Starting the 5:2 diet tomorrow - help!

CalMcGuire

Having never dieted before I have decided the time has come and I really have to make an effort to lose some weight - I'm starting the 5:2 diet tomorrow after reading some good things about it (and it seems relatively easy) but do have some concerns about only consuming 500 calories (and I've never counted calories before).

It would be good to know there are people out there if I have a freak out tomorrow when I'm starving!

farway

There are a couple of 5.2 groups on MFP, you may get lots of advice there

The two 500 calorie days do not have to consecutive, or even rolling 7 days, so you could choose same couple of days every 7, like every Tuesday & Friday for instance, something that does not clash with your normal routine

The 5.2 is not strictly a diet, it is a life style longevity option, weight loss is a by product

good luck, and get some kitchen scales

CalMcGuire

Thank you - I will look for the 5:2 groups. I dug out my kitchen scales and had a shock when I realised how small a portion 100g is!

lisanfred

Hi, I was going to try that diet. I bought the recipe book, but im doing so well using my fitness pal, im worried ill undo all the good ive done. Dont really like the idea of being hungry for 2 days. Good luck to you though. Let me know how you get on with it.

angiebangie5

I've lost 7lbs this past week not doing the 5:2 diet. If you deprive yourself too much you can rebound on the weight loss and gain back twice as much as you lost. The first week I ate special K 2 cups for breakfast. I had celery and peanut butter for lunch for protein. a special K shake if I was absolutely needing it. then for dinner a normal 400-600 Calorie Meal and exercising 20 minutes a day just light exercise into my second week and still going strong.. not starving so not giving up. I keep some gum and sugar free candy on hand if I really need a sweet fix and weight watchers ice cream is excellent to keep in the freezer or the skinny cow just in case,, I don't feel deprived at all good luck message me if you like.

farway

Hi, I was going to try that diet. I bought the recipe book, but im doing so well using my fitness pal, im worried ill undo all the good ive done. Dont really like the idea of being hungry for 2 days. Good luck to you though. Let me know how you get on with it.

i have not tried it, but from reports of those who have, assuming you make sensible calorie choices, to suit your life style, and not 2 consecutive days, it is fairly easy

Also of course the other "normal" 5 days are just that, "Normal" calorie counted, not 5 portions of fish & chips a day

CalMcGuire

Thanks. I have joined a 5:2 group on here. I don't like the idea of counting calories every day so the 5:2 seems to be a way to only have to think about it twice a week, and I'm sure it will have an impact on how I eat on the other days as well.

farway

I am sure it will have impact, once you realise just how calorie dense some foods, like cheese, rice, or pasta for instance are

SheilaG1963

I've been doing it for two weeks. I thought I would starve, also. If I keep busy, I don't notice it as much. I also make sure my fast days are on a day that I work. I keep a cup of ice handy and am always sucking on it. Your stomach doesn't know the difference between food and water. Sugar free gum and candy also help. Feel free to add me as a friend if you wish. There are also 5:2 groups on FB.

I haven't noticed any weight loss, but did have to tighten my belt another notch!

x3na1401

I lost a stone pretty quickly doing 5:2 and now I mostly eat back exercise cals to net 500.

It's a great diet for people who hate to diet as you tell yourself you can have anything that you want.... Tomorrow.

When tomorrow comes you mostly don't feel like scoffing whatever your mind was craving the night before.

My partner has lost 21lb on this diet. It's a slow weight loss but that allows you to get used to losing the weight and hopefully means you won't put weight back on.

We survive by having 100 cal (or so) snack packs of things like popcorn, Jamie dodgers, club bars, breakaways, sunbites etc.

We have dinner on a fast day then have a snack later with a cuppa. We find it satisfies the sweet craving that happens after 7pm.
If you want to add me, feel free. And good luck

CalMcGuire

I lost a stone pretty quickly doing 5:2 and now I mostly eat back exercise cals to net 500.

It's a great diet for people who hate to diet as you tell yourself you can have anything that you want.... Tomorrow.

Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow..

When you say you lost a stone pretty quickly, how quickly was that?

PatchFan

I've lost 7lbs this past week not doing the 5:2 diet. If you deprive yourself too much you can rebound on the weight loss and gain back twice as much as you lost. The first week I ate special K 2 cups for breakfast. I had celery and peanut butter for lunch for protein. a special K shake if I was absolutely needing it. then for dinner a normal 400-600 Calorie Meal and exercising 20 minutes a day just light exercise into my second week and still going strong.. not starving so not giving up. I keep some gum and sugar free candy on hand if I really need a sweet fix and weight watchers ice cream is excellent to keep in the freezer or the skinny cow just in case,, I don't feel deprived at all good luck message me if you like.

In order to have lost 7lbs in a week, you'd have needed to burn 3500 calories a day. Considering you consumed around 1000 calories a day, considering the fact that 20 minutes of exercise isn't going to burn 1000 calories, and assuming that your metabolism isn't burning 3500 calories a day, it's safe to assume that you likely lost somewhere along the lies of 2-3lbs of body fat, with the rest being water weight. Of course, 2lbs a week is very commendable, and definitely something to be proud of. That's the rate at which I've been going for the past two weeks.

You are right, though, that diets aren't necessary. When it comes down to it, it's a matter of calories in vs. calories out. Certain foods may increase/decrease one's metabolism, but that doesn't suggest that dieting is in any way necessary.

jennifershoo

Ask yourself this: "Am I going to eat like that for the rest of my life?"
If the answer is no, don't do it.

onwarddownward

I keep a cup of ice handy and am always sucking on it. Your stomach doesn't know the difference between food and water.

Mine most certain my does.

x3na1401

Actually we have eaten this way since January.

When on holiday we don't bother but every other normal week we have at least 2 fast days and we do consider this to be the best way of controlling food consumption and weight that we have ever tried.

Now this will not be for everyone, but it certainly is for us

Lupercalia

I keep a cup of ice handy and am always sucking on it. Your stomach doesn't know the difference between food and water.

Mine most certain my does.

I just giggled over that one, too. My body can sure tell the difference between eating ice chips and drinking water vs. actually eating food. :laugh:

Capt_Apollo

personally, i'm not a fan of the 5:2 diet. to me, it seems dangerous, and a way for people to binge and then fast in the name of a diet. i think it's recommend to eat 1500 calories on a regular day, and 500 on fast days?? doesn't sound healthy to me at all.

now, if you were interested in Intermittent fasting, where you don't eat for about 16 hours, and then eat all your days calories in an eight hour window, that would be a different story. in intermittent fasting, as detailed in leangains.com, you typically have a big dinner at night, and skip breakfast the next morning. coffee and water is allowed. you don't eat until lunch, which if you ate dinner at 7pm, your next meal would be at roughly 11am.

also, the approach to this style of eating is slow. you just don't wake up and eat like this every day. you condition yourself, little by little. first you just don't have breakfast a couple of days a week, or just push it back later in the morning.

personally i find this method more sustainable then anything. occaisonally i do still eat breakfast, but for the most part i don't until about 11am. and yes, i train fasted as well.

CalMcGuire

Ask yourself this: "Am I going to eat like that for the rest of my life?"
If the answer is no, don't do it.

This is a starting point for me to consciously try to lose some weight for the first time - so I will see how I get on with it and may then just reduce my calorie intake in general. Got to start somewhere and I don't really want to have to count calories every day so this seems to be the way to go.

Capt_Apollo

Ask yourself this: "Am I going to eat like that for the rest of my life?"
If the answer is no, don't do it.

This is a starting point for me to consciously try to lose some weight for the first time - so I will see how I get on with it and may then just reduce my calorie intake in general. Got to start somewhere and I don't really want to have to count calories every day so this seems to be the way to go.

you just joined this website. you should be counting calories.

i think i strictly counted calories for eight months before i started experimenting with intermittent fasting.

shutupandlift13

5:2 is a pretty extreme form of IF. I don't recommend it if you have existing binging habits or other abnormal food relationships.

I also don't think that 5:2 should be anyone's starting point. It is too easy to justify eating whatever you want with the idea that Oh I will fast for two days, its not a big deal. I know a lot of people fall into the vicious cycle of essentially binging for 5 days and then they end up getting to the 2 days of fasting and can't reign in their appetite enough to compensate for overeating the previous days.

I also don't see how not counting calories for only two days is really that less of chore than continuing to count for 7 days. If counting your calories is that taxing, somehow I don't imagine you're going to last very long on the 5:2 eating schedule.

x3na1401

I have a friend on here who has lost 125 lbs doing 5:2.
Undoubtedly it saved her life.

I don't binge eat as a rule but I do struggle with portion control. I don't eat 500 / 1500. I net 500 and then eat upto 2000 depending.
I think each person can tweek it to suit their needs

CalMcGuire

Well, yes, I'm starting counting calories NOW because I'm starting the 5:2 diet and that's why I joined this site

And the idea was not to fast on the two days but drastically reduce calories and not to binge on the 5 days but to have 'reset' myself in order to eat less in general (but not have to count calories or weigh out portions on those days). I don't have an unhealthy attitude to food I've just never really thought about it or wanted to do anything about my weight or health until now, as I had high blood pressure when tested last week and I'm 42 now and want to make a change. So I'm also cutting down on caffeine, alcohol, drinking more water, exercising more etc. So wish me luck!

Capt_Apollo

Well, yes, I'm starting counting calories NOW because I'm starting the 5:2 diet and that's why I joined this site

And the idea was not to fast on the two days but drastically reduce calories and not to binge on the 5 days but to have 'reset' myself in order to eat less in general (but not have to count calories or weigh out portions on those days). I don't have an unhealthy attitude to food I've just never really thought about it or wanted to do anything about my weight or health until now, as I had high blood pressure when tested last week and I'm 42 now and want to make a change. So I'm also cutting down on caffeine, alcohol, drinking more water, exercising more etc. So wish me luck!

you are not a nintendo. you don't have a reset button. everything that happened yesterday will still affect you today.

of course you still have to count calories and weigh your portions out while on the 5:2 diet. i still do while on IF.

i mean, do you even know about the 5:2 diet?? it's supposed to be 1500-1600 calories for women on regular days, and 500 on two fast days that are non-consecutive.

you are making a lot of drastic changes all at once, and it can affect you more negatively then you think. i would think that you'd know that small changes can yield big results. 5:2 won't give you results any quicker then just counting calories.

why don't you just try and count calories for a month or two, before we start with 5:2?

CalMcGuire

why don't you just try and count calories for a month or two, before we start with 5:2?

Yes I suppose I could do that, and I may well try it if I find the 500 calories on the 2 days too limited. Also, from the book I've read (I would not try to do something like this without researching it first) you don't count calories on the other 5 days and that was the point. But it also doesn't mean that you binge on those days. I'm not a binge eater :-)

Thank you for your interest and support, Captain.

happieharpie

I've become really phobic about the word "diet". My diet is what I eat every day that makes me feel healthy and satisfied and nourished. Every single thing that goes into my mouth is doing a job to keep my machine active and moving forward.

Through a whole lot of self research and the research of others who have studied these things scientifically, I'm choosing carefully, not under- or over fueling or under- or over filling, i do pretty much the same thing every day, and never feel bored or unhappy with my choices.

When I have my meal, I'm not ravenous but I'm ready to fuel up. I follow my numbers in and numbers out on MFP because they are pretty congruent with what I want and what keeps everything heading in the right direction. KISS!

Last thought- if we are going to "start a diet" we imply that we will at some point "end a diet". Then what?

SheilaG1963

You can eat a huge salad with cucumbers, cabbage, tomatoes, and a hardboiled egg for less than 300 calories. I eat a package of peanut butter and crackers for breakfast, a big bowl of sliced cucumbers for lunch and then the salad for supper. I love cucumbers, so I could eat like 10 cups of them and still be at less than 500 calories.

CalMcGuire

I agree about the word 'diet' and also that it's more of a lifestyle change for me and hopefully one I will be able to keep up. I have never done any kind of diet before but I am a vegetarian and have been able to stick with that since I was 14. So I will see this as a change rather than a diet. It does also appeal to a slightly masochistic side of me to restrict calories on those two days

marciebrian

aw, you won't starve I promise. I choose not to eat anything (other than cream in my coffee which is mandatory) until dinner. I enjoy more calorie rich dinners but everyone is different. you'll do great. friend me if I can help

Capt_Apollo

I agree about the word 'diet' and also that it's more of a lifestyle change for me and hopefully one I will be able to keep up. I have never done any kind of diet before but I am a vegetarian and have been able to stick with that since I was 14. So I will see this as a change rather than a diet. It does also appeal to a slightly masochistic side of me to restrict calories on those two days

and there we go.

food or lack there of should not be used as a reward or as a punishment. you said in a previous post that you don't have an unhealthy attitude towards food, but this is where it starts.

farway

As you live in Wales I assume you have seen the TV programme? BBC 2 Horizon I think, and no doubt on line somewhere via iplayer

I think [not know] that Dr Michael Moseley is readily approachable, perhaps Google or the 5.2 groups could help here

flumi_f

I've been doing it for 2 months. I decided to do it, because I have problems living on a deficit all the time - discipline / motivation sink rapidly. So I tried 5:2.

I've lost 8kg. Fast days are not hard, if you choose the right foods. May take a few fast days before you know what works for you. I do well on lunch and dinner at about 250 cals. Both meals include protein and veggies. I avoid carbs on these days, as they trigger my hunger. So I actually have two IF days a week (dinner 18:00 on feed day to 12:00 on fast day, I eat nothing, then again from 18:00 fast day to 7:00, 9:30 or 12:00 on the next feed day, depending on my hunger after the fast)

As to bingeing on feed days - not a problem for me. The high cal foods in my kitchen cabinet have never lasted so long! I personally count cals on all days, because it helps me stay clean and honest (to myself). I allow myself everything, but my portions of sweets or fatty foods have drastically reduced, because I am more aware of their cals.

I calculated my TDEE including exercise. On feed days I stay around my TDEE on fast days I normally land between 490-530 cals.

I exercise 4-6 times/week if I'm fasting or not. It generally isn't a problem to do cardio or strength for 45-90min on a fast day.

There are people that don't take well to 5:2, but most of the things I have read in the 5:2 group here or on fb are positive. Just as IF, 5:2 is a way of life and not really a diet. Once the weight is gone, many continue or change to 6:1, increasing their intake on feed days, if they lose more than they want to. If you slip back to old habits, you are back to where you began, as with every change of eating habits.

Nothing is for everyone. This works for me, and I am not alone.