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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:
mamarun · 30/01/2013 19:18

Lots of posts. Sorry cant keep up with remembering who to post too. Welcome to all new fasters and well done who are all sticking to it.

After a week last week where I seem to plateau -Ish I have had a good week. I lost about 0.4 kg after first fast of the week. Doesn't sound likea lot but it took me sub 59kg for the first time. And then the day after a eating day (and boy did I eat) I lost another 0.5kg so feeling really grt.

I have to say I don't exactly measure all my calories either in fast or eating days but use mfp to roundabout look up things. Had a lunch appt today so have swapped days with tomorrow.

Feel good in myself in clothes and have started getting some comments on apparent weight loss.

Thanks all - I do love this thread.

mamarun · 30/01/2013 19:20

I have now lost all together 5.3kgs since beginning of December.

Dotty342kids · 30/01/2013 20:08

hi everyone,
just been reading through all of this new thread as DH and I are considering starting to do this.
There seems such a lot of information that it seems both simple and confusing all at the same time!

Those of you who've been at it a while, what's your top tip for getting started or that has really helped you?

Bordercollielover · 30/01/2013 20:12

Betterlatethan apologies if BandW has already responded, I don't have time to trawl through so many emails! It was me who suggested that once an ideal weight has been reached perhaps fasting for 24 hours followed by normal eating might bring the health benefits without further weight loss. This is just what I think, based only on reading everything I can about IF over the last 8 months so may not be correct. There seems to be an optimum fast length of between 16/19 hours ( different opinions on this ) and 36 hours. Any longer and some of the good things are lost. However even this is not definite, mainly scientific conjecture yet to be proven or disproven. I have not read anything which suggests that the calorie deficit is also needed for health unless there is weight to lose.
Probably by now someone else on he may have something to add on this.

TalkinPeace2 · 30/01/2013 20:24

Dotty
Just go for it.
Pick a day - tomorrow is good - and skip breakfast. Have plenty of tea and coffee and water to drink. See if you can skip lunch. If you can't, have soup or something vegetable based. More drinks. See if you can make it to supper and have something off the BBC 300 calorie menu options. Then pat yourself on the back. You have just done a 16/24 hour fast and a 500 calorie day.
Sleep well, eat normally on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Fast again Monday.
Grin

lovinfoodainteasy · 30/01/2013 20:34

Hi everyone I've been following these threads since I started this diet 3 weeks ago after stumbling over the 5:2 diet book on my kindle. Thank you for the huge amount of information on these boards I'm 5ft 5 and was 12st 6 when I started am now 11st 13 :)

I started on the 4:3 method as basically I thought giving myself 5 days unrestricted eating would be too tempting as it stands I think I have probably overate on a few feast days tho not too concerned as from previous posters it seems to level out. I have noticed after a fast day my portion sizes have reduced on a feed day as it looks massive compared to fast days.

I only have a main meal on fast days as I don't feel hungry until I eat during the day I survive on black coffee and peppermint tea so far so good anyway I'm rambling onwards and upwards x

Dotty342kids · 30/01/2013 20:35

ooh, you make it sound so simple talkinPeace2 thank you!

lottie63 · 30/01/2013 20:38

Between 8.30 last night and 8.30 this evening I've had 618 cals which goes over my 500.

My questions are... Does this matter? What's so magical about 500? (I have ran for 30 mins today as well)

Also, this is a 24 hour fast right? In terms of the time-frame? Do you still call it a fast despite eating 618 cals?

Dotty342kids · 30/01/2013 20:41

talkinPeace2 I can't find that 300 cal site - any chance you could link to it for me please? Grin

cardiffmummy · 30/01/2013 21:08

Hi just had a normal day and planning to fast tomorrow. Will do 5:2 or possibly 4.5:2.5 this week. Have decided to space the fasts out to Mon/Thurs instead of Mon/Weds as I don't think having several "normal" days in a row is helpful for a snacker like me!! I think its easy for me to lose focus so hopefully shorter intervals will work better.

literarygeek - I think you are very sensible to be using TDEE based on being sedentary. Have calculated mine on light activity but will be recalculating!!

PS Dr M is on Horizon on BBC2 at the moment - programme about exercise.

TalkinPeace2 · 30/01/2013 21:17

Dotty
www.bbcgoodfood.com/content/recipes/special-diets/200-400-calories/
Lottie63 (you're not ebay lottie are you?)
118 calories is no way the end of the world. Just have one less square of chocolate tomorrow and slap yourself on the wrist Grin

cardiff
yup, its the one he did before diets ....

Bordercollielover · 30/01/2013 21:18

Dotty342.......the reason TiP2 makes it sounds so simple is because....it is! There really is nothing more to it than "fast for 24 hours then eat up to 20% of your recommended daily calories. Don't eat again until the next day, then eat normally. Repeat twice a week". And that's it. If you can't fast for 24 hours at first, so what? Start slowly as TiP2 suggested and within a week or two you will go the whole 24 hours. Good luck.

poorbuthappy · 30/01/2013 21:29

I have read and read and read and read about this today.

And it is talkingpeace2's post above explaining it in 1 paragraph which has made my mind up.

I start tomorrow.

BsshBossh · 30/01/2013 21:32

1st day of 5:2 went well for me. I had a few hunger pangs but hot herbal tea, lots of water and the thought that I can eat well tomorrow kept me going. I didn't eat all day so I thought I would be ravenous by dinner time and wolf down my 483 cal (!) meal but I wasn't ravenous at all and the meal was sufficient. I'm completely satiated now even though I have hardly eaten today. Very weird.

It was nice to experience true hunger and emptiness. Haven't felt that in a long, long, long time due to constantly snacking on food so never having a truly empty tummy.

Feed day tomorrow and I plan on eating to my TDEE. I've lost a lot of weight aready (42lbs) eating just 15% below my TDEE this past year and am afraid I won't feel like eating to TDEE on non-fast days which scares me a little as I don't want to undereat over the week (don't want my body to think I'm starving it so it will hold on to the excess pounds). I'll have to monitor that.

Betterlatethan · 30/01/2013 21:33

bcl thanks for clarifying for me. Are you at goal now? Sorry, I can't remember where your original post was and there are so many to scroll back through, I thought I would just ask instead! If so, how are you finding just doing 1 fast day a week and not eating just 500 cals in that day?
I think that is a very clever and 'easy' way of getting the health benefits of IF, without needing the weight loss to continue. I shall certainly give that a go once I reach goal (which, if the last 5 weeks are anything to go by, will be in roughly 4 and a half months time...I seem to be losing around a pound a week and have just over a stone to go)

Someone mentioned marks and spencer meals in an earlier thread, I just wanted to say that they are doing 3 for 2 on their ?count on us range ( sorry, can't remember what their version is called!). I'm not usually one for ready meals as you can't control what goes in them, but I must say they are a lifesaver after a busy day, and I had the Bengali fish curry on my last fast day which was lovely!

BsshBossh · 30/01/2013 21:38

*46lbs lost

Bordercollielover · 30/01/2013 21:41

Hi better late. No, unfortunately I have a long way to go to reach my optimum weight. The discussion arose because BandW is at his goal weight and wanted to get the health benefits without losing more weight. I really have no idea whether my answer is correct or not. I think BandW tried to ask DrM but wasn't answered so we are none the wiser.
I am still doing 4:3 and losing only a little, very slowly , but then I don't monitor what I eat on eating days and only guess at my 500 cals on fast days and don't exercise so that explains all!! I am quite happy though, this creeping weightloss really just mirrors the creeping weight GAIN I experienced for the previous 15 years so is probably a healthy rate of progress for me.

Reezle2603 · 30/01/2013 21:45

Hi new to mums net and the 5/2 diet. Just started this week. Had my first fast day on Tuesday and managed to stick to the 500 cals but drank 3 cans of caffeine free diet coke, is that ok? Today I managed to stick to 1250 (it was actually more but I went for a five mile run)
I have 18 pounds to lose to get to target weight of 132 pounds - seems like a huge amount but I'm hoping this 5/2 will help - trying to loose weight by July. Any tips and advice will be gratefully received:)

Bordercollielover · 30/01/2013 21:46

Snowkey re statins and cholesterol. Have you looked at the article on the Briffa blog?

TalkinPeace2 · 30/01/2013 22:09

Reezle
I'm anti diet drinks but others find they help.
Personally I LOVE caffeine :-)
Remember that unlike WW etc, exercise does not count as negative calories. Count your actual intake on food days, and make it balanced.

Snowkey · 30/01/2013 22:38

Thanks BCL .....off to Dr Briffa's patch for some light reading. Smile

joeysdreamgarden · 30/01/2013 22:41

Hi Reezle, I don't see why no-sugar drinks (Diet Coke or Pepsi Max etc) should make any difference, to my knowledge there is no clear evidence that shows that diet drinks cause weight gain. To me its a nice next-to-zero calorie treat that fills me up!

Has anyone tried quark cheese? Its a virtually fat-free soft cheese which is very bland but very creamy... you can get it in Sainsburys and its not expensive. I sometimes have it spread on ryvitas with some marmite too. I haven't tried it on a fast day yet but I think I will as its so low-calorie.

maniacbug · 30/01/2013 22:56

Ooh, quark, great idea joey. I am getting bored of cottage cheese on my ryvitas! Will try to seek some out for tomorrow's fast.

I have also found that pseudo-feta (Waitrose 'Greek Light Salad Cheese' or whatever) is a good way to add interest to veg stir fries, casseroles, etc. As it's so strong tasting 25g crumbled over the top is enough for me, and it's only 47 cal. Either makes a change from/complements the usual suspects (lime/chilli/soy).

Breadandwine · 30/01/2013 23:07

I don't see why no-sugar drinks (Diet Coke or Pepsi Max etc) should make any difference, to my knowledge there is no clear evidence that shows that diet drinks cause weight gain. To me its a nice next-to-zero calorie treat that fills me up!

Might not cause weight gain, but this film might give you pause for thought.

The whole film is well worth watching, but about 20 minutes in, Dr Christiane Northrup describes how brain cells are affected (read 'killed') when aspartame and caffeine are combined (both of which are in diet cola):

www.disclose.tv/action/viewvideo/92129/Hungry_For_Change/

Breadandwine · 30/01/2013 23:09

Sorry, joey, meant to give you a name check but hit 'post' instead of 'preview'. Blush

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