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Fasting / 5:2 diet

The 5:2 Thread Number 24 - Summer's still here so skip the snack and share the meal!

980 replies

BetsyBell · 22/07/2013 19:30

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.

NFD = Non fast day

NSV = Non scale victory

Michael Mosley has a website to accompany his 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:

All our previous threads can be found by browsing through our very own fasting section of the site.

Another thread which breadandwine has started is a good resource for some of the tips and links 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. (I highly recommend this for an overview)

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. 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.

A HUGE THANK YOU to Greeneggsandnicht for putting together all this info and resources into one concise OP text, much appreciated by so many 5:2ers!

Come join us, and tell us about your experiences with this diet!

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BetsyBell · 22/07/2013 19:31

Hat tip to TiP for the thread title...

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MaccaPaccaismyNemesis · 22/07/2013 19:38

Good evening :)

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NotAsTired · 22/07/2013 19:42

Thanks, betsy

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Dotty342kids · 22/07/2013 19:47

Cheers Betsy Thanks

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jnq1 · 22/07/2013 19:53

Thanks Betsy but whoops posted on the last thread just as this one was being setup - am I banished now?

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HellesBelles396 · 22/07/2013 19:54

Good title

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smellylittleorange · 22/07/2013 19:55

Hello all Brew have a hot drink to keep the hunger pangs at bay!

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EagleRiderDirk · 22/07/2013 20:04

Thanks betsy

Fast day dinner wolfed down! Still have a few cals left. May treat myself to s diet lemonade. Yeah, I totally rock.

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Talkinpeace · 22/07/2013 20:13

Cheers Betsy.

The reasoning behing the title was that
if you snack you snack alone, if you are having a proper meal, you share it with those around you.
One leads to a healthy happy relationship with food
the other does not

and with the school holidays upon us, lazy meals with kids and families, even if different people are eating different things
make eating something to enjoy, not to feel guilty about.

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BetsyBell · 22/07/2013 20:14

eagleriderdark I treated myself to an apple! Woo!

Gosh I've been grouchy today - heat and fasting after a weekend of kids' party food and cake is not a great combo.

jnq1 Nah, I reckon you can probably stay Wink

smellylittleorange I wish I wanted a hot drink, water just doesn't have the same satisfying kick [grumble]

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BetsyBell · 22/07/2013 20:16

Eating alone is depressing, sharing a meal is a party :)

It makes food taste better and life richer.

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ELR · 22/07/2013 20:23

My last two weeks of fast days have been 700 calorie ones, still keeping the 16/18 hour window before breaking the fast. Do you think that's really bad? Opinions please...
Thanks for thread betsy

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Talkinpeace · 22/07/2013 20:24

ELR
how can it not be OK?
you are consistently running a deficit twice a week AND giving your digestion a break ..... what you are doing is how we maintain Grin

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BetsyBell · 22/07/2013 20:28

ELR Sounds fine, sometimes you've just got to make it work. I'm sure half my fasts end up over by hundred, two hundred calories. I tend to skip breakfast the next day if I go over to try and get a good number of true fasting hours in each side of eating to make up for it (I always do 2 meals on a fast day though).

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angelabbie · 22/07/2013 20:30

hi everyone had a good fast day today. Ate a cook minted lamb and pots at around 5 followed my a milky bar lolly which is so yummy at 96 cals and a bag of chocolate covered pretzels from M&S at 100cals. Very satisfied and full up. Cook has some great low cal meals if you do not fancy cooking yourself. It helps me know exactly how many cals and to prepare which means its a very relaxing fast.

Hope everyone else has a good day. BETSYB those pics are fab, you look tiny!!

My goals are to reach:
10.7 to start with
size 12

started at 12.2.5 and am now 11.4 at six weeks in.

Am slightly worried about holidays but determined not to mess it all up.

T
x

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Londonmrss · 22/07/2013 20:36

I have just weighed myself. I am 12 stone 2. I am 5 feet 4 and 28 years old.
The last time I weighed myself, I was 8 stone but I was really skinny and only 17 years old. I really have no idea what I should be so I guess I'll aim for 10 stone and see how I feel. I want to feel nice in size 12 clothes again. I was happy at a size 12 on my wedding day 2 years ago.
Feel quite depressed, but successfully completed my third fast day today.
Very self-indulgent post, sorry!
Well done Monday fasters.

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Talkinpeace · 22/07/2013 20:39

London
Welcome to the gang.
THe fasts will get easier and the weight will fall away and you will start to feel fab again soon.

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ELR · 22/07/2013 20:40

Thanks tip and betsy I've been fasting since mid feb, lost 15 lbs, a dress size and 3 bmi points, so I know it's ok just feel like its cheating!!
Think my thyroid is playing up again as have quite a few of the old symptoms back again.
Great pics by the way ladies will try o figure out how to up load some of my before and afters too.

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Lizzabadger · 22/07/2013 20:42

I want a Milky bar lolly now! Another fast day over. The weather is our ally.

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EagleRiderDirk · 22/07/2013 21:00

I know its an FD for most but shouldn't we all be raising a Wine to the new Crown baby?

I just really wanted to use that crown

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vjhist85 · 22/07/2013 21:01

Hello all- newbie here. In my 2nd week having just finished my 3rd proper fast day (did an 18/6 on Friday as well) I've got 6st to lose I reckon. Haven't been finding it too difficult in terms of hunger -it's been interesting to discover that hunger is finite, in the sense that I'm hungry when I wake up on a fast day, the hunger comes and goes throughout the day but doesn't really get any worse. However, I didn't have my usual patience when it came to my grumpy 4mo dd today, in fact I've felt really grouchy all day. Please tell me this gets better as well?!?

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Southeastdweller · 22/07/2013 21:02

Thanking you Betsy.

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chirpchirp · 22/07/2013 21:06

Hi all, 5:2/4:3 newb here. Have been fasting mon/wed/fri and having weekends off for the last week and a bit. Was over on the 100lb to lose thread (75lbs to go) but appear to have been abandoned! Thought I would try this new way of life as I've always struggled with my weight and had food issues. Thought I would find it really hard but have actually enjoyed feeling a little hungry knowing I'm never more than a day away from getting a packet of crisps if I want!

My general FD comprises no breakfast, weight watchers tomato soup (79 cal) and a reasonable dinner of steamed fish and stir fried veggies or a light chicken salad, supplemented with aspartame free chewing gum and peppeemint tea if hunger pangs strike.

Have been trawling the boards and happy for any tips/encouragement.

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HomeEcoGnomist · 22/07/2013 21:10

Hello all

Did my third weigh in on Sat - down another 1lb (a wee bit of a come down after the previous week, but going in the right direction) and 1/2 inch off the waist
Stomach also noticeably flatter

And I bought a size 12 pair of shorts for holiday and managed to get into them without cutting myself in half, so it's all good

Nearly finished today's FD

All going to plan!

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Emilythornesbff · 22/07/2013 21:15

Hey.
Not posted for a while.but still 5:2 ing.
Finding it tougher in the heat tbh. And not managed a zero fast for a couple of weeks.

Help me stop snacking. FGS!
Anyone else actually find it easy to fast or at least eat more healthily in the winter? With soup and tea?

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