5:2 thread 97: life in the Fast lane is a wonderful thing!

[harriethoyle]

Welcome to the continuing thread for those following 5:2 or other forms of IF (Intermittent Fasting) such as 4:3, ADF, etc.

Basically it is 2 very low cal days ("fasts") per week - which need not be consecutive - and eat "normally" to maintain on the other 5 days.

For those who have dieted or maybe overeaten for years, eating "normally"
means roughly the number of calories your body needs to maintain - NOT reduce - its weight (see TDEE calculator below).

IMPORTANT
If you have had past diagnosed Eating Disorders or serious MH problems you should NOT do 5:2 or any other kind of fasting

JARGON alert

16:8 is a different type of fasting, which can be combined with 5:2.
Daily zero-cal fast for 16 hours and eat within an 8 hour window. To lose weight, this needs a weekly calorie deficit as well

b2b (optional) back-to-back / consecutive fast days, each with an increased allowance of 650 calories instead of 500

BMI (Body Mass Index) healthy range is 18.5 - 24.9 for Caucasians. Upper limit may be 22 for some of Asian origin.

FD = single Fast Day: aim for 500 calories (600 for men or 25% TDEE whichever is higher) or 1000 cals for BF
No alcohol or junk on FDs
Even if you exercise strenuously, do NOT increase FD cals to allow for exercise

MFP = My Fitness Pal, a useful App or website to track food & drink calories

miniFD = MiniFD, 850-1000 calories, no alcohol or junk

NFD = Non-Fast Day, averages around TDEE

NSV / LSV = Non Scale Victory / LifeStyle (change) Victory, e.g. compliment, smaller waist, clothes size

SV = Scale Victory

TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure, the average number of calories you burn in a day, is calculated from your current weight, height, age, activity level.
Aim to average about this for NFDs.

WOE / WOL = Way Of Eating / Way Of Life. We say this instead of "diet", to emphasise that we must make a permanent change in how we eat, to maintain our new healthy weight long term.

Jump in and say hello!

Yay for the new thread!
Started doing 5:2 in November and it's my 4th/5th time overall. First tried it when it was a brand new thing but didn't persevere, the second time was very successful and lost ~8 kg but then life happened and didn't keep it up, 3rd/4th were half-hearted attempts lasting just a couple of months. Feels like it is going rather well this time ; doing FDs back to back seems to help.
Good luck everyone!

Right, I’m back on this! I tried last year, but only half heartedly.

I’ve lost 5lb since last Sunday (so 1/2lb a day!)

I’m trying to do 5:2 and 16:8, but it Was more like 5.5/1.5 as I went slightly over on the second fast day. Never mind, onwards and upwards (or downwards for the scales and inches please!)

Fabulous loss @LouiseBelchersBunnyEars and don't forget if you did a b2b you get an extra 150 calories a day...

Oh I love the idea of doing a progress/goals roll call @EatYourFive! I've been doing 5:2 consistently for about two years. At my heaviest I was almost 80kg, currently 73kg after a very indulgent holiday and I like to be around 70kg, which is size 10/12 for me... although am considering trying to stay consistently around 68kg (mainly to give me more wriggle room for holidays )

I'm fasting tomorrow. Misi soup and salad for a late lunch then an omelette with cottage cheese, mushrooms, spring onion and tomato with a side of brocolli and a babybel before bed if I can't sleep due to being hungry. Is anyone else?

Thanks for the new thread @harriethoyle.
Love the title !

Just checking in for this thread - NFD today, at about 1300 calories which wasn’t intentional but good to have some wiggle room. I should probably get some batteries for my scales and weigh in.

Love the title too!

Today ended up being an accidental mini fast as I ended up being quite busy today. Third back to back, kitchen closed at 661.

@Beautiful3

Today ended up being an accidental mini fast as I ended up being quite busy today. Third back to back, kitchen closed at 661.

I wish I could do this! I literally never forget to eat and unless I make a concerted effort to eat less I eat at 2000 calories a day. This explains why I need to do 5 2!

@KylieKoKo - same, I do also wish I could forget to eat but that’s never been a thing for me sadly ! I love cooking, I love eating !

Here you all are! Fast day for me but will probably end up at around 650 calories. Have lost 1.6 kg since restarting fasting this month and at least 8 kg more to go!

Same same @incognitodorrito @KylieKoKo 😂😂

Yay thanks for the new thread!

Amazing loss @LouiseBelchersBunnyEars!

Another one here who never forgets to eat, usually spend my life planning what I'm eating next!

After yesterday's fail (forgot to fast) today, I am much more motivated, mainly as my loss from my first fast day is still there, so hopefully I can add another lb on that.

I have been worried about exercising, as I find it makes me ravenous, so might look into lifting some weights or doing some sort of strength or maybe yoga? Ran a marathon last year (first and only!) but have utterly fallen out of running and much prefer walking my dog now, but I don't think that's enough sadly :(

What does everyone eat on their fast days? Would be good to see other people's menu's maybe???

Hi, I'd love to join for motivation please!!

I did 18:6 for a few months at the end of 2020 to lose lockdown weight and it really helped. I'd like to get back into it - it seems to sort out my sugar levels and food cravings, and it makes me feel much healthier.

I'm starting by challenging myself to do one week of 18:6, using the Zero app to keep myself honest. Then hopefully it'll start to feel more normal and I'll happily commit to doing another week.

Went for a run this morning (only 4.7k but it feels like a good start to the day!) and now I'm drinking water and peppermint tea to get me through till my eating window starts at 1pm. I do get hungry but I hope my motivation will see me through!

It's great to hear how everyone else is getting on.

Hello to the new thread! Fasting today, going to try some shakshuka with spinach and feta for dinner tonight. I don't eat apart from dinner on my fast days so find that for 500kcal I can have a really nice meal. I'm following this recipe: www.thelastfoodblog.com/shakshuka-with-spinach-and-feta/

My FDs I try to leave it as long as possible to eat.

Examples of lunches or dinners are things like:

onions and cabbage scrambled with egg and chilli
Duck breast and cauliflower mash
Cajun chicken breast from waitrose or sainsburys with boiled green beans
Boiled eggs and small piece of seeded toast
Jacket potato with weighed out butter and cheese
Sliced tomatoes seasoned with a little olive oil and balsamico
Salmon fillet with frozen spinach

Sweet treats are grapes, Milky Way (single) and options hot chocolate.

I have just started again but I lost about a stone in 2020 so using tips from then as well.

I also leave it as long to eat as possible.
I have something like miso soup (the brand I use is only 18 cals per sachet) and some spinach mid afternoon.

My main meal could be:
Spicy prawn and veg soup
A 2 egg omelette with veggies and cottage cheese and a side of brocolli
Chickpea, tomato and spinach curry
Mushroom and bean chill
(For the two above using whole tins of tomatoes & beans makes this two portions so I would split this over two fast days)
M&S used to do very low cal salmon ready meal which I liked a lot

I always cook with low calorie cooking spray rather that oil on fast days to adding unnecessary calories and drink gallons of lemon and ginger tea.

I also save enough calories to eat a boiled egg or a babybel cheese with some tomatoes before bed as I find it helps me sleep better.

My Steamer & food processor are what I use most on fasting days. Like most, I try and eat as late as possible and have had the following which I’ve found filling and low calorie.

Meera Sodha’s vegan black dal for dinner (only 3 tablespoons of oil needed for the whole recipe which feeds 4, lots of spices and urad beans are v filling).
Cabbage cut like tagliatelle and steamed, with either tomatoes, celery and any other veg I find in the fridge, whizzed up in the food processor as a “sauce” or a dollop of natural Joghurt with lots of Indian spices left in the fridge for a few hours.
Romaine salad cut in two, then grilled with a few sprays of oil then similar “sauces” on top as above.
At tin of tuna with lots of cumin and nearly a whole really thinly sliced cucumber, with a teaspoon of roasted sesame oil, some apple cider vinegar and lots of seasoning.
Steamed omelette & steamed potatoes (in the recipe I follow it’s only 251 calories)
Vegetable stews like this one (i make a huge batch for the family and then add cheese dumplings for the kids to make it more filling).
Roasted kale with spray on oil as a snack
Steamed broccoli with tomatoes on the side.

I’ve relied heavily on my food processor as it has a steaming function and has been put to very good use these last 3 weeks !

I use the bread "thins" for a fast day packed lunch - either with half a tin of tuna and low fat mayo or wafer thin ham and mustard. Usually comes in c.200 calories.

Dinner is often a fishcake c.250 calories and broccoli, stir fry veg or peas. Other FD dinners with the same veg are oven baked salmon, chilli con carne, spag bol or chickpea curry. Because I almost always do b2b, as long as I come in under 650/day, I'm golden. I eat very similar meals on FDs. Variety really doesn't help me and it means I can just go on automatic pilot without going off plan!

Hello everyone, happy new year!

I fell off the 5:2 road in the third week of December and didn't manage to get back on until last week when I went back to 2 fast days taken over two days. This week I'm determined to get back to my 3 fast days each taken on one whole day. I've done two so far. I have to admit it's been hard to get back into it. I think it's because of eating more sugar over Christmas

However, that feeling of alertness, excitement and happiness that I get when fasting is back! I'm feeling great to be back here!

Marking my place as just started doing 16:8 - have 20kgs to lose so need all the help and motivation I can get

It's great to read what other people are making on their fast days. This is mine...

1. I try to eat as late as possible as it keeps off the hunger.
2. I normally eat two salads a day - lots of lettuce, tomato, cucumber and add about 10-20g of grated parmesan and/or a soft boiled egg with a bit of homemade dressing. I'm very boring as I do this all the time!
3. Sometimes I'll put some of my salad in a wrap - big wow! - but this adds about 188 calories in one go!
4. I might have a few crackers or a miso soup outside this
5. I have boxes of those delicious 8 calorie maltitol sweets from M&S and eat some of those to satisfy any sweet cravings. Not too many though as they can really cause stomach problems if you do.

That's about it for now. I think I'm going to have to expand my menu a bit though! there are some really good suggestions on here!

The week the scales showed a massive loss of 6.4 pounds! I've gone from obese to overweight in my first week.

This does need to be taken with a pinch of salt as I was on my period and bloated last time I weighed myself and it was my first week so will have been a lot of water. But still I'm very pleased with that!