The 5:2 Diet Thread number 19! Cup of tea? or three?

[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 a 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. (I highly recommend this for an 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!

[Miffytastic]

Sorry for typos and should have been a ??? at the end obviously!

[BsshBossh]

Miffy you've gone from 10.10 to 10.3 - that's pretty good. You only have another 7lbs to go. You will get there! I know it feels slow and up and down but maybe that's because you don't have much to lose c.f. with quicker losers. Ignore all the withering looks and focus on the health benefits of giving your digestion a break. Speaking of which, rather than switching plans or doing zero calorie fasts why don't you first aim for doing a 24 hour fast - so no food until your 500 cal meal in the evening?

[Miffytastic]

Yes I was thinking that BB, I was reading over the zero fast thread on the 5:2 forum and wondering if I can get away with having skimmed milk in my morning cuppa or if that would break the purpose of having 24hr fast?

[Tortoiseontheeggshell]

Miffy are you eating enough on NFDs? If your biggest eating days are well under TDEE then perhaps you're eating too little overall? It sounds like you're working hard.

Chester am I reading you right that you do two zero cal fasts and a 500 cal fast per week? Goodness!

Over here I've struggled all day. Just made gorgeous spicy harissa chicken & lentil soup for 400 cal, which takes my day to a bad 550, and after a huge bowl I am still hungry. Early night for me, I think!

[Farewelltoarms]

Can I ask how bouncy is other people's weight loss? I wrote on here that I was depressed about going up hugely on Tuesday weigh in (up to 10.11), but then did fast tuesday and non fast Wednesday and this morning it was all off again (it's my fourth week of 5:2 and I've gone from 10.13.5 to 10.7.5). I'm fully expecting a Monday morning gain but would be pleased with something like 10.8.5 (which would be 5lb in 4 weeks).
Hmmm maybe I should weigh myself less but then I think I'd get disheartened.

[Miffytastic]

Farewelltoarms see above for mine -bouncy is the word! I actually weighed twice this morning, and "lost" 2 1/4 pounds by having breakfast and cycling for an hour...

Tortoise I think I am eating enough, not going for low cal foods particularly or anything. Just totted up what I've had so far today in breakfast & snacks it's 800 cals {oink}

[MrsArchchancellorRidcully]

2nd fasting day today. No scales so no idea what i've lost after 4 weeks of this WOL but feeling good and jeans much looser. I have a lot of weight to lose (probably about 5 stone), so don't look much different but I'm loving the way I feel on a fast day.

I even fasted on Monday' bank hol. Went out for a picnic with DCs and DP and other family, they all ate sausages, sandwiches, cake etc. I ate 3 tomatoes, small pot of cottage cheese and a pear. Under 500 cals all day but broke fast earlier than normal due to day out with DC, so feeling pretty pleased with me.

Kept going by thinking of the fish n chips I was having the next day. DD starts school in Sept so i took a day off work, plonked DS in nursery and DD and I played hookey and went to the beach for the day - won't be able to do that come sept. Had fish n chips and ice cream!!

I tend to eat conservatively in the week but do pig out a bit at weekends, but that's why this works. I can't do the diets where you never eat treats again or agonise everyday. This works! Feck you, reduced fat cheese and zero fat yoghurts - you contain stuff that's not good for me!!

Love love love the fact that this seems to be such a healthy way to live too.

[MrsArchchancellorRidcully]

ooh. Just been for a wee and can get jeans off without unbuttoning them!!!

[GoodtoBetter]

marking my place...back later.

[SaltyandSweet]

Doris I started this WOL with 4:3 in mid Feb and have lost 18lbs so far. 20lbs to go to my goal weight! I find 4:3 very doable, I think it's all about establishing a pattern that works for you. For instance I fast Mon, Wed and Fri - sandwiching the weekend works for me because I like to indulge on at least one weekend day, so with fasts either side I don't feel at all bad about it and the scales still (usually) shift in the right direction. I do sometimes fast on consecutive days (eg Mon and Tues then Thurs or Fri) as prep for a weekend away, for instance, so that I maintain or any gain is minimal. I think whether you're doing 5:2 or 4:3 the key is to find a way to fast that works in your life. Some fasters here move their days regularly depending on what's going on in their lives and it works for them. That wouldn't work for me, I like to know in advance when's a fast day and an eating day, helps get me in the right frame of mind

[Farewelltoarms]

Yes Miffy your weight loss tally is a bit scary - when you were down to 10.3 after a month and a half you must have been thinking, yay, come May I'll be hitting my target and the bikini shops. I think we're sort of weight doppelgängers - I'm an inch taller and my start weight and aim is about three pounds higher (I want to be 9 stone something, the something prob being 13).
I suppose at least you are 7lb down and keeping it off. I'm sure you're much more comfortable at 10.3 than 10.10. I just know that I always get down to about 10.3 or 4 but can never just manage that last furlong, which is the bit that takes me from fine to fine (said in cod you go-girl ghetto accent).

[Farewelltoarms]

Another thing, although I find the fasts relatively easy I really don't like doing them and haven't noticed any health benefits whatsoever. I'm really not doing this because I think it's a healthy way of life. I'm doing it for weight loss! The thought of doing two fasts a week and not losing any weight is a very depressing one...

[Americano]

Hello! May I join too?
Have been lurking on the thread since I began 4:3 almost 3 weeks ago -fasting Mon, Wed and Fri - and you've all been a great support!
Was all going very well for a couple of weeks but this week I had a bounce upwards. Stupidly felt v disheartened and ate too much on a NFD, then failed to fast yesterday when I was meant to, so today am fasting and trying to get back on track!

[ponygirlcurtis]

Am reaching the end of my first week on the 5:2, have done two fast days (reasonably ok on both). Yesterday and today I have not been particularly hungry in the mornings so I haven't had breakfast - I have been finding recently that I seem to rumble more when I've had brekkie than if I've not, which I couldn't understand, but now it kinda makes sense. This morning at my weekly toddler group I allowed myself a slice of ginger cake and a couple of wee biscuits - all added in on MFL am proper in love with it, so no worries there. Tomorrow will be another fast day, so have a can of soup for lunch, and plan to pop into M&S to treat myself to a lovely healthy ready meal that I can bulk out with veg (I'm not a fan of cooking, although I do lovely roast veg, with soy sauce and balsamic vinegar).

Weighed myself yesterday at my mum's, and I was pretty much what I thought. I'm 12stone 9lbs, so a stone heavier than this time last year, when I was still carrying some baby weight. I'd like to lose 1.5 stones at least, if not 2. Anything over that and I'll be in new territory!

Quickie query - I still haven't eaten anything yet today (other than the cake & biccies at my toddler group this morning). I'm trying to wait until my body tells me it's hungry rather than just having lunch because it's lunchtime. Is that the right approach to take? Today isn't a fast day, just a normal eating day.

Hope you all have a good day.

[virginposter]

ellliiieee dieted April 2012 to August and lost 7lbs, then started 5:2 and 4:3 and have lost 22lbs for a total of 29. Gone from size 14 to 10 so I think it's safe to say that this woe works . Have a look on the maintainers thread and you will see many more 'successes'.

[monster54]

Hi everyone and the newbies....

FD here for me, goign strong. Last food was about 8pm last night. I don't plan on eating until dinner tonight.

I hit a new low last week and my big work trousers are now to the point where I can't get away with still wearing them.

I've had a really emotional weekend and unfortunately like others I really can't pig out on NFD's anymore. My stomach goes crazy and I end up in pain and spending too much time in the loo (tmi).....

I do have the odd treat, but I massively under eat on NFD's in comparision to where I once was.....I've realsied that I don't have to have food NOW....

That its Ok to feel hungry and nothing bad is going to happen!

[monster54]

Yes pony I would go with the flow and do what your body wants....

I am completely out of habit now and eat when I want and very rarely eat breakfast, I never want it and only find it awakes a beast in me and I'm hungry all day!!!

[Miffytastic]

Pony yes that sounds right to me, best way to be

Farewell - yeah, I did kind of hope I wouldn't be the same weight come May! but the other thing I'm trying to tell myself is that I've not been piling it on either. This feels sustainable rather than "am I on the weightwatchers wagon or wholeheartedly OFF it" mentality.

I posted a modified version of my earlier post on the 5:2 website's message board, and got a speedy reponse from a couple of people including one of the mods who did some TDEE calculations for me. Turns out I might be better off setting my TDEE at the "desk job" level rather than the exercise one. 4:3 is a good way to balance this but I'm not sure I can hack it, but may be able to acheive a total calorie deficit by having a few lower cal days overall. MFP with a vengence and I'll be looking fine ;-)

[FairyArmadillo]

Marking my place. First fast day today.

[Farewelltoarms]

Yes I'm sure you're right Miffy and half a stone off when you're not particularly big to begin with is absolutely not to be sniffed at - well done you. I'm a bit loath to MFP on NFD as that's the whole appeal - not being on it the whole time. I think perhaps I'd rather opt for 4:3 or perhaps a 4:3 every other week. Or perhaps think in terms of mini-fasts - if I'm off out for blow-out dinner with friends, not have any lunch?
Anyway, hopefully I'll be joining you in the early 10s soon enough.
And then fine for the summer proper...

[Farewelltoarms]

Oh and if it's any consolation, I went from 10.8 to 10.13 over Easter (this was before starting diet, sorry WOE).

[ChesterDrawers]

Yes Tortoise my plan for the week is 1x 500 cal day and 2x 36hr total fast - is that too much? I'm not planning on being that extreme every week, but would like a good loss to keep me going. DH is away next week so it's easy as I won't have to cook.

Would appreciate views from those more experienced though.

[NoForkNKnife]

Hi everyone.
I thought I'd posted earlier, but appears I forgot to hit 'post' .

First FD and doing ok. I've had a total of 100 calories so far and aim to have the last 400 for evening meal.

Or should I have fasted completely and had all 500 in one go? Is this better? I've also had coffee with semi skimmed milk. Shoul I have been 'counting' this? Think I've had two. I was thinking I could ignore them as I'm breastfeeding my DD.

I then initial weight loss slow? I've got that impression from somewhere on the thread? And I know from experience that I've messed up my metabolism as pretty much no diet seems to work for me anymore. Even very low carb doesn't see the pounds shift any more! Do you think I'll have more success here or am I kidding myself?

[tiredemma]

chester- what time will you start your 36 hours from?

[tiredemma]

NoFork- im spreading mine out over the day.

I've got 150 calories left for tonight so I'm going to have a lovely piece of cod fillet.