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!
Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.
Fasting / 5:2 diet
The 5:2 thread number 25- One year on from Dr Mosley's Horizon ep!
GreenEggsAndNichts · 05/08/2013 16:28
Hi all
Special greetings to The poster formerly known as virgin, aka Vintage5:"er. 
saf I had a stage about a month ago where I either couldn't fast, was just too hungry greedy/ or would go all day, then talk myself into a glass of wine a mini fast. Then I had a couple of those fasts where it all seems like such a chore/effort. Then, suddenly, back to normal. I maintained throughout this upheaval.
Hi to all newbies too.
Lovely message vintage52er, thanks for that. It's always nice to read about how inspired people are by these threads and, of course, their own success stories!
Saf, don't worry too much about it, I know you've got lots to deal with at the moment and it sounds as though you're content for now, with what you look and feel like so you'll get going again when you feel mentally and physically strong enough 
headintheclouds and itsaboatjack, not heard from you in a few days, how are you both doing?
Welcome to all newbies by the way! Great to see so many people enthusiastic about this woe and also to hear that people's gps are recommending it, great news!
After my horrific weekend (alcohol induced followed by hangover munchies) I fasted yesterday and felt much better for it. Down another lb to 10st 6 but not sure if I'll manage to sustain that or not as been on a plateau between 10st 7 - 10st 9 for about six weeks now!
Anyway, fasting makes me feel good and is a natural part of my weeks now so will continue and assume that at some point it'll start shifting downwards again 
it's a really good start aphra and it's the 'not finding it too hard', too restrictive or having to count calories daily that has made it sustainable for me up until recent times.
my theory is always to start as painlessly as possible and if it works fabulous, if you have to do more then again try to make the first stage of more as painless as possible etc.
dotty thank you. there has been a hell of a lot going on in the last couple of months and i tend to forget that eg. feel dreadful about the state of the house and how out of control the laundry pile has got and how i must be the most slovenly person ever and then kick myself and remember i've had surgery, health scares, work and a holiday and maybe it's not too surprising that some things got overlooked
AD's can cause a bit of weight gain but i really don't think you should consider stopping them if they're working well for you and a few pounds gain and stable weight is not too bad really is it if you're feeling well?
the change may also be hormonal if your body is heading towards menopause - sorry don't mean to be rude and it may be a decade away for you but you know, it's another one of those joys us women have to deal with 
you've lost a pound! that's good. maybe next fast you'll lose another. many of us have had sticking points where we seem to have just kept losing and regaining the same weight for a while but those who have stuck at it have found it does change. so i guess stick at it is the best advice i have.
feggyart it definitely gets easier . When I first started I had to eat something around 2-3.00 to get me through the day. That stopped after about 4-5 weeks so now I just go straight through to 6-7pm which is usually a good 21hr or so complete fast before my 500 cal dinner. I find exercising and keeping really, really busy are the keys!
You'll also find you really don't need to eat any more the next morning either, even though you assume you will! This morning for example, I waited until 8.30 before having a boiled egg and "soldiers" and feel perfectly ok on that now until lunchtime.
Keep at it and good luck!
Morning everyone
So I have now been doing 16/8 since last Thursday with a break over Saturday and Sunday.
This morning I am 3lbs down!! Despite wine and Thai take away at weekend.
To be fair I have been doing shred and I am redecorating kitchen diner which is a huuuuge room so plenty of exercise! Always helps, doesn't it
16:8 is painless really. I may need to adjust my window so its 12 to 8 rather than 10 to 6. Or at least do 12 to 8 at weekends.
During the week I tend to eat with DC who have dinner at 5 to 5:30pm (2 and 4 so still small). DH gets home
From work late or is out at corporate dinners anyway.
But it would obviously be sensible to change the window at w/e so we can eat together.
It's possible that its the vigorous painting that's caused the weightloss rather than 16/8. I do hope not!!!
I am a bit of a diet virgin. Pre DC I was very slim and ate like a horse. Post DC I am fat despite not eating as much. Pah. I have tried low carb. It's good and does work. But it's far too slow (7lbs in 7 months despite swimming and shred isn't worth it).
I did briefly try weight watchers. What a useless load of crap. I could eat less than the minimum and still gain weight. Mainly because you could eat your daily allowance in biscuits.....
I so hoping this will work for me. I am beyond desperate to lose the weight gathered around my stomach. It looks like I am 6 months pregnant and that's no fun when your youngest is 2!! Argh.
Wish me luck. Sorry about mammoth post.
I'm on my 2nd fast day today. I'm finding today much easier than my first day. Had some grapes and strawberries for breakfast
Well done to all you with successful fast days and everyone on your weight losses. Reading on here keeps me motivated and I have sooooooooo much to lose. My first target is 3 stone loss by Christmas Day.
Started having much smaller portions on nfd. Eating my main main on a side plate so I'm eating the same as the family but just much less. Seems to be working for me so far but in only on day 5 so very very new to all this.
postmanpatscat - believe me you would have binned this fudge! It was much to sweet.
PandaPots76 - I am feeling chuffed, thank you . Well done on cracking 9 stone! I know exactly what I mean as at the moment I really want to crack 11 stone. I have done it once since last July but determined I will do it again and stay there.
I haven't had anything to eat for 16 hours and I am okay 
. Am I doing too much not eating 
. Do I wait until dinner or do I just have a light lunch and a light dinner? I think I must be doing it wrong as I am fine and not at all interested in having any treats, not even a piece of the bannoffee cake I bought the kids from M&S .
southeastdweller, enjoy your film. A sweetcorn salad? Literally just sweetcorn and salad? What about protein? I'd be starving on that
Morning all, happy horizon / Dr moseley Fasting programme anniversary 
It's a year and I'm still here, I started the day after the programme aired, lost 12 pounds in 12 weeks way back when, maintained for months, then recently went off track, but been back on track for a couple fo weeks and back to the 12 pounds lost (normal bmi) and now aiming lower, maybe another 12 pounds loss over next year and then I'll be middle of normal bmi!
doitnow my stats were the same as yours, I'm 5'6" and when I started I was 11 08 and I got to 10 12 with average of 1 pound a week loss, with much bobbing up and down and plateauing, but pretty much kept it off (as long as I stick to fasting and don't keep abandoning them and chugging but lifes stresses get to us all and as long as you work out how this WOE works for you then we all have to tools to fix any weight gains!
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