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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

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thenewaveragebear1983 · 12/01/2020 08:09

Y'see @Maccalenny I have never been able to have two squares of chocolate. It just isn't possible for me, I will always eat it all and then want more!

I need a good day today as yesterday was pretty shocking and I would quite like to see a loss of some sort tomorrow morning! I have come to the conclusion that my increased veggie diet is not doing particularly well (based on my one week trial so far), it's too high carb for me to lose and I don't think I properly detoxed last week- so I think my menu for the week ahead needs more careful planning. I will try it again this week, but will need to plan (and properly stick to it) and really focus on getting my fat in somehow as I think the combination of low fat protein sources and no dairy is leaving me wanting.

On the plus side though, we have had a full week now with no 'pork products' as a family, (eg sausages, sausage rolls etc) which I think is infinitely healthier for the dc.

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Maccalenny · 12/01/2020 08:26

Bear I can only manage to stop at 2 squares with dark chocolate as I do like it, but not that much! I’m the same with red wine....one glass is enough. But if I started on milk chocolate and cider.....very different story!

TheForgetfulCat · 12/01/2020 08:50

I agree with the 'good enough' approach too. It's really nice and true - definitely thinking every positive choice is one that can't be undone. I have a horrible sweet tooth and preference for refined carbs so even if I just spend eight weeks eating more fruit and veg that's an improvement.

Something of a planned leap off the wagon really last night as I did have that sourdough pizza. Bloody delicious it was too. On the other hand I fasted from porridge till pizza and scales say 12 and 3/4 this morning. HappyScale even says my trends have improved so I'll take that Smile

TheForgetfulCat · 12/01/2020 08:51

CaptainBrickbeard that's great! Well done.

Is that what they call the 'whoosh'?

PhoenixMama · 12/01/2020 09:18

@CaptainBrickbeard Hooray for whooshes!

With the constant thirst I do find salt helps but I bought a magnesium oil spray by BetterYou and it makes a difference for sure for me with sleep. As does making sure I get protein in my evening meal (I've noticed a huge difference on nights I've had pure veggie dinners.

Well I didn't give in on the booze last night but we had a disaster at the café with dinner. Ordered a burger and it smelled an tasted so gross I couldn't eat it so ended up with chips & half a ham & cheese croissant. Then a bit of cake with DD. Haven't entered the cals yet but I reckon it's around 1000. Around the same this morning so we'll see how it goes.

Today is lunch with friends but they're not drinking either so that helps & they eat healthily too. Hopefully I haven't derailed myself too much, I'm so close to my lowest I'm itching to break it!

Have good days everyone!

CaptainBrickbeard · 12/01/2020 09:27

Shopping came early and I have had scrambled egg with smoked salmon (so luxurious!) followed by a tbsp of full fat Greek yoghurt with berries and cinnamon. And a multivitamin. I’ve found 14 hours is the longest I can fast at the moment though waiting for the delivery (eagerly!) pushed it to 14 and a half.

Just realised I took my FitBit off this morning and I’ve been cleaning the house so loads of steps gone uncounted. It’s tipping it down with rain out there as well so might be an indoor day for us.

I’ll look at the magnesium oil spray - definitely want to get sleep sorted!

FluffyEarMuffs · 12/01/2020 10:39

@Kimlek I bought Sandi Totzvig tickets for DH for Christmas. I had to travel away from where I live as she's pretty booked up, but it was worth it!

I use just my Apple Watch (very old version) and my phone to measure steps and it's an accurate as a Fitbit when I am walking with other people and cross reference, so I am sticking to it.

My plan today is roast chicken and lots of green vegetables for lunch, a long dog walk this afternoon, and leftover celery soup or some other leftover for dinner.

I have signed up for a 6:30am (!!!!!!) circuits HIIT class on Friday. I have to get myself to a stage by then that I am happy to add this in. If it's okay - and my god it's bloody early in the morning - then it can become a regular thing.

I must increase my steps consistently this week though. Hitting over 10,000 a day is my aim, which is so HARD when it's seemingly constantly raining and gets dark so quickly.

thenewaveragebear1983 · 12/01/2020 11:03

@FluffyEarMuffs I hope you enjoy your class! I never ever thought I'd enjoy a fitness clsss but I love my hiit circuits classes now.

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Kimlek · 12/01/2020 15:07

I think @SegregateMumBev is veggie, which must make BSD tricky but to add in dairy free must be seriously tough bear! We’ve also cut right back on pork things. I say ‘we’ but DH does insist on sausage & bacon weekends and the kids just give in despite my cries of ‘colon cancer’!
Static weight this am which is fine. Fasted til midday, took the dog for an hours walk (maybe an hour would 5000 steps?) on return had left over Thai chicken. It’s really delicious & everyone loved it! A keeper!
DH making scones with the littlest so Kitchen in chaos. Once they’re out I’ll batch cook lamb hotpot, chicken & mushroom ‘pie’ and maybe those chocolate brownies with kidney beans. But maybe not given they’ll all be eating scones. I’ll try avoid eating them (brownies as defo no scones) but want to see if kids approve. Kidney bean brownies??
I’m starting pilates tomorrow!! Not quite Hiit but...

didireallysaythat · 12/01/2020 15:32

What is it with weekends being SO much harder?

Fell off the wagon last night and had a bowl of shreddies. In my defense I was looking for something high fibre to ah-hum start things moving again. And I very deliberately ate each one individually rather than inhaling them as I would have in the past.

As for the advice on putting any mistake behind you and moving on, I (obviously!) agree. You wouldn't scrap a car because it had a flat tyre, you fix it and move on. Managed a 18 hour fast thanks to the kids sport this morning...

thenewaveragebear1983 · 12/01/2020 16:27

@Kimlek I once made a butterbean cake. It was ok... be interested to hear if kidney bean cakes work.

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Maccalenny · 12/01/2020 16:30

didireallysaythat I have such a shreddies craving now you have mentioned them! And I haven’t eaten shreddies in years. If you are needing fibre to ‘get things moving’, chia seeds or ground flax/linseed is very useful!

Just had a lovely tea and really quick and simple....spiralised courgette, dry fried with whatever spices or herbs you like - I just did garlic and chilli - then stir in soft cheese and some other protein, whatever you have. I had prawns today, but have had ham before, or boiled egg quarters, chickpeas or tuna.

Still keeping up with the 30 days of yoga - day 11 done and loving it. I can feel some muscles developing!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 12/01/2020 17:32

@Maccalenny I agree with the chia seeds suggestion. I make a 'shot' of green tea (strong) then soak my chia seeds in that for a few hours, then add it to raspberries, soy milk and a tbsp olive oil to make my shakes. Never tried linseeds though.

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didireallysaythat · 12/01/2020 18:15

Thank you - I'll add chia seeds to the online shop for next weekend. Seems like a long way away though Shock

onanothertrain · 12/01/2020 18:31

I've had a reasonably good weekend food wise, had a couple of glasses of red on Friday and a g&t yesterday. Made a stew with preserved lemons, paneer, spinach and Chickpeas last night, it was interesting. Not hungry at all today, had scrambled eggs for lunch and might have some soup in a bit. Managed a run too.

thisyeargoodyear · 12/01/2020 18:58

Hi everyone, I was following this plan at the start of last year with great success. However, I stopped as fell pregnant and now have a 6 week old baby Smile I am wanting to get back on this plan as soon as I can but I am currently breastfeeding. Has anyone followed any variation of this plan whilst breastfeeding? I am thinking the most sensible approach is just to follow a high protein, low carb diet until I stop breastfeeding, but thought I would ask the question and see if anyone has any advice. Thanks!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 12/01/2020 20:09

Welcome @thisyeargoodyear and congratulations! I don't know if there is any set advice, but I suppose if you were to eat the Mediterranean diet, cut out sugar and not count calories but be guided by your appetite, then that could work? You might find you just need more carbs though, I think I existed solely on hobnobs when I was breastfeeding!

I've had a good day today- lunch was salad and avocado, went for 8km run with Dh, dinner was chicken and salad, and had yogurt and berries too. I didn't calorie count.

Tomorrow, I'm going to a new boxercise class, so won't eat until at least 11. I have my niece here for a few hours so will probably go out to soft play but will need to go to the supermarket as well at some point! Should be a busy day and as a result, an aiming for 800 cals.

In fact, it's set to be a really busy week, various work related things on etc. That usually helps me tbh as I am usually home based so as long as I make a decent lunch I should be ok.

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Youhavewonaprize · 12/01/2020 21:39

Radio silence from me this weekend. Have caved and had a couple of glasses of wine and a sliver of pudding on Saturday. But I was super impressed with myself when I got the crisps out for our guests and i ate only 3!! I’ve reached the stage where I’m not feeling that hungry between meals and it’s great to be dieting without being starving.

4.9kg down in 11 days which is great, and even had small losses this weekend despite my slip ups Blush

@thisyeargoodyear I recently stopped bf my 6 month old, last feed was a couple of days before I started the fast800. Despite not having fed him for 2 weeks my boobs are still quite milky, much to my surprise Shock. Definitely not full like they were when I was feeding him but I thought they would dry up very quick on this diet. However, like bear suggested, I wouldn’t do 800 cals and expect to maintain supply, especially if you baby is just 6 weeks and you are ebf. But there’s no reason why you can’t do the healthy med diet principles with some added good carbs (porridge, starchy veg, lentils etc). I gained weight while bf my son, so hopefully you do better than me!!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 13/01/2020 07:10

My first week has resulted in an overall loss of just two pounds, probably because of a) too high carbs because of bringing in some veggie dishes and b) losing the plot towards the end of the week.

So that's 10.10.5 today.

On the plus side, I've now done 2 dry weekends, I feel like I'm sleeping well and I actually feel quite healthy. I have been picking up my running after a very slow December, and that could be affecting my weightloss a bit (in the way that a new exercise regime can)

So I feel positive about the week ahead anyway. My menu is planned and shopping list done, but I will be addressing the balance of meat/veggie meals.

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Kimlek · 13/01/2020 07:28

Huge congratulations @thisyeargoodyear !! I’m going to follow suit with bear and prize and would advise against cutting calories. Cut out processed foods and increase med diet foods, keep good fats & protein high - breast feeding, and babies in general, use a lot of energy. I’m impressed you can even think about this with a newborn... I was a hormonal mess! Be kind to yourself!
I didn’t make the cakes bear as there’s a few scones left and I’m trying to get the whole family to eat healthier. DH does sabotage though. I went crazy with him as included in his usual weekend haul of bacon & sausages (I don’t buy them so he nips to butchers) he bought home 5 meat pies!! ‘I just thought they’d be nice for lunch’ he says! He sees me planning all the meals and trying to get the children to eat healthier then brings home Doritos and chocolate on a fri night then bacon, sausage on a sat morning and now blinking meat pies. He didn’t get it though. Thinks it’s menopause 🙄 I obviously didn’t touch the pies. The kids understood - I’ve 2 teens and a 10 year old and the teens aren’t too bad but my 10yr old eats a lot of rubbish. She’s currently tucking into a pain au chocolate for breakfast.
Sorry to rant!
My weight is static this morning - 3rd day but I’m not worried as I know I’m eating 800ish a day and it’ll happen eventually!

Gjem · 13/01/2020 07:45

Day 13 and I’m 7.7kg/17lbs down! Woken up with a cold and an energetic toddler to look after but lunch is prepped (salmon - goats cheese - leeks - broccoli - olive oil) and I’ve got boiled eggs for a snack at 4ish. Husband then cooks dinner when I put the baby to bed. Glad I had a good weigh in today, weekends are hard arent they!!

On the meat/veggie thing - I mostly gave up meat last year but have been eating it again since starting this diet because I just couldn’t figure out how to get enough protein in

PhoenixMama · 13/01/2020 08:01

Morning all! Congratulations @thisyeargoodyear!

Weighing in this morning and I'm down 3lbs this week and 9lbs overall. Best news is I'm down 6.5 inches and body fat is down 2.2%!

Ended up having some pudding and wine yesterday and only felt a little guilty about the wine. I'm now thinking I'm not going to drink for 3 months but put aside a couple of days per month when there's things going on that I can have a few drinks otherwise I'll end up hating myself!

Today I'm making the aubergine lasagna so will see how that goes and we're out at the theatre tonight which isn't ideal for a Monday but we've been trying to get tickets for this show for 6 weeks and ended up winnin their lottery so got 2 tix for £50 when they're usually £186 EACH! So will take the late night and tired start tomorrow for that!

Hope everyone has a great day!

thenewaveragebear1983 · 13/01/2020 08:04

That's great @PhoenixMama, well done!

Well done @Gjem, that's a great loss- very motivating too in such a short time.

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Kimlek · 13/01/2020 08:10

Fabulous losses!!! I must measure! Keep forgetting.
pheonix I made aubergine lasagne whilst it was yummy there wasn’t enough mixture to layer it in a 25cm x 25cm dish - I made it for 5 and altered quantities. So you may want to use a v small dish. I’ll be interested how it works for you.

thisyeargoodyear · 13/01/2020 08:37

Thank you all for your advice. I think I will just try and follow and Mediterranean diet as much as possible, but won't cut calories and will eat as many carbs as I need to breastfeed. I will be back on it as soon as I am done feeding.

It sounds like everyone on here is doing great! Smile

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