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Fasting / 5:2 diet

Talk about intermittent fasting and 5:2, including what’s worked for others. Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.

BSD and Fast800 support thread #17

999 replies

thenewaveragebear1983 · 06/01/2020 10:51

Here’s the new thread for the BSD followers, plus those following the Fast800 plan. Everyone is welcome to join us. Here’s a quick recap!

The BSD/fast 800 is a low carb, Mediterranean style way of eating, with the primary aim of stabilising your insulin response when you eat. You achieve this by: eating fewer carbs, cutting out sugar and sweet tasting foods including most fruit, and by following a low calorie plan that reduces your visceral fat meaning that everything functions more effectively. Less insulin means less fat storage (in a nutshell, although more info can be found on this online). The diet was designed to reduce T2 diabetes symptoms (or even reverse it entirely) but can also be used for weightloss.

Eat:
Meats and fish
Oils
Eggs
Full fat dairy products
Nuts, seeds
Pulses/ beans
Veg that grows above ground
Limit fruit: apples, pears, berries- in moderation, with meals, with fats

Occasional alcoholic drinks allowed (spirits, red wine are preferable to beer, lager, etc)
Tea and coffee, herbal tea etc.
And water- drink lots of water!

Avoid
sugar, sweets, and ‘naturally occurring sugars’ such as fructose, maltose, honey, agave, puréed dates etc....

Potatoes of any variety
Pasta
Rice
Breakfast cereals (occasional steel cut oats are ok)
Breads/ flour based products

Exercise:
Michael Moseley recommends HIIT workouts to increase calorie burn and help to tone up, and recommends walking more (increasing your steps weekly until you hit around 10000 a day)

Mindfulness
MM also suggests a programme of mindfulness, meditation, practised for a few minutes each day.

How to follow the plan:
Fast800: follow the plan above, sticking to 800 calories every day for 2 weeks. Ideal to give your weightloss a real kick start, plus improve your insulin function and reduce your sugar cravings.
8 weeks BSD- 8 weeks, follow the guidelines above- 800 calories a day. You don’t need to count carbs grams because the diet is naturally self limiting.
BSD 5:2- for a more leisurely weightloss journey, or as maintenance, or once you’ve done an 8 week stint or 2 weeks of Fast800, you can play around with a combination of increased calorie count, ‘free eating’ and fasting days (800 cals) until you achieve your goals. Many of our long standing members now follow this approach.

You can stop 800 calorie days at any time once you achieve your goal. It’s advised to limit yourself to 12 weeks maximum at 800 calorie days, but you should get excellent results in 8 weeks. Depending on your weightloss goals, you can do further ‘rounds’ of either the 8 week BSD or the Fast800.

Time restricted eating/TRE :
In addition to the fast800/ BSD plan you can incorporate a strategy of time restricted eating. Put simply, this means only eating between certain times each day to maximise your fasting time. TRE has shown to have positive results for weightloss, even if there is no calorie restriction, and increases insulin sensitivity/reduces insulin resistance. At first, try for a clear 12 hours without food each 24 hours, increasing to 16:8 as you get more adept at fasting.

Some useful links:

previous thread

Meal planning ideas thread
Blood sugar diet recipe thread and menu planner meal planning thread

<a class="break-all" href="http://go.mumsnet.com/?xs=1&id=470X1554755&url=healthyeater.com/important-tool-weight-loss" target="_blank">TDEE calculator to calculate your daily calorie requirement

information about the ‘whoosh’ phenomenon

OP posts:
Thread gallery
23
FluffyEarMuffs · 23/01/2020 21:06

The fish was nice actually. It was these:

fish

Very low in calories, practically no carbs, pleasingly small portions, tasty. Will definitely buy again just to save on the mess 😆

Pajamagirl · 23/01/2020 21:16

Hi
This is the basic ingredients jamie recipe but I adapted it a bit ( 600 g mixed fresh wild mushrooms (chanterelles, girolles, trompettes de mort, shiitake, oyster) , clean and sliced
2 cloves garlic , peeled and finely sliced
1 red onion , peeled and finely chopped
1 handful fresh thyme , leaves picked
sea salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 litre organic chicken or vegetable stock

I cooked button mushrooms with onion garlic and dried thyme , added the stock from the porcini ( avoiding any grit ) and the porcini mushrooms , put in chicken stock
Simmer 20 mins , blitz and add some salt
Is really nice

onanothertrain · 23/01/2020 21:39

I've a craving for peanut butter now, thankfully there's only a couple of teaspoons left in the jar

thenewaveragebear1983 · 23/01/2020 22:43

Mushroom soup sounds lovely. I never really know what to do with mushrooms so I might try that

I love those fish in sauce things! Very retro. Serve with mashed peas, it's amazing!

My day's been ridiculously long and very stressful. I'm struggling right now really, due on as well which doesn't help,
I need to give my head a shake really and snap out of it. I actually ate reasonably well today but I feel fed up and could easily lose myself in food.

OP posts:
Pajamagirl · 24/01/2020 04:50

Inspired to have fish in sauce tonight with homemade celeriac mash ( made it last night too ) and it’s yum . Didn’t make the one that was suggested on here ( as I couldn’t find the post , note to self. Screen shot and file these recepies when you see them ) just made like normal mash
And I’m posting at silly o clock cos this cough / illness has woken up and I’m WIDE awake !

veryveryquietly · 24/01/2020 08:58

Sneaking back into these threads. Was on here for a while last year and year before, but life got incredibly stressful and busy with bereavements, job changes, etc. Lost quite a lot originally, but I was also pretty large to begin with. I was maintaining well, but then rediscovered pastry, panettone, and pizza, and forgot all about exercise. Blush

So now have decided to plow back in as I need a bit of discipline, my bra straps are feeling tight, and I'm just not feeling as healthy as I was at peak BSD/MD.

Have had my BSD-ish breakfast, packed a good lunch (hard-boiled egg, cheese, almonds, spicy miso soup), and here we go.

MMC20 · 24/01/2020 10:03

Hi its so good to hear how everyone's getting on in their journey. We'll done to the ones losing and we'll done too to those not losing but sticking to it 😍.
I've managed slow and steady to lose 6 pounds in three weeks. Nothing dramatic but thinking I might just be able to keep this diet up. Appetites down and cravings vanished for now. Waiting to slip up but taking one day at a time. X

FluffyEarMuffs · 24/01/2020 11:45

Welcome back @veryveryquietly I was also on here last year, and then just drifted out as so much horrid RL stuff was happening. Here's to a better and brighter 2020 😊

@Pajamagirl me too with a damn annoying cough that just will not shift at all. I keep having to leave the room in a hysterical coughing fit.

Once again, I managed my stupidity early 6:30 am boot camp class, and I have dog walked since then as well so a veggie brunch without toast, hash brown and will a strictly limited amount of baked beans seems very justified. Am with my teen in a cafe don't tell work

veryveryquietly · 24/01/2020 11:55

Indeed @FluffyEarMuffs here's to a much better 2020! We all need much less horrid.

Am going way heavy on the herbal tea/fruit infusions to keep myself hydrated and to not to think about the pastries on offer in the downstairs cafe.

PhoenixMama · 24/01/2020 12:19

Wow the thread is moving fast!

Welcome back Very and agree with you & Fluffy in needing a better 2020. That said this month has been far more successful than all of last year put together!

So I stepped on the scale this morning expecting it to be up a couple of lbs (I may have had a sneaky Easter creme egg yesterday) and miraculously I'm down! In fact I've broken the dreaded, multiple month long 177lbs plateau!!! I can't believe it! I haven't see 176 in 12 years! Obviously it's Friday so I have the weekend to mess it up lol but it's also made me feel that it's not impossible & I can & have broken the plateau!

I'm having a glass of fizz tonight when I submit my MA dissertation but this has convinced me it won't be a whole bottle!

So chuffed! Incidentally, I do also wonder if it has something to do with increasing my cals slightly (hitting 900ish more regularly). @thenewaveragebear1983 and I discussed this a lot last year, if there's a place where your body gets stuck after a big loss & actually needs a few more cals to get back to losing. Something to keep in mind for those of you thinking about 12+weeks!

Gjem · 24/01/2020 12:46

Huge congrats on the dissertation completion @phoenixmama! And on breaking the plateau - you deserve that fizz tonight!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 24/01/2020 13:04

The thread is moving fast! I like it when it's busy in here though. It keeps me focussed

I'm trying for a good day today, haven't eaten yet so far and I still have several things on my list to do before I can sit and eat. Just been for a good long run too, which has blown the cobwebs out a bit. I have a pta function tonight, so will definitely eat an early dinner before that. Dh is going to have his first drink this year tonight but I'm tempted to continue with dry January til the bitter end- if for no other reason than I'm yet to feel any significant benefit and I'm sort of hoping I miraculously drop a few pounds and start feeling amazing by the 31st.....

OP posts:
CaptainBrickbeard · 24/01/2020 14:03

Amazing Phoenix!!!!

I have definitely read about a ‘refeed’ helping sometimes to break a plateau. I don’t know how it works but great that it has! And enjoy the fizz!!

I had a migraine yesterday and have gone a bit carby in my recovery. Feel sooo much better. Will have to see what the scales do 🤷‍♀️

Kimlek · 24/01/2020 14:45

Welcome back quietly!
Huge congrats on your MA and 176 pheonix yeah!!! PhD next???
Well done bear staying dry despite your DH ceasing dry January- it’s tricky if others around you are drinking. Sorry to hear you’re feeling ‘meh’ - you’re such inspiration to the rest of us and you are allowed to feel rubbish. Kinda normal I think as a period approaches. Bloody hormones!!
I remember my mum doing those boil in a bag fish in parsley sauce... I remember them being ok back then so think I’ll give the cheesy one a go. Really like the idea of mashed peas with them!!! My lot don’t like peas... but I do 🤗
Weight this am was the same as yesterday but given I weigh daily and ate just over 1000cals yesterday, I'm cool with that. I had b’fast with friends this am but stuck to BSD friendly eggs and smoked salmon - albeit it was an enormous portion. I swear they must have used 8 eggs!! I’ll skip lunch and have an early dinner with the children as DH away. I’ve had a good hours dog walk and drinking lots of herbal tea... not remotely hungry which is fab!
The kids all have friends around tonight so I’m doing pizzas for them and I’ll have some dhal but need to check on MFP how calorific it is before I eat it, given my gigantic b’fast.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 24/01/2020 15:17

@Kimlek my kids don't really like peas but they do like "HulkMash" (depends on the age and how gullible your dc are I suppose....mine are young and very gullible clearly...!!)

OP posts:
Kimlek · 24/01/2020 16:04

Mine are 10, 14 & 16 and unfortunately only the middle one will tolerate peas & baked beans. The others including DH has a serious aversion! If my 14yr old & I are home alone we gorge on baked beans, sausages and celeriac mash... made into a ‘pie’ with a splash of Worcester sauce in the beans!! Grin

thenewaveragebear1983 · 24/01/2020 16:16

Ah yeah, you're past the age where they will fall for tricks like that then!

OP posts:
VenusInfers · 24/01/2020 21:06

Congratulations Phoenix - fizz deserved on both counts!
Fluffy I can't believe you got yourself out for a 6.30 bootcamp. That's some serious determination!
Pajama I'm on the fish too - some lovely baked cod loin. Just v lightly dusted with seasoned flour, sealed in a pan with a tiny bit of oil, then baked in the oven for 10mins. So light and delicious. 150cals for a 200g portion plus a few cals for the extra bits. A very luxurious dinner with some green veg drizzled with a squeeze of lemon.

Had a good day. Few extra nibbles over the 800, but generally on target and did a 5k run to offset tasting my son's choc brownie. ('twas bloody lovely though - putting down that teaspoon may count as the bravest thing I've ever done Grin)
It's amazing how much quicker my body is adapting to this diet the 3rd time around. Do you other stop/starters find the same thing? I want food, but I'm not exactly hungry a lot of the time. Plus the run was only a little slower than usual - when I did this for the first time last January I seriously struggled to do any kind of exercise for the first fortnight. Day 4 tomorrow and a bit of a test of the TRE as I'm up as normal for LO's 9am swimming lesson but then doing some hard physical work from 10pm to 2am in the evening. Hmm

onanothertrain · 24/01/2020 22:14

When I was out for my run tonight every third person I passed had been to the chippy for their dinner and the smell was amazing 🤤. I got home and had a few oven chips with a burger (no bun). It was amazing and hopefully offset by a 15k run and unusually for me on a Friday no wine. Normal service will resume tomorrow Halo

CaptainBrickbeard · 25/01/2020 07:54

I’ve gained back that hard fought off single pound i finally managed to shed. I just don’t have it in me now to do a long fast and really restrict calories today to get rid of it all over again. I’m full of cold and exhausted. I know I can’t do 800 calories a day now. When I try I feel ill and faint and unable to exercise. It’s not achievable for me, it really isn’t. If there is no other way to lose weight, I guess I’m stuck.

veryveryquietly · 25/01/2020 08:19

OK! Yesterday was a good day, until...
Withstood the allure of baked treats, frou frou coffee drinks, and vending machine goodies all day, despite it being a pretty annoying day at work. Clocked in at 853 cals for the day when I went to bed.

And then I woke up at midnight from a weird dream and finished the remains of the Haagen-Dazs that was in the freezer. Whoops.

On the good side, it was otherwise a really good day, I know I can do this, and there is no more ice cream in the freezer to tempt me. If I must splurge on ice cream in future, it will be single serve, even if that is uneconomical. I just can't risk having more than a single serving around because I have little self-control.

Happy weekend all

VenusInfers · 25/01/2020 08:34

Be kind to yourself @captainbrickbeard! Flowers You've done so well to lose a stone - don't forget it's been less than a month since you started the diet. That's amazing progress and determination right there! And feeling unwell would sap anyone's energy and motivation.
There's nothing wrong with taking a couple of days off diet until you feel better and then starting up again. It might be possible for you to try and eat the same sort of low carb foods (just more of them) until you feel better and see what you think about re--starting then...

onanothertrain · 25/01/2020 08:38

captain if you can't manage on 800 cals a day then up it a bit you should still lose on 1000 or 1200 if you keep your carbs low. Don't give up.

Duchessofealing · 25/01/2020 08:57

I lurk here and am delurking for @CaptainBrickbeard to give some support. You haven’t been doing this long, you’ve lost a stone in weight! That’s amazing! Let your body acclimatise to your new weight and it will move again. I have lost 11lbs since second of Jan, and have had many days where I haven’t lost anything (all week I’ve been a pound down a pound up) BUT I have body fat scales, and my body fat has gone down daily. Sometimes only 0.2lbs but it is still going down. I can’t remember what you’ve had to eat, but sometimes dairy can slow weight loss down, as can processed foods. But a stone in less than a month!!! That’s awesome and I’m sure that your body chemistry will have been swapping fat mass down for muscle or water weight. Give it another four weeks and maybe don’t weigh daily if it disheartens you. I bet at the end of those four weeks you have another chunk off.

Maccalenny · 25/01/2020 09:39

Morning all!

I’m 48 today and am taking stock a bit.

This time last year I was generally happy, but was resigned that I was likely to be obese for the rest of my life, having tried most things and not lost or not maintained.

Now I’m five stone lighter and I’m only a few pounds off being a healthy weight. The only clothes in my wardrobe that were there last year are socks and scarves! Being thinner hasn’t totally changed my life, but it gives me a sense of satisfaction and pride every day and I feel more like ‘me’.

I’ve done every day of 30 days of yoga so far and am loving it. I am hopeful that I will maintain a regular yoga habit. I’m walking with a group and on my own much more which I have wanted to do for years.

My target was to get to a healthy weight by end of Feb, to mark a year since I started. I’m not being very strict on calories at the moment and am only losing about half a pound a week, so I might not get there by end of Feb, but I’m not bothered - I’m confident now that I will be able to maintain my weight loss, and the target seems much less important now. I know how much healthier I am, how much fitter - I actually have muscles! - how much more likely to avoid diet- and weight- linked illnesses. And I am fully in control around food, which is so amazingly liberating.

Being another year older is really not a problem, as I feel several years younger than I did last year!

Have a good weekend everyone.

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