Thoughts on the 5:2 Fast diet

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  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Our bodies do not re-set at midnight

    Wrong.

    "The circadian rhythm of leptin, which could mathematically be described by a cosine, was characterized by an acrophase just after midnight in all subjects."

    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/9589680
  • MsPudding
    MsPudding Posts: 562 Member
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    Whilst I don't necessarily believe that it's damaging I just think... why? I did trial it...then I remembered that I can lose the same amount of weight by eating healthy and exercising. Why would I eat 500 calories a day and feel irritable, tired, unable to focus properly and do my job etc etc when I can eat 1600 calories, have epic workouts, swims and runs, sleep well, wake up feeling motivated and fresh??

    The main benefit of IF (whether that's alternate, 5:2 and various other varieties) is not weight loss - that's just a side effect of doing it if you end the week in a deficit. The main benefit, and the reason there's so much study time going into it, is that it appears to lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease, cancer and Alzheimer's.

    Let's also not forget that the concept of fasting has been with mankind for thousands of years and still figures in most major religions I can think of. There's generally a good base reason for a practice that's so wide spread.

    Perhaps it'd be better for you to do some research into eating plans before trying them so you don't have to wonder why you're doing it? Just a suggestion :wink:
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Has anyone had trouble sleeping while doing the fasting?

    yep, some do. Many of whom have trouble sleeping anyway. They can eat their 500 calories all in the evening - this is a popular choice.
  • jamielynas
    jamielynas Posts: 366 Member
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    it's a great way for some people to justify binge eating

    and a great way for a lot of people to lose a pound a week

    So is eating the 7:0 diet, where you show moderation and self control

    thanks for coming to the rescue captain obvious!

    if it's so obvious, why not do it then?
  • FarAway02
    FarAway02 Posts: 211
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    Has anyone had trouble sleeping while doing the fasting?

    I had trouble sleeping, focusing (and therefore I was pretty dangerous on the roads when driving), doing my job properly, working out, walking for prolonged periods of time (as someone who can easily walk for 3+ hours I found that pretty scary), I got headaches, exhaustion, stitches/general cramps... etc. Yay!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Over time I have even been able to do my usual gym sessions on a fasting day.

    ....you're aware that if you exercise without enough food in your system your body starts breaking down your lean muscle mass in order to fuel itself...right? Not good.

    Wrong - if you exercise fasted your body uses fat for fuel.
    You carry plenty of reserve energy in the form of glygogen and fat so why would your body break down muscle mass?
    I wouldn't try to cycle a 100 miles on a fasting day obviously but I also wouldn't do that at maintenance calories.

    Got to goal weight using 5:2 (5 days at maintenance) and have been maintaining weight since January whilst improving fitness, strength and also reducing body fat percentage.
    I maintain with two fasting days plus 5 days at a surplus.

    It's only one day of fasting at a time and is perfectly sustainable way of life. Don't forget the main reason for fasting is for health benefits rather than weight loss.
  • RebekahR84
    RebekahR84 Posts: 794 Member
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    Has anyone had trouble sleeping while doing the fasting?

    When I do it, I sleep better. It probably has something to do with my digestive system not revving while I'm trying to sleep.
  • nikilis
    nikilis Posts: 2,305 Member
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    it's a great way for some people to justify binge eating

    and a great way for a lot of people to lose a pound a week

    So is eating the 7:0 diet, where you show moderation and self control

    thanks for coming to the rescue captain obvious!

    if it's so obvious, why not do it then?

    man, this is a thread about IF. people don't need to hear how much you think it sucks.

    I lost 28lb doing "7:0" and gave 18/6 a go and it worked to jumpstart the loss again.

    I'm sorry you are having a bad day man.
  • tricksee
    tricksee Posts: 835 Member
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    I got headaches, exhaustion, stitches/general cramps... etc. Yay!

    The usual symptoms of somebody not acclimated to fasting and used to using carbs and sugar as fuel.
  • FarAway02
    FarAway02 Posts: 211
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    Over time I have even been able to do my usual gym sessions on a fasting day.

    ....you're aware that if you exercise without enough food in your system your body starts breaking down your lean muscle mass in order to fuel itself...right? Not good.

    Wrong - if you exercise fasted your body uses fat for fuel.
    You carry plenty of reserve energy in the form of glygogen and fat so why would your body break down muscle mass?
    I wouldn't try to cycle a 100 miles on a fasting day obviously but I also wouldn't do that at maintenance calories.

    Got to goal weight using 5:2 (5 days at maintenance) and have been maintaining weight since January whilst improving fitness, strength and also reducing body fat percentage.
    I maintain with two fasting days plus 5 days at a surplus.

    It's only one day of fasting at a time and is perfectly sustainable way of life. Don't forget the main reason for fasting is for health benefits rather than weight loss.

    Perhaps I should have worded it better for you...your body will burn fat DURING the workout but the people who are eating poorly/little/not at all will have a much higher percentage of muscle loss in the time that follows the workout.

    This said there are MANY studies that have shown that the body does turn to muscle for fuel, and can do it pretty darn quickly.

    Also, out of interest, if everyone is doing it more for health reasons than weightloss... why is everybody talking about how fabulous is it to lose a pound a week with very minimal effort?

    My favourite thing was when I read a 5:2 group post on a different site.... and the users were talking about things like 'today is a fasting day. So I've cut my 478 calories slice of cake and will have periodic forkfuls of it until the day is over'.... like THAT Is healthy!
  • RebekahR84
    RebekahR84 Posts: 794 Member
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    I got headaches, exhaustion, stitches/general cramps... etc. Yay!

    The usual symptoms of somebody not acclimated to fasting and used to using carbs and sugar as fuel.


    That is a good point. In the "8 Hour Diet" book, the author does say you may experience those symptoms for the first week, or 2 weeks at the most.
  • FarAway02
    FarAway02 Posts: 211
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    I got headaches, exhaustion, stitches/general cramps... etc. Yay!

    The usual symptoms of somebody not acclimated to fasting and used to using carbs and sugar as fuel.


    That is a good point. In the "8 Hour Diet" book, the author does say you may experience those symptoms for the first week, or 2 weeks at the most.

    No doubt you're all very well clued in... but then why was I experiencing this for nigh on 3 months? I ended up in the doctors room and being told that all my symptoms were simply due to the little calories I was eating on those days... I had bloodwork done which showed up nothing so I was simply told to eat more well roundedly throughout the week. Me being as stubborn as I am I continued with the 5:2 for another month.....but when the symptoms didn't disappear I dropped the diet. Problem solved!
  • marshallexi
    marshallexi Posts: 162 Member
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    As with everything with diets and fitness there is no 'one size fits all'.

    I tried 5:2, didn't enjoy it, found it very hard and didn't lose any weight on it. I wrote my friend a weightloss program based around it last year and he's had tremendous success on it, is now at his lowest weight in his adult life and can manage maintenance with it too.

    If you're curious, have a go.
  • jamielynas
    jamielynas Posts: 366 Member
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    it's a great way for some people to justify binge eating

    and a great way for a lot of people to lose a pound a week

    So is eating the 7:0 diet, where you show moderation and self control

    thanks for coming to the rescue captain obvious!

    if it's so obvious, why not do it then?

    man, this is a thread about IF. people don't need to hear how much you think it sucks.

    I lost 28lb doing "7:0" and gave 18/6 a go and it worked to jumpstart the loss again.

    I'm sorry you are having a bad day man.

    I'm having a great day, eating like a normal human being
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    but then why was I experiencing this for nigh on 3 months?
    Perhaps it was too much combined with getting up at 4am, high levels of exercise, working 10-17 hours a day etc. If you have low body fat you may not be able to pull enough calories from storage.
  • FarAway02
    FarAway02 Posts: 211
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    As with everything with diets and fitness there is no 'one size fits all'.

    I tried 5:2, didn't enjoy it, found it very hard and didn't lose any weight on it. I wrote my friend a weightloss program based around it last year and he's had tremendous success on it, is now at his lowest weight in his adult life and can manage maintenance with it too.

    If you're curious, have a go.

    Well indeed. Everyone is free to do as they will!

    I just wanted to offer the original poster the other side of the coin re 5:2. As someone who's given it a go I feel it's acceptable for me to do so.

    It seems that, somehow, I've ruffled a few feathers. I'm sorry if I've offended anybody by sharing my personal experiences, and opinions, as everyone else here was doing...
  • lts42uk
    lts42uk Posts: 162 Member
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    Has anyone had trouble sleeping while doing the fasting?

    I had trouble sleeping, focusing (and therefore I was pretty dangerous on the roads when driving), doing my job properly, working out, walking for prolonged periods of time (as someone who can easily walk for 3+ hours I found that pretty scary), I got headaches, exhaustion, stitches/general cramps... etc. Yay!

    I have been doing 5:2 since the beginning of December. I have no trouble sleeping. No lack of focus. No trouble doing a full hour workout (Bob Harper DVD). I cycle to work and actually seem to go faster. No headaches or cramps - just the occasional hunger pang which passes. I works for some but not all! It kick started my weight loss when I'd stalled and now I'm at maintenance. For me it works and I love it!
  • RebekahR84
    RebekahR84 Posts: 794 Member
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    I got headaches, exhaustion, stitches/general cramps... etc. Yay!

    The usual symptoms of somebody not acclimated to fasting and used to using carbs and sugar as fuel.


    That is a good point. In the "8 Hour Diet" book, the author does say you may experience those symptoms for the first week, or 2 weeks at the most.

    No doubt you're all very well clued in... but then why was I experiencing this for nigh on 3 months? I ended up in the doctors room and being told that all my symptoms were simply due to the little calories I was eating on those days... I had bloodwork done which showed up nothing so I was simply told to eat more well roundedly throughout the week. Me being as stubborn as I am I continued with the 5:2 for another month.....but when the symptoms didn't disappear I dropped the diet. Problem solved!

    Fair enough. I did the other one, the 8 hours of eating and 16 hours of fasting version. If you're ever curious, I recommend trying it. I plan to get back on it strictly, just once I'm off third shift. I loosely stick to it. It all depends on when I work out.
  • chatogal
    chatogal Posts: 436 Member
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    5:2 is just another way of re-distributing your weekly calories. It works for some and not for others...just as some prefer weight watchers to slimming world and vice versus.

    Personally, I have found it energizing and it gives me a feeling of euphoria. It also allows me (guilt free) to enjoy family get togethers without "binging" but also without worrying about every morsel of food that passes my lips.

    My husband, who only has a small amount of weight to lose, has seen the positive effect it has had for me and for the last 2 weeks has joined me. Already he has noticed a reduction in his blood pressure and we are optimistic this will mean a reduction in his medication. This has never been the case with him before, even in his marathon runnung days!

    But of course there will be other people for whom it does not work or they just dont like the sound of it. I dont like the sound of "lighter life" so I dont do it, I have colleagues who swear by it, tho.

    Anyway, each to their own :smile:
  • Coreleoine35
    Coreleoine35 Posts: 2
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    Hi,
    I have been on this diet for a couple of weeks. I have not lost ANY weight so far and I feel I am doing something wrong. I have not a problem with the fast days... more successful if I skip breakfast and try to limit the amount I eat on the "normal" days.
    Normal does not mean an excessive binge. I have tried every diet under the sun until now and am still borderline obese due, I
    feel, to a messed up metabolism. I am also diagnosed with a slightly underactive thyroid.
    From to-day, I am going to retry the 5:2 ALLIED with the myFitnesspal 1200 to 1800 cal diets. Will keep the forum posted.

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