alternate-day fasting diet.

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, or approximately your TDEE (see explanation below). 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 for a woman, 600 for a man, on those days.

You'll find on these threads we use a number of acronyms. If you're new to the threads, or Mumsnet in general, they might not make much sense.

WOE/WOL = Way Of Eating/Way Of Life. We use this term instead of "diet" as many of us see this as something to do in the long term.

MFP = My Fitness Pal, a website many use for keeping track of the number of calories they're eating.

TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure, 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.

ADF = Alternate-day Fasting, as it says on the tin, fasting every other day rather than 5:2.

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!

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%).")

Something to consider 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.

Another food link, here is a link to the BBC Good Food site, with a list of low-calorie soups.

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:
justcross · 30/01/2013 14:24

my husband has started the 5:2 fast diet today...he is very overweight but has been dieting for quite a long time and is not able to shift his tummy. I work with him, so I know exactly what he eats during the day and he may very occasionally 'sin' but not enough to remain as large as he is. it would be good to hear of anyone else who has really tried hard and yet lost very little....he was eating 1000 calories per day for a week after Christmas and lost 2lbs! We eat very healthily...very little bread or high GI carbs (except perhaps a small cheat at weekends). Very depressing when he has 4/5 stone to lose. sorry! just needed to download my thoughts. Smile

Fillybuster · 30/01/2013 14:37

Just a quickie (fnar back atcha Erik Wink )....fasting today but bouncing hectically between meetings. My diary is showing no breaks 9am-7pm which ones again leaves my Itsu miso soup out of reach :( :(

Looks like its going to be another 24 hour fast...hey ho...

But I wanted to give a quick update....I had a frustrating first few weeks as my weight was completely not shifting....or at least, it would go down after a fast day, but shoot back up immediately after.

Now, i know that I am completely within my healthy bmi, and only have a few lbs to lose (7 max) but was getting a bit frustrated, and starting to wonder whether this WOE/WOL would actually work for me. Bear in mind that I rarely eat more than 1500cal on a 'normal' day anyway.

Aaaaanyway, I finished last week at 10st, at I had started. Had a normal weekend, with a few big meals with friends. Got on the scales on Monday morning (normally says 10st xxlbs at this point) at they said 9st 11.8lbs. Fasted Monday (24 hours fast then 400cal), started Tues at 9.10.8lbs. Ate normally yesterday (with some 'extras' as I held a mini birthday tea party for dd1, so had crisps, cake, smoke salmon sarnies etc in addition to lunch and dinner....)...got on the scales this morning and.....

.....

(drum roll please)

9st 9.8lbs Shock Shock

Thank you everyone for encouraging me to stick at it :)

Hopefully today's fast will help to consolidate some of that loss - esp since I'm going away next week and not planning to fast through that time (although will be snowboarding for 8 hours a day, so should burn off the extra cals...!)

Betterlatethan · 30/01/2013 14:38

Thanks manic and justice, I think a carb crash could be what happened to me, although I still maintain that my food day meal was actually fairly healthy. literarygeek I make the black bean sauce myself, using no added sugar, salt and black beans from the Chinese supermarket, so no packet sauces for us!!
I will be keeping an eye on my carb/protein balance in my evening meal from now on, although I have always felt it was more difficult to fast on a day when I had already had one fast for the week under my belt, so it could just be my make up!

Alaska77 · 30/01/2013 14:43

Well done Filly, just goes to show that great things happen when you least expect it! For all the people who are finding fasting difficult or weight loss slow, please stick at it. The fasting does become easier as it becomes habitual and there is so much more to this WOL than weight loss - focus on the long term health benefits whilst the weight loss is slow.

Fast day for me today. I plan a small fruit salad this afternoon and some lentil soup for tea.

virginposter · 30/01/2013 15:56

www.mirror.co.uk/lifestyle/health/what-doctors-wont-do-take-1560972

snowkey hi, have only read upto your post earlier today as have been out all day. You ask about advice re statins for your friend. I don't know if anyone else has posted this but, a few posts ago someone put a link to Miriam Stoppard in the Mirror writing about alternate day fasting.
Whilst I was on that page reading her article there was another article which caught my eye titled 'what doctors won't do' and one of the things was about taking statins for cholesterol (as above). Hope this helps.

TheCatInTheHairnet · 30/01/2013 16:03

Filly That's awesome! Well done!

I have to admit, if the scales weren't happily heading in the right direction, I would have given up in yesterday's fast. I was ravenous! And today, I feel so sluggish...I'm craving that Chinese buffet we were talking about the other day! I guess, just have to eat healthily today ready for tomorrow's fast and then relax for the weekend.

virginposter · 30/01/2013 16:11

B&W just caught up with your post re fasting for 24 hours then eating normally to keep health benefits but no longer lose weight. You are not harping on although you are an angel Grin
I for one will be very interested to hear how you get on and what impact this has on your weight.

MWOW1 · 30/01/2013 16:15

Hi wheresmybook - my father in law is doing it in his 70s. I too am sleeping better and find its good to stay busy in the evenings. Metabolism does slow with age. Good luck with the fasting . reading the blog is very motivating!

BetsyVanBell · 30/01/2013 16:38

Ezzza Well I enjoy your anecdotal posts here! But then they are about food, my favourite subject...

Fillybuster great to hear the scales are suddenly heading the right way - I must admit I had been wondering if fasting was worth it weight-wise for a couple of weeks, but after a highly indulgent Sunday roast I suddenly lost a troublesome couple of pounds which have stayed off even after a feed day! Persevere folks!

I got mistaken for someone who I consider a much thinner colleague today so I guess I have slimmed down more than I'd thought & all the Christmas podge has definitely disappeared Grin.

virginposter · 30/01/2013 16:42

fillybuster well done for sticking with it - your results are inspirational.

lb26 · 30/01/2013 17:19

Hi, everyone. I'm new to Mumsnet & interested in giving 5:2 a go. I've got about 3 stones to lose and have probably done every diet there is!! Always lose the weight, but it goes back on. I've just finished reading "The Fast Diet", so I'm hoping it's gonna be as straightforward as the book suggests and a WoE that I can maintain when I reach a healthy weight.

TalkinPeace2 · 30/01/2013 17:25

justcross
Are you logging every thing you eat - and drink - on MFP?
Sugar in hot drinks? cold drinks? booze? chocolate?
also, how much exercise is he / you both doing?
as this fasting malarkey works for slim people too, eat exactly the same as him and see how you both do ...
could you go for walks together at lunchtime?

lb26
go for it

Jobyloo · 30/01/2013 17:35

Really feeling positive about this WOL. Thanks for the posts about the urge to over indulge on non-fast days and how they begin to settle as they have been really encouraging. This is my 5th week and have been doing 4:3 and the need to overeat on non-fast days has gone, never thought it would. Was also worrying about the slippery slope of fasting/binge eating. I think it's taken me this long to properly get my head around this WOL and get the right balance for me. So I guess that although the basics of this WOL is a given, we have to make it work for us and if we have to make tweaks some days then so be it, we're not failures because we do that.

Better you've defo done the right thing for you and I think you're soooo right about listening to our bodies.

I feel like I've spent my life on some kind of diet with soooo many rules that to have the freedom of 5:2 can be a bit daunting and if I'm not careful I could make 5:2 way more complicated than it is. So for me sometimes I fast until dinner, or have 2 x 250 cal meals and even on on the odd fasting day intake may be 900cals. Whatever, I'm seeing the results and even the 'back fat' is beginning to disappear Grin So for newbies my advice would be to take it one fast day at a time and experiment, before you know it you'll find what works for you.

Snowkey · 30/01/2013 17:39

virginPoster thanks for the link. I'll pass it on.

filly that loss is brilliant, I did this diet for months without really losing but then I didn't gain either, which is a big deal too. I'm losing now but that's after dropping alcohol and sugar for January.

Fanjounchained · 30/01/2013 17:51

Well today (first ever fast day) wasn't too bad - though it is only 5.50pm so I should perhaps not speak too soon ! Had a few wee minor hiccups making the kids dinner and ate about half a teaspoon of mashed potato (was checking for lumps !) but hoping that won't make too much of a difference. Will weigh myself tomorrow morning....

whitewino · 30/01/2013 17:53

Hi fillybuster so glad I read your post as I was seriously thinking of throwing in the towel. This is my third fast day on the 5:2 and am finding it difficult, coupled with the scales hardly moving. I only want to lose 5lb, I'm 5ft. 6 and weigh 8.10. Hopefully scales will start moving soon.

hhhhhhh · 30/01/2013 18:02

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Message withdrawn at poster's request.

wheresmybook · 30/01/2013 18:03

Thanks for the supportive messages people! Nearing the end of the second fast day - kept busy and didn't have anything for breakfast - found that much easier. Am going to hold off weighing myself till I've done a week (if I can!) .

What do people know about low cal ginger ale? I don't touch fizzy drinks in general, ever, but sometime feel like having a non sweet drink when I'm out, and don't want a tomato juice. I seem to remember reading something here about sweeteners having a bad bounce back effect.

swallowedAfly · 30/01/2013 18:07

hi - hope people saw my post on the end of the old thread - was just thanking those who replied to me and apologising if i sounded critical. just really want to find something sustainable rather than 'faddish' and so was being a bit cautious.

i have decided to give it a go and see.

so: i am 12stone on the nose which is the heaviest i've been non-pregnant in my life. i'm 5'7 and not a tiny frame so i would actually be happy with ten stone if i could actually easily stay there. as in previously i was always wanting to be 9st and getting myself there and then it being impossible to stay there so yo-yoing between that and 10.5. so i'd like to get to ten and easily sustain it.

must admit i'm not feeling too optimistic Blush this weight just sort of instant ballooned on me about a year ago and has stayed put. i think it was a medication that started it as it made me crave lots of sweet stuff at night. have cut that medication right down but still taking a small dose. i've also started eating breakfast after a lifetime of not and am trying to eat regularly rather than my usual pattern of starve all day then binge at night.

did my first fast day today. have eaten two boiled eggs and some fresh prawns over the morning and i've made a veggie and herbs that i'm drinking now. if i get hungry later i have more prawns or some fromage frais that i'll add oatbran to (dukan hangover).

sorry for long post. lots is going really well in my life - i've gone back to work to a job i love and am doing well in and i'm being more active and sociable and happier than i have been in years - the only thing getting me down or that i'm not happy about is this fat so i think it's time to deal with it.

swallowedAfly · 30/01/2013 18:09

sorry - that should have said veggie and herb juice! seem to remember reading somewhere that having lots of flavours satisfied appetite and to use lots of herbs and spices. so my juice was carrot, ginger, garlic, apple and coriander and parsley. suprisingly it has really satisfied me.

kiwigirl42 · 30/01/2013 18:18

artificial sweeteners are thought to make you hungrier and prime your appetite to want more sweet things. Someone on the thread said that apparently professional cyclists fill up on bottled fizzy water when they want to lose weight.

I'm on an eating day today but not very hungry which is weird. Have just made some soup and have a loaf of bread in the oven. If I don't eat much of it I'll just eat a bit more tomorrow on my fast day if I seem hungrier than normal.
I love how flexible this way is - you can just mix and match as required.
My first fast days I ate 900 cal anyhow and got down to 500 over a couple of weeks. I intend to stick to this so was in no hurry.

Anglaise1 · 30/01/2013 18:19

Hi, I've just started the diet - I just want to lose 8lbs to get down to 9 stone (am 5'8"). My brother lost 8kgs doing the 5:2 diet and found it quite easy. Good luck to everyone on it. I live in France and have been telling all my French friends about it, some of them are trying it too as the benefit of 5 days of non dieting are very attractive compared to the restrictive Dukan diet.

catsrus · 30/01/2013 18:40

welcome SaF fingers crossed that you find this as successful as some of the rest of us.

For me it's really given me back a sense of control over my weight - if I want something I can have it, or I can wait and have it another day. No such thing as "falling off the wagon" because tomorrow (or the day after) can always be a fast day.

Yesterday I felt picky and and a bit of a carb fest, today has been fine, soup for lunch, veggie curry with brown rice (plus pickles!) for dinner. Its a non fast day so I'm not watching calories but I have no desire to overeat (touch wood) I can feel I'm in the zone for healthy eating and am not beating myself up about last night Grin.

Tomorrow is a fast day - which I do look forward to - and I'll be out and about and busy. Tomorrow night I'll have the remains of the curry without rice (unless my dcs get there first!). Am planning to meet a friend for dinner on Friday and I will eat whatever I want!

swallowedAfly · 30/01/2013 18:43

thanks castrus. i like what someone else said about having worked down gradually to the 500. i think i can manage it today - i just feel motivated to but it's a nice attitude/thought that it doesn't actually matter another time if i find i can't do it that day because actually you could do it the next day. like the sound of that - so long as it doesn't turn into a manyana manyana thing Smile

literarygeek · 30/01/2013 18:48

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