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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:
Talkinpeace · 09/03/2013 16:45

fluid being converted into denser body tissues - fats, muscle, possibly even bone if you are exercising and your bone density increasing

headintheclouds · 09/03/2013 17:27

dotty im thinking of you as my fasting twin because it was my WI today also and guess what nil weight loss.(i think our journey on here has been very similar) .I was hoping for a bit of movement after 6 weeks which I see as a bit of a milestone for me ,but my period arrived yesterday so maybe thats affected things.Anyway onwards.. Im still going to have a nice normal weekend and back to fasting Mon/ Thurs next week. Good luck on Monday on your train..My train journey on Wed was tedious with delays. If youre fasting why dont you take along a flask of herbal tea or black coffee to keep you going ( I sound like my mother now..she never travels without a flask.

BlackMaryJanes · 09/03/2013 18:25

Anyone fasting today? (Weekends tend to be unpopular for fasting).

I haven't ate since last night and I'm feeling gooooooood :)

(Had about 6 cans of diet pepsi, but never mind).

ellenbrody · 09/03/2013 18:43

Right, a question for you knowledgable
peeps about TDEE.
Just to clarify, my aim now is to maintain my weight, but gain health benefits from fasting.
MFP sets my cals to maintain my weight at 1480, the TDEE calculator in the OP says 1550 ish. I opted for the sedentary choice, as I add exercise on MFP and eat those cals back. I do 3 shreds a week and although not an active job (teach little 'uns), I can be on my feet a fair bit.
If I opt for the 'lightly active' choice on the TDEE calculator (exercise 1-3 times a week), then my TDEE is 1710.
So I suppose, my question is, how much do I eat on fast and non fast days in order to maintain my weight? I was planning to fast on Monday and do a mini fast on Thursdays.

NurseEzzzaChapel · 09/03/2013 18:46

I and my housemate are both fasting today BMJ. We've just had Laska's chickpea, aubergine and spinach curry for dinner and nearly licked the plate clean! My housemate kept saying "I can't believe it's only 200 calories!"

BVB, I've bookmarked that ginger choccie recipe too. I think I'll make that one next week, but tomorrow will be the orange cake linked to in thread 11. Smile

GreenEggsAndNichts · 09/03/2013 18:47

BMJ Saturdays were a fast day for me when I was doing 4:3, but now that I've moved to 5:2, they're a half-fast. So, for example, I'm eating an Innocent veg pot at the moment, but am an hour from going out to have lot of wine and nibbles at a friend's house.

Tomorrow will be an eating day and Monday is my next fast day.

Saturdays are often fairly easy for me to fast on, it's Sundays which are nigh on impossible!

OP posts:
GreenEggsAndNichts · 09/03/2013 18:48

I want to make that curry, Ezzza, but the aubergine really puts me off. Grin And I like veg. I just dislike the texture of that particular one.

And mushrooms. bleh.

OP posts:
PoshVoice · 09/03/2013 19:26

Been doing 5:2 since the start of the year, as a by product of doing this wol I've also stopped doing breakfasts (not planned it just happened)

I've not been weighing myself whilst doing this, been judging my progress by belt notches (about three now=three inches) so have been happy with the progress.

Finally caved in and bought some salter scales this week

1/1/2013 : 86+ kgs
8/3/2013 : 77.5 kg

Bloody hell!

::faints::

Talkinpeace · 09/03/2013 19:32

WOW
Poshvoice
that is splendid - how tall are you?

BsshBossh · 09/03/2013 19:41

ellenbrody if you still want to count calories then I'd eat sedentary TDEE on non-exercise days and light activity TDEE on exercise days; or you could simply eat back your exercise cals (though I think MFP overestimates calories burned through exercise; I'd invest in a heart rate monitor that takes your weight, age, height, actual HR into consideration).

Do you still need to count calories? I find I don't need to now at the moment at least and I'm still 10lbs to goal.

PoshVoice · 09/03/2013 19:48

Hi tip,

I'm 5'8". My bmi has gone from 28.8 to 26!!!

BetsyVanBell · 09/03/2013 19:55

Ezza, Anja I'll let you know how the chocolate ginger tart tastes tomorrow! It looks exactly like it does in the picture, though I don't think I'd pair it up with any other chocolateliness, seems pretty rich (3 and a half packs of dark green and blacks Shock). The orange cake is lush too - doesn't need as much sugar as the recipe states and could even halve it if you're adding any kind of citrusy honey syrup concoction (like I did).

Did a lot of baking today and although haven't eaten any of it there was an awful lot of taste testing of various sugary fatty mixtures, I pretty much ended up in a sugar coma this afternoon. We live and don't learn. Undoing a fair bit of good work but it's ok, I'll get back on the straight and narrow next week, I hope...

BetsyVanBell · 09/03/2013 19:58

greeneggs Just make it with butternut squash or sweet potato instead. Or frankly it'll be great without anything else - chickpeas & spinach are always a delightful combo.

BetsyVanBell · 09/03/2013 20:00

Oh and a hello to PoshVoice - What a fabulous result! Well-blooming-done Grin

Talkinpeace · 09/03/2013 20:04

agrees with Betsy

BlackMaryJanes · 09/03/2013 20:23

Okay, it's now been 24 hours since I last ate and my breath STINKS!

Time for my 500 cals.

Itsaboatjack · 09/03/2013 20:44

Well done PV, v good loss.

Totally agree BsshBossh re mfp, today it gave me 1007 cals for running for 73 mins, which I think is loads. I used to have a heart rate monitor (broken now) and it always gave me way less. I'm thinking of getting a new one as also TDEEs vary a lot fom site to site.

chipmonkey · 09/03/2013 20:46

I lost 3 lb this week.
I did not lose anything for the fortnight before that but that was because of meals out and a LOT of wine.

ellenbrody · 09/03/2013 20:57

I must admit, I only log half if the time or calories that MFP tells me, as I agree, it's over generous.

BlackMaryJanes · 09/03/2013 21:48

Mmmmmmmm 9 calorie jelly :)

postmanpatscat · 09/03/2013 22:44

Well done poshvoice and chipmonkey - great losses!

I am going down with some mysterious virus and feel Envy

suppermummie · 09/03/2013 23:22

Hello
I am starting my first fast tomorrow.am a bit nervous ...i am a vegan..hopefully i should be ok.
Any tips ...for day 1

ElizaCBennett · 09/03/2013 23:32

suppermummie keep busy, keep hydrated. Good luck!

Breadandwine · 10/03/2013 01:33

Hi suppermummie - welcome to the thread!

Nice to see another vegan on here! There are a couple of others around. literarygeek is one that comes to mind.

In a sense, I think we have it easy - we're already geared up for eating loads of veggies, whereas the omnis have to make some adjustments.

For your first fast day, I'd go for three meals - a small breakfast and lunch, and a larger dinner so you don't go to bed hungry.

My routine now is to make a large pot of either veg curry, or a chilli non carne - which will last me for my two fasting days this week - and have all my

Breadandwine · 10/03/2013 03:04

Here's a graph from the 52FastDiet forum, showing weightloss over the past 2 months. The average weekly weightloss is 1lb a week - with no difference between 5:2 and 4:3. Also check out the Tracker on that site.

Well worth a visit!

www.52fastdiet.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=1925