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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:
parrotsandcarsnips · 25/02/2013 12:06

for those worrying about lack of weight loss, from what i can gather from personal experience and these threads, weight loss has been more noticeable around week 3/4 but inch loss more noticeable early on

Aftereightsarenolongermine · 25/02/2013 12:09

Great post ezzza

squeeze definitely log into mfp I was shocked to discover on my eating days I was regularly clicking in over 3000 calories whereas my tdee was 1800.

really either weigh once a week or fortnightly or weigh every day to keep an eye on fluctuations. I vary to what suits me at the time.

Breadandwine · 25/02/2013 12:09

Hi, Exit and welcome from me too. Smile

Your name isn't a stage direction from a Shakespeare play by any chance?

Nice to see new posters joining all the time - you've definitely come to the right place!

virginposter · 25/02/2013 12:11

NurseEzza that was the most conscise information on this woe I have seen on any of these threads (and I have read all of them because there are, as you pointed out, peoples experiences which may not have made it on to the "links and tips"). I too was going to suggest that you put your post onto said links and tips but I see someone else has already suggested it.
I have two friends who have been amazed by my success and have been doing 5:2 for a while now and I have been feeding them all the wealth of info I can from this site. I wish I'd had your post to copy and give to them when they first started but I think I will copy it anyway incase anyone else I know wishes to 'join the club'. Btw one friend has lost 12lbs and the other 14lbs!
Thank you for all your input Thanks

ExitPursuedByABear · 25/02/2013 12:20

Yes, I am Shakespeare's only stage direction.....

Realised that MFP thought I was the size of a 5 week old baby as I had not converted from stones to pounds!

My TDEE is now saying 2456 which gives me more room to manoeuvre.

ErikNorseman · 25/02/2013 12:32

I'm glad you figured that out exit! I saw your earlier post saying you would gain weight on 1200 a day but then forgot to reply. I knew it was impossible!

Daisy1407 · 25/02/2013 12:34

Hi all
I Havent been on here all weekend - ive had a weekend from HELL
i went home friday evening to find i had been broken into - My stuff had been touched and glass window smashed etc - i havent slept properly for 3 days and im exhausted!

I didnt have tea on Friday night because of all this drama however i dont think this helped - i ate and drank sat and had lasange etc yesterday - put on 1lb this week - I really dont care though

Fasting today - so far so good - last meal was yesterday about 5pm

I really hope i get some sleep tonight x

Bramblesinafield · 25/02/2013 12:35

Hope all first fasters are going well. I spent the first couple of fast days fantasising about toast. I find it easier now I'm in my fourth week of it and know that I can have whatever I fancy tomorrow - although I'm never as hungry.

Talkinpeace · 25/02/2013 12:42

((((Daisy1407))))
The stress of all of that will act as a couple of fasts anyway. DO NOT worry about weight loss till your head is back on track.

Hopped on the scales today as I missed Friday. Back up to 9st 2 FAIL. But being back at the gym and the weather warming up eventually, I'll shift that in a couple of weeks no trouble.

PrincessUnderpaid · 25/02/2013 12:44

Another on the 5:2 wagon, 1st fast day tommorow. TDEE is 2011.
exit i was actually played Antigonus in our school production - fantastic name!

Dotty342kids · 25/02/2013 12:44

Oh Daisy that sounds awful! Hope you're putting yourself / family / house back together ok after all of that. well done for getting back on track today though!

dines · 25/02/2013 12:50

Started mtg fist fasting day today and I've messed alreadyShock I was doin ok in the morning... I had my last meal yesterday at 4.. would it help if I had that about later? Really feeling bad about this. Can someone give me an idea of a routine on fast day please and where or not I should leave my even meals before fast days abit later

ExitPursuedByABear · 25/02/2013 12:51

Ooh Princess - Then you did, actually, exit pursued by a bear!

We put the play on in 6th Form and we all thought it was an hilarious way of getting rid of poor Antigonus.

I have just eaten a cold hard boiled egg.....

Dotty342kids · 25/02/2013 13:05

dines, the idea of a fast day is to go as long as possible after the previous day's eating before eating up to 500 cals during your fast day. So......... if you ate tea at 4pm yesterday and you've not eaten yet then you've done 21hrs which is brilliant! You have the rest of today to eat up to 500 cals worth of food.
If you've already eaten today then all is not lost! You'll still have done a good stretch of fasting and if you've not gone over your 500 cals for today then it's ok, you are exactly on track.
Don't panic Grin

dines · 25/02/2013 13:08

I've not had 500 cals yet but I've had almost that and Havnt had dinner yet lol should i try and leave dinner out ? I ate this morning at 11.. so I went 19 hours.

greenfig · 25/02/2013 13:11

Daisy poor, poor you. Hope you get some sleep. Any chance of a nap this afternoon?

dines · 25/02/2013 13:15

I jus added up and Iv had almost 600 already lol I had some soup at 11 with slice of bread. then I had 2 bits of toast cus I felt starving again about an hour later lol.. I feel like I've failed already.. this is my first day which makes me feel even more guilty.

ArtemisatBrauron · 25/02/2013 13:16

Just broke my fast with some squash soup, it should be about 125 cals so am planning a dinner of wild salmon (less fat, more protein than farmed salmon) and loads of salad and raw veg. Feeling ok and definitely better hydrated than usual - hopefully a good side effect of fasting will be that I finally drink enough water!

dines · 25/02/2013 13:17

529 cals already probably more with the splashes of milk

Talkinpeace · 25/02/2013 13:27

dines
bread is generally a bad move on fasting days ....
try to get into the habit of drinking water or tea or miso soup rather than eating
as the vast bulk of hunger is habit in your head rather than real need for food.

ELR · 25/02/2013 13:32

Just broken my fast with a bowl of porridge and strawberries and now a nice cup of tea with milk.

Aftereightsarenolongermine · 25/02/2013 13:33

daisy hope you get back on track soon.

dines if you are hungry try to avoid carbs & have some protein instead. Boiled eggs are great for this. If you can though its best to make yourself a herbal tea/black coffee & ride through the hunger. & no you haven't failed when I started this I was having up to about 700 calories on a fast day till I got used to it.

Mumelie · 25/02/2013 13:35

Hi everyone can I join in? My first fast day is today after my scales went crazy yesterday!
Lost 1.5 stone with ww last year but my social life keeps getting in the way and I'm finding it hard to maintain. I have heard lots of great weight loss inspiration from those on 5:2 so hope it can work for me too.
Last meal was 7pm last night so I had nothing til 9am today and have eaten 300 cals since then (fruit and just had an egg salad).
So it's ok to eat after 7 tonight or shall I wait til the morning? I was just going to have homemade veg soup for dinner (less than the 200 cals I have left). I don't feel hungry yet - just weak and a little shaky

ArtemisatBrauron · 25/02/2013 13:36

talkinpeace thanks for your reply - I get that snacking per se isn't strictly necessary, I was just offering the thought that as long as you don't exceed your TDEE it probably doesn't matter that much when you eat, at least on a feed day.

Dotty342kids · 25/02/2013 13:38

dines agree with other posters. Re today, either continue as you are and don't eat anything else today (remember, just tell yourself "tomorrow I CAN eat it!") or eat as normal today and do your first fast tomorrow, based on the guidance others have given you here. You will feel hungry, and possibly uncomfortably so but you CAN do it! And each fast gets easier I promise.

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