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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:
Talkinpeace · 23/02/2013 22:41

ExitPursued
with 5:2 you have to stop thinking in terms of daily calorie intake
and think in weeks
try this as an approach :

2 days per week : 500 calories
2 days per week : stay within TDEE
2 days per week : try to stay within 10% of your TDEE
1 day per week : splurge / relax

ExitPursuedByABear · 23/02/2013 22:49

Thanks Talkin - I know, I was just a bit shocked that eating 1200 calories a day on my eating days would cause me to gain weight - although obviously that is what has been happening for the last couple of years!

I find the exercise difficult as I have mobility issues, but I think the website thinks I am lying in bed eating .......

Is the 10% of TDEE in either direction

Talkinpeace · 23/02/2013 22:56

Exitpursued
that data set is my own and it seems to work for a fair few people - 10% either way!!

PS, mobility issues : watch and be inspired

Ilovegoodfoodandwine · 23/02/2013 23:18

I haven't posted for a while but have been reading the thread daily. I have been unable to fast for about 10 days now as I have had a horrible bout of flu. It's the first time I've had full-blown flu and I'm in my 40's! Any way up to that point I had lost 13 lbs fasting since 2nd Jan. I have lost another 3 lbs due to no appetite.so feeling quite a lot slimmer, I want to lose another stone and a bit to get me down to 10.7. I am 5'9 and a comfortable size 12 at this weight.
I just hope I can slip back into fasting easily enough after this break. How have others found it after a break? I found it fairly easy before I became ill.. I had just started exercising too so got to start that again.
Also, would someone kindly post the link for the maintenance thread, I'm hopeful I may need it in the future.. :)

Aftereightsarenolongermine · 23/02/2013 23:33

Well as usual I was doing fine today. Them went to dsil for dinner ate my meal so far so good as I stop when I'm full as opposed to hoovering up everything in sight. THEN dsil brings out cheese & biscuits so I have a little then a bit more & a bit more. Then nuts & crisps & I'm falling over my feet to get to them. Then cakes. I'm now feeling sick & have that horrible feeling of a brick in my stomach. When will I learn? The only saving grace I had water instead of wine. You see I'm very good at saving calories :o

maintenance thread

Wishihadabs · 24/02/2013 06:03

Hello,
I picked up this book and have now watched the show. I am thinking this similar to what I do sometimes naturally. (Have days with v. low calorie intake) which btw I have been told off for for many years."what do you mean you only had 2 bit s of fruit and a bowl of soup yesterday? " This feels like a justification for the way I like to eat. :)

Having said that I would like to loose about 5kgs (10lbs). I weigh 61kg and am 165cm- Bmi 22.

.I had already given up alcoho lfor lent and will now make a concerted effort to have 2 fast days per week.

PFP says my TDEE is 2300 does that meanmy fast day totaltotal is 575 e.g.; 1/4 of 2300?.

swallowedAfly · 24/02/2013 06:57

wishihadabs i'd try sticking to the 500 if i were you. may as well from the start as when your weight goes down that equation would go down too. those tdee calculators are not massively accurate in my opinion and we do tend to overestimate how much we do - or think of work days and forget a sedentary saturday or sunday sort of thing.

well this morning - after yesterdays humph - the scales are down by 1.2lbs. i had to take a mild laxative as i realised i was really bunged up (not had that after a fast day before but i had only egg and soup so presumably the egg effect and no fibre to counter it). going to aim for a don't go mad day today and then a fast tomorrow and am hoping that will bring me down under the sticking point weight i've been hovering around over the last week or so.

so sorry for crudity but it's amazing the difference a poo makes Grin

this is not an encouragement to take laxatives (i take them about once a year if not less as they're very bad for digestive system). just in case that needed saying Wink

bmj - it just doesn't add up - you were losing weight down to really low levels by eating 1800cals a day but you reckon 1800 is your tdee??? i just worked out yours by height, weight and exercising 3 times a week and it's 1822 (and that's for this weight not lighter) so it's hard to see how that would have had you losing weight down to 7st10 or how it would have seen you feeling starving. you must have been eating a lot less than that on the diet you were on previously. if you are not giving us the full/real picture there's not much we can do to help.

Wishihadabs · 24/02/2013 07:18

500 seems doable, probably a bit less than I would eat on a not hungry day.My days will be Tuesdays and either Thursday or Friday (usually work late on one of these days, easy to skip dinner).

So Tuesdays will have poached egg +1piece of toast for breakfast with a Clementine (200kcals approx) Then hm minestrone at 730pm.

Thursday/Friday I work so banana/berries with Greek yoghurt for breakfast, then a big salad with some proteins for late lunch.

Does that sound about right ?

Wishihadabs · 24/02/2013 07:23

Oh and I am going to eat what I Damn well please the rest of the time.

swallowedAfly · 24/02/2013 07:34

up to you wishi -if it works for you great. personally i couldn't have breakfast as i need my calories for the evening and i personally find it easier not to eat all day otherwise eating makes me hungry to eat more. some stick to not eating breakfast so they have a clean long actual fast before eating.

you can wiggle around with it and find what works for you.

Wishihadabs · 24/02/2013 07:40

Thanks. Actually no problem with not eating at night, frequently feel too tired to bother with dinner. If I was to eat once it would have to be in the middle of the day.

swallowedAfly · 24/02/2013 07:54

sounds like it's the right pattern for you then wishi. i'm the other way round though - no problem with not eating all day but once i start eating at night.....

i think the dude in the film has a light breakfast and then 12 hours later has dinner and he did great on it.

incidentally bmi22 is supposed to be 'the magic number'. people with a bmi of 22 supposedly have the least incidence of disease etc.

swallowedAfly · 24/02/2013 07:57

oh i've just googled and it seems they are now saying a bmi of 20-22. it is associated with living the longest and all sorts. what bmi would your goal weight take you to?

BsshBossh · 24/02/2013 08:09

Aftereights I had one of those eating days yesterday - we went out to celebrate a family birthday at a naice fish and chips restaurant where I hoovered up scampi with chips and mushy peas followed by half and half of treacle and chocolate sponge puddings with ice cream. I was over-stuffed for the rest of the day. But I know enough about calories, law of averages, and my own appetite now that I simply had a bowl of fresh fruit for dinner and I'll skip breakfast this morning (as still not hungry). Isn't this WOE great - I've learned so much about appetite and hunger and fullness (something I couldn't quite get to grips with when I tried Paul McKenna.

Wishihadabs · 24/02/2013 08:12

Between 20 and 21. I personally think I look and feel best around that. I also have very slim wrists so anything above 9st (58kg) feels a bit heavy for me.

Wishihadabs · 24/02/2013 08:14

Btw haven't been below 9st for 7 years (since pgs with dd ) so looking forward to it. :)

ELR · 24/02/2013 08:16

Talkin Peace just watched that clip, had tears running down my cheeks! Amazing what you can do if you try!

swallowedAfly · 24/02/2013 08:32

i've been fiddling on the bmi calculators and 9st 7lbs would be 21.5 for me so ideal but i find it hard to imagine being that weight and actually being able to stay there. in adult life and especially since having ds it's like a mecca land that i have occasionally reached but never been able to stay for long. 5ft7 but my wrists, ring sizes etc are quite big. i'd settle for being able to comfortably stay at 10stone.

Aftereightsarenolongermine · 24/02/2013 08:38

bssh I know I still feel like a lead balloon in my stomach but so worth it. Unfortunately can't skip breakfast as took my meds last night & have to eat. But going out for late lunch/early dinner so I may have chance to redeem myself....

I do love that on this WOE a blow out does not mean giving up on a diet which is what I always used to do before.

Wishihadabs · 24/02/2013 09:33

Exactly swallowed the idea that I can eat and drink normally most of the time, yet be lean is very bewitching, determined all the other health benefits.

I have maintained that weight for about 9 months a couple of times in my adult life. But have spent more time between 60-65kg.

dines · 24/02/2013 10:16

I'm not sure I fully understand this I'm started tomorrow.. on anone fast day do I have time stay within a calorie intake?

Aftereightsarenolongermine · 24/02/2013 10:18

Ok to put it simply 500 calories between dinner tonight & breakfast on Tuesday morning.

swallowedAfly · 24/02/2013 10:20

dines i think it's more that for people who are doing 5:2 and finding that they are not losing weight the next step is to look at the their non fast days and see if they are eating somewhere near 'normally' on those days.

i don't calorie count on non fast days as the whole point for me is to avoid that kind of hellishness. however obviously if i was to have massive blow outs every single day i wasn't fasting it would undo the good work of fasting.

swallowedAfly · 24/02/2013 10:21

some are finding btw that their appetite on non fast days is reducing anyway. for some they initially find they're ravenous on non fast days and that gradually eases off. you'll have to suck it and see for yourself i think Smile

Itsaboatjack · 24/02/2013 10:22

Well I did a fast day yesterday and the scales have stayed the same :( I am still stuck on this stubborn platau. I will not give up though. I did go for a run yesterday so I feel good about that, and my legs are stiff this morning so I am hoping that I am retaining some water and that is the reason. I am fasting again on Monday so fingers crossed by Tuesday I will see some movement.