5:2 diet - Can it be done with 1000 calories fast days?

fearlesskcl
fearlesskcl Posts: 159 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi I was just wondering if anyone has tried the 5:2 diet?

I know I'm a bit late I just watched the BBC Horizon documentary Eat Fast, Live Longer and I'm intrigued. I am considering trying it out but I know there is no way that I could stick to 500 calories a day on fast days as I do a quite active job. I was wondering if anyone has had any success with eating more on fast days like 1000 calories on fasting days! Then normal calories on non-fasting days! My non-fast days would be around 2000 calories.

Replies

  • BerryH
    BerryH Posts: 4,698 Member
    So long as your average daily calories work out at a deficit over the week, you'll lose weight. Some health professionals believe that the 500 calories is a fairly arbitrary number and the benefits of intermittent fasting over just reaching and maintaining a healthy weight may be exaggerated.

    http://www.nhs.uk/news/2013/01January/Pages/Does-the-5-2-intermittent-fasting-diet-work.aspx

    Bottom line: if you feel it's easier to stick to than maintaining a regular daily deficit, give it a go.
  • tomg33
    tomg33 Posts: 305 Member
    This is another case of where the majority of the results come from the fundamentals; having a consistent calorie deficit.

    My main problem with this type of eating plan is that it encourages binging, which is not good for psychological reasons. We're trying to improve our health, not develop a food-related obsessive disorder ;)
  • StrangerOnTheShore
    StrangerOnTheShore Posts: 2 Member
    To avoid binging on your ''feast day'' you should count your calories on that day,too. But it may feel like binging since you are eating a lot more on this day than a ''fast'' day. For me it's 1700 calories on a Feast Day and 1000 calories on a Fast Day. I find it's a very satisfying way of losing weight. I save most of my calories for dinner on my Fast Day. For example mid morning today (Fast Day) I had 2 sauteed duck egg whites on 2 corn cakes with a smidgeon of butter. Plus a large cup of low calorie hot chocolate. This will take me through dinner when I can splurge on 785 calories. I can not easily do the 500 calories two days a week but I can do the 1000 calories twice weekly with no problem. I have been on a straight 1700 calories per day for 6 weeks and have just recently added the two 1000 calories days per week. I've lost 10 pounds. I have 24 pounds to go. I guess I'm in the minority, but I really like counting calories, haha! I feel as though I am eating a lot of food on my 1700 calorie Feast Day, most of the time. This may not work for everyone, but it does for me.
  • MikePTY
    MikePTY Posts: 3,814 Member
    edited September 2019
    Ultimately, your weight loss will come down to your calorie deficit. If 2000 is in fact your maintenance, then you would have a 2000 calorie weekly deficit from your two fast days. That would be about 0.6 pounds lost per week.

    By comparison, it would be about the same amount of weight loss as you would get from consistently eating 1700 calories per day. So ultimately whichever method you think will be easier for you to sustain would be the better choice of the two.

    ETA: just realized this post is 6 years old and OP has probably made a decision on her choice in diet by now... 😂
  • SnifterPug
    SnifterPug Posts: 746 Member
    The main point about 5:2 is the health benefits, as you will have seen from the documentary. The weight loss was a side benefit. If you want to gain health benefits but need calories to work, maybe something like the 16:8 protocol would be better for you. If you simply want to lose weight then you need to factor in a calorie deficit, however that may suit you.
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,013 Member
    Zombie post guys, OP hasn't been around in awhile :smile:
  • lucyluvhandles
    lucyluvhandles Posts: 138 Member
    :D:D:D:D
  • kcmcbee
    kcmcbee Posts: 177 Member
    What documentary?
    lucyluvhandles wrote: »
    :D:D:D:D

  • kcmcbee
    kcmcbee Posts: 177 Member
    SnifterPug wrote: »
    The main point about 5:2 is the health benefits, as you will have seen from the documentary. The weight loss was a side benefit. If you want to gain health benefits but need calories to work, maybe something like the 16:8 protocol would be better for you. If you simply want to lose weight then you need to factor in a calorie deficit, however that may suit you.

    What documentary???

  • lynn_glenmont
    lynn_glenmont Posts: 9,961 Member
    kcmcbee wrote: »
    SnifterPug wrote: »
    The main point about 5:2 is the health benefits, as you will have seen from the documentary. The weight loss was a side benefit. If you want to gain health benefits but need calories to work, maybe something like the 16:8 protocol would be better for you. If you simply want to lose weight then you need to factor in a calorie deficit, however that may suit you.

    What documentary???

    Presumably the BBC documentary mentioned by the (2013) OP.

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