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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:
Aftereightsarenolongermine · 10/03/2013 07:06

That's a very interesting graph b&w. I've worked out that I've lost an average of 1.5lbs a week on this, though some weeks I've plateaued or gained the overall trend has been downward. But then I have a lot to lose Blush

TyrannosaurusBex · 10/03/2013 07:12

Six weeks in alternating between 5:2 and 4:3, sticking to it religiously, and have just weighed myself for the first time since starting - 2lb weight gain! Waaaaaaaahhhhh! I am SO disappointed!! Sad

swallowedAfly · 10/03/2013 07:15

morning all Smile

sharing my mad weight profile this week to make a point:

so this week i went
monday - 11.5.4
tuesday - 11.2.4
wednesday - 11.4 something
thursday - didn't dare get on the scales after conference
friday - 11.6.8!
saturday (after a 36hr fast) - 11.5.5

today after eating yesterday down again to 11.5.2

i could get a bit disheartened but it was only a week or ten days ago that i was bouncing between a briefly glimpsed 11.7.2 and 11.9.5 and worrying if i'd ever secure the 11.7.

many of us are finding this is the way the weight is going - shifting from one bracket of bouncing, glimpsing a new low briefly, then bouncing in new bracket around that low. and repeat - new low glimpsed - new bracket of bouncing.

oh and i started january 31st at 12st.

i'm hopeful that i will see that 11.2.4 again next week and it will soon become the top end of a bounce range rather than mecca.

obviously it's not the same for everyone but i think it's like this for a lot of us so don't be disheartened in the early days by a glimpsed loss dissappearing again for a while before you really 'secure' it.

swallowedAfly · 10/03/2013 07:19

(incidentally my bounce bracket is bigger than usual this week due to some over doing it on non fast days due to conferences and social stuff combined with pmt - though i finally got my period thank the fairies! it's usually more like a couple of pounds range)

Aftereightsarenolongermine · 10/03/2013 07:21

Agree completely with saf :o

Sutinder · 10/03/2013 08:17

Happy Mother's Day to all my fellow losers xx.... Today is feed feed and feed day... It is Mother's Day after all. Have a great day everyone xx

Southeastdweller · 10/03/2013 08:44

Morning all Smile

I've been doing this for six weeks and lost an average of a pound a week. I lost a lot of weight with WeightWatchers years ago and kept most of it off but found it hard to lose again the last stone and a half that I was carrying round, until I found this diet. On WW I'd dealt with some of my emotional issues with food but not all and although I know six pounds is good I also know that I could have done even better so far if I'd eaten better on some fast days. Last month I put on 2 and a half pounds in a week. I do struggle with this 'you can eat whatever you like' thing on the five feed days. Breakfast is sometimes about 800 calories and the calorie content goes up with other meals for that day. I'm also prone to 'carb attacks'. My aims are to eat sensibly on my feed days with only the very occasional blow out. I also can't bear to calorie count on the feed days.

Does anyone have any info about emotional eating? I know Marisa Peer has a book out (she was on the panel for Celebrity Fat Club) - anyone read it?

postmanpatscat · 10/03/2013 09:39

I agree with saf about weight bouncing, although my bounces are smaller. I also lose weight 'unexpectedly' I.e. it doesn't come off after a fast day but a couple of days later there will be a sudden drop. I started just over two weeks ago, lost 4lbs the first week, pretty much stayed the same the second week then lost 3lbs over a couple of days. I weigh in kg and last week bounced from 61.9 to 61.3 and everywhere in between until I reached 61kg yesterday and 60.4kg today.

swallowedAfly · 10/03/2013 10:03

mine are usually smaller. if it hadn't been for conference and overeating days in the middle i think it would have been bouncing between 11.2 and 11.4 this week. but overeating plus the constipation/hold everything in of pmt made it bigger than usual. but you know next week will sort it out - one bad week where you stay the same or only go down half a pound does not mean that's how it will continue ime.

what i also learnt from this is that once i start overeating i crave to overeat more and more. it's like a snowball effect - eat a too big lunch at conference, massive munchies and scoffing on train, get home and feel like munching more.

anyone struggling with carb fests or overeating on non fast days i would definitely say eat the bulk of your food later on. once you start overeating in a day it seems like you keep wanting to get back up to that same level of fullness or you feel emotionally hungry. if you put off eating anything big till evening then there, you've got your fullness and it's nearly bedtime. itms.

whatsforyou · 10/03/2013 10:04

Great start to mother's day! Got on the scales first thing and I had lost 1 1/2 lbs Grin
So pleased, not for the amount so much but it means I'm off this plateau where I haven't shifted an ounce in 3 weeks! Also meant my breakfast in bed tasted even better!
Wanted to ask, I'm sure I read something in a thread about water retention and how fasting can cause this. I already suffer quite badly and am on medication. Does anyone know if it is a temp thing or more ongoing?

swallowedAfly · 10/03/2013 10:21

whatsforyou - congrats on weight loss and breaking through the plateau.

i thought fasting had the opposite effect personally of shifting water and causes cells to release it but??? a good natural anti inflammatory is tumeric - either in capsules or just stir a spoon in water if you can bear it or sprinkle it on food. that might help - i believe dandelion is good too and for that you can literally go out and pick it, rinse it, tear it and make tea or you can eat the greens.

i'm about to face that yoga workout i linked yesterday (after much stalling). this will be the third day in a row i've done it and i'm hoping i might actually get all the way through without resting this time. can really feel in my body where it is working so i want to try and stick with it.

countryhousehotel · 10/03/2013 11:06

TyrannosaurusBex Sad for weight gain...are you sure you haven't lost any inches (are your clothes looser)? Maybe time of the month? I've been doing this woe for 2 weeks so am not an expert, maybe someone else can help. Have you been tracking your eating days on MFP?

suppermummie · 10/03/2013 11:14

Breadandwine N ElizaCBennet

thank u for ur advice.i m all geared to following 5:2 for a few weeks.
hv a question ...r u meant to exercise on fast days

putthehamsterbackinitscage · 10/03/2013 11:35

Morning all....

Following up from earlier in the week, I intended to try combining 5:2 and 5 hour eating window to see if I could do it ....

So far the answer is on a fast day, no problem at all

On the other days, its easiest on busy work days when I don't run.... I can then generally do about 18:6 to fit in with eating times around being kids taxi etc

But on days when I am with my family or do a longer run etc I can't seem to do better than 14:10 so far ...

Friday was good example.... Up at 5:45, dropped dh at station and Then 6.3 miles before getting dc to school and heading to work. Absolutely ravenous by 10:00 and had breakfast at my desk then had lunch, and dinner so didn't finish eating till around 8:30 or a little later that evening

Will keep monitoring this week to see if I can do any better but I think it's something I will have to build up to and maybe accept it won't happen on long run days at all....

sausages51 · 10/03/2013 11:45

Hi just stepped on scales and overnight it seems that I have lost 3lbs ! And yesterday was a normal day-alcohol,milky coffees,breads included! I am, quite frankly,stunned. So since Jan 16th have lost 111bs,clothes looser,feel 'flatter' so all good. I am in shock, and,just might,like posh voice faint!!!! :-)

Aftereightsarenolongermine · 10/03/2013 11:46

article about weight fluctuations

Will look for more when I have time. Got to get up now & stop being a lazy cow

Skinnyeye · 10/03/2013 12:49

Hi All and happy Mother's Day to those of you who are. I have decided not to fast today and will instead cook dinner for my Mum and have a 5:2 week. Weight loss steady at a pound a week again so delighted with that. Enjoy your Sunday and will check in again later

chipmonkey · 10/03/2013 13:11

Hi all and Happy Mothers Day
Just pulled on a pair of boots which MIL gave me ages ago but which I couldn't wear as my calves were too fat. Small triumph!Grin

BlackMaryJanes · 10/03/2013 15:07

So I've ate A LOT of chocolate so far today (as planned) and I now have the WORST stomach cramps. They're bordering on labour-pains. They even come in waves like contractions. What's that all about??? Ouch!!

ThinkICan · 10/03/2013 16:40

sausages - did you mean 11 lb? When you typed 111 lb I think you were feeling faint! B&W - thanks for the link. I've stopped monitoring that site now that TiP is back here and missed this. Looks like week 13 - 20, there is a stall for everyone. For me it was the same from week 13 and am yet to come out of the stall. At least I know now that I did nothing wrong! Wonder what happens next :(
Good to know we can maintain the same loss on 5:2. It may be easier over the long run, when there's still loads to lose.

ThinkICan · 10/03/2013 16:45

Thanks for the article on fluctuation of weight aftereights. You can't beat the mums (and dads) on Mumsnet when it comes to ferreting out information!

sausages51 · 10/03/2013 16:51

I was hoping Think I can that nobody would notice my typo. And,of course it is an 11 lbs loss. Not hundred and eleven. That would be nigh-on 8 stones, and give a whole new meaning to the word fast!!

suppermummie · 10/03/2013 17:18

I has yogourt from SNOG ...havent eaten anything all day except for a few nuts n tea.
still within the 500 calories limit.is that ok for fasting day so far

wildwater · 10/03/2013 17:37

...stood on the scales for the first time in a few weeks today, to find I am now 10 stone - which I haven't been for over 30 years. I am so thrilled! (Over two stone down and just one to go.)

A good fast yesterday. About to 'break' it with yoghurt, banana & muesli ( a small measured amount).

Good luck to everybody :)

BlackMaryJanes · 10/03/2013 17:46

Ugh. sitting in a pub feeling sick. this binge day isnt as good as i thought it would be

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