Thoughts on the 5:2 Fast diet
Replies
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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.
I have never gotten up at 4am to exercise. I stated that I knew people who have... And I was, in fact, out of work for 50% of the time I was on the 5:2. The other 50% I was only working 8 hour days 3 days a week.
10 - 17 hour days is a new thing for me.0 -
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
your really good at being a jerk.0 -
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...
Can't think how...Please don't give me that. I WORK with kids, and I work 10.5 - 17 hour days.
If you're looking for excuses chances are you'll find them. There are people on here, people in my friends list, who get up at FOUR AM in order to fit a workout in before they go off to the daily grind or before their little darlings wake up.
If you're serious about it you'll find a way.
Obviously your current way of eating leaves you irritable and prone to attacking people. Save us the caps lock.0 -
I'm having a great day, eating like a normal human being
Could your obvious antagonism towards fasting possibly be as a result of you having an eating disorder? The concept of someone deliberately not eating for a short period of time is hitting your psychological Achilles Heel about your own period of starvation last year perhaps? Because I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but you're coming across awfully confrontational and that's generally a sign that someone's out of their comfort zone
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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...
Can't think how...Please don't give me that. I WORK with kids, and I work 10.5 - 17 hour days.
If you're looking for excuses chances are you'll find them. There are people on here, people in my friends list, who get up at FOUR AM in order to fit a workout in before they go off to the daily grind or before their little darlings wake up.
If you're serious about it you'll find a way.
Obviously your current way of eating leaves you irritable and prone to attacking people. Save us the caps lock.
Okay... if you want to play that game then clearly your 'way of eating' leaves you paranoid, sarky and snappy. Eye roll.
Forgive me, but I am not going to adjust my use of caps lock for your personal benefit. When MFP introduces bolding I will happily use that instead...but for the mean time if you want to get emphasis across caps lock is the best way to do so. If emphasis offends you....well...maybe your 'way of eating' could be causing that problem for you too. Since my healthy diet is causing me to run around WILD (oops, caps!!) posting my OPINION (oops, caps again!) in a post where OPINIONS were ASKED for (double caps, baddabingggg). Ooo, nawty. How very dare I post my opinions in a thread where they personal experience and opinions were requested.
I'm sorry that you couldn't find an explanation as to why the 5:2 diet didn't work for my body that backed up your personal opinion. But that is no reason to get your knickers in a twist.0 -
*** grabs a bowl of popcorn ***
Go on...0 -
I have to agree with Far's right to express her opinion, even if my opinion differs from hers. I too have given an opinion that has differed from the consensus...and oh boy..people do NOT (note the caps!) like it. But this is an open forum with a form of weightlossbeing debated...in my humble opinion...she is entitled to express her opinion...in which ever way she wants to!0
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*** grabs a bowl of popcorn ***
Go on...
Alas, I'm done. I've expressed my thoughts and opinions as fully as I am able to... and as it is now going round in circles with certain people (ahem) fighting their big battles from behind a computer screen I do believe it's time for me to take a step back!
I hope the original poster considers all the opinions in the post and decides on the best route of action for himself. Personally I hope he decides against the 5:2 for I believe there are better ways of achieving results (both health wise & weightloss wise), but I wish him luck in whatever he chooses.
Thank you to those who have been happy for me to express my differing opinion and who have been able to hear it without feeling 'attacked' 0 -
Forgive me, but I am not going to adjust my use of caps lock for your personal benefit. When MFP introduces bolding I will happily use that instead...but for the mean time if you want to get emphasis across caps lock is the best way to do so.
Personally I don't care about all-caps, but were you aware that MFP already does support bold? It supports basic message board code. Just put a b in square brackets in front of what you want to bold and a /b in square brackets after what you want to be in bold.I'm sorry that you couldn't find an explanation as to why the 5:2 diet didn't work for my body that backed up your personal opinion. But that is no reason to get your knickers in a twist.
Not every eating plan works for everyone and everyone has their preferences. However your first post did rather come across like you were dismissing it full-stop, across the board, as useless and unhealthy and that's obviously going to be controversial isn't it.0 -
she is entitled to express her opinion...in which ever way she wants to!
She totally is, yes. And also everyone should give her some leeway on that as according to her profile she's only 18 so can't really be expected to remain dispassionate with all those teenage hormones racing around.0 -
she is entitled to express her opinion...in which ever way she wants to!
She totally is, yes. And also everyone should give her some leeway on that as according to her profile she's only 18 so can't really be expected to remain dispassionate with all those teenage hormones racing around.
My bad. I forgot that people who are 18 can't have opinions or behave correctly. I mean, I can have children, get married, smoke, drink, go to work, vote and pay taxes....but god forbid I voice my opinion. And if, low and behold, I do....you had better all watch out I don't singe you with my diabolical teenage hormones.0 -
Okay, completely off-topic. But FarAway, has anyone ever told you that you look like Mila Kunis?0
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Okay, completely off-topic. But FarAway, has anyone ever told you that you look like Mila Kunis?
LOL! No, definitely not! I fear you wouldn't say that if you saw a selection of photos of me as opposed to just this one...but I'll take the compliment! (thank you
) 0 -
I belive that if everyone lost weight in exactly the same manner, there would be no need for thousands of different diets. I personally like the 5:2 diet. It has helped me lose weight but also seems to give me more energy. So, find something that works for you...and stick to it.0
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It's a convenient way to establish a caloric deficit equivalent to the energy yield of 1lb of fat over 2 day, leaving the other 5 days to eat at maintenance levels.
That leaves a lot of flexibility, especially to fit in social occasions (and exercise sessions which aren't heavily glycogen dependent) . I have an active social life so prefer it over restricting calories over the full 7 days a week.
Pretty much like anything - if it suits your lifestyle and preferences it will probably work. If it doesn't then it probably won't...0 -
Actually I think its very important for EVERYONE to feel passionate in what you believe in....a teenager without passion is just rather sad..Faraway...you KEEP your passion!! 0
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can you live like this for the rest of your life.
ask yourself that0 -
can you live like this for the rest of your life.
ask yourself that
yup!! actually, I think I am just reverting to a way of life I followed before I hit 40, only it didnt have a name then and wasnt called a "fad diet" we called ut "watching what we ate". My mother (aged 85 and still going strong) still follows this maxime 0 -
I find it pretty good. I plan very carefully and find I can eat a surprising amount on fast days. I have targets for protein and fibre which are lower on fast days but which I still regard as adequate.
Usually I have 4 meals as that seems to work best for me. I'm not hungry, I walk and workout just as usual. Haven't had any negative side effects at all.
Partly I'm hoping that it will speed up the last stage of my weight loss, so for this reason I also stick to my MFP overall weekly deficit goal. I do seem to be losing more quickly, even though the ovrall deficit is the same. It means that I have two very low fat days a week, which I think is good as my general fat consumption is rather higher than I'd like and it's something I'm working on.
It's unclear still what the long term health benefits may or may not be, but for me I think it's worth a punt.
The only difficulty I find sometimes is selecting the fast days, but if I can't fast one week or can only one day for some reason, then I just still stick to my overall deficit and don't worry about it.
Can't see why people think it's unnatural or whatever - it seems to me given our ancestry that we are probably quite well adapted to fluctuating food intake.
Clearly it's not going to be the right choice for everyone, but it's nowhere near as difficult as I thought it would be, and if it suits you and your lifestyle, then why not?
OP - good luck0 -
can you live like this for the rest of your life.
ask yourself that
I understand that in order to maintain you move to one fast a week which I think should be relatively do-able.
Certainly, I can see that would be more attractive to some people than say committing to multiple exercise sessions per week, or tracking calories over the long term, or committing to a form of eating that doesn't really fit their preferences in order to regulate weight.
Personally, I am finding surprisingly easy (I originally started doing it as an act of solidarity for my wife and then an experiment to see what would happen, either good or bad rather than weight loss per se.)0 -
I absolutely supported you expressing your views, I simply stated that you're not likely to do so in a dispassionate way given your age. You're simply cementing that view with the above as it's coming across a little bit 'ruffled'.My bad. I forgot that people who are 18 can't have opinions or behave correctly. I mean, I can have children, get married, smoke, drink, go to work, vote and pay taxes....but god forbid I voice my opinion. And if, low and behold, I do....you had better all watch out I don't singe you with my diabolical teenage hormones.yup!! actually, I think I am just reverting to a way of life I followed before I hit 40, only it didnt have a name then and wasnt called a "fad diet" we called ut "watching what we ate". My mother (aged 85 and still going strong) still follows this maxime
My Grandmother also followed the 'watch what you eat' maxim and she's now 92 and physically as fit as a fiddle.....unfortunately she's also raving with Alzheimer's and thinks the quality of her lunches are just amazing considering the kitchen was bombed yesterday and rations are so poor.
I don't do any type of fasting at the moment but what I would say is that if the human studies get the results that the animals ones have got vis-a-vis Alzheimer's prevention then I'm all for it. As it is, IF is absolutely not unsafe and if it suits people why not go for it? I'm currently thinking about 16:8 as I've never been much of a breakfast person.0 -
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 key word in 5:2 is DIET. If you're considering something a 'diet' you will forever yoyo. You need to find a LIFESTYLE. Something you can sustain for the rest of your life. That's when you'll really keep the weight off and feel AWESOME about yourself.
I wouldn't recommend diets full stop...but I definitely wouldn't recommended feeling as irritable and naff as the 5:2 so often makes people feel.
^^^^^Yep it's just another diet, fasting occasionally is very good for you, but twice a week for life is simply another calorie restriction diet. Seriously why would you want to live your life like that? I would suggest its better to exercise everyday and eat organic real food, heavy on veg salad and fruit berries nuts, stop looking for magical solutions, live a healthy lifestyle and be patient, it took years to put on weight and will take years to get it off. But hey you will do what you will! just dont follow every latest fad and end up with a f***ed metabolism0 -
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 key word in 5:2 is DIET. If you're considering something a 'diet' you will forever yoyo. You need to find a LIFESTYLE. Something you can sustain for the rest of your life. That's when you'll really keep the weight off and feel AWESOME about yourself.
I wouldn't recommend diets full stop...but I definitely wouldn't recommended feeling as irritable and naff as the 5:2 so often makes people feel.
^^^^^Yep it's just another diet, fasting occasionally is very good for you, but twice a week for life is simply another calorie restriction diet. Seriously why would you want to live your life like that? I would suggest its better to exercise everyday and eat organic real food, heavy on veg salad and fruit berries nuts, stop looking for magical solutions, live a healthy lifestyle and be patient, it took years to put on weight and will take years to get it off. But hey you will do what you will! just dont follow every latest fad and end up with a f***ed metabolism
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I believe it takes 3 days of very low calorie eating to f up your metabolism so this diet should be fine.0 -
^^^^^Yep it's just another diet, fasting occasionally is very good for you, but twice a week for life is simply another calorie restriction diet. Seriously why would you want to live your life like that? I would suggest its better to exercise everyday and eat organic real food, heavy on veg salad and fruit berries nuts, stop looking for magical solutions, live a healthy lifestyle and be patient, it took years to put on weight and will take years to get it off. But hey you will do what you will! just dont follow every latest fad and end up with a f***ed metabolism
Sorry but that is miles off. I'm maintaining so my calories over the course of a week are not restricted - I just don't eat the same number of calories every day.
You do realise that fasting in its various forms is done by tens of millions of people and has been done for thousands of years?
In comparison eating a perfectly macro/micro nutrient balanced diet with an almost limitless choice of fruits & vegetables all year round is a relatively recent development (due to regfridgeration and fast transport).
Really don't see why you consider it a fad - no "special" foods, no banned foods. I certainly don't see it as a way to binge or make less healthy food choices.
By the way everyone has a diet. 5:2 is the lifestyle I've choosen and I foresee doing it for a very long time.
Even if you don't want to try it yourself you would find it interesting to read up on the benefits of fasting.0 -
It's not just about distributing your calories, though. If your read the book(s), watch the documentary that sparked this all off, it came about as means of harnessing the benefits of fasting - weight loss is just a side effect.
In short, going without food forces your body into repairing its existing cells, rather than making new ones. This in turn is helpful in lowering cholesterol, amongst other benefits.
Most of us following it don't call it a diet, it's a way of eating. And yes I can see myself doing this for the rest of my life. 2days low eating a week with 5 higher days is surely good for your metabolism?
It doesn't suit everyone, as Far has so eloquently pointed out, but you wont know if it's for you or not unless you try it. I'd say for at least a month.0 -
Wowzers, there was certainly less drama when it was simply called intermittent fasting, before Dr Mosely released his book.
It certainly is annoying when people have to put down something that didn't work for them. Guess what, eating every 3 hours doesn't work for me but I fully accept that it works for other people. Holy crap, 5:2 doesn't work for me but 18:4 DOES.
Please everyone, experiment, shop around, and go and do what works for you...0 -
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 key word in 5:2 is DIET. If you're considering something a 'diet' you will forever yoyo. You need to find a LIFESTYLE. Something you can sustain for the rest of your life. That's when you'll really keep the weight off and feel AWESOME about yourself.
I wouldn't recommend diets full stop...but I definitely wouldn't recommended feeling as irritable and naff as the 5:2 so often makes people feel.
^^^^^Yep it's just another diet, fasting occasionally is very good for you, but twice a week for life is simply another calorie restriction diet. Seriously why would you want to live your life like that? I would suggest its better to exercise everyday and eat organic real food, heavy on veg salad and fruit berries nuts, stop looking for magical solutions, live a healthy lifestyle and be patient, it took years to put on weight and will take years to get it off. But hey you will do what you will! just dont follow every latest fad and end up with a f***ed metabolism
Sorry....just have to interject here. This is EXACTLY what I do, I enjoy good, natural, wholesome food, heavy on yummy veggies, lovely protein a bit lower on the carbs but they arnt ruled out and I carry on with my exercise regime (my dog still needs walking). Have absolutely no intention of EVER walking into a gym again...each to their own....and I feel happy, healthy, my skin is glowing with health, much less stressed, feeling happier at work...gosh the benefits for me just go on...but noone forces anyone to follow this lifestyle, just like noone will be able to force me into a gym0 -
I'm having a great day, eating like a normal human being
Could your obvious antagonism towards fasting possibly be as a result of you having an eating disorder? The concept of someone deliberately not eating for a short period of time is hitting your psychological Achilles Heel about your own period of starvation last year perhaps? Because I'm not sure if you're aware of this or not, but you're coming across awfully confrontational and that's generally a sign that someone's out of their comfort zone
And barely eating 2 days a week isn't a disorder at all0 -
^^^^^Yep it's just another diet, fasting occasionally is very good for you, but twice a week for life is simply another calorie restriction diet. Seriously why would you want to live your life like that? I would suggest its better to exercise everyday and eat organic real food, heavy on veg salad and fruit berries nuts, stop looking for magical solutions, live a healthy lifestyle and be patient, it took years to put on weight and will take years to get it off. But hey you will do what you will! just dont follow every latest fad and end up with a f***ed metabolism
Sorry but that is miles off. I'm maintaining so my calories over the course of a week are not restricted - I just don't eat the same number of calories every day.
You do realise that fasting in its various forms is done by tens of millions of people and has been done for thousands of years?
In comparison eating a perfectly macro/micro nutrient balanced diet with an almost limitless choice of fruits & vegetables all year round is a relatively recent development (due to regfridgeration and fast transport).
Really don't see why you consider it a fad - no "special" foods, no banned foods. I certainly don't see it as a way to binge or make less healthy food choices.
By the way everyone has a diet. 5:2 is the lifestyle I've choosen and I foresee doing it for a very long time.
Even if you don't want to try it yourself you would find it interesting to read up on the benefits of fasting.
Seriously! do people not read before they reply, in the first and 2nd line I write 'fasting occasionally is very good for you, and indeed proper fasting is. So he wades in with 'You do realise that fasting in its various forms is done by tens of millions of people and has been done for thousands of years? Yes I do, proper 24 or 36 hr fasting is good for you Mfp but 5:2 TWICE A WEEK FOR LIFE IS JUST ANOTHER CALORIE RESTRICTION DIET if something says BUY THE BOOK or FOLLOW the plan its a diet!0 -
Hi! I haven't personally tried one of these diets, but I have done similar. Due to some personal issues, I was pretty d*mn depressed a few weeks ago...could BARELY eat! (Keep in mind, this was NOT by choice!) However, I did lose about 10 lbs in one week. I was pretty extreme though, probably took in less than 1,000 cals a day...well I know I did. I was eating a couple bites of food per meal and nothing in between.
BTW, I love it here, and 'starving' is not my typical form of weight loss...I've been trying to maintain a healthy lifestyle.
Anyone can feel free to add me! :-)0
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