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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! 12! Cheaper by the dozen!

999 replies

GreenEggsAndNichts · 08/02/2013 10:09

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:
pootlemouse · 16/02/2013 21:11

Hello all!

I just started this WOE about 4 weeks ago and I've lost just over 5lbs. I'm finding it SO much easier than any other kind of diet - I've tried Weight Watchers before, a couple of times, but always get really fed up of counting points every day. I started a blog to track my progress (and to keep me motivated - it's harder to give up when you know people are watching!). I'm listing what I have for every fast day meal, plus putting up some recipes too, so if you're looking for inspiration, come over and have a look! fastdays.wordpress.com/

Prettymaidsallinarow · 16/02/2013 21:12

bmj trust me, she won't want you to be thinner than her, believe me. The fact that she is thin just confirms to me what I suspect. She' s not happy, you are looking good my darlingSmile This is working for you.
Since I have lost weight on this woe I have been amazed by some negative responses I've had.
Oh the dreaded apple shape. Take it from a "slightly" more mature lady who has never been on a diet in her life but has always been slim albeit with a fat belly. This works. I can't believe it myself but it does.

swallowedAfly · 16/02/2013 21:12

sit ups, crunches, twists - all that stuff targets that targets fat around the middle. but i think for it to be effective you have to do loads and regularly which has always been beyond my discipline levels.

BlackMaryJanes · 16/02/2013 21:41

Since I have lost weight on this woe I have been amazed by some negative responses I've had.

Do tell more.

pootlemouse I'm popping over to the blog :)

parrotsandcarsnips · 16/02/2013 21:47

week 4 for me and DH and adapting well to 5:2. I have found the later I eat on fast days the better. The bouillon drink was a good tip as well as the sleep easy tea.
I am doing 5:2 for health benefits but have lost a few pounds it seems but the most notable difference is the change in my flabby tummy, I have done allsorts of exercise to tone up but I dont believe that any exercise has been as effective on the flab as this WOE its amazing!
I have felt very cold on fast days but I can handle this with many layers ans spring is approaching.
I have also found my appetite adjusting and i feel very full on less food on feed days and I want to eat quality chocolate not any old rubbish!
I am hooked on this WOE and as its half term next week i am doing 4:3 this week and 6:1 next week

Dotty342kids · 16/02/2013 22:03

away a lot this week so me and DH doing a fast day tomorrow, a Sunday! However, the bonus is that I worked out the cals in a roast chicken dinner and as long as I keep a tight limit on the roasties, it comes in just under 500 cals. Excellent! Just got to get from breakfast to teatime but boy, will it taste good when I get there Grin

Goober · 16/02/2013 22:27

Marking place, I may be joining you all next week.
Persuade me.

Dotty342kids · 16/02/2013 22:30

Go for it goober! You will feel hungry but actually it's kind of energising and a positive feeling and you just keep with the mantra "if I still want it, I can eat it tomorrow" which I love (and you probably won't eat it tomorrow!).
I'm about to embark on wk 3, 3lbs off so far and definitely feeling the benefit. Am less bloated and went strutting my stuff in a pencil skirt today. It feels good!

Goober · 16/02/2013 22:36

I have a goal to lose a dress size by May as we are renewing our vows and I have bought a slinky dress one size too small on purpose. I've been dieting for 6 weeks and have lost a stone but want to lose another stone and am bored with what I'm doing. A work colleague is on her 2nd week and reccomended it. She said I should buy the book but I'm thinking if I do it I'll just dive straight in.

Dotty342kids · 16/02/2013 22:49

ooh, good to have something to aim for! That's a decent timescale to aim for and, judging by what I've read from others on here, that should definitely be acheivable (assuming you're not already lovely and slim!).
And congrats on what you've lost already, great stuff!

Goober · 16/02/2013 22:51

Not slim. Blush BMI is 26.

Dotty342kids · 16/02/2013 22:57

in that case you should def see some movement on the scales with 5:2! Look forward to hearing your progress reports Grin

Prettymaidsallinarow · 16/02/2013 23:09

Goober and everyone else starting out. Buy the book, watch the programme and read the Tips and links. Knowledge is power. And if nothing else you'll have a good idea what you're doing......

Prettymaidsallinarow · 16/02/2013 23:21

bmj just the usual who don't really know me and my body, you don't need to lose any more, you are obsessed, where do you need to lose it from? Just the crap you read about that you don't really think happens until you experience it yourself.
I honestly feel like I am one of the lucky few who have been given the key to unlock a big secret. And it's not costing me a penny!! How about that?

Every pound I've lost has gone off my stomach. For the first time in my life, 46 years, I my have a flat stomach by summer. Amazing.

BlackMaryJanes · 17/02/2013 01:34

you don't need to lose any more, you are obsessed, where do you need to lose it from?

Pah, that's the exact same crap I get all the time. How do you respond?

ThinkICan · 17/02/2013 01:41

Hi bmj - think you may need some time with TiP2 who migrated to this thread: www.52fastdiet.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=948. She will take a look at your stats and suggest what you could do in an instant. But beware - she doesn't pull her punches! Completely up to you, of course.

swallowedAfly · 17/02/2013 07:46

i can't remember if i said that i have lost 4" on my waist in 2weeks. i can't even believe that is possible!?! now admittedly that will mean a lot of it was water retension and such around my middle but still yay! i've lost loads of water retention from around my middle.

have only lost just under half a stone so that seems to suggest to me that it is all coming off around my tummy.

last eating day today and i'm actually looking forward to fasting tomorrow. the chicken burger and chips i ate yesterday afternoon are STILL sitting heavily inside me. today is a real food day! that takeaway was really not a treat. i'm 2lbs back up on the scales today and i reckon it really is just that 'meal' sat there. bleurgh!

long term aim - and i doubt i'll change all my habits overnight - is to eat predominantly healthy food all the time. sure have treats like ice-cream and chocolate and crisps when i fancy it but the main stock of my diet has to be real, healthy food.

i wish i loved cooking. that is my downfall really that i hate cooking.

BetsyVanBell · 17/02/2013 07:50

BMJ You may be interested to know that us pear shapes (well me anyway) look at ladies with skinny pins and feel pangs of Envy! We don't see the rounder tummy, just the compare the bits we'll never achieve (the grass is always greener etc). So don't assume that just because you perceive someone is slim doesn't mean they aren't jealous of you...

Goober, Go for it: a month ago my BMI was 26.4, now it's 24.8 - half a stone lost on 5:2. You may find that new dress is too big in May!

BetsyVanBell · 17/02/2013 07:54

4" swallowed - that's amazing! It's funny how the definition of 'treat' changes isn't it? My treats/snacks are now almost exclusively interesting fruits which I wouldn't normally be bothered about in cold weather.

swallowedAfly · 17/02/2013 08:03

i was bmi 27 two and a half weeks ago and i'm now 26 so plenty still to go.

i know bvb - i kept remeasuring it because i was going no! that can't be right! Grin

mind you much of my fat hangs loose and lower (gross) on my torso so my 'waist' measurement ignores all that is going on underneath it. that's why i'm dubious about these ratio ideas of assessing health - we all carry it differently. does the fact that my fat sits a bit lower and someone elses a bit higher really mean that i am at less risk of x, y and z? seems dubious to me.

BsshBossh · 17/02/2013 08:16

Goober definitely try it for a month and see how you go. I've lost 6 lbs doing 5:2 for 3 weeks (even during TOM, which is a first for me). I feel energised and for the first time ever my IBS has completely disappeared, even on normal eating days. My appetite is shrinking a little bit and I feel full more quickly now. I still need to count calories on normal days because I'm still learning what normal portion sizes are (years of over-eating) but at least I can now eat lots more on normal days (if I feel like it).

BetsyVanBell · 17/02/2013 08:26

swallowed was just reading an interesting post on the Fast Diet Forums about where to measure on your torso for different sorts of fat and is sounds like you've lost a lot of visceral fat (the stuff that covers the organs) so that's brilliant.

swallowedAfly · 17/02/2013 08:40

interesting - thanks Betsy. makes sense then i guess.

swallowedAfly · 17/02/2013 09:21

totally forget what i said about sit ups and stuff bmj - turns out to be complete cobblers sorry.

am reading about visceral fat and learning loads of incentivising stuff. i also now understand that my sisters fat - which i was always kind of jealous of in a way because even though she's big it sits neat and tight on her, is actually really dangerous. whereas my flappy subcutaneous fat is actually not as damaging to my health. i still want to get rid of it though Grin

it actually does help to learn about this stuff and understand the body better for me.

BlackMaryJanes · 17/02/2013 10:01

swallowedAfly what's my BMI based on your calculations?

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