Has anyone tried intermittent fasting / 5:2 Diet?

i dont believe in fasting whatsoever. God created our bodies to be nourished and taken care off. not starved for 2 days straight. i have lost 4 stone and got my body fat down to 18% with not one day of fasting or eating any less than 1900.

On week two. And yesterday was a fast day and it was easier than last week where I broke on the second fast day and attacked my fridge out of boredom. Lesson learnt - planning and doing stuff and it's looking up.

I'm going to keep at it for a while and see what happens. I tend to eat near TDEE anyway but it is already psychologically liberating on up days. And quite zen on fast days.

It is most surprising to me that I don't feel rubbish on fast days even when it's 4pm, I've not eaten and I've walked over 3km into town and back to buy shoes!

Hi.

I'm just starting this today, for me I will do it Tuesday and Thursday's, but will also allow myself the freedom to change the 2 days (non-consecutive) if things come up in different weeks where one day is easier than another - just aiming for two days basically.

My plan is to eat around the 500 cals on those 2 days, and rather than 'fast' completely I will have a light lunch (soup and some crackers, for example) and then a light dinner (chicken with loads of salad, for example).

I tried this just before Christmas for a couple of weeks and wasn't as bad as I thought it might be, basically I skip breakfast (well I have a coffee) and then just adjust my meals to be as low as cals as I can. I found it actually made me think about what I was eating because I wanted to eat something substantial and filling I went for the healthy things like protein with vegetables/salad and you would be surprised at how much vegetables/salad you can actually have!

Lots of people do these kinds of 'fasting' for religious reasons and have had no problem, they still eat - they just reduce the calories on 2 days - a different method of calorie cycling I guess. personally I couldn't go 24/36 hours without food so just aiming for the 500 cals in the day!

Good luck. x

Edit to say: On other days I will eat my normal 1500/1600 cals per day.

Edited again to say - be careful joining the 5:2 groups, I have had a lot of FR from people who joined the group who are eating less than 500 every single day. I don't support that and can't and won't support it.

There's quite a lot of information on http://thefastdiet.co.uk/.

Thanks for this! x

I have no issue with IF itself. I do an informal version as I only eat within a window, however, the health benefits touted a lot, particularly with the 5:2 type ones are very possibly overstated as they do not compare a non calorie restricted 5:2 plan to a calorie restricted one. Of the benefits I have seen mentioned, they all have been associated with calorie restriction alone. So, is it the IF giving the benefits or is it the calorie restriction? I know that there are continuing studies ongoing into this so would love it is anyone has seen any studies with a proper control of IF v non IF as I may just not have seen them.

OP: In fairness you did point this lack of research out in your OP so I am in no way having a dig, just pointing out my skepticism as to the health benefits being mentioned in this thread,.

apparently, a lot of people have the wrong idea of what intermittent fasting is.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/08/intermittent-fasting/

http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html

intermittent fasting does not mean to not eat for 24 hours straight, or for two days straight. it is not an excuse to go over your daily calories because the next day you starve yourself.

simply, intermittent fasting is skipping breakfast.

at night you eat a large dinner. the next morning you wake up and you go about your day. the first time you eat should be about sixteen hours after you ate dinner. you have your lunch to break the fast. you eat all your daily calories in the next eight hours.

you start off slow by first just putting off breakfast once a week, then twice. little by little you get used to not eating so early. (coffee and water are allowed).

I find that my energy level is still high, and that i can work out in the morning very comfortably. I also like intermittent fasting because i can have larger meals, which i enjoy as opposed to small single servings.

apparently, a lot of people have the wrong idea of what intermittent fasting is.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/08/intermittent-fasting/

http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html

intermittent fasting does not mean to not eat for 24 hours straight, or for two days straight. it is not an excuse to go over your daily calories because the next day you starve yourself.

simply, intermittent fasting is skipping breakfast.

at night you eat a large dinner. the next morning you wake up and you go about your day. the first time you eat should be about sixteen hours after you ate dinner. you have your lunch to break the fast. you eat all your daily calories in the next eight hours.

you start off slow by first just putting off breakfast once a week, then twice. little by little you get used to not eating so early. (coffee and water are allowed).

I find that my energy level is still high, and that i can work out in the morning very comfortably. I also like intermittent fasting because i can have larger meals, which i enjoy as opposed to small single servings.

^^that is one version of IF (leangains style). ESE for example has you not eating for 24 hour periods.

If done properly, there is not an issue with either style - I do the 'skipping breakfast' one for exactly the same reasons you mentioned.

apparently, a lot of people have the wrong idea of what intermittent fasting is.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/08/intermittent-fasting/

http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html

intermittent fasting does not mean to not eat for 24 hours straight, or for two days straight. it is not an excuse to go over your daily calories because the next day you starve yourself.

simply, intermittent fasting is skipping breakfast.

at night you eat a large dinner. the next morning you wake up and you go about your day. the first time you eat should be about sixteen hours after you ate dinner. you have your lunch to break the fast. you eat all your daily calories in the next eight hours.

you start off slow by first just putting off breakfast once a week, then twice. little by little you get used to not eating so early. (coffee and water are allowed).

I find that my energy level is still high, and that i can work out in the morning very comfortably. I also like intermittent fasting because i can have larger meals, which i enjoy as opposed to small single servings.

^^that is one version of IF (leangains style). ESE for example has you not eating for 24 hour periods.

If done properly, there is not an issue with either style - I do the 'skipping breakfast' one for exactly the same reasons you mentioned.

i forgot about the Eat Stop Eat method of fasting. thanks.

there is some good information out there about it, but on looking, it seems that the people that have had bad experiences are the people that dive right in to it. with no prior experience, they simply stop eating for a day.

i actually did have one day a few months back where i tried a 24 hour fast. it was hard. but i don't think i could've done it without having done months of 16:8 fasting.

I totally agree that people jump in and just do it wrong a lot of the time. If someone is thinking about trying it they should do their homework. The group that Chris provided the link to is a good resource as a starting point.

I would not even consider the ESE or 5:2 one...I like my daily ice-cream too much for that.

apparently, a lot of people have the wrong idea of what intermittent fasting is.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/08/intermittent-fasting/

http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html

intermittent fasting does not mean to not eat for 24 hours straight, or for two days straight. it is not an excuse to go over your daily calories because the next day you starve yourself.

simply, intermittent fasting is skipping breakfast.

at night you eat a large dinner. the next morning you wake up and you go about your day. the first time you eat should be about sixteen hours after you ate dinner. you have your lunch to break the fast. you eat all your daily calories in the next eight hours.

you start off slow by first just putting off breakfast once a week, then twice. little by little you get used to not eating so early. (coffee and water are allowed).

I find that my energy level is still high, and that i can work out in the morning very comfortably. I also like intermittent fasting because i can have larger meals, which i enjoy as opposed to small single servings.

yes, I also enjoy the feeling really full feeling and the empty feeling throughout the day. You understand what IF is all about . I love exercising fasted and then fueling my body afterwards. . I am so hungry in the evenings and I find that I am always ravenously hungry in the evenings regardless if I have eaten all day or not, the evening time is the toughest for me. So, now it isn't anymore and as long as I eat the right foods within my window I feel so full and satisfied . It is all about figuring out your weaknesses and figuring out healthy ways that you can stick with to compensate for them.

Your body needs what it needs. I'm not convinced that it matters when you eat it.

I was reading a book about Scottish families in the 20s and 30s. They said they barely ate at all during the day, maybe a chunk of bread or something on the way to school. Then they'd come home, help out with the farm and finally have dinner right before bed. They certainly didn't get fat from eating most of their calories late at night. Of course they were a lot more active than most people are now. Still, I found it interesting that they ate that way.

Yep. Breakfast in the 'eat in the morning' sense is a pretty modern concept.

apparently, a lot of people have the wrong idea of what intermittent fasting is.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/08/intermittent-fasting/

http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html

intermittent fasting does not mean to not eat for 24 hours straight, or for two days straight. it is not an excuse to go over your daily calories because the next day you starve yourself.

simply, intermittent fasting is skipping breakfast.

at night you eat a large dinner. the next morning you wake up and you go about your day. the first time you eat should be about sixteen hours after you ate dinner. you have your lunch to break the fast. you eat all your daily calories in the next eight hours.

you start off slow by first just putting off breakfast once a week, then twice. little by little you get used to not eating so early. (coffee and water are allowed).

I find that my energy level is still high, and that i can work out in the morning very comfortably. I also like intermittent fasting because i can have larger meals, which i enjoy as opposed to small single servings.

^^that is one version of IF (leangains style). ESE for example has you not eating for 24 hour periods.

If done properly, there is not an issue with either style - I do the 'skipping breakfast' one for exactly the same reasons you mentioned.

i forgot about the Eat Stop Eat method of fasting. thanks.

there is some good information out there about it, but on looking, it seems that the people that have had bad experiences are the people that dive right in to it. with no prior experience, they simply stop eating for a day.

i actually did have one day a few months back where i tried a 24 hour fast. it was hard. but i don't think i could've done it without having done months of 16:8 fasting.

I totally agree that people jump in and just do it wrong a lot of the time. If someone is thinking about trying it they should do their homework. The group that Chris provided the link to is a good resource as a starting point.

I would not even consider the ESE or 5:2 one...I like my daily ice-cream too much for that.

you still can have your daily ice cream with doing all types of IF except the 24 hour one of course. That is the beauty of IF, and you make your own rules at least I make my own rules lol. There are no hard fast rules. The people that fail are the ones that don't stick to it or try different ways of doing it, or maybe it just isn't for them and that is ok too. Some people do better with small meals throughout the day, some people are volume eaters and like to feel really full when they have eaten. I have a tendency to eat too much, I eat really healthy most of the time, but portions have always been a problem for me. I acknowledge that and instead of fighting it for the rest of my life, IF has allowed me to eat bigger quantities in one go so I can feel satisfied with my eating. It was an important find for me specifically. I know a lot of people that eat much smaller amounts than me and are satisfied with that or some that can't wake up without having a huge breakfast. We are all individuals in this respect.

apparently, a lot of people have the wrong idea of what intermittent fasting is.

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2010/02/08/intermittent-fasting/

http://www.leangains.com/2010/04/leangains-guide.html

intermittent fasting does not mean to not eat for 24 hours straight, or for two days straight. it is not an excuse to go over your daily calories because the next day you starve yourself.

simply, intermittent fasting is skipping breakfast.

at night you eat a large dinner. the next morning you wake up and you go about your day. the first time you eat should be about sixteen hours after you ate dinner. you have your lunch to break the fast. you eat all your daily calories in the next eight hours.

you start off slow by first just putting off breakfast once a week, then twice. little by little you get used to not eating so early. (coffee and water are allowed).

I find that my energy level is still high, and that i can work out in the morning very comfortably. I also like intermittent fasting because i can have larger meals, which i enjoy as opposed to small single servings.

^^that is one version of IF (leangains style). ESE for example has you not eating for 24 hour periods.

If done properly, there is not an issue with either style - I do the 'skipping breakfast' one for exactly the same reasons you mentioned.

i forgot about the Eat Stop Eat method of fasting. thanks.

there is some good information out there about it, but on looking, it seems that the people that have had bad experiences are the people that dive right in to it. with no prior experience, they simply stop eating for a day.

i actually did have one day a few months back where i tried a 24 hour fast. it was hard. but i don't think i could've done it without having done months of 16:8 fasting.

I totally agree that people jump in and just do it wrong a lot of the time. If someone is thinking about trying it they should do their homework. The group that Chris provided the link to is a good resource as a starting point.

I would not even consider the ESE or 5:2 one...I like my daily ice-cream too much for that.

you still can have your daily ice cream with doing all types of IF except the 24 hour one of course. That is the beauty of IF, and you make your own rules at least I make my own rules lol. There are no hard fast rules. The people that fail are the ones that don't stick to it or try different ways of doing it, or maybe it just isn't for them and that is ok too. Some people do better with small meals throughout the day, some people are volume eaters and like to feel really full when they have eaten. I have a tendency to eat too much, I eat really healthy most of the time, but portions have always been a problem for me. I acknowledge that and instead of fighting it for the rest of my life, IF has allowed me to eat bigger quantities in one go so I can feel satisfied with my eating. It was an important find for me specifically. I know a lot of people that eat much smaller amounts than me and are satisfied with that or some that can't wake up without having a huge breakfast. We are all individuals in this respect.

I already do an informal leangains style IF (you must have missed an earlier post where I said I did). That way I can eat my ice-cream in bed.

I tried it for a while. I lost significant muscle mass in the time I was doing it and stopped.

Blame that on the macros/exercise not the meal frequency

I personally like the 5:2 fasting , i dont see it as a diet , just a way of life

I have done this but not following a particular diet. I made it up myself and call it the ETH or Embrace the Hunger diet. Basically I do 900 calories 3-4 times a week followed by 1200-1500 calories. Sometimes I do 2 or 3 days of 800-900 and bounce up to 1200. Or if I know I am going to be going out a lot on the weekend and eating and drinking with friends, I eat 900 all week and enjoy my weekend.

Good luck!

I have lost 30lbs this way.