Fast800 or Low-carb boot camp?

[QueenOfTheSandals]

Hi all,

After some help/advice on which approach I should take; Fast800 or Low-carb boot camp? I'm 165cm tall, 72kg and 41yrs old. My weight has slowly increased over last 7yrs since I had my kids.

I have a serious sugar addiction as a result of sleep deprivation and breastfeeding. I like the idea of going cold turkey on sugar so both these diets appeal. I also know that for me a rapid weight loss in beginning will be very motivating but am determined to change eating habits long term.

I am dithering back and forth on which approach to take. Anyone done both? Which is easier, which can give bigger losses in the beginning?

Any advice warmly welcome.

Our stats are almost exactly the same!

But I'm at that weight after losing 10kg on the 5:2 doing 500cals a day. It's the only way of eating I've ever been able to maintain as I don't have a very healthy relationship with food and this is the only way I can diet without obsessing.

There's nothing stopping you from fasting 2 days a week and low carbing the other 3 weekdays or something similar?

10kg is not insignificant, good on you. I started looking at the 5:2 and liked it, once researching it I saw Michael Mosley (sp?) had updated the 5:2 with a boot camp style Fast800 kickstart so the fast days but everyday and calories upped to 800/ day. Sorry, just dawned on me you prob know this.

How long did it take you to loose the 10kg? Are you very careful on non fast days?

I am dithering also! I love sugar too but can quit refined stuff easily. It's the fruit/bread I find hard to kick. So fed up of the weight creeping on though. I have done the 5:2 in the past and it's been okay to manage. You can buy shakes from the Fast800 website which might help too. I cook everyday for family but sometimes wish it was just me to consider. I am also gonna start couch to 5k when the clocks go forward. I have about a stone to lose.

They're very different approaches! The Fast800 is a combination of very low calorie eating, intermittent fasting/TRE (time restricted eating) and a lower carb, Mediterranean diet. It's also an 8 week programme (although it then morphs into 5:2, I think).

Low Carb Bootcamp doesn't count calories, but it is a lower carb approach - so whereas you can eat things like pulses/legumes on the Fast800, you can't on Bootcamp. It's also a high fat diet - and it's often quite a challenge to keep your fats high if you're only allowed 800 calories a day.

Bootcamp will be easier to follow in that you don't have to count calories (or carbs), just follow the rules, and you can enjoy lots of lovely food, and will not be hungry. You are likely to see significant results in the first and second weeks.

The Fast800 is more challenging; you have to be strict to keep your calories at 800 per day, and intermittent fasting can be difficult for many. It also makes going out to eat quite a challenge, unlike Bootcamp which is much easier to manage. But your results on the Fast800 might be more significant, more quickly.

There are also several very active Fast800 groups on Facebook which could help you - whereas there's (obviously!) only one support group for Bootcamp, because it originates from Mumsnet.

They'll both work (assuming you follow them properly!)