Fasting diet

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  • KittieLea
    KittieLea Posts: 1,156 Member
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    I'm on the 24:7 Fasting Diet. It's awesome!
  • roolmc
    roolmc Posts: 47
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    Just because I'm at work and not wanting to google.. How does 5:2 diet compare to say Lean Gains?

    I quickly looked at the Lean Gains site and I would say it seems to have more rules etc but I haven't checked it out fully.

    5:2 is simply reduce calories to a quarter of normal for two non-consecutive days each week but it's flexible as to when those days are and when you eat on those days.

    For example, I try to fast every fourth day, splitting 600 kcal into two meals; breakfast and dinner.
  • buckleten
    buckleten Posts: 205 Member
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    I am doing the 5:2 plan, and I think it is brilliant! On my fast days I save all my 500 calories for my evening meal, and have something like a chicken stir fry, or grilled fish and veg, the other days I have plenty to eat, even biscuits, and I have lost 3 lbs in the week I have been doing it!
  • athandtia
    athandtia Posts: 28 Member
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    Good luck, and well done for giving it a go - it does seem quite daunting. When I get hungry I just tell myself there's always tomorrow, so hang in there and let us know how you get on after your first week!:smile:
  • samanthawardle31
    samanthawardle31 Posts: 58 Member
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    I tried it and coudlnt manage. The 500 calorie days were torture. I am doing much better on around 1250 a day.
  • rogershj
    rogershj Posts: 1
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    I have been doing it over the last 4 weeks and it helped me get started to actually shed some pounds.
    Apparently it works by reducing insulin production during the fasting periods so body will use fat for energy. I do 2 non consecutive
    Days and pick days when I'm busy. Small breakfast 100 cal and tea at 5 pm lots of salad. Plenty of drinks water and herbal tea. Worst time is eve after tea but by then feeling good and you can always have a nice breakfast tomorrow.
  • HapThompson
    HapThompson Posts: 48 Member
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    I've been doing this basic sort of eating plan since the beginning of October last year. I've lost 45lbs, 29 of them on here... It totally works for me as a lifestyle choice because it fits with my preferred way of eating / tendencies to forget to eat.
  • dxtra30
    dxtra30 Posts: 498 Member
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    5:2 diet so far is rocking.. After 1st week your body will get use to it.. The benefits for the long term are well worth it! IMO
  • maimeemagic
    maimeemagic Posts: 7 Member
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    I've been on it for 6 weeks. The first 4 weeks I lost 7 lbs and was thrilled. However, the last 2 weeks I've not lost anything. Posted on here and the advice I got was that I was eating too few calories on the 5 days, about 1200, so am going to increase my intake on these days and see how it goes.

    Good luck with yours.
  • a_mandolin_
    a_mandolin_ Posts: 336 Member
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    I've been thinking of trying this but have always been a little scared. I was thinking that the fasting days would help me better control my snack attacks, and I like the idea of not restricting on other days.

    I haven't had breakfast yet, and I don't have anything preplanned for dinner, so maybe I'll give it a go and start today.
  • dervydoc
    dervydoc Posts: 1
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    Hey all, I've just started, am on my 2nd fast day. Have been saving most of my calories for diner. Am considering doing 3 days a week instead of 2, just to get the ball rolling (prob Mon, Wed and Fri) sticking to btw 1200+1500 on non-fast days. Good luck to you all, hopefully it works as well as the book suggests!
  • athandtia
    athandtia Posts: 28 Member
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    Hi all, I'll be interested to see if I've lost anything this week (weigh in is on Thursday) as I went a little overboard over the weekend. The book does say to eat normally on non-fast days, but he doesn't defy normal! I will say though that by Monday, I was kind of looking forward to the confinement of 500 calories - when I read this in the book I really didnt believe it.
    Good luck all! M:happy:
  • KatieHacking
    KatieHacking Posts: 1 Member
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    Day 1 of the fasting diet, I had porridge this morning for breakfast and aim to have a chicken salad for dinner, trying to stay motivated however I am quite hungry now!
  • newme2105
    newme2105 Posts: 89 Member
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    I started this diet Sunday - and have lost 3lb so far. I have found it much easier to stick to my calorie limits since then and it is good to hear stories of people who have been doing it longer and how they are getting on.
  • Sarauk2sf
    Sarauk2sf Posts: 28,072 Member
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    As far as I am aware, and there may well be studies out there that do show it, there is nothing to show that the benefits of this type of diet are anything more than those you get from calorie restriction. The studies are evolving but I have not seen anything compelling.
  • beccalyse
    beccalyse Posts: 21
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    Never heard of 5:2, but I've been intermittent fasting for a while now. It really helps me get past plateaus, but I mostly love it because I don't mind feeling hungry anymore. I used to use hunger as an excuse to eat fast food, candy, etc. Not worrying about food anymore is the best.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    As far as I am aware, and there may well be studies out there that do show it, there is nothing to show that the benefits of this type of diet are anything more than those you get from calorie restriction. The studies are evolving but I have not seen anything compelling.

    agreed. Just another tool for dietary compliance.

    The difference between 5:2 & LG is that LG is everyday fast for 16 and eat for 8 and they have more guidelines for macro breakdowns (however I believe this is unnecessary and can be done with straight cals/macros also). 5:2 just cuts cals on 2 days creating your deficit. You still have the regular P&F requirements but they just say to "eat normally" on the 5 days. That is the bit that a lot of MFP users get wrong and eat at a normal deficit which will obviously make a very large weekly deficit.

    Also, as far as I'm aware 5:2 has little information about including resistance training to preserve LBM. I don't know if they assume people know this as it's the case for all people in a calorie deficit.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    You're right in that the studies are still in their infancy. I haven't seen anything about adding in resistance training (but then, the assumption is that the 5 non-fasting days would be your usual routine, so resistance training might be already in there).

    Aside from just caloric restriction, the point about fasting is that it allows your body to repair existing cells rather than just constantly make new ones. This is supposed to bring about many health benefits, and in fact weight loss is just a side effect. Dr Michael Mosley, who first proposed the 5:2 approach in a BBC documentary last year, is continuing with a 6:1 approach to maintain his weight but still get the other health benefits.
  • Ed98043
    Ed98043 Posts: 1,333 Member
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    My understanding about the 5:2 plan is that you're supposed to eat at or near TDEE/maintenance on your non-fasting days. The whole point of the 2 days of lean is that it's balanced out by 5 days of plenty, and you don't give your body the signal that the great famine has arrived and it had better store everything as fat. Fasting for two days and also restricting for the other 5 days is just going to send your metabolism into slow-motion over the long term.
  • Sarahx86
    Sarahx86 Posts: 77
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    I started this last Monday after hitting a plateu. I have lost 4lb so far. The fasting days are not as hard as I thought they would be and the next day you can go back to eating normally.

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