The 5:2 Thread Number 23: Summer's really here - time to melt off those extra pounds!

[BetsyBell]

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.

NFD = Non fast day

NSV = Non scale victory

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:

All our previous threads can be found by browsing back through the fasting section of the site.

Another thread which breadandwine has started is a good resource for some of the tips and links 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. 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.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Greeneggsandnicht for putting together all this info and resources into one concise OP text, much appreciated by so many 5:2ers!

Come join us, and tell us about your experiences with this diet!

thanks Dotty342kids. Just weighed myself after 3rd FD and i am exactly the same weight as I was after my first FD 8 days ago. (12stone 0.5 lbs) Also the tape measure is the same so no NSVs there...

I am getting very frustrated now as although the fast day itself isn't too hard to do; i feel for the same amount of effort, i could have done something like the cabbage soup diet. (Haven't done it in at least a decade) but only needed could stick out about 4 days and i would lose weight and more importantly the weight would continue to come off for a few days.

Here i feel that as soon as i go back to eating normally, my body grabs the lbs back and i am back to square one and each FD i am just losing the same 2lbs. Great if i was in maintenance, but i am trying to get down to 10 1/2 stone.

The only solution i can think of is to go for a run this morning to give my metabolism a kick up the arse and see if i can get off this yoyoing plateau!

*SquidgyMummy I had the exact same experience as you when I started this, for the first 3 weeks I lost/regained the same weight. My issue was that weekends I ate whatever I wanted, which I thought was ok until I realised I was taking in too much calorie wise, my mfp was showing a good 2500+ some days. Over the course of a week, the deficit I'd earned from fd's was drowned by crisps/choc/wine.
Now I've curbed that and learned to be realistic with balancing what I want with how much I can have, its better but no bones about it, while for some it melts off v quick, its long term loss not short term for me, averaging out at 1 pound a week. I'd much prefer to keep with this, once you find your way I think it's a much nicer plan to live by. Really hope you stick with it after reassessing tdee, it could surprise you

thanks JB30 I will have to watch the snacking and calories on the NFDs.
Will try and track my TDEE properly (Although i don;t have a smartphone to use MFP, i have just been using the calorie count website.

I just thought i wouldn't really have to think about what i ate too much on the NFD's, but looks like i will need to be more careful...!

Just marking place! Great thread, full of inspiration and advice. Just completed FD 3, going well and shedding fast so far. My aim is to loose a stone, 5lb gone already, well on the way!

Morning all. Woohoo just got on the scales and finally I'm in the 9's!!
9.12 and total loss of 15.5 lbs. I am so so pleased, keep it up everyone that has taken me 40 fasts/ 20 weeks.

Squidgy you can use Mfp online too. We've all been there btw, and it usually just turns out to be over-eating on nfds. So you might have to be a bit more controlled while losing weight but once you get into the swing of it it will stop feeling like a diet and now you know you've got all the tools you need to maintain whatever weight you eventually get to.

And of course... The health benefits!

11.1 and 3/4 today - that's a 3 and a quarter pound loss this week. Very pleased sure I will gain this weekend but that 10 9 goal is looking achievable

Squidgy if you just diligently track your calories for a few short weeks I bet the pounds will come off and you will get a good idea of portion sizes. Once you understand how much you can eat, you should be able to ease off a bit on the calorie counting. Don't give up and good luck!

Well done ELR you must feel great being in the nines and 15.5 lbs is a great achievement. [pompoms] And you too delilah, that's a lot of pounds for just 3 fast days.

I've lost another 1lb, which makes it a grand total of 7lb pounds. Woo-hoo. 8st 5lb. Another 5lb to go.

ooh, well done, gilbertus

ELR well done!

My official weekly weigh-in this morning and no change.

Good luck today's fasters!

Hi All,
Im here to have a bit of a moan and to ask for help from seasoned 5:2 ers ( which to be honest I thought I almost was after 6 months of this WOE).
After my joy of losing 3 lbs in a week 2 weeks ago which I thought was too good to be true..turns out I was right and 2 of those pounds have gone back on again.
I just do not know what Im doing wrong and Im beginning to get despondant with it all.
I upped my game 3 weeks ago to try and increase my ( always) slow weight loss. I reduced my TDEE to 1625 , did 16:8 on NFDs and upped the exercise to 3 times weekly.
So after 6 months of this Im now 10 st 4 ( started at 11 st 2). A grand total of only 12 lbs....
Im absolutely sticking to it, I have ALWAYS tracked on MFP Every day, and always come under or up to TDEE ,never going over.
Im 49 , 5'3 and BMI 25, so there is still some to lose...at least another stone.
I havent lost sight of the fact that Ive gone down a dress size which is great and I do look / feel much better for it..
But my question is I suppose has this happened to anybody else and what did you do to kick start it off again? Ive no intention of giving up on 5:2 but I really did expect more than this after 6 months and I dont believe my expectations are unrealistic.
What would you do TIP , Bsshbosh, betsy et al..
Sorry for long post..I just feel like Im always posting about about my lack of results!

Whoop! ELR (feels good doesn't it )

delilah Fab start

SoTired well done too!

Today, I am on the hunt for the perfect slice of Victoria sponge cake :) Needless to say, it's a NFD.

headintheclouds if I were you, I'd stop trying to lose weight for a few weeks; maintain my current weight so that I stoke up my metabolism. I've never been consistently on a "diet" since I started losing weight February 2012; I've had weeks of eating at maintenance simply because I got bored and then when I resumed 'dieting' I lost really well. Taking 'diet breaks' but not going mad and overeating has always worked really well for me and means my body doesn't get used to 'undereating'. Throw in a fast a week for the health benefits and adjust your TDEE on other days up a bit.

well done elr

tmi alert

well on Tuesday if gained 1lb since the previous Friday, today I've lost 1/2 of that. meh. but the tape measure is showing 1/2in loss on both waist and hips, I feel and look slimmer, and yesterday I was wearing a favourite top that I was just drowned in. but I also feel blocked - have been given some codeine linctus and inhalers for this bloody cough (that only seems to appear at night and drive me insane) and I havent gone properly for nearly a week. too scared to try anything like senokot given my usual ibsd state. reckon I'm going to show a massive loss soon just from when my system resets

Headintheclouds, you've lost nearly a stone, and are now in the healthy bmi range. Well done! When your body is in that range, losses are incredibly slow. And kudos on the smaller dress size!

I'm similar to you, have lost 12 pounds since January - but I'm Ok with that. Another 3 pounds and I'll be down to 130 pounds, where I'll try to maintain - I'll set a range rather than One True Number to focus on.

bssh. I dreamt about eating a Victoria sponge! I so want one or three slice too!

head, I think once you get to a normal BMI the weight loss is much slower. I think I've lost 2lbs in the last 6 weeks or so, over the last 2 weeks its been 200gs. I don't keep to my TDEE, I don't actually know what it is but I think you have to put your activity level into the calculator to get a figure? Are you maybe overestimating your activity level? I know it's frustrating but going down a dress size is great. I don't really have any other advice apart from keeping plugging away at it.

I'm off on holiday today, doubt I will fast but may try 16:8 a couple of times.

"See" you all in 2 weeks, probably be on thread 30 by then!

SoTired it's actually my favourite cake so I don't trust myself to buy a whole one. I will tour some local bakeries/cafes today in my break to find the perfect single slice. The walking should offset the damage not!

Headintheclouds I would eat more one day a week. During my 'plateau' recently I wasn't paying too much attention to nfds, just letting loose (including holiday eating) and then going back to it properly.

Now I generally end up having a more indulgent day each week and it genuinely seems to help.

So the advice is: eat more sometimes. x

Just read Bssh's post - that's exactly how my weight loss has been over the past 22 months and I treat 5:2 in the same way.

phew, just caught up!
Roma I stalled for the last month (kept losing + gaining same 2lb) so this week I did 3 consecutive like you said. I've made sure to walk enough every day and go running 3 times, and I've calorie counted nfds to make sure I wasn't creeping up but I thought this might give it an extra boost - don't fancy the 'zero fast' :) so I did tues proper fast weds fast with light non calorie counted meal, no idea on calories, thurs proper fast and back to my normal routine today. It was surprisingly easy but not hoping to do it again, hope that will have kickstarted it again! New low today but thats to be expected!!! still want to lose around 10lb so I don't want it to slow down yet!
Jussey17 I haven't lost any scale weight since c25k either in this stall, but just measured and I've lost 2 inches on my bum and I know I am fitter so it's worth keeping at it :)

Fourth FD completed yesterday - was fairly ok but had to eat at 2pm which i didnt like (prefer saving it til tea time). Happy as another lb gone this morning and 4.5lb gone sine starting 10 days ago! Off to the gym now and starting nights tonight so hopefully much calorie burning over next two days.

Hi ladies,

Just thought I would give you a little up date. I took a break about 4 weeks ago after plateauing for about 6 weeks.

I switched to ADF and have moved going from 11:3.5 to 10:13.5.

So just to those who are stuck I strongly recommend switching to ADF or 4:3. Especially for those who don't have time to make big exercise commitments. I absolutely can't believe I'm in the 10's only just I know!!! But haven't been here for years!!!!

Well done everyone on their losses! Going to catch up properly on the thread.

BssBossh same here. Glimpsed 10st 6lbs which would have been a new low, but scales settled at 10st 7lbs, same as last week. Grrr! Oh well, not going ot worry too much and hopefully I'll get there next week.

My losses have definitely slowed down headintheclouds, in total I've "only" lost 15lbs in 21 weeks which isn't brilliant but then I've not been this weight since doing weightwatchers 8 yrs ago and so I am really, really pleased (though sometimes I need reminding of that fact!).
So, take on board some of the excellent advice and keep plodding on with it. The fact is that I know you are pleased with how you look and feel now and I'm sure you feel better for it too, so keep on going