Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

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:
BsshBossh · 27/02/2013 16:52

Dotty are you sure you've got the spaghetti amount right? Try 70g uncooked, which is a normal portion I think (approx 250 cals).

Daisy1407 · 27/02/2013 16:55

Hey gang
Just saying Hi.....
Im fasting today and as i was busy this morning with guys measuring up for new windows and patio doors so i wasnt too bad - however NOW i need food lol
I havent had anything today apart from herbal tea's and black coffee (its sooo not the same without milk)

Tonight im not too sure what to have im thinking either a ready meal or beef and Veg big soup - i need to be full! Im starved

To those who have nearly completed a fast day woooooo!

Wheres DINES today? im intregued to know if you are doing okay today on your fast day?

speak soon Daisy x

Dotty342kids · 27/02/2013 17:24

Hmm, I am fairly sure I was weighing the pasta correctly for what I normally / want to eat but then I do love pasta so could be more than I should do!
Will try to reduce it a bit Sad

GreenEggsAndNichts · 27/02/2013 17:26

panpiper ! Sorry, am terrible with remembering names and didn't have the time to check back before answering. Will do better next time. Grin

OP posts:
ELR · 27/02/2013 17:31

Dotty are you weighing the pasta cooked or uncooked if cooked 150g would be about right?

snoworneahva · 27/02/2013 17:35

My kids eat 75g of pasta - it's a tiny portion for an adult - I guess my normal portion would be at least 125g. I love pasta too but it is not something I'd ever see as being even remotely low calorie. Lamb is fairly high in fat - or did you get a lean version.

snoworneahva · 27/02/2013 17:36

And I'm talking 75g of uncooked for kids, 125g of uncooked for adults.

Dotty342kids · 27/02/2013 17:38

I just weighed out what I'd normally eat, and it's about 130g uncooked.
I cook lean lamb mince and do strain off extra fat as it's cooking so hopefully minimise the fat content as much as poss.
Oh well, just won't be eating oto much of it.
Gawd knows what the damage is in a lasagne then, complete with the cheese sauce aspect of it!!

snoworneahva · 27/02/2013 17:40

Less pasta in a lasagna so it's maybe a bit less depending on sauce.

Scrazy · 27/02/2013 17:51

I've just started this today. Eaten:-

I cup a soup
Banana
Small tin tuna
Tea/Coffee as normal but with skimmed milk
Got an Orange for later

It's horrible isn't it? I haven't got much to lose, half a stone would be great. Does it work? I have a headache and am starving, think I might go to bed soon Grin. My next fast day will be Monday.

Talkinpeace · 27/02/2013 17:56

Scrazy
your food is self punishment food ....
now if your had no breakfast and then lots of water and for

lunch
Tuna on a bed of lettuce with a small finely chopped pimento, a few slices of cucumber and a couple of halved cherry tomatoes
and eaten it at a table with a knife and fork

and supper is a BIG pot of veg soup - served in a bowl with fresh ground pepper and a shaving of parmesan
with a nice wineglass of water

you are then having proper meals, just really small ones.

ErikNorseman · 27/02/2013 18:05

I can happily eat 150g of pasta in one meal so I would never try to eat it on a fast day. It would make me sad!

Scrazy · 27/02/2013 18:09

Talkin, thanks I will try that next week. I am fine missing breakfast as I never eat it but I will stick to this today. I'm just trying to keep it very simple. My TDEE is only around 1550 a day as I don't exercise but might start again soon.

BsshBossh · 27/02/2013 18:15

Gosh, 150g uncooked would be too much for me these days; I always weigh out 75g uncooked and it seems enough - and I love pasta (I was sure that's the recommended portion size on the back of my pack too, but I may be wrong). Goes to show how different we are :) thank goodness.

swallowedAfly · 27/02/2013 18:17

likewise erik - the whole point of pasta is carb fest slightly high fullness so it's all or nothing for me. wouldn't touch it on a fast day or bread or rice.

well this is a non fast day but i did my long fast anyway - 21hrs of water and black coffee then broke it with a glass of wine of all stoopid things. tonight i am having takeaway lebanese food and another glass of wine. this is officially my treat day and i'll sensible for other non fast days this week. i just really fancy a hearty tasty treat and i'm going to enjoy it without guilt.

i'll make up for it.

good luck all the fasters and enjoy your food to the nons. fasting again tomorrow so that i can take a friend out to lunch on friday. going to need to be a very sensible weekend.

snoworneahva · 27/02/2013 18:18

Bssbosh - 75g is the recommended portion size but that is for a second course in a 4 course Italian meal - not a main course.
30g of Cereal is the recommended portion size for breakfast too - have you seen how little 30g of cereal is? Very few people eat only 30g of cereal.

swallowedAfly · 27/02/2013 18:19

i think wednesday will always be my treat day - it is my long day at work and my one night child free - can't go out or anything as mid week and work so my treat is a drink and some yummy food.

it'll be something to look forward and plan around and compensate for other days.

Dotty342kids · 27/02/2013 18:27

30g of cereal I can do no problem, that's normal for what I'd eat anyway, especially as I always have it with a sliced banana!
So, back to pasta... it's not a fast day today, it's a normal day. Wouldn't dare try to fit it in on a fast day!
So, between me and the two kids we had 245g (uncooked). I probably had half of that and I have to say, as I was merrily putting it into my bowl it did look like a lot. I think part of the problem is that I really love my spag bol so just want to eat lots of it!
Good to make me actually think about it though and from now on I'm definitely going to look at how much I consider to be a normal portion and try to reduce it by 5-10gs each time till I can get nearer the allegedly normal Grin amount of 75g.

Wishihadabs · 27/02/2013 18:28

Can I ask for some advice. 2nd fast day tomorrow DH is away was going to do fresh tortellini for the dcs. Thouget I would just have small portion (200kcal ish) with salad. Is this impossible ? Would I be better fasting on Friday (when we are going to have steak ?

swallowedAfly · 27/02/2013 18:29

see personally i'd rather have it rarely but enjoy a decent portion of it when i do.

swallowedAfly · 27/02/2013 18:30

up to you wishi - would five pieces of tortellini feel satisfying? that' probably about all you'd get. or you could just have something different than them.

dines · 27/02/2013 18:44

Hello daisy I'm here jus lerking in the bk ground ... yes today iS my second fast day.. I had a tea in the morning with milk. Didnt eat lunch until half 12 from half 7 last nyt. I had a weight watchers vegetable broth 125 cals with a Muller light yogurt for lunch 86 cals then I had a French onion soup 98 cals before I left work. Then in the way to work I had a stupid idea to go into marks and spencer and got a chilli beef wrap with 345 cals Shock and I've also had two coffees with 2tsps of suger in each one black one white and two teas both with milk so I've gone way over 500 again..

dines · 27/02/2013 18:45

Hand over face

dines · 27/02/2013 18:53

Will fast tomorrow for as long as I can then eat as normal next week I'm goin to have 3 fast days seen as I can't stay to 500 cals will make up for it with another fast day..will this make a difference?

BetsyVanBell · 27/02/2013 19:01

Oh hello cheese, it's been a while since I saw ate so much of you. Stodge-tastic day after a virtuous low carb Tuesday and fast on Monday. Glad it's a fast day tomorrow. I'm impressed at those who ADF as that second day is the one where I really want to eat everything.

Wishi that sounds like torture... you'd be better off making yourself a lovely big hearty veggie stew/soup maybe with a poached egg. Save the fresh pasta for a non-fast day when you can indulge.

Dotty Have the big portion of spag bol but don't have the pudding! I've been carbing like crazy today.

Some people have mentioned avoiding a carb heavy dinner the night before a fast but I haven't found it detrimental, possibly the opposite. I tend to eat my last meal of the day pretty early though - finished by 6.30 so maybe that makes a difference.

Swipe left for the next trending thread