The 5:2 thread number 27 - Season of fasts and mellow rumblingness (with apologies to Keats)

[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 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.

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!

My bmi's just under 25, but my thighs still rub.

Breakfasts on NFDs:

One slice of burgen, toasted, squeeze of marmite, blob of cottage cheese.
One egg, one glug of egg white, scrambled in the microwave with tomatoes, mushrooms, spinach, cheese, ham, whatevers in the fridge.
Porridge.
Overnight oats -soak in fruit juice or water overnight, add a grated apple and natural yoghurt in the morning, plus berries and seeds and nuts.
Greek yoghurt with berries.
Smoked salmon or trout (lower in fat)

At weekends - a soft boiled egg with asparagus spears for dipping.

Thanks postman, biscuits, covered and eatriskier. Mondays are always tough when my husband's away, but I had a reasonable night's sleep and just got on with it. And now I'm glad I did!

Well done too to everyone else's successes yesterday especially downstairs and biscuits, and good luck for those on today. After 4 weeks of this WOE, I can report that in general fds get easier. Not necessarily all of them, as it does depend for me on things like sleep, but broadly they do.

Just enjoying 15 minutes peace and a cup of hot water with a slice of lemon before the kids get up and the onslaught commences. Then I'll try and wait until back from the school run for a lovely bowl of yog, fruit and (very seed and nut laden) granola.

Hola a todos. Good to catch up with everybody's stories.

My FD yesterday was the first I have willfully stuffed up since beginning 5:2 last November.

Started the day with a fast walk to the village & back to recharge my phone, then off to yoga for an hour. Wonderful stretching...then when I got home I decided to eat a piece of beef from the stew I had made the day before. It was delicious, so I ate a bit more. Later, I went to my experimental language laboratory where the girls had made chocolate cake. I ate a piece, and accepted a glass of a very sweet yoghurt drink. They both tasted awful but I couldn't spit them out!

At home, I ate more of the meaty stew with LL. Certainly altogether more than 500 calories but far from the worst binge ever.

My clothes are all very loose these days, which is great. However I can still grab lots of loose flesh around my middle. I think it's 'fat' but LL says it's just floppy flesh. Who knows. I am hoping that the yoga & exercise I'm doing will eventually firm things up - though it's perfectly possible I have left all this a little too late (at 63) for that.

Anyway, some disappointment with myself re lack of self-discipline yesterday. But it's just a glitch and I am quite capable of dusting myself off and carrying on.

Inspiring me is the prospect of the summer ahead, and not being fat. To wear light clothes and not feel over-exposed. Not having chafing thighs as I usually had. (There is now a gap between them.)

On another note, I was immensely irritated to read yet another misinformed article about 5:2 in the main NZ newspaper. Talking about how starving and irrational fasting makes you, and how it can destroy your mental health, no less! Guess the only thing to do is ignore such rubbish and carry on regardless.

Here in the mountains of Patagonia, Spring is unfolding in glorious fashion as the days are drawing out. I went to a children's birthday party at the lake on the weekend: people everywhere cooking meat over open fires. In summer I am told you can hardly move for the crowds.

Meanwhile I have learned to weave willow baskets, which has become my new delight. And I have begun to paint rocks, according to plan.

More importantly, our house plans are finalised & approved...we will start to build our house within the month, as soon as we've engaged the builders we want.

Peace & love to all 5:2ers out there :)

I have four slices of bread with lashings of butter and jam for breakfast on NFDs.

Or nothing. Can't manage a small brekkie.

No mystery why I'm losing weight so slowly!

It is wierd how you feel you could never eat again when you wake up after a fast day. Yet I am also addled.

I am trying to push my post-fd break-fast later and later. I managed to wait an hour and a half this am.

Thanks bsssh for revealing it took 8 months to 'breeze' thru fasts. Gives me hope.

My worst time is 11-2. Evenings are fine as why would I sabotage it after all that effort and I only need to sleep.

wildwater I like your epic post. Experimental language lab where the girls made choc cake that wasn't even nice! Just kind of unexpected vivid detail. What does this language lab do?

I never eat breakfast even on NFDs

I am so hungry today, but I think its partly due to tiredness as Mondays are long days for me.

Anyway I have done well so far avoiding the crap, I just need to carry on. I'm still trying to stick to ny TDEE today. I'm half way through my working day.

I don't feel hungry at all on the morning after a FD. However I still eat a lot, like the poster above usually toast with loads of butter. I feel like I am failing 5:2 :(

Oh fast day tummy rumbling was getting hard. Not helped by online grocery shop.

What a relief to check out the lovely 5:2ers and your musings. Feel better now.

Thanks babies. X

Except you're all yammering about food at the mo...

peplum I find it really hard to do the online grocery order on a fast day!

FD going ok so far, I actually feel better than I did first thing this morning.

Dinner is salmon fishcakes with sweet chilli sauce, a few new potatoes and a big salad.

I have noticed more recently that I don't tend to be ratty on fast days at all now, but the morning after is a whole other matter at least until I get some breakfast in me. Hopefully that will ride out as well.

Have been reassessing my weight goal, and think I may be happy with just 10st now (or 9st13 as that would be 5st loss), but toning is definitely more important to me than weight. I'm 10st5 at mo and happy with my overall look. Then I watched Handy Manny and he weighs less than me . I am so going to have to get shifting that extra 6lbs.

zombie keep going. Even I am losing weight. Down two pounds since my plateau at 11.7. That's two proper pounds and they aren't going back on. Speed is nice but going in the right direction - slimmer - is the real objective. Be patient.

Hark. At me I remember when I was the newbie!
X

just to say I am not quitting but head is fried and I will come back in a few days when hopefully it will be over. Doing a mini fast thing today. I think

Fast day today, instead of my usual today. Going ok, but a bit tired.

On the business of breakfast, I always have jumbo porridge oats with full fat milk and strawberries. I love it, it's only 240ish calories and its a no-brainer (no need to think about it). Although sometimes I do add mixed seeds.

FD today and struggling , this is the time I generally fall off he wagon, had big salad for lunch but home with ds and feeling wobbly .Going to do some hoovering

Fast day for me too. Eaten 16 cals on raw mushrooms so far, saving the rest for tea.

Finding it hard to do any exercise with a 3 month old, so went on a walk with the pram today. Did over six miles and feel so hungry now - does exercise make anyone else find that to be the case?

Day 1 nearly over... Since 5.30pm yesterday I have had a handful of grapes, about 4 cups of coffee, a 2 egg omelette with rocket and a crumpet. Does that sound ok?

Hi ducky well done on the first day. I'm sure you can eat a bit more if you need to. Not fruit though, makes you more hungry, not less.

janeyI would be hungry if I walked 6 miles pushing a pram yes. Are you bf too? Ravenous more like.

Really looking forward to tea but got to go to vets first, then make it, so prob have to wait til about 7:30. Made the mistake of having an apple before, which made me feel worse, so nibbled an oatcake. I think today will be 600 ish, but whatever.

Hi all. My NFD breakfasts always revolve around bread, apart from Saturdays when I have just a couple of hard boiled eggs with salt and pepper. I have bread toasted with added butter and on Sundays I have olive bread rolls with scrambled eggs and then good quality chocolate accompanied by strong filter coffee. Not that healthy but I’m generally eating much better since starting 5:2 in January and I’m now maintaining so it’s all good. Occasionally I skip breakfasts if I’m super-busy or full from the night before.

Struggling a bit today whilst fasting. In a foul mood because of crap I won’t bore you with. Boo-hoo. Even though I’ve been maintaining for over two months, my automatic reaction to stress and mild depression is still to think about crap food – I guess three decades of ingrained disordered ways of thinking of food aren’t easy to fully eliminate in nine months. Kept busy and had coffee and skinny popcorn so far and having veg with feta cheese and a few mixed nuts tonight so will come in at about 450 cals. Need to be mindful not to gorge on crap tomorrow if I’m still feeling like this.Going to the gym now.

Well done to everyone who’s successfully fasted today.

duckyfuzz Well done and that sounds like you're under 500 cals. Are you full up now? Just that the crumpet you had would make me want more.

wildwater I think that over a 'certain age' the skin takes quite a while longer to shrink to fit the smaller frame under it .... the yoga will help. Sending sunny vibes half way round the world

do your thighs rub
that has a lot more to do with genetics than weight. Some people carry their weight on the outside of their hips, others on the inside of their legs - so my thighs sometimes rub, even though my BMI is stuff all

non fast day breakfasts
I don't on week days. Just tea and fruit juice. At weekends it tends to involve eggs !

southeast
Bore us.
This thread only has a day or two to go. Take the chance to have a rant at us rather than snacking that you will regret

Good luck for tomorrow DownstairsMixUp. I'm intrigued as to what job you do...can you give us a rough idea/clue? Hope you've got your food planned.

southeastdweller I had to move away from the crumpets!
peplum I didn't know that about fruit, thanks for the tip! I"m a bit hungry but not ravenous, will have a cup of tea in a while I think