The 5:2 Diet

Vailara

Are there any rules other than eating your normal calorie burn 5 days a week and eating 1/4 your calories burn two other non-consecutive days?

Nope.

5 days a week eat at your maintenance, and 2 at 500 a day. Pretty much eat whatever you want on any of those days as it goes by strictly calories.

I think it depends on the version you do. The ones I did, you didn't count calories at all on the "5" days - just ate normally and didn't log it. Supposedly, you end up eating slightly below maintenance on those days, without trying to i.e., you "naturally" have a slight deficit. I don't know how well that works (I don't think it worked for me), but I did like the idea of not having to work out your TDEE and count calories on the 5 days. It's probably the easiest way to get the diet started.

I have tried 5:2 a couple of times and it doesn't seem to suit me, although I have friends who get on very well with it. One thing to remember is that your weight loss will not be so dramatic if you have a low TDEE (as you won't have so big a deficit).

sijomial

I started it in August 2012 and found it really easy for adherence, for me it was much easier to stick to a weekly calorie deficit with 5 normal eating days (maintenance) and 2 very low days rather than running a deficit every day.

It had a positive impact on my eating habits as the restricted days make you very conscious of everything you eat - although there are no restricted foods I found a light, fresh style of eating incorporating more vegetables and lean protein makes the fast days much easier. It also made me realise that a lot of my eating was due to habit rather than need or genuine hunger.

I've been maintaining since January 2013 using both 5:2 and 6:1 eating patterns but prefer 6:1 by far as the 6 day calorie allowance (slight surplus to cancel out the fast day deficit) just seems to be a natural eating level for me. The 6 days at a small surplus also help with my heavy exercise routine.

There's more info at http://thefastdiet.co.uk/ - the book is an interesting read.

I really like this style of eating but if people are going to try it please realise that it is not a way to crash diet - if done properly it's a slow and steady (sustainable) way to lose excess weight.

angie007az

I've been on the plan since last September. I even took an 18 day cruise and kept my weight down. Today is a "fasting" day for me. If I do eat, sometimes I don't eat on a fasting day, I only take in around 400 calories. This plan sure seems to work for me. I went from a size 14/16 to a size 10/12. I will probably continue to use this plan until I reach my goal of around 150 pounds. I am 5'6". After I reach goal, I'll use it to maintain the loss.

cnickolem

My first day was 5/30, split 500 cals between breakfast and dinner, then I ended up not having anything to eat until 1:30p lunch on 5/31 so I actually did 30 hr fast. I plan on doing the 4:3 instead because before MFP and dieting I used to only eat once a day with one snack, so fasting for me is easier and I think having my regular days in between makes it easier to meet my calorie intake on those regular days. Also that first day I felt great, I had energy and never got tired or felt run down. I think eating a small breakfast helped boost my metabolism to get me through the day.

karen0214

This is a very interesting and informational thread. I think I might do well with this way of eating and I am going to try it.

albayin

Are there any rules other than eating your normal calorie burn 5 days a week and eating 1/4 your calories burn two other non-consecutive days?

Nope.

5 days a week eat at your maintenance, and 2 at 500 a day. Pretty much eat whatever you want on any of those days as it goes by strictly calories.

I think it depends on the version you do. The ones I did, you didn't count calories at all on the "5" days - just ate normally and didn't log it. Supposedly, you end up eating slightly below maintenance on those days, without trying to i.e., you "naturally" have a slight deficit. I don't know how well that works (I don't think it worked for me), but I did like the idea of not having to work out your TDEE and count calories on the 5 days. It's probably the easiest way to get the diet started.

I have tried 5:2 a couple of times and it doesn't seem to suit me, although I have friends who get on very well with it. One thing to remember is that your weight loss will not be so dramatic if you have a low TDEE (as you won't have so big a deficit).

I did what you did and ended up not losing at all, just maintaining...I can't trust myself eating without being careful...thats my problem, always.

Vailara

Are there any rules other than eating your normal calorie burn 5 days a week and eating 1/4 your calories burn two other non-consecutive days?

Nope.

5 days a week eat at your maintenance, and 2 at 500 a day. Pretty much eat whatever you want on any of those days as it goes by strictly calories.

I think it depends on the version you do. The ones I did, you didn't count calories at all on the "5" days - just ate normally and didn't log it. Supposedly, you end up eating slightly below maintenance on those days, without trying to i.e., you "naturally" have a slight deficit. I don't know how well that works (I don't think it worked for me), but I did like the idea of not having to work out your TDEE and count calories on the 5 days. It's probably the easiest way to get the diet started.

I have tried 5:2 a couple of times and it doesn't seem to suit me, although I have friends who get on very well with it. One thing to remember is that your weight loss will not be so dramatic if you have a low TDEE (as you won't have so big a deficit).

I did what you did and ended up not losing at all, just maintaining...I can't trust myself eating without being careful...thats my problem, always.

Yes, the book (the Michael Mosley one) claims that you will naturally eat less, but I wasn't 100% convinced that I was, and I know I'm not the only one. After all, I must have had a tendency to overeat or I wouldn't have got fat! But I did agree that part of the point is so that you don't have to obsess about calories all the time - only 2 days a week - and that this was more sustainable. If you're having to calorie count every day then you're losing that benefit and possibly more likely to give up? I don't know.

Personally, I found that it was easier to eat a bit less every day, than a lot less on 2 days. However, the No S diet worked very well for me, and I did lose weight on that alone before I started calorie counting. That's basically 5 days a week of having 3 meals a day (one plate, no sweets), with the occasional indulgence at weekends. I still more or less stick to that. It's similar to 5:2 in that there's less calorie counting (in fact, none at all, if you want) and it's supposedly sustainable for life.

icklistpiklist

I've been on this for a year now and lost 50lbs - despite being on steroids & thyroxine and having difficulty exercising as my lungs don't function properly. So I'm pleased with it.
I eat at maintenance for my goal weight on the 5 days, thereby teaching myself what my maintenance should look like. As I take medication I have a banana for breakfast and save the rest of my calories for the evening.
Biggest bonus is the not feeling like you are on a diet and being able to go out for meals and celebrate special occasions without having to worry!

maddieftaylor

I am starting this today - Tuesdays and Thursdays will be my fasting days. I had fruit for breakfast and will split the rest of my calories between lunch and dinner. I am doing the 30 day shred and will continue to do this on my fasting days! x