The continuing thread for those of us following the 5:2 fast or other forms of fasting such as 4:3, ADF, or daily 16:8.
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 normally - or approximately your Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE - see explanation below). 4:3 is the same except you fast on 3 days in the week. Alternate-day fasting (ADF) is just how it sounds; you fast every other day. 16:8 is another form where you stick to only eating in an 8 hour window each day, therefore fasting for 16 hours each 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 or app 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.
NFD = Non fast day
NSV = Non scale victory
Michael Mosley has a website to accompany his book on the subject. Please go check it out, as he's the whole reason most of us are here!
Lurkers and new starters: please just jump in and post - you'll find a lot of support here and we’re a friendly bunch.
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 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!
eatriskier’s thread has some lovely inspiring stories which are worth checking out if you want some motivation to get started or keep going through a plateau. Please add your own too.
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.
This link nicely demonstrates that there are many body ‘right’ body shapes and types, because what we are actually aiming for is low body fat for fitness and 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!
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 33 - Counting down to Christmas (and NOT thinking about the impending chocapocolaypse. Yet)
BetsyJingleBells · 16/12/2013 08:21
Good Morning everyone.
MFD for me. Have been for a run and cycle on my cross trainer already this morning. Am feeling back in the groove. DH and I have hit the holidays in a completely different way - he's decided that until next Christmas there's not really going to be an excuse to blow out like this again and he's kind of right. However I feel the need for the detox brought from a fast nothing to do with the fact he barely drinks and I drink like a fish
Hope everyone fasting yesterday was successful as is everyone joining me today, especially all you newcomers or wagon-fallers 
Wow Dino, that is an amazing loss, with all that Christmas food. What an inspiration!
I have been mucking about with the My Fitness Pal Ap and have worked out a couple of things. According to the Ap to lose 1kg a week I have to have an intake of only 1200 cals a day
. To lose 1/2 a kilo it was a bit over 1300. But when I work out my TDEE for the weight I want to be (rather than the weight I am now) it comes in at 1797. So I did the math and it makes more sense to have two fast days at 500 and the rest at TDEE. However it turns out to be more calories over the week than if I did 1200 a day all week, should I worry about that, or stick with TDEE on NFD's?
1797 is alot easier to live with than 1200. Today I have had two pieces of toast with butter, peanut butter and vegemite for breakfast, an atkins chocolate bar and a lemon yoghurt for snacks, a toasted ham cheese and tomato sandwich for lunch and plan to have fajitas (without the tortilla) for dinner, with guacomole, followed by grilled peaches and mascapone, and it comes in under 1700! I certainly wouldn't be having much to eat on 1200 calories.
I hope that by sticking with the TDEE of my goal weight (with "light" exercise, though I do more than that usually), I will reach my goal.
I'd love to hear what others think of it - do you stick to TDEE on NFD's? Or less?
I will catch up later. Currently struggling with asthma attacks fairly often while refereeing DD being a PITA with DS2 and keeping an eye on the cheese twists I have in the oven. I feel so grotty. Supposed to be fasting. Have no energy. No appetite. No patience as the kids are driving me mad. I suspect DH will get well just in time to go back to work 
. He has been ill for a week now. DD got a cold. I have a headache. I may take a break from this thread as I am sure I am getting boring now and bringing everyone down.
Well done Dino. It is so great when a plan works, isn't it? 
.
Thanks BigChoc. It is my asthma causing me more worries at the moment as I know it can be serious. Just not getting any time to rest as we still have to sort out the kids. We had hoped to go for a walk today but it is blowing a gale and chucking it down and I would have still gone if I hadn't woken up worse. Just feel out of it.
I had a couple of cheese twists for lunch as I figured I am not going to get better on no food. Am I right that you need to eat when ill to get better or have I been doing it all wrong when people are ill?
Need to drink. Only had a Lemsip today.
(((Toffee))) This is such an odd winter: nearly every one know (including DH and I) have cold-related illnesses that are lingering much longer than usual. Most odd. Usually, even winter, we recover quickly from winter ailments but certainly not this year. In our family we've all had colds for more than a month 
.
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Hi I just wanted to join in, I'm a newbie and posted on the new thread before bigchoc redirected me here not even started fasting and I'm already cocking it up 
I haven't really had chance to read the whole thread but I'm sorry a lot of you have been ill. We've all had the same bug, ds (nearly 9 weeks) has it and has a horrid cough.
I'm not starting till ds is over this bug, which will hopefully be soon.
Welcome, WhenSheWasBad . I should have posted this link right away on the new thread - my bad !
This is a very friendly thread, full of support and knowledgeable advice.
You're right, it's best to wait until family illnesses or other distracting issues are sorted, before starting any new WOL.
I think you said you were BFing ? In that case, you need more calories on FDs than the rest of us. Dr Varady (renowned scientist) recommends 1000 cals, so I would take her advice. This should ensure your milk supply remains steady.
For FDs, we usually eat protein and veg, such as stews and soups, but avoid starches and most fruit. You can split your calories into 1-3 meals as you wish, but most of us find it easier to skip breakfast.
It is best to plan your meals, including calorie counts, the day before an FD. Try to eat healthily, no junk on FDs.
On NFDs, unless you over-eat, it is not usually necessary to calorie count. As a rough guide, aim for your TDEE (on MFP, this is the TDEE to maintain weight, not to lose. You lose via the 2 FDs).
Many people do 10% below TDEE for 3 days, to allow for more cals at the weekend.
No snacking between meals, but on NFDs you can add a couple of treats as desserts. Just try not to go mad.
It usually takes a couple of weeks to get used to 5:2, so allow yourself time and don't be too strict about FD calories s at first.
Most people do well on it, because it is a healthy and flexible WOL, which fits into normal life.
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