Anyone try the 5:2 Fast Diet?

slkehl

I've only eaten 500 cal on days where I'm trying to make up for what I ate the day before. And it's miserable! I have no energy and get hangry. So this 5:2 thing sounds awful to me.

slkehl

Interesting article...

The Hype of Calorie-Shifting Diets
by BERKELEY WELLNESS | APRIL 16, 2013

There are always new weight-loss diets out there—or old ones dressed up as new—and one of the biggest recent fads is “calorie-shifting” plans. Proponents promise rapid and easy weight loss, which is always a warning sign, and cite theories and research that may sound convincing. Here’s a look behind the hype.

The problem with crash diets
A fundamental problem with crash diets is that when you drastically cut calories for more than a few days, your body compensates by lowering the rate at which you burn calories when at rest (its basal metabolic rate), which makes it hard to keep losing weight and then even harder to keep the lost pounds from returning. Calorie-shifting diets alternate calorie intakes—and sometimes types of food—from day to day. Their advocates claim this tricks the body into not adapting to the reduced calorie intake so that your metabolic rate won’t drop.

The diets offer a variety of calorie roller coasters. The Every Other Day Diet and the QOD Diet (a medical acronym for “every other day”) alternate days of normal eating and days of nearly fasting—just 300 to 500 calories a day. The UpDayDownDay Diet calls for eating no more than 500 calories on “down” days and all you want on the “up” days during the induction phase. The latest entry is a British import called The Fast Diet, which involves eating just one-quarter of your normal daily calories (500 to 600 calories) two days a week.

Some calorie-shifting diets involve complicated patterns—say, 1,300 calories on Monday, 2,000 on Tuesday, 800 on Wednesday, 1,800 on Thursday and so on. Fat Loss 4 Idiots maps out your up and down days via a software program. Some, like the Intermittent Fasting Diet, require total fasting on some days.

The explanations presented for the diets vary as much as the eating patterns. Some say the diet works by affecting hormones (such as insulin) involved with fat storage, or by activating genes that boost fat burning. Others say the secret is to limit hunger to single days, rather than prolong it for weeks. Some claim the diet won’t cause loss of muscle—another problem with crash diets—and will actually speed up metabolism. Proponents make general health claims, too, that the diets can help prevent chronic diseases by reducing inflammation, blood cholesterol and free radicals. Still others say the fasting days “cleanse” your body of toxins, which is nonsensical. Or that semi-starvation diets can prolong your life.
So far, there is no convincing evidence to support most of the theories, and none demonstrating any of the diets’ long-term safety and effectiveness.

Not so fast

There has been little good human research on the diets. Mouse studies, including one done at UC Berkeley in 2007, found that alternate-day fasting does not produce weight loss (the mice simply ate twice as much on the feasting days), but may have some potentially beneficial effects, such as improved insulin and glucose metabolism and shrinkage of fat cells. Some widely publicized animal studies have found that very-low-calorie (semi-starvation) diets can lead to increased longevity, but they did not use calorie-shifting diets or alternate day fasting, and these results have never been demonstrated in humans.
A small human study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition in 2005 found that alternate-day fasting/feasting for three weeks resulted in a few lost pounds and lower insulin levels. But many people reported feeling irritable and hungry on the fasting days, and some experienced constipation, leading the researchers to conclude that most people could not stick to this eating pattern for long.

The most positive results came from another very small study in the same journal in 2009. It found that obese people who went on near-fasts on alternate days lost about 12 pounds after eight weeks. Cholesterol levels and blood pressure improved, as they would with any weight loss. But the study was poorly designed, and didn’t assess how the diet affected mood and quality of life.

Neither human study had a control group, so we don’t know how the results would compare to, say, a standard reduced-calorie, heart-healthy diet.

Bottom line: Obviously, if you eat little or no food several days a week and don’t eat like a ravenous mouse on the others, you’ll lose weight. And if you are in good health, there’s no harm in an occasional 24-hour fast or near-fast. Like any crash diet, such regimens may feel empowering the first week or two, especially as the pounds come off, largely thanks to water loss. But these diets are not long-term solutions to obesity and are not healthy ways to relate to food.

Despite the testimonials on the diets’ websites and book jackets, most people won’t feel good on calorie roller coasters, and most couldn’t stick to the crazy regimens. Very-low-calorie diets can cause fatigue, headaches, irritability and heart rhythm problems. Skipping meals can sometimes result in malnutrition and is ill advised for people with diabetes. Alternating fasting with gorging is especially risky if you have an eating disorder. And if you don’t have one, you’ll be eating as if you did.

RebekahR84

I've done the 8 Hour Diet, which is to take in your entire day's supply of calories in an 8 hour time frame, then fast for 16 hours. The only reason I'm not doing it anymore is that my job is complicated and shifts my hours too much to stick to a set time. I need a set time because I'm an all or nothing dieter.

Anyway, while on it, I felt fantastic. Besides initially losing weight, I felt empowered and slept better. The empowerment is because I'm a compulsive overeater, and this gave me what felt like a concrete "no more food" wall. (All or nothing dieter.) I slept better because I used to eat right up until the minute before going to sleep, and I think the disgestion kept me awake.

Now that I'm on a new program, I still stop eating a few hours before bed, and I think I strengthened my resolve to not binge-eat. So fasting definitely gave me benefits, though probably not in the touted, traditional ways you read about in testimonials.

Jenni19453

Hi Everybody,

I started my LAST weight loss journey 5/5/13 and although I feel proud and blessed by my accomplishment of losing 13# we are getting dangerously close to August and it seems I have plateaued. I have not had any loss in almost two weeks. I admit, I am not great at excercising- per se. I have a day desk job but I waitress 3 nights a week and walk at a quick pace for at least two hours each shift. So shoot me if I need to rest for a few days. Plus, I read somewhere that weight loss is 70% diet and 30% excercise. But that's neither here nor there. I feel as though I need a shift. And I CANNOT eat any less everyday.

So, this has led me to the 5:2 died- or the Fast Diet. I am ready to try it but still feel some fear/ apprehension. Any positive feedback?

melaniecheeks

Scroll back through this thread to the links to the 2 5:2 groups on here. You will find many positive stories on there.

What is it you're afraid of?

wkml

Just starting the 5:2 today and wow can't stop thinking about food lol! Planned out my meals for the fast and feast days and can honestly say I'm looking forward to eating well tomorrow - not just the old feeling of oh well better eat this sandwich I suppose. Hoping the fast days will get easier as determined to do this. A few friends have done it with great success.

Jenni19453

Melanie,
I guess I'm afraid of being hungry? Or that I can't do it. Or being hangery?

It's now 2:30 PM and I am probably about half way through my day. I've got an hour left here at the office and the off to my night job- waitressing. That's where the real test will begin. Being around all that food makes me HUNGRY!

But... so far the day hasn't been that bad... a few pangs in the AM and right before lunch.

For lunch I had a box of Green Giant Veggies and a 100 cal Greek Yogurt. Felt a little hungry afterwards and still feeling a little hungry. I just fixed myself a cup of green tea, which I hope helps because the pangs are returning.

melaniecheeks

Remember that hunger comes and goes in waves, it doesn't just build up and up. So just get through each wave.

kelseyhere

I tried it and didn't like it. The day after my low calorie day I just wanted to eat everything, plus I felt like crap on the 500 calorie days. In general, I'd say it led to more binge eating and poor focus at work, but that is just my experience.

Jenni19453

Hi all! I just wanted to report that I finished my first fast and it wasn't that bad! I put it in my head I wasn't going to eat/ snack/ pick and I didn't! I even avoided my usual after- shift drink.

I woke up a couple of times last night... not sure if it was the hunger or my itchy allergy face but I do remember waking up feeling very hungry.

It's 8AM now and I'm just getting to my oatmeal. Not feeling ravenous but definitely ready for some food.

Yesterday is proof that I can do this.

Now, let's hope day 2 is just as smooth.

stefjc

Well, I have been up for 7 hours, been out shopping, cleaning out chickens etc. I have just eaten 330kcals of feta salad in pitta bread and feel absolutely fine - Skinny Soup for tea, 450kcals in all. I might feel a little bit empty going to bed, so I may eat that last 50kcals then.

No wobbles, no hunger waves, no grumpiness. It does get better for some of us (1 year on and off).

Good luck to everyone just starting.

mom2sons02

I have done 5:2 for about 3 weeks. I took a week off for vacation. I have lost 5 lbs so far. I am really not as hungry as I thought. I usually save most of my calories for dinner so I go to bed full. I do make sure I drink a lot and also have a bullion drink or two. The salt seems to stave off the headaches. Good luck to anyone thinking about it. It is free and doesn't require any pills, smoothies or special teas.

andiebaco

I just started it and can honestly say I feel great. I was really worried about it the day before, but it turned out to be more psychological than anything. Eat whatever you want 5 days a week, then for two non-consecutive days eat: Men=600 calories; Women=500 calories. For the five days, I stick to my normal diet of 1400 +- for maximum weight loss.

If you've tried it, I'd like to hear some feedback.

Happy losing!
Rick

Word of advice... In your non fast days you should be looking at 1500 or more calories (at least for me). The final average for the week should be 1,200 per day.. which is basically the amount of calories by MFP.

NOT LESS.

I've been doing the 5:2 for a month now.. I've lost around 4 kilos (8pounds aprox). I do exercise and I revise that unless something special happen, that my average intake of calories for the week equals (or come close) to 1,200 calories per day. Which is what the MFP recommended me for my height.

I like this because I can fit food social events on my diet without feeling deprived (for example, on this weekend I had some real mexican food, some rosti with bacon and a frappuchino) and still reached to my 1,200. It doesn't work for everybody, but it's working for me. Specially with my life style that include a lot of travelling, living in different places and social meetings.

So yeah... This is another way to create weekly deficit, I don't see a fad on that as long as you control your weekly calories allowance.

sijomial

And this is why I'm not even bothering with a silly fad. Fat loss rather than lean muscle mass should be the way forward for a healthy lifestyle. No purpose in doing two lots of work to build the muscle back up that you've lost through VLCDs when you can just maintain the muscle in the first place.
These 'drop 7lb in one week' diets don't promote healthy living at all, just perpetuate the myth that you have to eat next to nothing and burn off everything.
It's so much better, and healthier, to eat as much as your body needs to fuel everything it does.

Good luck to those who are doing it though.

Note that this is from someone who doesn't understand 5:2 fasting!
If you are following the protocol you will have only an approx. 3,000 calories deficit a week - yes less than 1lb weight loss per week.
It is not a crash diet let alone a VLCD - just a different eating pattern. Not a quick fix, it's a sustainable way of eating for the long term.

By the way as regards the reported loss of lean muscle mass in next to no time - would love to know how this was measured. Handheld bio-impedance machine is my guess... (In which case have glass of water and see your numbers change.)

acpgee

I did this for 3 months last year and was successful with losing weight. If you deal with occasional extreme deprivation better than constant low level deprivation I think it is a good eating plan. You can turn it into a life long maintenance program too. My old GP used to fast one day a week whenever he noticed his weight creeping up.

I stopped while on vacation and never re-started. For me long term, it wasn't really right because I didn't like the fact that I thought about food so much on the down days.

Glad I did it though. I now know the difference between real physical hunger and feeling peckish. It also taught me that while hunger is unpleasant, it doesn't kill you or get progressively worse.

andiebaco

And this is why I'm not even bothering with a silly fad. Fat loss rather than lean muscle mass should be the way forward for a healthy lifestyle. No purpose in doing two lots of work to build the muscle back up that you've lost through VLCDs when you can just maintain the muscle in the first place.
These 'drop 7lb in one week' diets don't promote healthy living at all, just perpetuate the myth that you have to eat next to nothing and burn off everything.
It's so much better, and healthier, to eat as much as your body needs to fuel everything it does.

Good luck to those who are doing it though.

Note that this is from someone who doesn't understand 5:2 fasting!
If you are following the protocol you will have only an approx. 3,000 calories deficit a week - yes less than 1lb weight loss per week.
It is not a crash diet let alone a VLCD - just a different eating pattern. Not a quick fix, it's a sustainable way of eating for the long term.

By the way as regards the reported loss of lean muscle mass in next to no time - would love to know how this was measured. Handheld bio-impedance machine is my guess... (In which case have glass of water and see your numbers change.)

QFT

Gianna44

I just started this last week, so I can't post any results, but I don't believe this is a "quick weight loss" strategy at all. I love the idea of not having to count and restrict every day, just 2 days a week. The 500-600 cal days don't seem awful with careful planning and choosing, although I wouldn't want to do them back to back.

Good luck with this!