The continuing thread for those of us following either the 5:2 diet or the alternate-day fasting diet.
The 5:2 diet was featured on Horizon in August 2012, and essentially requires you to fast for 2 non-consecutive days per week. The other 5 days, you can eat what you like, or approximately your TDEE (see explanation below). Alternate-day fasting is just how it sounds; you fast every other day. By "fasting", we mean that we keep our calorie consumption very low, around 500 calories on average for a woman, 600 for a man, on those days.
You'll find on these threads we use a number of acronyms. If you're new to the threads, or Mumsnet in general, they might not make much sense.
WOE/WOL = Way Of Eating/Way Of Life. We use this term instead of "diet" as many of us see this as something to do in the long term.
MFP = My Fitness Pal, a website many use for keeping track of the number of calories they're eating.
TDEE = Total Daily Energy Expenditure, quantifies the number of calories you burn in a day. This measure is best estimated by scaling your Basal Metabolic Rate to your level of activity. TDEE is critical in tailoring your nutrition plan to desired fitness goals. Here is a link to a calculator to help you figure out how many calories you should be eating in a day.
ADF = Alternate-day Fasting, as it says on the tin, fasting every other day rather than 5:2.
Michael Mosley has recently unveiled a new website to accompany his new book on the subject. Please go check them out, as he's the whole reason most of us are here!
I know a number of people lurk on this thread, as this is currently quite popular. Please just jump in and post if you're new- you'll find a lot of support here. :)
Here is a list of links to get you started with this way of eating. Please let us know if you find a new article or some other information online:
First things first, here are links to some of our previous threads: most recent one before that another one!
Another thread which breadandwine has started is a good resource for some of the links and tips that get lost in these big threads. In addition to sharing links, we try to condense some of our top tips for fasting there. Keep in mind, we all do this differently, so these are just tips, not rules. This might be a good place to catch up with us if you're feeling a bit lost!
frenchfancy has a recipe thread over here, please post any low-calorie recipes there so they don't get lost in these bigger threads!
If you've been at this a while and are moving on to maintaining your goal weight, there is a thread here to discuss that.
Here is the link to the BBC article regarding Michael Mosley's findings, which was featured on Horizon.
There's a link to the aforementioned Horizon programme here.
A blog post here gives some of the scientific explanation for why this way of eating helps you to not only lose weight, but improve your all-around health.
A Telegraph article which comments on the diet and gives a brief overview by Dr Mosley himself, very informative if you're just starting.
A study discussed here gives commentary specifically addressing the effect of this diet on obese people (both men and women), with regard to both health and weight loss. ("After 8 weeks of treatment, participants had an average 12.5 lbs reduction in body weight and a 4 cm decrease in waist circumference. Total fat mass declined by about 12 lbs while lean body mass remained relatively constant.) it also mentions "Plasma adiponectin, a protein hormone that is elevated in obesity and associated with heart disease, dropped by 30%. As did LDL cholesterol (25%) and triglycerides (32%).")
Something to consider if you are currently your ideal BMI: this appears to suggest the benefits for women at a lower BMI might not be seeing the same health benefits that are found on men at their ideal BMI.
A BIG THANK YOU to all who have been contributing, btw. Most of us are learning this way of eating as we go along. All of the links above have been posted by others in our previous threads, and they've been very helpful. Sorry if I haven't given credit where it's due, but it was just enough of a job getting all the links re-copied and back into one post.
Come join us, and tell us about your experiences with this diet!
Mumsnet hasn't checked the qualifications of anyone posting here. You may wish to speak to a medical professional before starting any diet.
Fasting / 5:2 diet
5:2 Diet thread! Number 17- ready for Spring! Any day now!
GreenEggsAndNichts · 08/04/2013 13:21
That's absolutely right 
For my part, I'm getting a bit more exercise in now that the weather is (kind of) brightening up. I'm hoping to focus a bit more and finally shift a few more pounds this month.
Fast day today. I need a cup of tea.
Well, done, GE - I must admit I had visions of doing a quick cut and paste job myself! 
But, of course, I needn't have worried! 
Thanks greeneggs Spring is def in the air here too, which has got to help matters!
whiting I inexplicably put 5lbs on a few weeks ago but it was all gone again the next week. It was hard not to let the disheartening feeling allow me to sabotage everything but I kept on track & all was fine 
B&W I'll pretend as if I planned it that way and wasn't at all lost in ordering a folding table online for a party this weekend.
Thanks everyone.
Just caught part of a conversation between Jane Garvey and Sally Traffic on R2 (avoiding R4 and R5, ATM, it's wall-to-wall Thatcher on there!).
Apparently Sally is practicing IF - she's gone from 5:2 to 6:1, which Jane took as her having 'ditched' 5:2. Sally said it has worked for her and, if need be, she'd 'go back on it'.
There's still a widespread perception, not helped by Dr M and Mimi's books, that IF is a diet only. When, as we know, it's a WOL!
Oops, now R2 has caught the Thatcher bug! R2/Classic FM, here I come.
Oh, actually, I've just remembered this:
webplayer.radiosvizzeraclassica.ch/?lang=en
Swiss classical radio station - with NO adverts!
I meant R3/Classic FM, of course! 
I was going to post this on the last thread, but thought I'd wait for the new one:
Couple of other things that helped me when I first switched from 3 small meals on my fast days to just one
Thanks Greeneggs! So tomorrow will so definitely be fasting. I'm finding it very hard to STOP eating today .
You know how lots of us have found that fasting helps stop the craving and bingeing? I'm starting to conclude that stopping fasting has quickly taken me back to wanting to eat all of the time. I'm annoyed with it now so hopefully setting me in the right frame of mind for abstaining tomorrow. I've been eating sizeable breakfasts for a week now so it'll be a difficult morning. OH has one more day off work so I should take full advantage and get out of reach of the kitchen and ideally out for a run... it's been a while since i put on my running shoes! I know I love once I get going, it's just the getting going that's the hurdle (and I think I mean that about running and fasting 
).
SaF Your celebratory lunch sounds like a nice thing :) Please do shout at me in the morning, I'm going to need fasting buddies tomorrow...
Thank you GreenEggs
Swallowed
I have had a good fast day so far . Off to bed soon before my nights so will have a small bite to eat before hand.
Hope the rest of the day goes well for all fasters
Miffytastic stick at it! Perhaps look at your TDEE each day for a week or so just to make sure you're on track - one day isn't enough and I know how I'm sometimes surprised to see the calorie content of some foods - some people here may remember my heart failure when I discovered the calorie content of my home made spaghetti bolognese !
Hi all,
Fasting again today. That Easter weekend really was a bugger - missed one fast a week for two weeks and the changing clocks have left me a bit disorientated!
Trying to get back into the rhythm this week with a Monday and Weds fast! I keep feeling a bit miffed that I haven't lost anything for a few weeks but trying to remember that 7 lbs over 5 weeks is ok :)
Well done saf I don't think Ill be seeing less than 11st ever but that would be a four stone loss 
I'm just trying to get below 15 atm!
you'll get there if you keep going long enough treacle - why wouldn't you? back in the swing now and you'll start seeing more loss
i unintentionally ended up doing a 21hr fast as i ate so early on my fast day yesterday. hopefully that will have given an extra boost to things.
had some cereal and we're about to go to the shop because school holiday boredom is driving me to fancy a glass of wine or two this afternoon evening. god knows how i will survive the summer holidays!
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For anyone who finds themselves putting on weight on this WOL, you are not alone!
Have a look at this thread on the subject, on the Fast Diet Forum:
www.52fastdiet.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=1006
Well worth looking around this forum if you haven't already seen it. It's very like these threads, lots of support, but with much more research.
betsy it's not just you! I stopped fasting last week, and my greedy pig switch was flipped to on! I just couldn't stop, I don't know why (gained weight obviously 
). I'm jumping back on the wagon as I clearly have NO self restraint.
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