5:2 Diet thread! Number 17- ready for Spring! Any day now!

[GreenEggsAndNichts]

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- 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.

There's a link to the aforementioned Horizon programme here.

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 by Dr Mosley himself, very informative if you're just starting.

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!

[FiFizz]

Ment well done, hey I'm new to this ,ha ha .

[Laska42]

Hi all, I'm one of 'ye olde original 5:2ers' from last August along with Greeneggs and others but haven't posted on these threads for sometime as tend or be more on the Maintainers Thread these days,
But i'm just popping in to to say Hi and to say that any maintainers here are very welcome to join us on the other thread also, where you will find lots of us who have been in on it since near the start and have built 5:2 lifestyle hopefully into out life forever.

I've lost 23/24 lbs all told (and have maintained at 10stish for several months now whilst enjoying a holiday and christmas and Easter off ) but now want to try for another few pounds off for summer hols in June . i've I've recently had a few weeks off 'proper 'fasting, but am recommitting to a few weeks back on 4:3 again, as that suited me best before so will try and post encouragement and for support here as well.

This is such a fab WOE and any of new just starting , I highly recommend it. Its certainly changed my life. I look forward to 'meeting' those of you I dont know and reconnecting with old pals.

Good to see you here AeroMintyyand great that you are sticking to it even thought your weight hasn't moved any more . I'm sure you are getting the other benefits though . Do come over and talk to the 'old crew' again on Maintainers soon wont you?

[greenfig]

Oh no whiting I've not braved 4:3 yet! I have done 5:2 with success since I came back from a hol at the end of Feb. I had the temporary 5lb increase blip but had gone from 9.11 to 9.4 pre Easter. I was back to 9.7 this am but after my first fail today am trying work out which days to do now. 'Jillianing' is Jillian Michaels DVDs. Short but quite hard workouts that give good results fast. I like that they are over super fastWas really keen to get the lovely fasting feeling back (I have fasted over Easter but have had too much other rubbish) & like the routine & discipline of it all but struggle during hols! I think I'm a control freak
How was your hol bvb ? Will go back & read through I must have missed your post. Did the bikini look good out of the water? I def need serious underwiring. Boobage has shrunk but still needs lots of scaffolding

[Curlylox]

Thanks FiFizz. WLTF there's no secret, followed what it says on beginning of all these threads, 5:2 woe, tdee and mfp. Incorporating exercise where as the only exercise I was doing was a weekly Pilates class. Exercise 5-6 days out of 7, walk more and have a recumbent exercise bike. When I first started on the bike I could only just manage 5 mins now I'm up to 25 mins and the sweat dripping off me - not a pretty sight.

[greenfig]

salty & sweet I will try to join you tomorrow in a fast. I kind of knew this morning I was going to struggle, even though I wasn't hungry. Weird. It was just that pit feeling in my tummy that had to be filled. I tried safs beans & eggs trick in an attempt to fill the hole, even though it put me slightly over & then I just ended up eating carbs!!
Tomorrow's another day

[BadabingBadabong]

I'm starting this tomorrow, going to download the book onto my Kindle.
Should I eat breakfast or should I fast a bit first?
Wish me luck, need to lose 2 half - 3 stone!!

[BadabingBadabong]

Ps thanks for all the info and links greeneggs

[FiFizz]

Resisted wine , feeling good having a licorice and peppermint tea ,thanks to whoever recommended it on previous threads yummy..well done to all fasters today nearly done now. Tomorrow is another day .

[greenfig]

curlylox Yes I have & I'd like to do it again! I lent it to a friend & she's lost it. I also do 6w6p & NMTZ. I have BFBM too but not so keen on that one. I got out of it when I had a bad chest & am a bit nervous to go through the initial pain again

[ellenbrody]

Hurrah! Am back on the wagon! Successful fast: 480 cals! Ready for bed soon.
Well done to all fasters today.

[SaltyandSweet]

greenfig I must fast tomorrow!!! My slip with the kids' dinner escalated to a several [ahem] hobnobs and a milky coffee. Today just wasn't my day for no particular reason that I can think of! Like you said, tomorrow's another (hopefully more successful) day!

[greenfig]

Sorry fifizz the Shred was to you!
Well done successful fasters, you've shamed this quitter

[FiFizz]

greenfig 6w6 pack I find the most difficult, it's sooo fast ,hard to keep up with jillian. Definitely don't feel shamed, that's the beauty of this WOE .As we said tomorrow is another day . I'm sure you be back on track .well done you for weight loss so far

[BsshBossh]

badabong if I were you I'd try and prolong the first bite of the day for as long as possible. Alot of us find that eating even a nibble of something on a fast day sets the appetite alight. Plus the health benefits apparently build the longer you fast.

[WellHurrahAndHuzzah]

(Have just posted this in the maintainence thread but Talkinpeace directed me over here - thanks!)
Hi all

I've finally taken the plunge and joined MN after a few months of lurking. Hello!

I thought I'd share with you my experience of the 5:2 WOE. I've been doing this since the new year, and have found it has really, really helped me to maintain my ideal weight. I'm in my late twenties, and although most people would say 'oh, you don't need to lose any weight!' I guess that honestly there has been that half a stone which I always, always wanted to get rid of. And now - it's gone.

When I first downloaded the book for my kindle and started, my OH was eye rolling and thinking this was going to be another 'I have to stop drinking beer / eating cheese / eating anything' type phase. But it wasn't.

As soon as he saw how I was doing, he joined me. He has lost 3 stone since last year through exercise, and the 5:2 has helped him lose another half a stone. This morning, he calculated his BMI. And, for the first time since he was about 11 years old (seriously), he is now in a healthy weight range.

I am so, so proud

The thing that has really struck us about this WOE is how really, bloody easy it is. We were both of the mind set of 'if I didn't eat anything in the morning I'd be fainting' and 'I'm tired, my body needs fuel to keep going'. We were in unshakeable habits with our eating (and boy, do we loooooove to eat!).

We are both passionate about creating wholesome, nutritious, delicious food, as well as (sometimes) eating outrageously unhealthy food and drinking copious amounts of beer And this WOE seems to allow us to do the latter, occasionally, without it having adverse effects on us.

So I hope to be able to contribute to this thread, to encourage others and to keep myself and my OH motivated. MN seems a fantastic source of support, so thank you!

PS. Fasting today and I'm in NZ so it's morning for me. Copious amounts of Earl Grey Tea doing the trick thus far!

[Talkinpeace]

there are several Antipodeans on this thread : you'll find each other by posting when we are asleep!

[peplum41]

Hi fifizz #25812 to you and all. I can't work the smilies on my phone but I'm all grin and wink when on laptop.

Hi to all delurkers, each new thread seems to bring on a fresh batch.

Hi laska been reading old threads, you can learn so much plus forces you to read because you can't comment. So anyways, familiar with your name, glad to hear you're still at it, and thanks for gracing us with your presence.

plec.o.j well done. You deserve a treat tomorrow. How did you get through the mid afternoon grots?

[wohmum]

I've posted a couple of times , but generally just a lurker

Fast day again for me , and they seem to be getting easier, today managed til 6.30 before scoffing a banana, and then the aubergine and chickpea current that someone posted way back at the start . So about 300 in total.

I do have a couple of hungry spells during the day but they don't last long and are soon forgotten .

Hoping to get to 9 st something this week having started at 11 st 6 in Jan. have been stable at 10 st 0.6 lb for 3 days now, but hoping today's fast will have done the trick.

I usually wait til I've got 2-3 consecutive weigh-ins at the same weight before logging it (am a daily weigher)

Good luck to all tomorrow's fasters!

[frenchfancy]

Fasted again yesterday. This morning the scales still haven't budged. My target weight is 67kg, but the scales have stopped at 68.0. I haven't seen a 67 in front for over 15 years and I am impatient to se it. My exercise levels have dropped this week, work is so busy I haven't had much time to shred or run. Hopefully once I start up again the scales will move.

1 kg isn't going to make much difference, but it is the principal of reaching my goal. I'll still carry on with 5:2 in any case.

[postmanpatscat]

french hope the scales move for you soon, so frustrating to be within touching distance and yet not reach it!

I am just about to break a 34 hour total fast (herbal tea/water only). It's the second time I've done this and for me it seems a good way to nudge my body into using up fat. Both times I have lost a kg AND kept it off apart from a small upward bounce of less than half a pound. I am also going to watch the Horizon video again to remind myself of all the other benefits of fasting. Only 1.5kg to my target from here :)

[ellenbrody]

postmanpat 34 hours! Impressive!! Does that mean you ate nothing yesterday?

[swallowedAfly]

french when i fasted on friday the next day the scales had not moved, the day after they had dropped a l.6lbs and the next fast i dropped 2lbs. i was a bit gutted by the no movement but it turned up the next day. just keep going.

well done postmanpat - that's not far to go at all is it still your final target?

haven't dared weigh myself yet this morning - had a bit of a snack attack last night and don't want the guttedness of seeing my 10 gone already i need to though as i need the motivation for today's fast.

[Dotty342kids]

poshvoice I've been doing it since first week in Feb so about 9 weeks I think..... and I've lost 8lbs so far with a couple of pounds blip last week (Easter and hols!). Fast day yesterday and am back to 11st0 today thank goodness.
Cannot WAIT to see the 10's. swallowedafly beat me to it yesterday and I'm determind to join her before Fri 19th which is my 40th birthday

[droopytulip]

Just a quick question about tdee on 5:2. My weight loss has been very slow and so far with on and off I'm only 2lb down in nearing 2 months. I use Mfp to log calories and have averaged over the weeks anything from 1025 to 1100 over the weeks. I'm 5'2 and 136lbs and hope to lose 10lbs. Am I not eating enough on off fast days? I have calculated my tdee on my goal weight. Should it be on maintenance. Just a bit confused and a bit disappointed with results. I do have an underactive thyroid which is stable with thyroxine but having held on to this extra stone for years I thought this woe would fit.

[Minimammoth]

droopytulip I have been doing this since Early Feb and have lost 6 lbs. it feels slow to me too I also have under active thyroid and I do think this slows everything down. I have been told on here to eat more during eat days, but I find it difficult to eat more. When I do, weight piles on quickly, and feel I just can't eat anymore.