The 5:2 thread number 25- One year on from Dr Mosley's Horizon ep!

[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.

NFD = Non fast day

NSV = Non scale victory

Michael Mosley has a website to accompany his 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 through our very own 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.

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

MissS just carry on with the fd - you'll still have less calories than an nfd. It won't make much difference in the long run.

Helles that is what DH said when I said I had planned to have the left over macaroni cheese as my meal for today.

Saf, if you saw my running you wouldn't be too impressed I went great guns on the flat/downhill for the first mile or so. Then I had a hill, ooh maybe 300 metres? By the top of it I could have done with oxygen! The remaining 3 or so miles where run & walk. But it's done now - thank god!!! Just broke my 16:8 there, oh boy was I starving. We're out for an early dinner with the kids later so cannot let another morsel pass my lips. Going to keep busy, distraction is my friend.
MissS, you can defo keep your FD, or very close to it. Kids are sent to test us, that's for sure - the change of scenery will do you all great, some days I just aim to be a bit deaf. If I don't hear it, it can't annoy me. Oh yeah, that & bribery, work great in tandem. Really hope you enjoy

Glad to hear it's not just me who has an 'evening treat' problem! I think that the answer is going to have to be either excercise or early-dinner-and-then-bed-with-book, depending how I feel on the day.
Yesterday I really wanted a glass of wine so I made myself go for a run instead. Perhaps if my brain starts to associate wine with running then I won't want it in future !! :-D

Saf - I've done the 'replace booze with more food' thing too in the past. This I why I suspect it comes down to being bored. It's not that I need more food, it's that I've run out of things to do (or want to pretend I have).

I want to be a better mum and find it hard when I don't get a minute to regroup and tbh I don't enjoy them at the moment .

I am determined we will have a good trip and I need to find a way to count to ten before I react to them.

Just made a feeding station for the butterflies so that was something nice to do.

working hard here at eagle towers. the house (well except the bathroom) is no longer a biohazard and we think oh has fixed the cross trainer whilst nicely avoiding the possibility that it doesn't like my weight
now to give the dcs a lecture in how it must stay tidy until after the bank holiday weekend. I'm sure they'll agree and comply given they're 2.5 and 10m
going to enjoy a beer tonight as a reward.

Hi eagle love the idea of an in-house cross trainer. Keep looking on ebay, but they always seem to be in Essex or the outer hebrides. Hope those kids toe the line after their stern lecture.

helles thanks for link, very interesting. The results from krista varaday's latest trials are due in this autumn! I'm concerned I'm eating too much protein though. How do you work out 0.95g per kg of body weight?

miss s what's a butterfly station?

Hello everyone.

Ugh. It's not been a good weekend. Yesterday I ate about 3000 cals. Argh. Serious over indulgence. It's a v long and sorry tale which I will spare you all but involves Burger King, pret coffee and pastry and M&S picnic food. Plus wine later. Not good

I suspect not only will it have undone a whole weeks worth of good work, I must have gained about 4 lbs.

My own fault. Just couldn't stop stuffing my face and I chose poor options when there were ones available with far fewer calories.

Oh well here is to a better week.

saf your idea really made me laugh - and no doubt it'll make my DH very happy!
Off to sunny (!) west Wales tomorrow for a few nights under canvas so will be back here next weekend. Have a good week everyone

peplum41 - it is a hanging net basket type thing which we have hung from a tree. Turns out there should have been a voucher in the box to send off for 5 caterpillars to hatch at home. As happens a lot with us there is no voucher so we are hoping some of the current butterflies will move in. I have also made them a nectar station so hope they will all come. Just have to teach the cats to leave them alone!

The feeding station was the nectar thingy. The hanging net thing was the butterfly home DD had been given.

It happens to us all, Mrs F. Don't give yourself too hard a time. Onwards and upwards :-) in the long run when you reach your goal it will seem like just a blip :-)

I'm 90kg, Peplum, so I would have 90x0.95=85.5g of protein.

Not sure what that would look like but I once read that we only need a pack of cards sized piece of animal protein about 3 times a week.

mrs f had I not been trapped in the house by a never ending hangover (from a measley 3 glasses of wine!), I would've gladly consumed the delights of m&s and pret. Instead, I had make do with cupboard foraging, which was rubbish. If you're going to waste cals, do it in style. Hope you can join us fasters soon!

miss s that does sound nice, keep an eye out for wasps though!

Oh god in holiday and have eaten prob 3k cals today. Feel rank. Can't fast though!

mrsf when fasting you can have the odd 3000 cal day and still lose weight that's the magic of this woe.

Trouble is I'm not fasting

MrsF I'm with you! Had a McDonalds drive-thru yesterday for lunch (justified by not wanting to wake DD up), had already had 2 thick slices of fancy white bread (by that I mean the loaves you have to cut yourself!) with peanut butter and nutella, then went on to have a relatively healthy risotto, apart from the tub of crème fraich and handful of grated cheddar plus 3 bottles of Bud! Not much better today, had a 3 course dinner out and ate normally rest of day, oh plus a choc brownie on both days, and haven't drunk a drop of water (only tea or beer)... don't think tomorrow will be my best weigh in !

Am also holding my hand up as a boredom eater, although I do it during the day when DH isn't here to catch me have to be careful now though as if DD sees me eating she instantly wants whatever I've got. Don't want to pass rubbish food choices on to her. Hols next week for me too, will try and do 16:8 or mini-fasts when I can, but not holding my breath. As it seems lots of us will be hitting it again come next month, I'm not going to worry too much if I regain and have to loose a few extra pounds, I'll be in good company!

Ooh look what I found

I'm in the Overindulged corner with you guys, MrsF and Somewhere! Went out for Greek food last night, we were both starving when we ordered so we over-ordered, and then we were freezing (mid winter here) so we went on for hot chocolate.

I weighed myself out of morbid curiosity* when I got home, and I was 3lb over where I had been before dinner. Obviously it's not 'real' weight, but that's a lot of food and drink to be carting around!

Anyway. Very relieved that today is a fast day. Oooof.

*I am not of the common opinion that one should weigh only rarely. I think there's nothing wrong with a comprehensive data set as long as one knows how to interpret it. I don't worry about those outlier numbers; on the contrary, I am now fully apprised of how much weight can vary over a day, which actually helps me rationalise the trends.

It must have been the weekend for blow-outs I visited a friend yesterday who had made beautiful gluten free lemon yoghurt muffins just for me. I had to eat two, just to be polite . Then she brought out the wine and (although I hardly ever drink) I managed three glasses along with hummous and crackers. Then I came home and had lamb shanks with creamy cauliflower mash. Oh, and at lunch time, after a big helping of Osso Bucco, I had a handful of chocolates my brother brought over. Bloody hell, I really did blowout! At least I had a long walk in the morning.

I am fasting today, and I have already drunk a teapot's worth of tea, and I am actually feeling a bit nauseous. I do find this happens most fast days, and I always think,"I don't know if fasting is for me, because I feel a bit sick, maybe I should eat something..." but if I give it a bit of time, it passes and then I seem to be fine the rest of the day.

Which is the best day to weigh in (I want to stop doing daily weigh ins and just do it once a week)? Is it best to do it the day after the second fast of the week? Or the first one?

Osso Bucco! Yum, that's what I'm making next NFD.

I feel nauseated on fast days as well, but it does pass. Noticeably worse if I've had wine the night before, even just a glass.

I don't think there's a one-size-fits-all answer for weigh-ins. I count my 'official' weigh in as the morning after the second fast (I do Mon and Wed). Others use the morning before the first fast, on the grounds that they want to track at the top of their weekly bounce rather than the bottom. As long as you always do the same thing it should even out.

hopeful I have my official weigh in on Mondays as I vary which days I fast so weighing after my second fast often has different numbers of days in between, but that's always my heaviest day as it's the longest spell after fasting, so at least I know it's my worst case scenario! As Tortoise said though, once you've decided what to do, stick with the same thing (including time of day and clothing or lack of) as then it's more consistent comparing one weigh in with another. Hope the nausea's well gone now :)

fast day today. will it be successful? its my last one until next Thursday at least, though I may throws couple of mini fasts in here and there. I now have some cup a soups and am quite ridiculously happy about that, so am hoping that I may keep to 20hrs before I break fast ( in no way counts as fast breaking here). haven't planned dinner but think I'll go for a couscous stuffed pepper and a ww ice cream pot for dessert. maybe I'll throw in the soup as a starter for a 3 course meal.

yeah, you are all living vicariously through me, I can tell

good luck today's fasters!

erd I am at the very idea of being ridiculously happy about cupasoup!

Week 12

Loss this week = 1 lb
Total loss in 12 weeks = 20 lb

Date to reach target if losing 0.5 lb pw = 02/02/2015.