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
who was it on the early threads that had to remember a 400g pack of cheese is NOT A SNACK?
MissStraberry
Gosh they are giving you the runaround. But getting out in the fresh air is good. And feel utterly free to let off steam here. Much rather us than your kids. I must admit my nuclear option for such things is to put each in a separate room with a book and unplug the router while I blitz a couple of kitchen cupboards or a bathroom. Then I can crash and bang and show my anger without having to raise my voice.
my family is falling apart and there is nothing I can do about it
just swore at my son and said that is how mad I am and he said we are used to it 
I have sworn twice today. I don't swear at them very often at all
I can't even be bothered to type it out what he has said and done as it is beyond belief
Missstrawberry.
Hugs for you. Naughty children can be nightmarish.
I hope tomorrow is a better day for you.
Fwiw. Mine can be a pair of spoilt little so and sos at times. DD (4) has just entered a new phase of whining whinging and huffing. Truely teenage style. 4 going on 14. And her 2 yo brother has taken to copying and sticking his tongue out at me!
The timeout spot has been in frequent use lately!
It's soul destroying when you have endless days of poor behaviour. And it does make you furious in the end.
Again hugs for you. And 
missS can't remember who said it but sitting down tomorrow and setting out ground rules and clear consequences and rewards sounds like a great idea. make today the line in the sand and say none of you want another day like that and so 'we' are all going to try harder and make sure that we ALL get to enjoy our holidays etc. i'd really recommend starting a thread and getting support with it.
i didn't eat till 5 then had a ham and lettuce wrap but am now on my second can of lager - didn't start that till six so pat on the head for my yard arm adherence please TIP 
not sure what i'll eat later don't feel that hungry but i have till 10pm if i'm going for a 5hr window.
MissS Sorry that you are going through such a hard time at the moment. In terms of 5:2, do you think you are eating enough on NFD?
yecart. Welcome and well done on your losses. You will look lovely on your wedding day.
mumofcrazykids. I remember watching the horizon programme this time last year and sitting up listening. I was a committed low GIer and I had lost all the weight that I needed to and was maintaining at the time and I felt the GI was working so why bother switching. Well, here I am a year later after not being able to maintain long term. After the putting the weight back on, my first thought was 5:2.
JB30. Did the day get any better? I hope so.
vintage. Like the name change
somewhere great nsv. I bet you feel great.
Fast day today. Waitrose love life soup - they've got one which is 100 calories for half a pot! So soup, followed by poached salmon salad, followed by chocolate.
DS1 said he behaved badly because he doesn't like being sworn at. His bad behaviour has been gong on since early afternoon. I swore at him about an hour ago 
.
I am tired. My head hurts. Feel sad I have shouted at my kids. Still feel panicky about what could have happened when DS2 ran away.
Don't know about eating. Today I had nothing until about 2 and then had cous cous with cucumber and mixed beans. 1 small mouthful of bannoffe cake and a small chicken goujon mid afternoon. Tea was just now - Italian leaf salad, goat's cheese and 4 pieces of salami with French dressing.
I wasn't planning on fasting every day but I have definitely been eating less and also haven't eaten at all unless I was hungry. That never happens 
. I feel a bit weak and out of it but could that be because I have had rather a trying day? I only had my dinner about 3/4 hours a go.
A big bunch of 
to you MissS. Vent all you want on here, but I agree with saf that your own support thread in chat, AIBU, parenting or behaviour might get you specific and more responses, advice, shared experiences.
Thanks NotAsTired for thinking of me, and everyone else who was so kind this morning
Have to say it was a sucky/crappy day but it's over now, I did a run when I got in and my moods lifted. I stuck within my FD cals, all in all I'm pleased I managed the stress without running for the chocolate. I'm also pleased I managed to keep my urges to savage some of the over grown children I work with. I am a saint believe me, people have killed for less and got off.
Wowee, the speed of this threads just amazing! Goes to show how many of us there are out there!
MissStraw my hearts goes out to you. Children can be soo tough, I really hope your day ends better and tomorrow is better.
Oh well done on all fronts JB30 including not savaging anyone 
. Seriously though, doing your fd and running is a definite victory after how you were feeling this morning. . Yay!
Don’t want to miss threads like this?
Weekly
Sign up to our weekly round up and get all the best threads sent straight to your inbox!
Log in to update your newsletter preferences.
You've subscribed!
Miss you are NOT a failure for losing it. WE all do. WE all have. Its life. Failures are people who then give up trying.
Cake = Good
Plan tomorrow now : craft ideas, BBC bitesize, print lego models for them to copy
plan it as if you were planning a weeks' fasting menus 
TiP at cheese snacking, who'd have thunk it?
Notastired thank you!
cartman welcome & keep up the good work :)
MissS my DD is nearly 15 months and has just started throwing massive toddler style tantrums, can only imagine what fun and games we'll have when she turns 8 or 12... My heart goes out to you ((hugs))
B&W very exciting, if it's a boy will he be called Michael??
SAF I had a very refreshing pint of shandy at lunch, it was lush!
Hope everyone fasting had a successful day, I'll be joining the ranks again for 2nd FD of the week tomorrow. Hope it'll be as gentle as yesterday...
To comment on this thread you need to create a Mumsnet account.