Is anyone else here doing the 5:2 Diet?

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apollosm
apollosm Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi

I've wanted to lose weight for a few years now and although I cant say I've ever really dieted before I did try to limit my food intake a few times in the past, but it only lasted a week or two at a time.

I discovered the 5:2 diet by accident and I've been going with it for just over two weeks now and combining it with majorly upping my excercise (bike riding, treadmill running) I've lost over 7lbs.
I eat approx 1200 calories for 5 days and then 600 calories on 2 other days that week. If I go over on any day by 100-200 calories I'm not too worried.
I've cut my alcohol intake enormously and almost entirely cut out my crisp (potato chips), buscuit and chocolate eating which is making a huge difference.
The great thing is that as much as I am on a diet, it doesnt feel like one because for 5 days a week I can eat, albeit sensibly and can have the odd treat if I want one.

Anybody on here doing this diet?
If 'Yes' what do you think to it?
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Replies

  • antoinette1412
    antoinette1412 Posts: 4 Member
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    Hi actually do it in reverse .i started on November 2015 at 20 stone 8 pounds .i stick to between 1200-1400 max Monday through Friday and eat what I want on a sat which sometimes can be 3000 calories .sunday is about 1700 .i walk 6 klms a day with one day off a week .i have had two hip replacements since 2014 which had made me very immobile .so in just over 7 months I weigh in at home every two weeks on a Saturday under the supervision of my daughter and have list 3 stone 7 pounds.i have lost at every weigh in .i cut out all starchy carbs like bread,potatoes rice and pasta .i also have only just introduced fruit back in as my g p felt I needed a small bit if sugars .i also tend to try not eating after 7 in the evening .its great to be able to tell people you can do it yourself .i still gave a long way to go but baby steps .
  • apollosm
    apollosm Posts: 8 Member
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    This IS the 5:2 diet. The calorie intake is suggested from their own website. Please dont tell me what diet I am on.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited June 2016
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    apollosm wrote: »
    This IS the 5:2 diet. The calorie intake is suggested from their own website. Please dont tell me what diet I am on.

    Dr. Mosely's website? The guy is now hawking the "blood sugar diet" (he's moved onto other thing$).

    I read this book......the information I got was to "eat normally" the other 5 days. It said nothing about averaging an unhealthy 1,000 GROSS calories for the week, let alone dieting 7 days a week.

    51Aod8bulpL._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
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    I have been reading a lot about it and have been playing with limiting myself to 2 meals in a 6-hour time period, just to explore feeling hungry and to see how my energy levels do. So far, so good! I have read a lot of good things about IF, but have also read that women may not always see the same benefits as men (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15833943?dopt=Abstract). Women also need to be cautious with it because of the risk of it becoming a chronic stressor -- a persistent level of stress will negate the benefits of fasting. (http://www.marksdailyapple.com/women-and-intermittent-fasting/) If it's a struggle, don't do it.
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    OP is also a male... this 1200 is totally wrong on all levels..
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    apollosm wrote: »
    This IS the 5:2 diet. The calorie intake is suggested from their own website. Please dont tell me what diet I am on.

    It would be highly surprising if 1200 was your normal eating allowance / maintenance calories / TDEE that you are supposed to eat at on the 5 days - unless you are really, really tiny and sedentary?

    When you plug your numbers into the fastdiet website calorie counter what does it tell you?
    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day/
  • CorneliusPhoton
    CorneliusPhoton Posts: 965 Member
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    I am looking forward to hearing from people who are doing 5:2 and about their experiences with it, especially the "2" days.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    I have played around with 5:2, I had a friend lose about 15 lbs and is now maintaining at 6:1.

    I have to agree with the one person who called out that 1200/day plus the 2 low calorie days is pushing the envelope and probably not healthy for a sustained period. The point of 5:2 is that you don't have to "diet" every day, and unless you are very petite, you're dieting at 1200 calories
  • apollosm
    apollosm Posts: 8 Member
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    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/
    I inputed my details, gave them what weight I wanted to lose and it gave me my 5 day calorie intake plus my 2 day 'Fasting' calorie intake.
    May I suggest you contact the website direct and inform them they are giving out the wrong information!
  • J72FIT
    J72FIT Posts: 5,951 Member
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    apollosm wrote: »
    Hi

    I've wanted to lose weight for a few years now and although I cant say I've ever really dieted before I did try to limit my food intake a few times in the past, but it only lasted a week or two at a time.

    I discovered the 5:2 diet by accident and I've been going with it for just over two weeks now and combining it with majorly upping my excercise (bike riding, treadmill running) I've lost over 7lbs.
    I eat approx 1200 calories for 5 days and then 600 calories on 2 other days that week. If I go over on any day by 100-200 calories I'm not too worried.
    I've cut my alcohol intake enormously and almost entirely cut out my crisp (potato chips), buscuit and chocolate eating which is making a huge difference.
    The great thing is that as much as I am on a diet, it doesnt feel like one because for 5 days a week I can eat, albeit sensibly and can have the odd treat if I want one.

    Anybody on here doing this diet?
    If 'Yes' what do you think to it?
    What are your stats? I ask because you are basically eating 1028 calories per day with what looks to be quite a bit of exercise...
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    edited June 2016
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    apollosm wrote: »
    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/
    I inputed my details, gave them what weight I wanted to lose and it gave me my 5 day calorie intake plus my 2 day 'Fasting' calorie intake.
    May I suggest you contact the website direct and inform them they are giving out the wrong information!

    So you are 46, male.
    How tall?
    How heavy?
    Activity setting?
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
    edited June 2016
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    sijomial wrote: »
    apollosm wrote: »
    This IS the 5:2 diet. The calorie intake is suggested from their own website. Please dont tell me what diet I am on.

    It would be highly surprising if 1200 was your normal eating allowance / maintenance calories / TDEE that you are supposed to eat at on the 5 days - unless you are really, really tiny and sedentary?

    When you plug your numbers into the fastdiet website calorie counter what does it tell you?
    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/how-many-calories-on-a-non-fast-day/

    Yep and where did the 1200 for a male come from, this calculator will not give this.. and no where does it ask you how much you want to loose?

    OP...You need to try again..
  • annaskiski
    annaskiski Posts: 1,212 Member
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    Join our group here:

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

    But FYI, on 5:2 you SHOULD be eating mainenance on your non-fasting days.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
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    apollosm wrote: »
    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/
    I inputed my details, gave them what weight I wanted to lose and it gave me my 5 day calorie intake plus my 2 day 'Fasting' calorie intake.
    May I suggest you contact the website direct and inform them they are giving out the wrong information!

    I went to this site, and this comes directly from the Get Started part:

    How many calories on a non-Fast Day?

    You may have wondered how we came up with the recommendation that women have 500 calories and men have 600 calories on a Fast Day. We used the rule of thumb that women need 2000 calories and men need 2400 calories per day and on a Fast Day you should eat a quarter of a normal day’s recommended calories. Some of you have also wondered exactly how many calories you should be eating on days when you’re not fasting.

    We thought we’d bring everything together in one place for you so you can do the calculations here. You can use the calculator on the right to calculate your BMI, BMR (basal metabolic rate) and TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). We’ll go into these in more depth below.

    I tried their calculator, and as a 52 year old, 5 ft 4 in, lightly active female, my TDEE is right at about 1900 calories. What are your stats?
  • annaskiski
    annaskiski Posts: 1,212 Member
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    Are you looking at your BMR or TDEE on that site?
    You should eat TDEE.....
  • RoxieDawn
    RoxieDawn Posts: 15,488 Member
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    Dnarules wrote: »
    apollosm wrote: »
    https://thefastdiet.co.uk/
    I inputed my details, gave them what weight I wanted to lose and it gave me my 5 day calorie intake plus my 2 day 'Fasting' calorie intake.
    May I suggest you contact the website direct and inform them they are giving out the wrong information!

    I went to this site, and this comes directly from the Get Started part:

    How many calories on a non-Fast Day?

    You may have wondered how we came up with the recommendation that women have 500 calories and men have 600 calories on a Fast Day. We used the rule of thumb that women need 2000 calories and men need 2400 calories per day and on a Fast Day you should eat a quarter of a normal day’s recommended calories. Some of you have also wondered exactly how many calories you should be eating on days when you’re not fasting.

    We thought we’d bring everything together in one place for you so you can do the calculations here. You can use the calculator on the right to calculate your BMI, BMR (basal metabolic rate) and TDEE (total daily energy expenditure). We’ll go into these in more depth below.

    I tried their calculator, and as a 52 year old, 5 ft 4 in, lightly active female, my TDEE is right at about 1900 calories. What are your stats?

    i tried it as 5'11" male, 46 years old 190 lbs and it gave me 2122 TDEE...

  • emmylootwo
    emmylootwo Posts: 172 Member
    edited June 2016
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    Yikes I'm with every one else. I haven't done 5:2 but I have researched it pretty extensively and hang out on the IF boards sometimes. (I might give it a go eventually. Just have to get some things in order first, because consistentcy is really the key to any calorie deficit.) Please consider bumping your calories up. Use a TDEE calculator such as this one: http://scoobysworkshop.com/calorie-calculator/. Eat that 5 times a week and 500-600 calories on your 2 fast days. If it gives you 1200 because of your stats, then you've proved us all wrong.

    And if you feel you're eating "sensibly" at 1200 calories, just imagine what you could eat at maintenance calories. Might want to throw some crisps and chocolate back in. :)
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
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    Mosely's 5:2 plan is this: two days a week of 600 calories and the other five days of maintenance.

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