2 day fasting diet

FeebRyan

Has anyone done this/heard of this?

Loads of my friends seem to be taken by it, eating very little for 2 days and then eating what you like for the other 5.

I cannot see how it would help you lose weight unless you were moderate about what you ate on the other five days but its an interesting concept, that for the digestive system to have a 'rest' it needs a period of no food.

I was thinking of giving it a go when i stop breastfeeding.

opuntia

They're probably doing it because of the BBC documentary 'Eat, Fast and Live Longer' - it's on YouTube, so you can watch it and see what it says, and the science behind it. Quite a few people on MFP do it. The main reason for doing it is not weight loss, but to live longer, and reduce risk of age-related diseases. But it seems to result in weight loss too, if a person needs to lose weight. I's called 5:2 fasting, or more generally, intermittent fasting. There's a group for people interested in 5:2 fasting here: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/forums/show/7953-5-2-fasting

kentmac

If you're interested in 24-48 hour fasts, I recommend reading Eat Stop Eat. Give it a google.

Essentially, fasting is a way of creating a caloric deficit. By not eating for two days, even if you're eating a slight surplus the other 5, you can still maintain an overall deficit.

Also, fasting beyond the 16 hour point, some metabolic changes occur within the body. For more on that, I'd give the book a read, I can't remember the details off the top of my head.