Fasting two days a week?

GimmieDatSalad

I have read testimony from people who swear by fasting for two, then eating their normal 500-1000 deficit the other days. I'm not sure if this is because they have a larger deficit for the whole week or something else, I'm just curious as to why someone would do this and is it useful at all?

I'm guessing it might also have something to do with the whole "Intermittent Fasting" thing.

smallbutcurvy

what annoys me about the two days fasting, is exactly what you just wrote, they eat the remaining five at deficit too!
It should be done with two days very low, and 5 at maintenance, to be done according to latest research methods .

MsTT80

Not something I have done, but friends have tried this. On fasting days (2 days per week) they stuck to 500 cals a day. On the other 5 days, they stuck to no more than 2000. They said they maintained at least and felt less bloated. As for weight loss not much difference

RonKay

I'm currently doing intermittent fasting- I eat 500 cals 2 days a week and eat at my maintenance calories for 5 days a week- I do not reduce my calories on my non fasting days. I'm losing 1lb a week on average, slow and steady, which works for me.

Mokey41

The 5:2 fast was never meant as a diet plan. It's been grabbed by the diet world as a great way to have an extreme deficit. It doesn't really matter if you eat at a deficit everyday or you have 2 really low days and then 5 regular days. It will all come out the same in the end. The problem comes when people do 2 500 calorie days then eat at 500 calorie deficit the other 5 days. If you figure out their average calories a day over 7 days it often comes out to be way too low.

ChrisM8971

what annoys me about the two days fasting, is exactly what you just wrote, they eat the remaining five at deficit too!
It should be done with two days very low, and 5 at maintenance, to be done according to latest research methods .

This ^^ It seems that so many are in a real hurry to lose weight that isn't always the healthiest way to do it. To avoid the chance of not getting a nutrient full diet or putting the weight straight back on again it is better to follow the 5 days at maintenance approach. In which case you will probably just get the same results following MFP

1ZenGirl

I've been doing IF for a long time. I eat a lot on my nonfast days. I get regular physicals in which I am told I am doing very well with my blood work, etc, I have lots of energy to work out and I feel great.

Bssh

I do 5:2 too: I fast twice a week and all other days I eat at maintenance and am losing (see ticker). Fasting for me is not just about weightloss, it's about the recorded health benefits too.

darkrose20

I do 5:2 too: I fast twice a week and all other days I eat at maintenance and am losing (see ticker). Fasting for me is not just about weightloss, it's about the recorded health benefits too.

What recorded health benefits? Care to share some links?

jennifer_417

No. Done properly, a 5:2 schedule means eating around 500 cals 2 days per week, and eating at maintenance the other 5. I did it for about 6 weeks with excellent results. I definitely would not recommend eating at a deficit the other 5 days.

angie007az

I'm doing my own version of the 5:2 plan. I actually only drink water on the 2 fasting days. That said, I eat until I'm full the other 5 days. I have been waiting until 10AM to eat on my non-fasting days. Occasionally I don't eat until noon. In addition, I am done eating by 6PM also on a non-fasting day. Eating this way has been very easy so far. Started this plan in late September this year. I am also on Dietbet which I find to be very inspiring and helps me to stick to my plan. For me, this is going to be a plan I will stick with and make modifications to as I reach goal and beyond. Research has proven that we tend to eat too often. Leaving more hours between meals allows the body to burn off fat. Eating too often means you never get to that stored fat. Good luck everyone!!

SLLRunner

The myths are that fasting (1) will flush toxins out of their system and (2) make one lose weight faster.

The truths are (1) fasting does not flush anything out of our systems, our systems flush themselves out natrually and (2) if the scale drops during fasting it's due to water shed and is not actual fat lost. Chances are that the "loss" comes back once the person starts eating normally again.

aKate_

I can't find the reference (my apologies) but the University of Utah has published a bit recently about the benefits of fasting on occasion. I believe their study determined that people who fasted one day a month reaped health benefits. Before taking this as truth or advice, you'd need to look up that study.

If you are thinking about doing something like this, it might be worth looking into the scientific literature. Google scholar makes this easy.

arabianhorselover

Personally, the only reason I would ever consider fasting would be for religious reasons.

cwolfman13

people are stupid and they do 5:2 incorrectly. You don't eat at a deficit those other 5 days...especially not a huge deficit that 1000 - 1200 calories would give you...you eat to maintenance on those 5 days. If you're going to do it then at least do it right...but really, maintaining a reasonable deficit is pretty easy to do and you consistently lose weight when you do that.

flumi_f

I do 5:2 too: I fast twice a week and all other days I eat at maintenance and am losing (see ticker). Fasting for me is not just about weightloss, it's about the recorded health benefits too.

Yup. Me too! And I definitely eat maintanance on 5 days and even alot of my exercise cals ;-) I love 5:2, have lost 21.5kg since May and just passed my blood work check up with flying colors. This time last year my cholesterol was too high.

I actually don't think it is good to eat a deficit on the normal days, as your daily average over a weeks time would drop below 1200 or lower.

It's not a diet! It is a way of eating for life and a great tool for weightloss and maintaining that weight. The only one that has ever really worked for me, because I LOVE food and it is hard for me to restrict every day. However two fast days a week at 500 cals are very doable, if I pick the right foods (for me veggies and protein sources).

flumi_f

I do 5:2 too: I fast twice a week and all other days I eat at maintenance and am losing (see ticker). Fasting for me is not just about weightloss, it's about the recorded health benefits too.

What recorded health benefits? Care to share some links?

Here are some good links

Documentary from Michael Mosley
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvdbtt_eat-fast-live-longer-hd_shortfilms#.UOOjXKz47XS

Link to Mosley's Website
http://thefastdiet.co.uk/

The Fast Guide
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9Aj6hRYg4A&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DW9Aj6hRYg4A&app=desktop

http://www.shape.com/weight-loss/weight-loss-strategies/10-unbelievable-diet-rules-backed-science

brichhartem5

The 5:2 plan has worked really well for me. I do fast 2 days a week and then the rest of the week I eat normally and eat until I am full. I started fasting July 15 of this year and to date I have lost 50 lbs. I believe you have to do whatever works for you.

angie007az

Interesting that some people are "annoyed" by this under eating of calories. If you are overweight, you should be under eating. Your body can access the fat stores if you will allow it to. The problem with society now is that we have been programed to think we need to eat every 3 hours and we never give our bodies a rest. In addition, we never get to the fat stores. Now that I'm on the 5:2 plan, and yes, it's my own version of the plan, I notice all the overweight folks everywhere I go and many of them are very young. Like some of the posters mentioned, you have to do what works for you.

AnnElizabeth11

I'm currently doing intermittent fasting as well. my ratio is 2:5. A Little extreme but I've been doing it for a while and it's what's worked best for me. I eat a big healthy dinner between 4-7pm consisting of lean protein, lots of veggies, and carbs. I have to keep a lot of that low-fat as I got my gallbladder removed and haven't been doing so well with diet. After 7/8pm I don't eat anything until 4pm the next day. I passed this with my doctor, and he said it was fine, and all my blood work and check ups have been getting better and slowly improving. I started this Mid June of this year and since then have lost 26 lbs AND kept it off.

nytrifisoul

I never heard of this diet but I fast sometimes the day after if i go over my maintenance calories and dont exercise that day. Its actually easy because i noticed on days i went over, i dont feel very hungry the next day anyway. Ive gone days where i did not eat a single calorie, and some days i might only eat a small bowl of cereal before bed if i cant sleep.

alpine1994

Interesting that some people are "annoyed" by this under eating of calories. If you are overweight, you should be under eating. Your body can access the fat stores if you will allow it to. The problem with society now is that we have been programed to think we need to eat every 3 hours and we never give our bodies a rest. In addition, we never get to the fat stores. Now that I'm on the 5:2 plan, and yes, it's my own version of the plan, I notice all the overweight folks everywhere I go and many of them are very young. Like some of the posters mentioned, you have to do what works for you.

I eat every 3 hours and I lost weight, have kept it off for 8 months, and my labs are perfect. Eating every 3 hours or doing an intermittent fasting plan gets you the same results if the calorie amounts are the same. It has nothing to do with our bodies "getting to fat stores". Eating smaller meals frequently or fasting is a personal preference and you shouldn't say that eating every 3 hours won't work since myself and many other people are living proof.

capnrus789

This sounds completely miserable. Surely you can find something that works, and doesn't make you hate life.

Rhozelyn

I agree. I tried this and ended up binge eating because I was so hungry. If you are prone to binge eating don't try IF because you may trigger binges which make you put on more weight.

Bssh

Health benefits can be Googled. Research Mark Mattson, Krista Varady, watch the Michael Mosley BBC Horizon documentary, peruse the posts here: http://www.52fastdiet.co.uk/the-5-2-lab-f10/.

dafydd_brown

This worked well for me initially but as with all fad diets it's hard to stick to because it makes you miserable and hungry! If you've got the willpower to stick to the fast on the 2 days and then not overeat on the other days then it might work but I seriously doubt many people have the willpower to stick to this sort of diet for long. On the fast days I'm tired and irritable all day and all it takes is for something to go wrong and I end up wrecking the fast day and needing to do another one. Eating filling but low calorie and nutrient dense food throughout the day really is the best way to go for me... although it's taken a while to realise and even longer to put into effect. (I say all of this despite planning on eating nothing but an apple and a handful of nuts during the day because I'm planning on having an indulgent evening!)

TeresaB1979

This sounds completely miserable. Surely you can find something that works, and doesn't make you hate life.

Yeah, I find spending 5 days a week being relaxed about what I eat pure misery!

In all honesty, 5:2 is (for me and many, many others) a great way to create a calorie deficit (which is all that is needed to lose weight) in a way that means you only have to be really 'good' (restrictive) with calories for 2 days a week. For the other five days you can eat very well and I have found that in order to gain weight I would really have to pig out.

Don't view it as a 'diet' though. Like any other plan to lose weight it should be change of lifestyle and something you will stick to for good. I am only a couple of pounds from a healthy weight now and when I hit my target I will do 6:1 to maintain that weight and intend to do that forever because for me, that is a simple and enjoyable way of eating.

The documentary 'Eat, Fast and Live Longer' is really interesting and informative and is what inspired me to eat this way when I saw if back in February. For me, not having to be really strict about calories every day was the biggest advantage. I love it!

I have seen people on here who say things like 'It will make you miserable!' but then go on to say they've never done it because 'it's horrible' (something they 'just know' without any experience). Logic would indicate that people who do it know more about it than people who haven't. You should make your decision to eat this way based on how you like it once you've tried it yourself.

*Edited to add: Also, if you view it as a 'fad' then it is a fad (Just saw the comment above me). Just something to do for a while. Intermittent fasting has been around a hell of a long time. It is not a fad unless you treat it like one... It's not for everyone, sure, but just because something isn't for you it doesn't make it a 'fad'.*

latepaul

I've been doing 5:2 for just over a year and have lost about 70lbs on it.

Key points are that whilst there's still debate about the health benefits it's one way to organize a weekly calorie deficit. For me it's more sustainable than other forms. I used to do a straight 1800cals/day diet with occasional cheat days but over time that became harder to maintain. With 5:2 I'm never more than 24hours from eating whatever I like.

However that's me. I know people who if they miss a meal then an hour later they really feel it. To be honest I probably wouldn't recommend it to those people. But I can easily go all day without eating, especially if I'm busy with other things. I don't get physical hunger pangs very often, it's more psychological cravings ("I really fancy X").

In terms of eating at a deficit on non-fast days - I do have MFP set for 1lb/week and I use the calorie amount as a guide. Fast days I eat 600-700cals regardless, non-fast I'll aim for the MFP target but also eat back exercise calories. However part of the reason I set MFP to a deficit is that my experience is that it overestimates the exercise calories. Plus I will go over usually at the weekends or if I'm eating out with friends.

Bottom line is it may not work for everyone but it definitely works for me, and the reason it works is sustainability. I know I can keep this up indefinitely whereas previously I was always secretly pulling to that point where I'd lost enough and could go back to how I wanted to eat.

Gkfrkv

I have read testimony from people who swear by fasting for two, then eating their normal 500-1000 deficit the other days. I'm not sure if this is because they have a larger deficit for the whole week or something else, I'm just curious as to why someone would do this and is it useful at all?

I'm guessing it might also have something to do with the whole "Intermittent Fasting" thing.

It has been said before: the original intent for this is to eat maintenance 5 days and 500 calories 2 days.

Like any diet it's about creating a calorie deficit. If this way works for you? Great. If low-cal, vegan or palo works for you? Great for you. But at the end for weight loss the only thing that really matters is calorie deficit.

Gkfrkv

This sounds completely miserable. Surely you can find something that works, and doesn't make you hate life.

Yeah, I find spending 5 days a week being relaxed about what I eat pure misery!

In all honesty, 5:2 is (for me and many, many others) a great way to create a calorie deficit (which is all that is needed to lose weight) in a way that means you only have to be really 'good' (restrictive) with calories for 2 days a week. For the other five days you can eat very well and I have found that in order to gain weight I would really have to pig out.

Don't view it as a 'diet' though. Like any other plan to lose weight it should be change of lifestyle and something you will stick to for good. I am only a couple of pounds from a healthy weight now and when I hit my target I will do 6:1 to maintain that weight and intend to do that forever because for me, that is a simple and enjoyable way of eating.

The documentary 'Eat, Fast and Live Longer' is really interesting and informative and is what inspired me to eat this way when I saw if back in February. For me, not having to be really strict about calories every day was the biggest advantage. I love it!

I have seen people on here who say things like 'It will make you miserable!' but then go on to say they've never done it because 'it's horrible' (something they 'just know' without any experience). Logic would indicate that people who do it know more about it than people who haven't. You should make your decision to eat this way based on how you like it once you've tried it yourself.

*Edited to add: Also, if you view it as a 'fad' then it is a fad (Just saw the comment above me). Just something to do for a while. Intermittent fasting has been around a hell of a long time. It is not a fad unless you treat it like one... It's not for everyone, sure, but just because something isn't for you it doesn't make it a 'fad'.*

It's not my thing (not eating leads to bad things for me), but if it works for you then it works for you.

flumi_f

This sounds completely miserable. Surely you can find something that works, and doesn't make you hate life.

I'm definitely not miserable! I love life and food. I eat lovely tasty menus on fast days. They just only add up to 500 cals. I don't like restricting daily and I can't stick with that for life. I prefer 5:2 because of that. it is a great tool for weight loss and maintenance, if you like it.

It's a personal preference and everyone has to find their own 'right'way. This is mine ;-)