5:2 diet??

losinglbs1654
losinglbs1654 Posts: 12
in Health and Weight Loss
I recently read an article on the 5:2 diet and apparently it works really well. I'm going to try it this week and see for myself. For people who have done it and had success with it, do you need to exercise while on it? And if you do, do you need to make up those calories that you've burned or do you just stick to eating 500 calories no matter what? Will exercising make a difference to the weight loss? I couldn't find any info about exercising while on it so I decided to come here. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • gargisingh
    gargisingh Posts: 123 Member
    I am currently trying to stick to 5:2 plan. Albeit for long term health benefits and not to lose weight. Here are some things that I do:

    -do you need to exercise while on it? And if you do, do you need to make up those calories that you've burned or do you just stick to eating 500 calories no matter what?
    Yes. I exercise and I stick to 500 calories. Once I felt really tired and weak and I ate back exercise cals. But, usually no.

    Will exercising make a difference to the weight loss?
    - I do not know. I am not trying to lose weight anymore, just maintain and get healthier. Let us see what others have to say.

    One more thing- fasting gets easier with time. Best :smile:
  • ubermensch13
    ubermensch13 Posts: 824 Member
    I doubt this diet will work any better than eating smart, under a reasonable calorie goal and moving more. But, to each their own.
  • now_or_never12
    now_or_never12 Posts: 849 Member
    If you want to see if something works give it more than a week.

    That plan isn't a magical weight loss diet plan... it is just a different way of eating. Some people don't like it just because of the restrictions.

    On your 500 cal days be mindful of how you feel when you exercise. Some people feel faint and some can do a perfect workout with no trouble.
  • losinglbs1654
    losinglbs1654 Posts: 12
    ubermensch13 if only it was that easy.
  • lvtruu1
    lvtruu1 Posts: 211 Member
    Any diet that creates a caloric deficit will cause you to lose weight. There is nothing special about this diet.

    I will say that any diet that has you eating more protein but with the same total calories is likely to make you lose more weight. Your body burns more energy to break protein down then fats or carbs.
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
    I've done the 5:2 diet for a while & lost weight on it, exercising a moderate amount and not eating those calories back - sticking to 500 calories. I suspended doing it for a while as I'm working on a project where I need to work hard, physically, for several hours at a time and I get RAVENOUS!!

    I'd avoid doing thousands and thousands of calories worth of exercise on fasting days, but you should be OK with burns in the low to mid hundreds. There is a school of thought that holds that doing exercise when fasting is more beneficial than doing it fed.

    Why not try it out and see how you feel and if it suits you and your lifestyle. You can always shift the fasting days around so they're not your heaviest exercise days.

    I intend to start fasting again around Christmas to allow for the odd extra big meal - that one featuring turkey, in particular.

    I agree with gargisingh that fasting gets easier with practice.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    there are theories that after fasting for 16-20 hours or so, glycogen stores are used up and the body turns to stored fat for fuel which theoretically would mean we are burning more fat during this window.

    I'm not solid on the science but I like it and I do fast up to 20 hours but not usually longer than that.
    I do daily IF rather than 5:2 but I cant say if one is better than the other.

    Since doing it, I am pleased with the results and I like the convenience of not worrying about the 6 meal a day thing a lot of people are sold on and I like having all my calories available in the late afternoon early evening.

    give it a try.

    it wont hurt you and you might like it
  • lvtruu1
    lvtruu1 Posts: 211 Member
    I've done the 5:2 diet for a while & lost weight on it, exercising a moderate amount and not eating those calories back - sticking to 500 calories. I suspended doing it for a while as I'm working on a project where I need to work hard, physically, for several hours at a time and I get RAVENOUS!!

    I'd avoid doing thousands and thousands of calories worth of exercise on fasting days, but you should be OK with burns in the low to mid hundreds. There is a school of thought that holds that doing exercise when fasting is more beneficial than doing it fed.

    Why not try it out and see how you feel and if it suits you and your lifestyle. You can always shift the fasting days around so they're not your heaviest exercise days.

    I intend to start fasting again around Christmas to allow for the odd extra big meal - that one featuring turkey, in particular.

    I agree with gargisingh that fasting gets easier with practice.

    Fasted cardio is thought to help in the last stages of weight loss. When in a guys situation he's going for single digit body fat. Otherwise it makes little difference. Google Lyle McDonald I believe he's covered the issue.

    Fasting is thought to have positive effects on hormones but I thought it had to be more then 24 hours. IF is a diet scheme and your hormones will only be marginally effected with 16 hours fasted.
  • jayboy123456
    jayboy123456 Posts: 13
    Losing weight is just a positive side effect of fasting. Apparently, the fasting process produces low levels of a chemical called IGF-1, which slows down the ageing process and the associated age related diseases. Also, low levels of IGF-1 protect against diabetes and cancer in particular. God those scientists are clever:)))
  • fester1084
    fester1084 Posts: 4
    Iv set a 5:2 fasting diet page on face book , join if your interested , iv lost 24 pounds so far using it . Regards Martin

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