the 5:2 diet - eat, fast and live longer.

I dont know.... I like food to much to not eat enough of it

I don't know much about dieting and/or nutrition so take this for what it's worth, but to me this diet doesn't sound like a good one because it doesn't do the one single most important thing that helps people keep the weight off rather than gain it all back. It doesn't teach consistent daily portion control. If you gave a kid sweets and junk food on certain days and then tried to balance them out by giving them nothing but healthy foods on other days what kind of discipline and habits would you expect those kids to develop? To me losing weight is about a lifestyle. Tricks to lose weight won't work in the long term because the thing that needs to change first and foremost even more than the food you eat is you. If you are a person who views food as a drug to bring you pleasure then it seems to me that might be a sign that your body is controlling you rather than you controlling it.

There is ALOT of really interesting research on intermittent fasting. Most of it on rats....

I think as a weight loss "diet" it is a horrible idea. It would appeal to those looking for a quick fix.

However the research they do have (even if there's not a ton of human research yet) does show that it increases the life span, helps with insulin resistance, and other really good benefits, so if you can commit to making it a permanent part of your lifestyle go for it. There are many many benefits. I intermittent fasted for a while, and realized it was too hard with my current lifestyle so I just eat a low calorie diet without the fasts now. I did like it while I did it, and I felt really good most of the time, though I didn't do it long enough to see much in the way of results. I did a 20/4 daily split.

It seems like something that isn't very sustainable for a lifetime. Will they be energized enough to get on with their daily tasks and workouts normally during the long "fast"? It might be possible but it isn't something I would touch because it can easily be a slippery slope to disordered eating habits. Some people with EDs are unintentionally doing this diet in a way (i.e. binge/starve cycle). Psychologically speaking, I'm not sure it's so safe. Really depends on the person

I wouldn't even attempt it because I work out for 4 hrs a day usually and there's no way I could work out and only take in 500 calories for fuel. Today I didn't eat anything before my workout and I had to cut it short because I wasn't feeling well.

Millions of Muslims do it every year without any negative effect. In fact, thye say it has very postive effects including cleansing the mind and body.

There is medical evidence to show that fasting is not dangerous to health and, in fact, as postive effects:
http://www.todaysdietitian.com/newarchives/072709p56.shtml

Sounds like way too much of a slippery slope to me from a well intentioned lifestyle change to an eating disorder...No way would I touch a diet like that...Fasting may help you lose weight short term but I hardly doubt it benefits the body systems &/or brain...

Starving the body of nutrients is incredibly dangerous and wreaks of desperation to me. I would rather put the effort into creating healthy eating habits for life...

I would be interested to see scientific research on 'fasting' diets like this and the users across a period of a decade or longer, including brain and organ effects...

Fasting is great but must be done properly. There are different fasting for different reasons.

If you decide to do it, do research first.

I fast 1 day a week from 6pm to 6p the following day on water only, and resume to regular eating schedule, without compensating me with extra food because my body "starved" for 24 hours. We are far away from starvation, and eating is mostly a habit. For body to starve we would have to go 18-20 days without food, and huger will be so great you will feel that you are going to eat your shoes soles. For me Monday works the best, it is a busy day and goes by quickly.

I fast because:

1) Give my body a chance to flush toxins and allergens out. I am mildly allergic to dairy ( I discovered it after fasting for 5 days on water). By not adding anything new into system, my body can clean out slowly and safely what needs to go.

2) Healing. Body has amazing ability to heal itself if we just give it a chance. By giving 24 hour break from food with drinking a lot of water, my body does not have to work hard on digestion, but instead it can direct that energy on healing itself.

3) Makes me appreciate and enjoy food more, appreciate the nutritional value, instead of just eating mindlessly and getting my stomach stretched out bigger and bigger for the love of food. And I do love food.

4) I read just past week "Eat Stop Eat" book online, and it had all the effects on fasting and muscle health information... a lot of info, and all is good.

5) And to me, personally, this is one of the top reasons why I started doing it, fasting is Biblical. It is recommended and done for different reasons through the Bible.


It is personal decision to fast. But from all that I read it makes more sense to fast on water only for the benefits in #1 and #2 above. If you are eating something, your body is working on digesting food and does not have break it needs for full benefits.

Water fasting is not as bad as you might think, I am sure most people had a busy day when they did not had time to stop and eat, and they did not die because they did not had food until dinner. If you do 6pm to 6pm, most of the time you spend sleeping through the night. Get busy through the day, drink a lot of water. Then plan regular, healthy dinner at night and drink a lot of water through the day.

I sorta do that, some days I only eat 500, and the rest 1,000 - 1,200

I do not envy your metabolism.

insomnia? heh. me and my girlfriend have been on 24h fasts every 3 days and she sleeps waay too much... like 8 to 10 hours a day. she does light exercise (30' mins elliptical every day) and she's never had any side effects to fasting.