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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:
NurseEzzzaChapel · 08/03/2013 09:30

IWantSomethingsFlesh, love the username. Vegetables again. I'll be sprouting bloody feelers soon. Must be 20,000 sheep up there on those volcanos, we've got a plate full of carrots. Ha ha. At least our fast days are out of choice!

Nyx · 08/03/2013 09:48

Good morning all, I have been lurking on the threads but don't think I have posted yet. I have been doing 5:2 for roughly 2 months, using MFP to track calories every day - I had never counted calories in any way before and didn't have a clue, so am finding keeping track of what I eat really interesting.

I haven't lost a huge amount - about 6lbs since I started - but I am happy to keep doing this as I am loving the 'side effects'! For me these are (1) feeling so alert and energised, especially on a fast day, (2) feeling full up far more quickly on a feast day, so I am automatically not stuffing myself, (3) having experimented with low cal food for a satisfying fast day meal, I have discovered that I actively love some vegetables, especially in a stir fry, and am therefore eating much more healthily on the whole. My diet was shockingly lazy and biscuit/bread heavy before.

In the first two whole weeks doing this I think I lost a pound or perhaps two. I was a bit dismayed, but since then I am seeing a definite downward trend when I step on the scales. It is verrrrry sllooooooow but I don't mind. My DH is very complimentary now, and I haven't even lost half a stone yet (not far off it now!). DD said this morning "Mummy, now I'm not saying you were fat, cos you weren't fat. But you are really finding your skinny, aren't you?" Grin

These threads are fantastic, I can spend ages trawling through them and reading everyone's experiences. I am one of the 'in this for life' people - slow results are still results (I keep telling myself!) I love the way I can eat normally on a feast day, and the thought of a latte with a biscuit the next morning has got me through more than one fast!

I have not been sure about adding 'friends' to MFP - I have my sister on it, but we are twins and I don't feel that counts as 'letting someone see'(!) What do you think - is it good or embarrassing?

systemsaddict · 08/03/2013 09:54

Sorry, posting and running, will try and catch up on thread later. 3rd fast day today. Just black coffee and peppermint tea so far. Plan is:

  • Oatsosimple porridge sachet at half ten ish (to get me through teaching 11-1) - 100 cal

  • Mushroom cup a soup mid-afternoon - 87 cal

  • Weightwatchers lasagne for dinner - 257

  • Weightwatchers hot chocolate in the evening - 40

Makes 484 so can also have a coffee with milk or a couple of Marmite drinks if needed.

I realised this week I have started this at an incredibly stressful busy time, both personally and with work, and it has really helped - it is so much easier to be working a WOE where I don't have to do extra food prep, and the weird side effect of waking up alert at five in the morning is really helping me manage my workload! I feel like I'm much clearer thinking and calmer, too. Still nervous about fast days though, hoping that after a few more I will start to get more confident about them; I'd love to get to the stage of feeling, this is just what I do.

countryhousehotel · 08/03/2013 09:55

squidgymummy I don't have the book(s), I just read all the links above and all the very useful information in this thread and all the other threads linked to above. I started by using the link to the TDEE calculator (see above), then for the first day I logged all my food and made sure not to exceed TDEE. I did my first fast a day after that, then the second later in the week (which turned in to a semi-fast as i ended up having lunch at a friend's house). I've only managed one full 500 cal day so far, and a few semi-fasts (where I've gone over 500 cals but I've stayed well below TDEE) and I'm trying to eat very healthily on my non-fasting days rather than bingeing or pigging out (clean food, unprocessed, loads of lean protein, fruits, veggies, whole grains, no snacks). I'm not even 2 weeks in and I've lost 6 pounds already.

countryhousehotel · 08/03/2013 09:56

squidgy forgot to say am logging everything on MFP and have done since day one.

SerotoninButterfly · 08/03/2013 10:13

I would put my username up on the thread but it's my 'real name' and I don't want to out myself lol GrinGrin

swallowedAfly · 08/03/2013 10:15

hi nyx - i love your attitude Smile can't advise on MFP as i don't use it.

i am wondering if i could manage a whole day and to bed without eating. i haven't done that yet but i think i could really use it to remedy the last couple of days both in terms of weight but also my poor digestive system that feels like it's really struggling.

was thinking maybe black coffee and water all day as usual and then tonight let myself as many marmite drinks as i like but no food. i didn't stop eating till about ten last night so even if i didn't eat till 10am tomorrow it would only be 36hrs.

has anyone tried this yet and have any tips?

tomorrowweeat · 08/03/2013 10:16

Have been doing this for 10 weeks now. I find the fasts pretty easy and have learnt to love vegetable soup :) For those interested in measurements here are my results after 20 fasts;
weight loss - 17 lbs
inch loss - bust, 3". waist, 3". tummy (fatest bit!), 5", hips, 1".

SerotoninButterfly · 08/03/2013 10:22

Does having a coffee with milk and sugar count as breaking a fast or is it only solids?

asleb · 08/03/2013 10:31

Wow, some amazing weight losses on here. I keep thinking about doing this but I just worry that I will binge on the non fast days. Maybe I will give it a go.

SaltyandSweet · 08/03/2013 10:39

asleb I definitely overate a bit on non fast days when I first started, but found that my appetite naturally decreased as the days went by (in my third week of 4:3) and I'm now able to stay within or well under my TDEE on non fast days quite naturally so I wouldn't let the possibility of bingeing put you off this WOE as chances are, you won't for long!

SerotoninCanEatTomorrow · 08/03/2013 10:42

Just checking a name change Grin

Anja1Cam · 08/03/2013 10:43

SerotoninButterfly that was one of my first questions too and we eventually agreed that any cals would be breaking a fast. Even if it's only 20cal of milk in a coffee... However you don't have to fast for long periods for this WOE to work, esp if you're after weight loss first and foremost - after all MM does it by having breakfast and dinner. Some research seems to show that longer fast periods of 16-18 hours carry additional benefits but if you need that coffee / breakfast first thing and keep your day in 500cal then don't worry about it!

swallowedAfly · 08/03/2013 10:46

i found stopping the milk made a big difference personally.

my feeling is that even a dash of milk takes your body away from pure fat burning to grasping at those calories - obviously it wouldn't get much from that milk but my feeling (re: i don't know so feel free to ignore me) was that it was interrupting a process and switching things around.

my weight loss and sense of how it was working improved when i cut the milk in drinks out.

SerotoninCanEatTomorrow · 08/03/2013 10:51

This is the first fast I have done it - usually I have just water until at least 16 hours but I'm so cold this morning (TMI but heavy period and haven't had one in years so think I might be a touch anaemic again like I used to be) and I needed something warm. Going to go and burn about 500 or so cals with some Jillian and Yoga methinks, make up for it somewhat!! Grin

BlackMaryJanes · 08/03/2013 11:12

Guys I have a question:

Which part of your body do you hate the most?

I loathe my stomach :( After 2 kids in quick succession I've got a terrible muffin top and love-handles.

Yet I've got skinny legs, which only serve to make my middle look even worse.

swallowedAfly · 08/03/2013 11:13

i have journalist radar going off.

headintheclouds · 08/03/2013 11:25

Swallowed - do you mean radar re: previous post about body parts?

swallowedAfly · 08/03/2013 11:27

yes in context of other posting patterns on here. i may be paranoid

BsshBossh · 08/03/2013 11:42

Another lb down this morning after last week's maintain. I'm doing 16:8 rather than 5:2 now, and just weekdays. So now my stats look like this:

Eating at 10-15% cut of TDEE:
1 Feb 12 - 210lbs
2 June 12 - 196
13 July 12 - 178
7 Sept 12 - 168
10 Jan 13 - 166
25 Jan 13 - 164
Start fasting:
1 Feb 13 - 163
8 Feb13 - 159
15 Feb 13 - 158
22 Feb 13 - 156
1 Mar 13 -156
8 Mar 13 - 155

BlackMaryJanes · 08/03/2013 12:17

lol so apparently I'm a journalist. How do you reach that conclusion? Please share with me your theory.

Dotty342kids · 08/03/2013 12:20

BsshBossh we discussed the 16:8 thing the other day. So does that mean you're not doing any fasting days now? So your window of eating is smaller but you eat what you like within it?
I'm intrigued!

Miffytastic · 08/03/2013 12:25

BMJ I feel your apple-shaped-angst! I like my legs, wish I'd flashed them more as a carefree 20-something. My tummy /waist akes or breaks things really and can quickly make the difference between a size 16 or a size 12 skirt IYSWIM

BsshBossh · 08/03/2013 12:37

Hi Dotty, 16:8 is still one of the many varieties of intermittent fasting (go check out the MFP group, also Google it) so I am in effect fasting daily Monday through Friday for 16 hours. Then yes, eating what I want within an 8 hour window. I like to have an element of control with eating as I have a tendency to overeat. I'll still throw in some 24 hour fasts as I figure fasting for 24 hours has better health advantages over 16 hours, but 16:8 enables me to fast (fat burn!) more frequently. I like a mix and match fasting approach, especially as I am so close to goal weight now.

lovinfoodainteasy · 08/03/2013 12:39

Hello everyone - ive been on 4:3 since 11/01/2013 and had to post i have went from 12.7 to 11.11
Being honest i could have probably lost more but most Friday nights which is
my 3rd fast day i usually give in when the family has their dinner.
For a few weeks i hovered between 12 stone and 12.2 so getting under took its time. I will also need to make sure i dont go overboard at the weekend

All in all i am looking at this long term as this definately seems to work for me im not binge eating like i used to and driving myself crazy opening and shutting the fridge playing will i wont i
My ultimate goal is just to be happy with how i look and get away from my addiction to the scales up until last week i weighed myself everyday now aiming for once a week

Happy Days

x

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