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
Turkey. I'm at that point of the month too. Now my stomach muscles have been wrecked by pregnancy, I bloat loads no matter how clean I eat.
And I want to murder someone 48 hours before....
Don't have period pain much these days ho hum.
DH still AWOL. Yikes he will be vair drunk when he turns up and I'm not feeling particularly tolerant!
Sweetie all anyone is concerned about is you.
We are also all firm believers in this woe/wol and how it works to both keep our weight in check as well as all of the other health benefits it provides.
As Inamerry said, continual very low cal diet is not what this is about. None of us could sit back quietly on a thread like this and not comment on an eating pattern that conflicts with everything 5:2 stands for.
If it is just a funny few days, then that is one thing. But the danger comes when you post about your desire/reasons to want to lose weight so urgently pp, but appear to be going down an unhealthy path to do so.
Apologies if you feel/have been misunderstood. But believe me when I say, the people on here have your best interests at heart and just want to see you get to where you want to be, as healthily and happily as possible.
X
Sweetiepls don't be sad or think you're taking over anything. Seriously, give proper 5:2 a try or better still 6:1 for a few weeks. Put the scales away and ignore the in laws, I bet you anything if they thought you were doing 5:2 they'd have plenty negative to say, that's just some people for you.
Well ladies/gent(s?) I am quite the eater pants last 2 days but big relief...the roses are ALL gone. So it's a safe place now. I think I'm going to just eat tdee for the next week and a half, better to maintain than gain cause I can't control my urges
And if I add a bit of exercise to that, I should be in good shape, just in case of overindulgence of wine
Ooh, this day week Santa will be on his way ho ho ho 
MrsF
You are thinking of this rule :
Do not IFOC (IF On Crap)
IFUC (IF Until Christmas) is better than IFOC
Another rule for that useless knobhead DH/dad who should organise a babysitter for a few nights and take you somewhere enjoyable:
He deserves to have his bollocks kicked up into his throat !!
ELR wonderful legs! and amazing mini dress (I say that in pure 
)
Well done SouthEast, your story on the other thread is really imeresting and inspiring. Good to get a "chap" perspective and experience with 5:2
niggle
The negative IF experiences reported have been debunked on various sites.
Most seemed based on an perverse ADF study in which subjects had to massively over-eat on NFDs to avoid any calorie deficit, i.e. an unhealthy continual starve / binge - and maybe IFOC again, to maintain the cals.
Some women lifters / body-builders with EDs and / or very low (typically 12-15) % body fat have also had problems with IF, mostly with daily 16:8.
Btw: Martin Berkhan @ LeanGains allows women to 14:10 if this is more comfortable.
Congratulations on achieving that bod, ELR. You look really good.
Bigchoc. Do not frenzy on kale. The pain and the sharting will be vair bad. It's hard not to as its very tasty. Kind of like crisps but nicer.
Disney dad and turned into a staggering drunken arse and came home 20 mins ago. He has been living it up at Claridges all afternoon and evening. Lunch followed by drinks followed by dinner followed by more drink.
I had just sat down in bed wanting to watch my program and drink my tea in peace. I had done the teachers and TA presents from everyone at the preschool and reception class. Written cards to all DD and DSs little friends and Principal and head teacher etc (I had printed cards with a photo of all of them doing their nativity play).
And I wrapped 25 presents for the DC. Obviously all after doing DC dinner and bed time and cleaning up after. Oh and two loads of washing.
And the tosser gets the hump because I don't want to talk to him and listen to his drunken mumbling!
He is now snoring next to me stinking of drink. 
Don't feel sorry for me though. I got myself into this situation and I will have to sort it out myself. I am an old bird now with DC and nobody else will sort my shart out for me.
I am very pissed off though. It's going to take some willpower now to stop me going downstairs and frenzying on choc.
Seems our society is seriously unbalanced wrt food and diet:
- Some new mums, not seriously overweight, feel pressured to crash diet.
- Some other people, morbidly obese, are eating themselves to death and cannot participate in society or work.
Sleep tight all, don't let the bedbugs - or mice - bite.
Ooooh ELR. Just looked at your profile picture. Wow you look amazing!! Nice dress very cool.
You're looking v hot.
Ooh careful BigChoc with all that kale loose about the hoose!
Dd is struggling to get to sleep tonight. She is in with me and getting the girly giggles. I decided to introduce her to the term sharting! Explained its poo/fart, skimmed over the sh bit! Either she hasn't noticed, or is wise enough to not let on she is overly familiar with such a word.
She laughed so much! Think I got some cool mummy points..... or would that be 'sick' mummy???? 
The conversation then followed as
Dd: I think I sharted earlier.
Me: oh! (concerned face) Did you darling?? When?
Dd: When we were doing the school play. I always get a bit nervous.
(laughy/serious/understanding face)
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NFD here. THe DCs appear to have blessed me with their illness and that combined with an extra 
last night means I'm not the happiest bunny this morning. There was just under a glass left in my box and it was on the turn so didn't want to waste it.
Yes box 
, I was buying them so I didn't attempt to finish bottles so as not to waste them but it turns out even boxes go bad eventually. Managed to get a vacu vin on a good deal, so am switching back to bottles!
A nice bowl of deviant porridge has helped me a great deal.
Good luck today's fasters.
........wait for it.......
....festive punchline coming up......
...you know it will be worth it.................. 
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