5:2 or 16:8?

[Thismummyruns]

Not sure which one will be best for me.
I did the 5:2 about 6 years ago and helped me shift 5 stone after my first baby.

I'm 1 year postpartum with my second baby and have managed to lose 4 stone on my own just eating better and running BUT this last stone to get to goal weight is just not happening. I've lost no weight in 2 months and my determination is slipping along with my weekly runs which I've not been able to do for one reason or another.
So I've thought about doing one of the above however, DC2 is being very challenging at the moment and the last few days I've been turning to food to fuel me through the days of sleep deprivation.
When I did 5:2 it was 500 calories on fast days and I really don't think I could cope this time around on that but I understand this is now 800?
Just want to get into my pre-DC2 summer clothes before summer is over 😞

I think you've got a bit confused with the 800 cal thing - the 'normal' 5:2 is still 500 cals on a fast day unless you are breastfeeding, there is an 800 cal fasting diet (called the Blood Sugar Diet), but it's 800 cals a day every day (so a Very Low Calorie Diet) for 6-8 weeks, which is quite extreme/tough and should really only be attempted with medical supervision and sticking very strictly to the recommended foods (it's a Mediterranean style low-carb plan). It is extremely effective particularly for the morbidly obese and/or pre-diebetics, but that doesn't sound as though it applies to you, so I wouldn't have thought you should go for that as a first step.

16:8 is eating 'normally' but only in an 8 hour window, e.g. from 12 noon to 8pm, basically for most people that equates to skipping breakfast (and no evening snacks) - although you could also eat breakfast and lunch but skip dinner. For me the 16:8 is helpful as part of a maintenance plan but then again I eat that way naturally anyway, and I don't think I would have lost weight, particularly that stubborn last stone which like you I had troubles with, purely from doing the 16:8 (I am perfectly capable of eating my daily calorie allowance and then some in an 8 hour window !), although some people do find it works, so it might be worth you giving it a try? You can ease yourself into it by just pushing your normal breakfast time back by an hour or so at a time until you are able to go through to lunch with just drinks?

Also some of the very knowledgeable people on the 'big' 5:2 threads do recommend easing yourself into doing the 'proper' 5:2 by doing twice weekly mini fasts of 800 -1000 cals per day spread over 2 meals, so a sort of hybrid of the 5:2 and 16:8, so if you think you could manage on 800 that's something to give a try? Then if you cope OK try gradually taking it down to 500cals?