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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! 14 threads in a stone?

975 replies

GreenEggsAndNichts · 28/02/2013 10:18

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:
snoworneahva · 03/03/2013 22:34

Talkinpeace they don't eat what is given - we plan our meals in agreement - they choose their breakfast - I just won't buy processed cereal or juice....they can have porridge and whatever fruit they like, eggs any way....pancakes, crepes, fry ups, smoothies, muffins, cheese and cured meats...sometimes my kitchen feels like a cafe in the morning but they need to agree, I'm not cooking 2 different meals in the morning.
They are 11 years old, will be intrigued by how their tastes change in the next few years...whichever way they go they still won't find much processed food at home. Smile

Aftereightsarenolongermine · 04/03/2013 06:20

Well I've made it under 11.2 stone but only just. Weighed in at 11.1.8, be interesting to see the next lot of fluctuations & to see if I can make it to be the magic 10 something...

ellenbrody · 04/03/2013 08:01

Yet another reason to hate yesterday's carb fest - I'm hungry! And I'm never hungry for breakfast. I am fasting today and I think it will be tough. I've got a bag of salad leaves for lunch and a pot of soup for dinner. Hope I make it!!

SerotoninButterfly · 04/03/2013 08:14

The last thing I are yesterday was a bowl of weetabix at 9.30pm, so my 16 hours will be up at 1.30pm ish and I am going to see how long I can push the fast for. Not having anything to drink other than water allows more cals for the day although I still found myself eating under 500 the last fast - and that includes one cup of proper tea before bed on a fast day (because I get up early to have a run on the next morning!)

I am not eating back my exercise cals either on a fast or eating day so that is positive.

Am feeling a bit hungry this morning, making delicious salami wraps for my partners lunch and it smelled gorgeous, and was tempted by Small's weetabix too! But will persevere. 152.4lbs yesterday.

BetsyVanBell · 04/03/2013 08:17

I'm sure once your brain has got the idea that you won't be having breakfast you'll be fine ellen! It's brain hunger not real hunger after all... Pop the kettle on and have a huge hot drink instead. That's what I'm doing anyway!

Dotty342kids · 04/03/2013 08:23

Fast day today after a food / drink heavy weekend. Last food was pack of Maltesers at around 7.30 last night am hoping I can push through till at least 3.00 today before having a banana to keep me going till teatime Grin

notapizzaeater · 04/03/2013 08:33

Off for school run will update laterbury in 3 weeks I've lost 10 lbs,,,,,,,,,,,,,, GrinGrinGrinGrinGrinGrinGrinGrinGrin

Woo hoo !!!!

countryhousehotel · 04/03/2013 08:39

4 lbs off in a week...and that was with only 1 proper fasting day (the 2nd ended up being a semi-fast because of an unexpected social arrangement!).
Can't wait to see what happens this week with 2 proper fasts (fasting today). I've religiously tracked on non-fasting days, eaten really healthily and stayed well below TDEE only actually hitting it once (but then my TDEE is 2500 and i am still eating plenty).....probably won't keep that up for ever but wanted to kick start the weight loss quickly.

Dotty342kids · 04/03/2013 08:45

Well done notapizzaeater and countryhousehotel, those are great losses!

SerotoninButterfly · 04/03/2013 08:55

Country are you finding it hard to eat to your TDEE? I don't fancy eating that much most of the week!

Does it matter If you are below TDEE on an eating day? Some days I am 600 odd cals under?

Bramblesinafield · 04/03/2013 09:05

Well done after eights. I made if down from 11 6 to just under the magic 11 a couple of weeks ago. I've now been around 10 12 for the last ten days and even today after an indulgent weekend. I'm aiming for 10 6 by June, so we will see!

I do feel very bloated and hormonal today, so I'm looking forwards to a day without gluten and drinking plenty of water.

Minimammoth · 04/03/2013 09:12

After my week of semi indulgence, I am back to my starting weight of 10.13. Hey ho. Reigning in and start again. Brambles with you on that target. Great to hear from all those who have made losses. Off to Pilates now, work off a few calories.

PORRIDGEANYONE · 04/03/2013 09:41

It works !!! It workkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkkssss !!! I have lost 6 pounds in 3 weeks, I'm almost within a healthy bmi and almost at my pre-stop smoking cigarette weight !! This woe is great and so easy...I was one of the skeptical as I tried few diet like ww, low gi, 150 calories max a day etc...On saturday on my fast day, I managed a 24 hours fast and it was not too hard..Thank you so much all for sharing your stories and successes, without you I would have never tried it !

BetsyVanBell · 04/03/2013 09:54

Wow, well done losers! What a nice start to Monday :)

Seratonin You might find it helpful to think of your weekly tdee rather than daily - I tend to eat more modestly during the week which allows me extra over the weekend.

I'm pleased to say that this weekend I didn't eat mindlessly, just because it was lunchtime or whatever, but waited until I was actually hungry. It's easier to do that on a weekend when life it is less structured. Still got to crack the impulsive post-school/work feeding frenzy!

Dotty342kids · 04/03/2013 10:41

Porridge that's so great to hear and well done! I agree that everyone else's successes (and "blips") are hugely helpful and I think lots of us really value this forum for that.

ELR · 04/03/2013 10:51

Morning everyone, fasting today and feeling like I need something other than herbal teas!! Just had a black coffee and now I'm off my head! Never drink coffee so it's given me a lovely pick me up.
Couldn't resist getting weighed this morning and have lost another pound so 4lb in total since I started 2 weeks ago.
Made a lovely spicy tomato & lentil soup for lunch yesterday which we had with naan bread, the soup only comes in at 135 calories per portion so will be having that sometime this afternoon without the naan and then for dinner I think either soft boiled eggs and asparagus or mashed celeriac and pork steaks with wilted chard.
Good luck everyone who's fasting today.

PORRIDGEANYONE · 04/03/2013 11:24

Last week was the first time I have managed 2 days fast and it was so much easier than the last 2 times. I know I cannot do 3 small meals so I wait as long as I can. Once I was really struggling mid-afternoon so I caved in a bit and boiled one chicken cube (31 cal) and I added a small tin of butterbeans (100 cal). It was really feeling and I was barely hungry when it came to have some more to make up the 500 cal.

Yesterday was the day after fast day and I didnt stuff myself but I had a big croissant with some butter and about 6 ferrero eggs for dessert but didnt feel the need to snack all afternoon until dinner. The weirdest thing was when I went to Sainsbury I didnt crave any treats at all, I didn't buy any chocolate, nice cheese...the only thing I craved and bought was a pot of zero % greek yogurth that I imagined eating with blueberries.

JesusInACabbageVan · 04/03/2013 11:47

You guys are scaring me! Grin All this talk of TDEE and fasting three days in a row, I thought it was all much simpler than this? Just two days out of seven, have 500 calories or under, is there more to it than that?

Am probably very daft. Also succumbed to some butter on my Ryvita, so that's probably about 20 calories gone (was a very small amount of butter).

Daisy1407 · 04/03/2013 12:09

HI all - Ive been a very very bad girl!

I had a very high drinking and eating weekend - i honestly went overboard i was like something possesed!

I have weighed this morning and i have put on weight however i knew i would - ive been a total pig (oink oink)

Today is a fasting day and so far ive had a black coffee, green tea and and orange and cranberry tea

Not going to eat till 6.30 where i will have my Beef big soup 212 kcal
and a ww yogurt along with a hot choc

im starving but i must just simply get on with it after caving so badly this weekend

ill be feeling great again by Thursday x

BsshBossh · 04/03/2013 12:23

JesusInACabbageVan I don't think you're being daft, it is very simple but, and I can only speak for myself here, I need to count calories on non-fast days to ensure I don't go over my TDEE and scupper all my hard work. I've only 10 lbs to lose now - for the last fortnight I've experimented with not logging any days and I maintained, which was terrific as I thought I would gain. But I still want to lose so I still need to monitor all my days at the moment.

swallowed inspired by you and your "eating windows" I've been Googling and decided I will try 16:8 x 5 days a week (the working week) - eating between 2-10pm only. I like the extra element of control over my eating this gives me on the majority of my days because I was finding myself eating too much on my non-fast days on 5:2. I still have binge/over-eating tendencies despite having been losing weight over the last 12 months so I do need "externally applied" control.

Plus, of course, I want to retain all the benefits of fasting - just now it'll be 16-hour fasts throughout the working week.

I love fasting so much. Honestly, despite having lost 50-odd lbs over the past year, it wasn't until I started fasting that I've lost the majority of my belly fat. I am convinced it's because the body during long fasting periods (I was doing 24 hours twice a week) have nothing but fat to burn.

JesusInACabbageVan · 04/03/2013 13:13

Thanks BssshBossh - that's reassuring and makes it very clear! I have not been monitoring what I eat on non-fast days because for me the attraction was only having to concentrate on what I eat two days out of seven. However, I have noticed that my overall appetite has reduced - last night, for example, I had no carbs at all with dinner because I just didn't feel like them, and on Saturday night I couldn't finish my steak Shock

I did eat some Galaxy last night though....but not as much as I would normally have eaten... Blush

Talkinpeace · 04/03/2013 13:14

I thought it was all much simpler than this? Just two days out of seven, have 500 calories or under, is there more to it than that?

Yes, it is that simple.
BUT
For people who are very overweight, learning what "normal" should be is rather a shock.
Back in the early threads, people who started logging what they ate discovered that they were eating 1.5 to 1.75 times their TDEE on a "normal" day.
ALSO
"normal" depends on your height, age and activity
and again the 2000 calories on the side of food packets is misleading because anybody under 5'5" should be eating less than that once they are at a healthy weight.

countryhousehotel · 04/03/2013 13:30

serotoninbutterfly I'm quite heavy at the moment with a high BMI, but I'm also extremely fit and work out intensively 5 - 6 times a week, and have done for many years. I'm strong (I do full pushups not on the knees, I can hold plank position for ages, I use very heavy weights for things like squat and press). I am living proof that you can be both Fit and Fat Grin. So I burn a lot of energy, and I have a 3 year old ds at home with me all day and one at school, we live in the centre of a big city and walk literally everywhere. We have no car. So no, I don't struggle to get near my TDEE at all!

But I am amazed at how much I was over-eating without realising, which is why I've gained so much weight over the last 3 years. I don't think it matters for me to not hit TDEE every day, because I am eating a lot of nutrient dense food, but it's stuff like lean protein, veg, fruit, less carbs than I'm used to, and so it's hard to eat a lot (I'm eating volume rather than cals). And I'd rather use my calories wisely (ie in the way that will help me lose weight quickest) rather than use them on wine or crisps. I'm getting near 2,000 most days but MFP keeps adding cals to the 2500 because of my exercise. So my deficit is quite big over a week.

Jesus i am sure there are people doing this who can eat "normally" on an eating day and lose weight just from the 2 day fasting. Look at Mimi Spencer for a start. She was hardly fat to start with, so she was obviously better at judging her normal calorie / food needs on a daily basis to start with than someone like me who has a few stones to lose.

sausages51 · 04/03/2013 13:33

Wow well done to all who are losing. Today I am having an Asda med veg bake 257 cals (looks more!) Salad and chickpeas all at once,hoping this will be enough to last through until tomorrow morning,having eaten final meal 930 last night. Zumba tonight as well :-)

Itsaboatjack · 04/03/2013 13:36

Wow, I've been gone a few days and we're already 13 pages into a new thread!

Well last week totally got away from me, no excuses, I didn't plan well enough and I let that 'failure' mentality get the better of me. I was almost willing the day to end yesterday so I could start afresh today. Got my head sorted again, got my fast days planned, and I'm back in the game now. I'm going to do 3 fasts this week as I only did one proper one last week, so I'm doing today, Weds and Fri.

No calories had so far, just water, black coffee and green tea. Got some homemade veg soup and an omelette for later.

I'm going to go back now to catch up on thread. Hope everyone is doing well, and hello to the new names I've seen.