5:2 Intermittent Fast Diet

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lauramckendrick609
lauramckendrick609 Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Is anyone doing the 5:2 diet, and if so how are you getting on?

The app here doesn't like it at all and gives you into trouble on your 500 calories days!

I spoke to my doctor about it when I was there about something else and she said there was no reason for me not to try it. She also said it was one of the best diets around just now in terms of the science behind it and it really does work if you remember to be sensible on your non-fasting days.

I had to buy a new specialist cookbook though. The first day I tried fasting I thought I was being super good, but the little I did eat added up to 704 calories. Oops...

Laura
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Replies

  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Use the search function. Lots of threads about it, lots of people explaining why it's not a good idea.

    Basically, you punish yourself for 5 days, let loose for 2, and undo any progress/deficit you had.
    Better to eat normally, at a slight deficit, all along. That's maintainable.
  • MKEgal
    MKEgal Posts: 3,250 Member
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    Here's an astonishingly sensible article from Forbes, of all places:
    http://www.forbes.com/sites/alicegwalton/2013/09/04/the-6-weight-loss-tips-that-science-actually-knows-work/
  • lauramckendrick609
    lauramckendrick609 Posts: 14 Member
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    The one I am trying is the other way around. You fast for two days and calcuate a daily intake for the other days based on your gender/height/activity levels. (Mine is 1617.)

    I'm new and haven't had much luck with the search function.
  • flinx1241
    flinx1241 Posts: 2,168 Member
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    MKEgal wrote: »
    Use the search function. Lots of threads about it, lots of people explaining why it's not a good idea.

    Basically, you punish yourself for 5 days, let loose for 2, and undo any progress/deficit you had.
    Better to eat normally, at a slight deficit, all along. That's maintainable.

    Always love those off-the-cuff, uninformed answers that crop up in answer to this question...

    For starters, it's 5 days of eating at your TDEE and 2 days of "fasting", not the other way 'round.

    As someone who has been doing this for a year and a half (actually as 4:3 - low cal on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays - in the interest of full disclosure) and has lost nearly 100 lbs at it, I would attest that it is absolutely maintainable IF it's the sort of thing that fits your hunger triggers / ways of eating. For me, it absolutely does. But in the end it's simply another way to put yourself into a calorie deficit, so it's not a magic bullet...

    By now, most posters on here know enough about it that they don't "explain why it's not a good idea", and those who do generally don't sound informed at all.

    Check out the 5:2 group on here if you're interested. Feel free to PM me if you have any specific questions.
  • Urban_Princess
    Urban_Princess Posts: 219 Member
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    i'm curious but how many calories do you eat on the 2 regular days?
  • lauramckendrick609
    lauramckendrick609 Posts: 14 Member
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    Hi Flinx. Thank you! I haven't been able to find any groups. I'm struggling to navigate this website. Could you paste a link or something?

    Urban Princess, my regular day goal is 1617 (5ft4, sedentary). There is a calculator at:

    http://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day/
  • lauramckendrick609
    lauramckendrick609 Posts: 14 Member
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    (But as Flinx says, it's *5* regular days, not 2.)
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    MKEgal wrote: »
    Use the search function. Lots of threads about it, lots of people explaining why it's not a good idea.

    Basically, you punish yourself for 5 days, let loose for 2, and undo any progress/deficit you had.
    Better to eat normally, at a slight deficit, all along. That's maintainable.

    Um no. Have you actually read about it?

    Yes, for 2 days you eat very low (around 500 cals) but the other 5 days are higher calorie days that make up for that low amount. Whether you eat "normally" or doing this method (as 5:2 is just a different way to eat, not a diet), the weekly calories are still the same amount.

    For example. If, normally, you were set at 2000 calories (whether to maintain, lose, or gain) daily, that would be a total of 14,000 calories for the week.

    With 5:2, it'd be 500 calories for the 2 low days and 2600 calories for the 5 days. Which would still bring your total to 14,000 calories.
  • flinx1241
    flinx1241 Posts: 2,168 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Urban_Princess wrote: »
    i'm curious but how many calories do you eat on the 2 regular days?

    Okay. MKEgal wrote it up in an incorrect (and condescending) manner, so I can understand your confusion.

    You eat your TDEE (basically what it would take for you to be at maintenance) for FIVE days. And then you have 2 (generally non-consecutive) days of "fasting", where you lower your caloric intake to approximately 25% of your TDEE.

    Guideline recommendations usually come in at 500 calories on a fasting day for women and 600 for men.

    Some find it easier to eat absolutely nothing on their fasting days, but I have stuck with the above recommendations and find that they work great for me in a long term, sustainable way.

    Hope this helps.
  • jvs125
    jvs125 Posts: 223 Member
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    It didn't work for me. I was restless at night and didn't sleep well. On the days that I restricted my calorie intake, I was ok, but on the following days I was so hungry that I had trouble staying reasonable with my intake and making good food choices. I had acne for the first time since my teens.

    I do better with my overall health and sanity trying to keep my calories at a small deficit every day.
  • flinx1241
    flinx1241 Posts: 2,168 Member
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    lauramckendrick609 wrote: »
    Hi Flinx. Thank you! I haven't been able to find any groups. I'm struggling to navigate this website. Could you paste a link or something?

    Urban Princess, my regular day goal is 1617 (5ft4, sedentary). There is a calculator at:

    http://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day/

    Sure.

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting

    The first one is a more generic Intermittent fasting group. Some in there doing 5:2, others doing other versions.
    The second is obviously more specific to the 5:2 version.

    :)
  • lauramckendrick609
    lauramckendrick609 Posts: 14 Member
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    Thanks PikaKnight. I think that ties in with what my GP was saying about it being good science. Given that I checked with her, I am happy that there is no medical reason not to do it. The question is whether I'll be a able to stick to it!
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    jvs125 wrote: »
    It didn't work for me. I was restless at night and didn't sleep well. On the days that I restricted my calorie intake, I was ok, but on the following days I was so hungry that I had trouble staying reasonable with my intake and making good food choices. I had acne for the first time since my teens.

    I do better with my overall health and sanity trying to keep my calories at a small deficit every day.

    Trying to get that low on the fast days triggered my migraines and also set off a bad reaction (I'm reactive hypoglycemic) so this wasn't a method of eating that ended up working for me either.
  • lauramckendrick609
    lauramckendrick609 Posts: 14 Member
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    Flinx -brilliant!

    jvs125 - I'm not working at the moment. I hear it can be bad for your concentration, so I'm not sure I'd want to do it if I had to be on-the-ball all day...
  • beemerphile1
    beemerphile1 Posts: 1,710 Member
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    I am interested in doing the 5:2 but not for weight loss. There are other purported health benefits associated with 5:2.

    Sure wish someone would provide a link to the MFP 5:2 group. I don't see a way to search the groups.
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    beemerphile1 wrote: »
    I am interested in doing the 5:2 but not for weight loss. There are other purported health benefits associated with 5:2.

    Sure wish someone would provide a link to the MFP 5:2 group. I don't see a way to search the groups.

    Flinx did. *Points up a few posts above*
  • lauramckendrick609
    lauramckendrick609 Posts: 14 Member
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    PikaKnight wrote: »

    Trying to get that low on the fast days triggered my migraines and also set off a bad reaction (I'm reactive hypoglycemic) so this wasn't a method of eating that ended up working for me either.

    Oh dear. I do get migraines very occassionally, so I'll watch out for any link. Thanks.
  • lauramckendrick609
    lauramckendrick609 Posts: 14 Member
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    beemerphile1 wrote: »

    Sure wish someone would provide a link to the MFP 5:2 group. I don't see a way to search the groups.

    Hiya. Flinx1241 suggested these:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting
  • PikaKnight
    PikaKnight Posts: 34,971 Member
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    lauramckendrick609 wrote: »
    PikaKnight wrote: »

    Trying to get that low on the fast days triggered my migraines and also set off a bad reaction (I'm reactive hypoglycemic) so this wasn't a method of eating that ended up working for me either.

    Oh dear. I do get migraines very occassionally, so I'll watch out for any link. Thanks.

    Some people with migraine issues aren't affected, but some are. I would say just make sure to do it on a day you aren't busy (and preferably home) and to have any meds you take handy. And don't try to outlast it. If it starts getting bad, abandon it for the time and eat something.

    I made the mistake of trying to push through it with excedrin but it got so bad it lasted almost 3 days.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    edited June 2015
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    Flinx has it right and I've been doing this for over two years.

    Might not be for everyone, but after a life time of being overweight, I lost 28kg and have maintained for over 1yr. My profile pic shows May 2013 / 2014 / 2015 B)

    @beemerphile1 - see flinx' above post for the links.
    @lauramckendrick609 - some people are energized and have better concentration on fast days. Everyone is different.

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