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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! 13! Now, the baker's dozen!

991 replies

GreenEggsAndNichts · 19/02/2013 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!

If you've been at this a while and are moving on to maintaining your goal weight, there is a thread here to discuss that.

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.

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:
greenfig · 22/02/2013 14:56

Ah ha! Thanks Anja
Mollie that is how I interpreted it too. Good results for you so farSmile
Have a good w/e everyone!

Daisy1407 · 22/02/2013 15:09

mamamoomin2 you have done AMAZING enjoy your wine tonight - you deserve it! Always great seein the next stone down on the sclaes isnt it!

Tonight im having chicken shish kebab and a bottle of red - cannot wait!

dines · 22/02/2013 15:12

Wot scales do everyone have? The ones I have are not accurate.. are digital scales any good?

Daisy1407 · 22/02/2013 15:43

My scales are Salter - i think i bought them in Argos for about £10 they are digital and work perfectly x

CorrieDale · 22/02/2013 16:01

I'm a newbie! Doing my second fast today and I was also wondering about coffee with milk as a fast breaker. To be fair I only have a couple of teaspoons but I may need to switch to black tea if the dash of milk is likely to undo the good work. Currently enjoying a cup of liquorice tea, which I've never tried before and which is tremendous! I've spent most of the last 2 years dieting and working out and have lost 3 stone. I am combining 5:2 with Paul mckenna's techniques. No doubt he would not be impressed but since I have lost 2lbs since last Monday I'm not going to lose any sleep over that! I have another 8lbs to go to get me to my dream goal weight and I am hoping that this WOE will shift them. This last half stone is sooo hard to lose, especially since I am gaining a fair amount of muscle, and Christmas, holidays and birthdays will keep getting in the way.

swallowedAfly · 22/02/2013 16:12

right - what to do. i have to go to an event tonight just for an hour. am wondering whether to eat something before or leave it till after? it's only an hour but i have travel time so would be setting off about 6 and poss not home till 9. hmmm decisions.

swallowedAfly · 22/02/2013 16:13

similar dilemmas here corrie - can't drink black tea or coffee but pretty sure no caffeine would be headache central.

BetsyVanBell · 22/02/2013 16:14

I imagine it doesn't stress your digestive system too much if you have a bit of milk in tea or coffee but I must admit I have had the same thought of it potentially breaking your fast so to be on the safe side I've stopped having anything other than black tea/herbal tea or water until I've consumed food calories. Lucky those who have OH's who make them tea!

Sutinder · 22/02/2013 16:16

Hi from a newbie. Really want to start this so need lots of help please

dines · 22/02/2013 16:41

Thanks daisy1407 I will purchase some of those next week in time for my weigh in. My scales say I weigh 9 and a half stone but Ino that is wrong.. I weighed myself before Christmas and after and it didn't move one bit and I was eating extremely lol.. wot is everyone having for there dinner tonyt?

Anja1Cam · 22/02/2013 16:53

Right I have done a bit more searching regarding the calories in drinks: and the answerthat we all didn't want to hear is that drinks need to be non-calorie to count as proper fasting.
On Marks Daily Apple, which is the main Primal/Palaeo WOE/WOL site, he describes methods of fasting and for the 'Leangains' method of fasting which uses the fasting intervals we are familiar with, but also adds high-protein food and some strength exercise into the mix, one of the rules is:

A daily 16 hour fast (Martin sometimes recommends 14 for women, who just seem to do better on shorter fasts) during which you eat nothing. Coffee, tea, and other non-caloric fluids are fine.

Read more: www.marksdailyapple.com/why-fast-part-six-choosing-a-method/#ixzz2LeBjKya4

Anja1Cam · 22/02/2013 16:54

Ooops strike-through fail Wink

ELR · 22/02/2013 17:00

Hi everyone, been out all day with the kids. I have eaten quite a bit today after yesterday's fast I have felt quite hungry. So far I've ad 1250 calories! So even after dinner will be about my tdee

GREENFiG for dinner tonight I was planning fish pie but Dd is having a friend over to sleep and they have requested fajitas and nachos ect. So unsure whether I should still make the fish pie and then have it tomorrow or just all have fajitas.

Regards the milk I think you should be having 0 calories during the fast time I read it last night in the book but can't find the page it was after page 145 the bit where mimi is having her say! It says should be though not def as I suppose the jury is still out.

Anja1Cam · 22/02/2013 17:09

Thanks ELR and it makes sense really....

swallowedAfly · 22/02/2013 17:17

does anyone else get a weird 'food flush'? broke my fast with a small bowl of soup - ten minutes later my face is all hot at the surface and i have a red nose and cheeks.

now i've noticed it i've realised the same thing happened the other day but i didn't attribute it to eating.

Sutinder · 22/02/2013 17:25

Hi there from a newbie. I think I posted on an old thread before. I need to lose a stone and all these stories are inspiring, will need a lot of help please

BetsyVanBell · 22/02/2013 17:33

Hi Sutinder - all the info you need to get started is up there in the OP above - just have a read, check the links and dive in. It's simple, eat normally on 5 days and limit your intake to 500 calories on 2 non-consecutive days a week. Start tomorrow!

dines · 22/02/2013 17:34

Hi sutinter I am also looking to lose half a stone to a stone..how much do u weigh at the moment? Have u started dieting yet?

greenfig · 22/02/2013 18:14

Oh poo! Looks like I did my 1st fast wrong then! Still I was down on the scales this am so something worked. Will go for total fast on Monday, 16 hrs min you say? Eek!
I feel a bit disappointed as I was soo looking forward to eating yummy stuff today, had avo/prawn salad sandwich for lunch which was delish & don't fancy anything now for supperSad I made some super healthy fruity oatbran lo sugar muffins so may just have one of those. Was looking forard to wine & friday family feast but got no appetiteAngry
Not noticed any flushing Saf but I'm not particularly 'in tune' IYKWIM. Will look out for it.

ChazsBrilliantAttitude · 22/02/2013 18:19

I haven't posted recently but I am still following this. My weight is creeping down and its becoming a bit of a habit now as I am several months in. I tend to do a 16hr fast sometimes a bit longer e.g. 9.30pm to 2.30pm the next day (I drink my tea and coffee black without sugar so no probs there).

I tend to eat nearer 600 calories but I am quite overweight. Some weeks I do two days and others three it depends how the mood takes me. I've found that large bowls of veg soup are my friend as it really fills me up. I also avoid anything sweet on my fasting days as I know sugar makes me hungry.

Good luck to those starting out.

holmessweetholmes · 22/02/2013 18:52

How quickly after starting the 5:2 did you all see a difference on the scales? I'm dying to weigh myself, but I'm only on fast number 2, so that would probably be sillyGrin! I swear I feel lighter already though...

wildwater · 22/02/2013 19:51

holmessweetholmes...I have been doing 5:2 since before Christmas'12. The first two weeks, the fat just dropped off me: I lost about 10kg. Since then it has been slow but consistent. I have gone from 83kg to 69kg. Am now coming to a decision to lose the scales (at least, put them away) because I see a re-kindling of an historical obsession with the scales and don't want to go there again!

Doing this WOL, for me, means making conscious changes for the better all the time. I have started walking nearly every day, and recently added some gravity inspired wall-exercises to help tighten things up again. Anyway HSH, I hope this works for you as well as is for me.

I notice a new and different (reformed?) attitude towards what I am eating. Also towards the feeling of hunger, something I have never really thought about before despite years of yo-yo dieting.

Talkinpeace · 22/02/2013 20:28

and the best thing about this WOE is that having relaxed all this week I can get back on target next week ...

Dotty342kids · 22/02/2013 21:07

holmessweetholmes, some of us have had slow and steady starts (for me, 2.5lbs in a just over a fortnight), others have lost up to 8lbs in a couple of weeks! Lucky them!
I think it really does depend on your body type, lifestyle and your body's general response to calorie restriction. Even though I think I'm going to be more of a slow loser, I'm ok with that as it feels sustainable in the long term, I enjoy how I feel on fast days ("light" and energised) and I look forward to them. My DH is doing this with me and we're both pretty convinced by the health benefits too, judging by research done so far, so we're happy to assume we're becoming healthier by the day too Grin

holmessweetholmes · 22/02/2013 21:11

Wow, wildwater! That's impressive! I've managed the first 2 fasts ok, but am hoping that some good results on the scales will ensure I stick at it. Still having trouble deciding which days to fast from now on, what with avoiding weekends and days when I go for a long run. Hmm... just see how it goes I guess.