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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:
Itsaboatjack · 25/02/2013 19:55

Sorry I forgot who it was asking about snacks but I read this recently in Healthy magazine.

New studies by researchers found high fat foods eaten eaten at regular scheduled times during the day lead to lower body weight and cholesterol levels than grazing on low fat foods throughout the day - even if the amount of calories consumed is the same. The scheduled high-fat diet meant fats were burned off as energy between meals, instead of being stored in the body.

Dotty342kids · 25/02/2013 19:57

So for my tea today I had a mountain of stir fried greens, leeks, peas and broccoli with a piece of salmon on top. Was completely ravenous but actually had to leave a little bit as I was stuffed! Amazing!
And I feel too, on this WOE, that I'm eating much more healthily as am having to make meals which don't rely on carbs to be included. Not that I ate vast amounts anyway, but am definitely eating less and as a result am feeling less bloated.
One day last week I had a typical pre this WOE lunch, ie. a white bread sandwich, a few crisps and a slice of homemade cake. And when I hit my usual 2.30pm energy slump I suddenly realised I'd not had that since doing this WOE. For me, that said it all, that it's making me eat more consciously and healthily, but without particularly thinking about it.
Not lost much weight yet, only 2-3lbs but I'm just feeling so much better in myself and hope the scales start to reflect that soon!

BsshBossh · 25/02/2013 19:58

DH is home and about to cook. My fast will soon be broken then two days of normal eating. Hurrah! My 9th 24-hour fast (nearly) completed.

Dotty342kids · 25/02/2013 20:03

Enjoy it BssBossh, what are you having?

dines · 25/02/2013 20:09

Doesn't the sugar use up a lot of calories for a fast day

BsshBossh · 25/02/2013 20:12

Dotty, soup/stew/broth thing with spinach and chickpeas plus sourdough bread for dunking.

Dotty342kids · 25/02/2013 20:13

ooh, that sounds nice! Is it on the recipe thread?

dines · 25/02/2013 20:15

I cud of got though today with coffee I jus fort that it would of taken up lots of calories. goin to get some coffee for my next fast day it really help with my hunger

BsshBossh · 25/02/2013 20:22

Dotty no, it's one of DH's recipes and he hates me asking me how he makes his dishes. One good reason why I'm glad I no longer log calories for non-fast days - it was always such a hassle because DH cooks so many of our meals.

Dotty342kids · 25/02/2013 20:32

Lucky you BssBossh! I'm chief menu creator in our household.....

Mumelie · 25/02/2013 20:32

Yay just got to the end of my first 24 hour fast - 501 calories consumed - was easier than I thought. I was hungry but that was at DCs dinner time, but ok the rest if it. I ate 7 pm last night, 9am (50 cals) then 1.30pm today (250 cal), and again at 6pm (200 cal). Rewarding myself with a glass of wine - strangely don't feel hungry yet.
Next fast will be Thursday. Looking forward to it !

KnockMeDown · 25/02/2013 20:35

Thank-you catsrus for that explanation, and to all the lunch suggestions, especially the tortilla wrap, and the Glorious soup! I think I would rather skip the evening meal altogether rather than faff about cooking something just for me. I'm going to give it a go tomorrow and Thursday. Thursday should be easy, as it's Liver & Bacon on the family food plan - I can pass on that quite easily Wink.

I hope no-one takes offence,, but does anyone else find all this talk of woe's very strange - it's like we are all going through some sort of calamitous event! Perhaps the next thread should be called 'Oh Woe is Me!', or has that been done already Grin

PanpiperAtTheGatesOfYawn · 25/02/2013 20:35

mumelie not to rain on your parade but that glass of wine will have between 100-180 calories depending on the size of it. Sure you want it?

ErikNorseman · 25/02/2013 20:36

Mumelie - wine has a lot of calories. Shouldn't you save it for tomorrow?

Mandy312 · 25/02/2013 20:36

Oh deary me. It was ment to be a fast day. Sadly it all fell apart at 4pm with more crisps chocolates and cakes than I can count! All In all it has not been a good few days.

I feel terribly sick and annoyed with myself. Please could someone give me a talking to in the hope I pick myself up and have another bash at a fast tomorrow.

BumBiscuits · 25/02/2013 20:37

Have the wine tomorrow!

Mumelie · 25/02/2013 20:38

Oh Yes - it's the first one I've had in 2 weeks as had a bug - I'll enjoy it and get back on the wagon til the weekend. It's only a little one anyway Wink

Talkinpeace · 25/02/2013 20:39

Mandy
"Tomorrow is another day"
"yesterday is as past as the Crimean War"
dust yourself down and PLAN your food for tomorrow
and the day after
and the day after that
and what on earth were crisps and chocolates doing in the house anyway?
At least if you have eaten them they are gone and you will not buy any more.

BumBiscuits · 25/02/2013 20:39

Mandy, just do your fast tomorrow instead and don't worry about today.

PanpiperAtTheGatesOfYawn · 25/02/2013 20:45

Mandy, DO NOT do the guilt 'woe is me' beating-self-up thing thing as you will just decide you aren't worth looking after and will fall off the wagon tomorrow. Forgive yourself, get positive.

You ate some cakes and crisps, shit happens. Make sure there are no more in the house, buy some olives (in brine not oil), green tea and prawns for snacking, pull in that tummy aaaaand gird those loins!

mumelie whatever works! Grin

Mandy312 · 25/02/2013 20:46

Hmmm the crisps were in the tuck room at work. Not good AT ALL. Damn office tuck shop too easy to sneak down out of boredom. I can't understand why one bit of bad food brings the whole thing tumbling down around me. It's a miracle I'm not bigger than I am.

Ok I'm boiling an egg for my salad for lunch tomorrow and soup for tea.

Thanks Talkinpeace and Bumbiscuits, I'll buck my ideas up!!

Dotty342kids · 25/02/2013 20:50

Drat, just caved in to small piece of the homemade cake sitting in the kitchen. My only solace is that I did zumba class this morning which I know burns off approx 450 cals so even if the cake tipped me into having more like 600 cals today then that's still ok!

Mandy312 · 25/02/2013 20:54

Brilliant Panpiper my loins as girded.

GreenEggsAndNichts · 25/02/2013 21:06

What a tough fast day. Not only is it ridiculously cold today Angry but TOTM came as well. Which would explain my crazy desire to eat random things.

I haven't, but boy would I like to. I think tomorrow I'll take DS to town so we can go have lunch together. :)

OP posts:
Aftereightsarenolongermine · 25/02/2013 21:12

Have found today's fast really hard, but have had around 600 calories so not a complete disaster except that I'm so hungry & I hate going to bed hungry! Don't usually sleep well on nights like this but will report back in the morning.