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!

[vieenrose]

Hello everyone
I would like to ask you all about your experiences with stalling.
I had my monthly weigh in last week and had not lost anything. This is the first time this has happened since I started this woe in January. I'm not complaining as I've lost 24 pounds in total and have dropped four dress sizes and am really pleased with that, especially as I've changed body shape and look and feel much fitter. But I reckon I have another 8 pounds to loose and wanted to ask everybody how they have dealt with stalling.
Keep up the good work everyone!

[Cluckingmad]

Hi all, still fasting and so far I have lost about 3 lbs in 2 weeks. I'm happy with this loss but as I am so impatient I have cut my TDEE on NFD's from 1951 to 1200 calories. My mum, who is also following 5:2 says that I am eating too few calories on NFD's and this may stall my weight loss. I'm confused as what to do, I just don't think I will lose weight eating nearly 1900 calories for 5 days. Any advice appreciated .

[ExitPursuedByABear]

I know I have asked this before, probably back in March, but failed to take notice of the answer - can anyone recommend good but not too expensive bathroom scales please?

Just an update since I last posted on one of these threads, I have so far lost 3 stone 6 lbs since February by a combination of things including 5:2. My weight loss has really tailed off in the last few weeks and I am eating very little in this hot weather. Disappointed not to have lost more since breaking my jaw though.

Maybe I will have to give up the vodka?

[Dotty342kids]

southeastdweller I'm surprisingly ok actually! Seeing as I'd done all my work hours by 10 this morning I took to the sunlounger this afternoon, fully expecting to have a little snooze..... and just didn't. Very weird.
I'm putting it down to the usual fast day energy feeling. Suspect I'll feel like a train wreck tomorrow (or tonight once I've had my dinner)
vieenrose that's a fantastic loss and achievement so far. I'm not surprised that after all that you've slightly ground to a halt! If you can, and are the patient type, then keep doing what you're doing and I'm sure it'll get going again. If you can't and you're not, then try a couple of zero cal fasts or a week or two doing 4:3 to mix it up a bit?

[BetsyBell]

vieenrose I stalled for a couple of months, just keep on going and it will all start up again. In the meantime soak up the compliments on losing so much already!

[BetsyBell]

There's some scales recommendations on page 1 exit

[vieenrose]

Thanks Dotty and BetsyBell. I know that slowly does it and I will keep on going. I'm giving myself till Christmas to be where I want to be.
I'm slighty nervous about my holidays in August though: I don't think I'll be able to fast, I certainly won't be going to the gym and no doubt, there will be much vino involved. But for the first time in yonks, I won't be ashamed of myself at the beach!

cluckingmad: most of us have found that we should certainly eat up to TDEE on NFD, or slightly under to allow for some indulgence at the weekends. Limiting yourself to 1200 calories sounds drastic. It won't help you loose weight (well that is our experience) and it sounds too much like a ordinary diet that you will not be able to sustain. Hope this helps

[MissUnicorn]

How's it going Dotty, Itsaboat and Southeast?
I'm feeling OK. I'm going to make my stir fry in an hour or so.
vie That is amazing! I love reading stories like yours, they keep me going.
exit well done too! They say the closer you get to your goal, your weight loss slows down, so maybe it's that?

Clucking your mum is right, you need to eat more.

[NaturalBlondeYeahRight]

First day of fasting today. Planned on mfp and not feeling too bad (quite hungry) Do you all go to bed early on these days?
I've kind of spread most of the calories from 11am onwards. Is there are best method, or is it when you want to have them?

[Talkinpeace]

Welcome Quickgirl
as I say to everybody NO SNACKING
if you must have something sweet, have it at the end of the meal still sitting at the table and then no snacks between meals

[Talkinpeace]

Naturalblonde
I have all of my fast calories (other than milk in tea) in one meal at 7pm.

[EagleRiderDirk]

Today should have been my fast day and its just confirmed switching has become the right thing for me. the DCs are still giving me the run around and driving me insane, but having some food in me is helping. Especially good as OH isn't coming home till later tonight so I have no relief until they go to bed

[dogsdays]

well just back from St Lucia- a few pounds heavier (I know because of the scales) but going to give myself a couple of weeks back to 5:2 then weigh in

[dogsdays]

meant because of my clothes not scales- jetlag

[ELR]

Hi everyone, I haven't posted in a week, been super busy so haven't really caught up on the old thread but thanks for new one betsy
vie I second what betsy and dotty say about stalls just carry on going and you will get there, I have stalled for 2 months but finally this morning I'm down to 10.025 so nearly in the 9's on the 10th May I was 10.1.75 and been pretty much that for the rest of may and June and now it's just started to pick up again thank goodness!

[Dotty342kids]

Have got a dinner planned but it's hot, there's the Next sale preview to distract myself with tonight so am wondering if should try a zero cal fast day. Hmm.........

[BsshBossh]

cluckingmad the problem with eating just 1200 cals is that if/when weightloss slows to a crawl or you stall (and it happens to most of us for a bit) then you've nowhere to go. And your body's metabolism adjusts downwards too as all you're eating is 1200 cals so that when you get bored of eating so little and start wanting to eat more you put on weight. It's why I've never dipped below my TDEE when fasting; even when I was calorie counting I only went 10-15% below my TDEE.

vie keep going, be patient, be consistent. You've done so so well so far. I stalled for 4 months last year but then went onto reach (and surpass) goal weight.

[BsshBossh]

Quickgirl welcome! The best thing that works for me to control my eating even on non-fast days is to not snack at all between meals. This has been the most effective way (for me) to reduce the amount of snacky food I consume. I still have crisps and chocolate but I tend to have it with a meal and have found that now I don't even have them every day (apart from ice cream or frozen yoghurt, which I love, and have most days as a small dessert after dinner!). It might work for you too...

[Mintyy]

I am very interested in hearing what everyone is doing with regard to their tdee on this woe and if anyone wants to share on the thread then I am all ears!

I have my appointment with my GP on Thursday re. lack of weight loss, despite 5:2ing for 9 months. When I first went to see her back in January she hadn't heard of 5:2 but I think that will be different now!!

It would help me enormously if people could just say a bit more about what they do on non-fasting days because its obvious I either a) have some sort of metabolism or thyroid problem or b) am overeating by a ludicrous amount on my non-fast days.

I would be so grateful to hear a summary of people's methods if you can bear to ...

[BetsyBell]

mintyy I don't calorie count but I would say that when I'm maintaining I'm at my tdee most days (except 2 fast days) and over once a week. When I'm losing it's because I'm not eating much in the way of starchy stuff or drinking wine in the week and therefore a little bit under my tdee most days.

Exercise has little effect on weight loss for me, only toning (and motivation).

hth

[Dotty342kids]

mintyy, on my fast days I eat evening meal only, at or just under 500 cals.
On non fasting days I eat what I like but tend to keep it relatively near to my TDEE on weekdays.
On weekends I really do eat / drink what I like!
Lost just over a stone since Feb but it feels sustainable and I'm sure a bit more will come off over time.

[Dotty342kids]

So, really weird side effect today (fast day). I do generally feel energised on fast days but today I've been up since just after 4am as I woke up and just couldn't get back to sleep.
Assuming I'd be shattered by lunchtime I got all my work done this morning so as to allow myself a couple of hours on a sun lounger in the garden this afternooon. I lay out there, relaxed and waited to fall asleep and............ nothing!
Even now I'm feeling quite alert and energy filled even though I know I'm tired. It's most odd!
I think I may have stumbled across an interesting, but good, side effect to fasting.

[vieenrose]

Thank you everyone for your advice. This thread has been a life saver on many a difficult fast.
Fast day today but I breezed through it like nobody's business

[Itsaboatjack]

Glad to hear my fellow fasters are all doing well. I've had a great FD, I was working off site at another pub doing some very dull data collection. I'd not planned my week well as it was a very renowned gastro pub and the food going out looked amazing but I managed to turn down the offer of a free lunch and instead worked through, got finished early and walked the 3 miles home. With that and the school runs and brownies I have walked nearly 10 miles today.

So I've not eaten yet, am just waiting for dd2 at brownies then I'm going home to my stir fry.

[vieenrose]

Mintyy
On my fast days, I keep all my calories (save for milk in tea) for my evening meal.
On NFD, I eat within TDEE during the week and go way above, with cheese and wine mostly, during the weekends. I never snack and almost never do minifasts (skipping one meal for instance). I've stopped calorie counting because after six months, I know roughly what I am eating.
I also work out three to four times a week (an hour each time) and cycle to and from work (40 mn daily five times a week).