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! 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 · 02/03/2013 14:28

Thanks laska I've been far more sensible (so far) today put my blip yesterday to TOM. Luckily for him dh was out last night!

Breadandwine · 02/03/2013 15:16

Thanks, VP - we've all been agreed for a while now, just how flexible this WOL is - and I'm continually surprised myself just how many variations there are.

And they all seem to give the same benefits!

It all comes back to the theory of hormesis - put something under stress, and it becomes stronger!

ellenbrody · 02/03/2013 15:34

Your posts are so interesting swallowed - they ring true for me re: pattern of weight loss (and also the constipation unfortunately!). I lost 1lb the first week (low bmi), put 1.5 ON the next and lost 3lb the next - go figure!

Laska42 · 02/03/2013 15:35

Yes I agree B&W .. For those who havent seen the link on the hints and tips thread yet . I do recommend you check out the Getting Stronger website.
a good start point is the video talk on IF here

Dotty342kids · 02/03/2013 16:32

blackmaryjane I'm so pleased for you, that's great news! Keep up the good work and work on eating good healthy food, with some treats on your eating days!

BlackMaryJanes · 02/03/2013 16:52

Thanks Dotty. I was starting to lose hope, but hope is restored :)

Are you fasting today?

sausages51 · 02/03/2013 17:08

after I know you're thinking badly of yourself re: secret eating, but your post really made me laugh out loud,esp. Eating marmalade from the jar ! Revolting but funny. It's so good to connect with real people who are JUST LIKE ME! I am such a secret eater I hide it from myself! How funny is that?! X

Aftereightsarenolongermine · 02/03/2013 17:33

Now you see if dh had been home I would never have risked eating marmalade from the jar in case he saw me. Bit worrying that I actually did that as he goes away an awful lot often for a week at a time. Having said that I've not done secret eating for a quite a while so I'm going to promise myself & all of you that I will not do that again. laska is so right about the community thing.

& yes this is about real people & not some jobs worth taking my money every week to say you still weigh the same!

BlackMaryJanes · 02/03/2013 17:56

Have you guys watched the show 'secret eaters'? You should grab a slot on that Grin

Minimammoth · 02/03/2013 17:57

Hi Everybody. After a week of being a bit indulgent. Starting Monday with getting weighed and fast. Eating as I feel like it till then. Will also look up some of the recipes. Till then Wine cheers

Aftereightsarenolongermine · 02/03/2013 18:02

Well I wouldn't have got to 14&half stone if I hadn't been a secret & not so secret eater!

Sutinder · 02/03/2013 18:53

OMG...secret eating was so me... I used to hide the kids treats so I could eat them.. How funny

Sutinder · 02/03/2013 18:55

Cheers minimammoth I'm off out for a Chinese and drinkies

BlackMaryJanes · 02/03/2013 19:31

<a class="break-all" href="http://www.google.co.uk/imgres?hl=en&biw=1241&bih=567&tbm=isch&tbnid=XqO9f1uzKQyQYM:&imgrefurl=flickeflu.com/photos/37508633%40N03&docid=KwfMf6EMc_A0hM&imgurl=farm7.static.flickr.com/6010/5967201347_1e8e6e7226.jpg&w=500&h=375&ei=ClMyUY_0FonK0QWDoIG4BQ&zoom=1&ved=1t:3588,r:25,s:0,i:164&iact=rc&dur=1419&sig=116077606863160176458&page=2&tbnh=157&tbnw=194&start=12&ndsp=21&tx=116&ty=75" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">photo

BlackMaryJanes · 02/03/2013 19:45

ooops. wrong thread

BlackMaryJanes · 02/03/2013 21:40

Hate the way 5:2 has been sold to the U.S:

abcnews.go.com/Health/feast-famine-controversial-fast-diet-weight-loss-plan/story?id=18613821

Talkinpeace · 02/03/2013 21:50

BMJ
I'm not too worried by that - compared with much of American news, that is a model of rational reporting.

BlackMaryJanes · 02/03/2013 21:57

It's making out that you can eat loads of crap on non-fast days. I believed that media-hype and it fucked my body. I'm sure Mosley doesn't care though. It sells his book.

Talkinpeace · 02/03/2013 22:02

Thing is that America is very odd food wise - people are aither thin or fat, very few in between. I suspect that 5:2 could actually do real good there. And fear not, forums will pop up and set them right.

Breadandwine · 02/03/2013 22:08

Great link, BMJ! Thanks - do you want to put it on the Tips and Links thread?

However, I think you're being a little harsh on Dr M - nowhere is it mentioned that you can eat as much as you want on your non-fast days, just what you want.

For anyone checking out that link, the videos just keep on coming - I got up to the third one before leaving the page. I'll have to go back and see how much more there is.

jimbob79 · 02/03/2013 22:30

Hi All...i'm a dad not a mum....Ok for me to join you???
i've been on 5:2 for last 3 weeks ago am already feeling benefits! weigh in today was 10lb lighter then 3weeks ago! feeling great (greater clarity of ming and more get up and go!) and looking forward to fast days....great WOL

Sutinder · 02/03/2013 22:31

Back after a night of food and wine... Not even going to say what I've eaten.... Semi fast tomorrow. Back in control on Monday I think x

Talkinpeace · 02/03/2013 22:35

Jimbob
welcome : we have many men on this thread
BreadandWine is going to be a grandad in the summer Grin

Sutinder
that is the trick - strict on a mondy, sane all week, chillax at the weekend

Breadandwine · 02/03/2013 22:37

Hi jimbob - I'm not a mum either, I'm a granddad! Grin

Welcome to the threads - great that it's going so well for you!

BlackMaryJanes · 02/03/2013 22:44

Perhaps I am being harsh on Mosley, but here's my beef:

This 'diet' (his word) isnt that revolutionary. its basically calorie counting under a different name. Eat your TDEE and fast 2 days. big wow. of course you'll lose weight because of the overall deficit. whats the big deal?

Of course theres the health benefits, but this DIET is being sold as first and foremost a weightloss plan.

And why the worship of mosley for creating the diet. he didn't create IF! People had been doing it for ages before mosley did horizon.