5:2 diet

I did the first week of c25k fasted. If you have any blood sugar issues - this will clear that up.

It's actually not bad - I usually have extra energy on fast days anyway.

Requires hard work and dedication.
If you're weak and most likely to give up easily then don't even start this diet because you'll end up craving all kinds of food that you like.
Don't even think about starting with this starvation diet when you're looking for muscle gains because your final result will be concluded as muscle loss.
Keep it simple; eat 5 meals a day and work out regularly, keep your calorie intake 500 kcal below your TDEE, then patiently wait for the results to come.

^^ listen to this guy

p124 of MM's book

"Who shouldn't fast?

There are certain groups for whom fasting is not advised. Type 1 diabetics are included in this list, along with anyone suffering from an eating disorder. If you are already extremely lean, do no fast. Children should never fast"

I'm pretty sure I've mentioned it in every single thread where it has been discussed!

Requires hard work and dedication.
If you're weak and most likely to give up easily then don't even start this diet because you'll end up craving all kinds of food that you like.
Don't even think about starting with this starvation diet when you're looking for muscle gains because your final result will be concluded as muscle loss.
Keep it simple; eat 5 meals a day and work out regularly, keep your calorie intake 500 kcal below your TDEE, then patiently wait for the results to come.

^^ listen to this guy

Erm no - don't listen to this guy! He is misinformed.

It's not that hard - easier to be "good" for one day at a time rather than 7 days a week.
Does not produce any particular cravings - why would it?
Not a starvation diet.
Will not result in muscle loss anymore than any other calorie restriction. Probably less likely as you should be eating normally 5 days a week.
Absolutely no reason for eating 5 meals a day apart from personal choice.

Debate is one thing but it's far better to do some research first. Fasting in all its various forms is done by millions of people for various reasons with no adverse effects.

With regard to people calorie counting on the other days I have to admit I am guilty. I am more curious than anything to see how my weekly intake pans out but I am logging at the end of the day (having eaten what I was happy to) rather than willfully counting every morsel). I intend after a while to stop doing that once I am content I am not overcompensating (which I am seeing already that I don't seem to at all).

IMO, if you are trying to lose weight on 5:2 - you may have to calorie count a bit - especially if you are coming from overeating.

It's still calories in - calories out.

But you should not unduly restrict your calories. So, doing an MFP -2#/week restriction on top of 2 fasts is probably too much. But, IMO, making sure that you are not eating 5000 calories/day for 5 days and trying to save that with 2 down days is probably wise.

What you talking about?! YOU DON'T HAVE TO RESTRICT YOUR CALORIES ON THE 5:2 DIET APART FROM ON THE "FAST" DAYS. Them's the rules.

If you are doing the 5:2 just to lose weight, then it's not for you. IT'S NOT A WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM.

And to say IN MY OPINION before you change how you follow the diet is just nonsense. Similar to "if I eat with my eyes closed then the calories don't count" (although the jury is still out on that one, awaiting peer review....)

Hi

I've just started on 5:2 with my first fast day yesterday. I've lost 8lbs in 8 days so I'm happy with that :-) I went on a low calorie diet for the first week as I knew I could drop a few pounds quickly but I have difficulty in sticking with a diet long term and this is where I think the 5:2 way of eating will work really well for me.

I'm planning on 1200 - 1500 calories on the feast days for the first few weeks as I want to lose a stone ASAP. After that I will probably stop paying attention to what I eat on the feast days but I hope it will help me break my snacking habit.

I felt ravenously hungry this morning after my fast. Had breakfast of 2 slices of (WW lo-cal) toast and peanut butter I was going to have another but after a fast day and realising that the hunger passes I thought I would wait 10 minutes and see if I still wanted it. Nope - got on with stuff and wasn't hungry any more. It's helping already :-)

Would love more 5;2 friends so feel free to add me.

Hi

I've just started on 5:2 with my first fast day yesterday. I've lost 8lbs in 8 days so I'm happy with that :-) I went on a low calorie diet for the first week as I knew I could drop a few pounds quickly but I have difficulty in sticking with a diet long term and this is where I think the 5:2 way of eating will work really well for me.

I'm planning on 1200 - 1500 calories on the feast days for the first few weeks as I want to lose a stone ASAP. After that I will probably stop paying attention to what I eat on the feast days but I hope it will help me break my snacking habit.

I felt ravenously hungry this morning after my fast. Had breakfast of 2 slices of (WW lo-cal) toast and peanut butter I was going to have another but after a fast day and realising that the hunger passes I thought I would wait 10 minutes and see if I still wanted it. Nope - got on with stuff and wasn't hungry any more. It's helping already :-)

Would love more 5;2 friends so feel free to add me.

HOLY MOTHER OF GOD! HOW CAN 1200-1500 CALORIES BE CONSIDERED A FEAST? THE CLUE IS IN THE NAME!

You are supposed to eat as much as you want on the feast days. IT IS NOT A WEIGHT LOSS DIET.

Read the bloody instructions BEFORE you start.

Near the top of the page you should have a number of headings which say


"Home-Recent Posts-My Topics-Settings-Search"

If you click on the "search" button you can type in the word or phrase you want to look for just within the MFP forums.
Give me a shout if that doesnt work!

With regard to people calorie counting on the other days I have to admit I am guilty. I am more curious than anything to see how my weekly intake pans out but I am logging at the end of the day (having eaten what I was happy to) rather than willfully counting every morsel). I intend after a while to stop doing that once I am content I am not overcompensating (which I am seeing already that I don't seem to at all).

IMO, if you are trying to lose weight on 5:2 - you may have to calorie count a bit - especially if you are coming from overeating.

It's still calories in - calories out.

But you should not unduly restrict your calories. So, doing an MFP -2#/week restriction on top of 2 fasts is probably too much. But, IMO, making sure that you are not eating 5000 calories/day for 5 days and trying to save that with 2 down days is probably wise.

What you talking about?! YOU DON'T HAVE TO RESTRICT YOUR CALORIES ON THE 5:2 DIET APART FROM ON THE "FAST" DAYS. Them's the rules.

If you are doing the 5:2 just to lose weight, then it's not for you. IT'S NOT A WEIGHT LOSS PROGRAM.

And to say IN MY OPINION before you change how you follow the diet is just nonsense. Similar to "if I eat with my eyes closed then the calories don't count" (although the jury is still out on that one, awaiting peer review....)

In my opinion, you should step away from the keyboard until your personality improves.

When Dr. Mosley talks about the 5:2, he generally says things like:

"Q: I would like to ask about non-fast days...as the recommended intake for a woman who is not dieting is 2000 calories, would it be wise to try to stick to this on the days you can "eat what you like" - assuming if you just stuff yourself with no heed to how much you are taking in the weight will be harder to shift? rosiemus
A: Yes, better to stick to your normal intake rather than try to stuff yourself."
(http://www.gransnet.com/webchats/fast-diet-with-michael-mosley)

5:2 does not contain a magic calorie fairy that uneats the food you eat for you. The whole "no need to restrict" means that you should not have to restrict to below maintenance calories - i.e. diet - on feeding days.

Dr. Mosley, IMO, probably expected that people would apply some common sense.

Dovetail - I can do whatever the hell I like as can you.

This post asked for feedback from people doing 5:2 so that they can support each other. As you're clearly not interested in this diet why don't you go and annoy someone else and leave me and MY diet in peace. Better still try being supportive instead of attacking people who are doing something different to you or not following the instructions as you happen to see them because you've really been quite rude to me,especially in your earlier post.

FYI (as you seem to be so concerned about what I'm doing) I am following 5:2 which is very flexible:
On 2 days I will eat 500 calories
On 5 days I will eat whatever I like (that might be 1200 calories or it might 2000 calories but that's up to me .)

You tell 'im mandster!

I agree - "eat what you like" means just that. If you'd like to eat less than 2000 kCal, then that's what you can do!

I'm loving the 5:2. It suits me, my life and my weightloss. That's what it boils down to. I know I'm not harming myself or others.
I hope it is going to be the end of yo-yo dieting as once at goal, you only do it one day a week to keep your weight steady. You name them, I have tried ALMOST every diet over the last 37 years and this is 'normal' I LOVE IT.

Others who feel the same please feel free to add me as a friend & supporter.

Jo

Hi, I'm pretty new to this forum, although I've been using MFP for a few years with fairly dismal results. My main problem is that constant calorie counting, constant deprivation of the foods that I love, and also the obvious lack of will power have meant that I've never lost more than 5 or 6 pounds, and have always put them back on.

After watching Michael Mosley's Horizon programme about intermittent fasting, however, I was impressed by the scientific findings in the volunteer trials, and the idea that fasting can help you lose weight and bring about dozens of other health benefits. When the 5:2 book came out a few months later, I thought I would give it a try, particularly as it only requires 24 hours of willpower at a time, which is just about all I can manage! Since starting the diet at the end of January, I have lost 17 pounds and 4.5 inches off my waist, and have absolutely no desire to give up, unlike all my other attempts at low calorie diets, where I've broken down after a couple of weeks. I've seen there's been a lot of conflicting views about this diet, and a lot of negative assumptions, but I thoroughly recommend to anyone who has tried the old 1200 calorie a day thing and got nowhere, to at least buy the book, learn more about how the diet works, and then decide if it is right for you. What have you got to lose? Weight!

Since starting, I have tweaked the diet slightly in that I am now doing a 4:3, which is surprisingly easier than the ADF (alternate day fasting) that a lot of people seem to think it is. I fast Mon, Wed and Fri, and have the whole weekend off, which I found INFINITELY more bearable than alternate days, simply because having two days together means I don't feel the need to gorge myself on the days off, as I know I can still have a little treat the next day.

I don't have problems with a lack of energy on my fast days, in fact my ten hour shifts make the fasting much easier as I'm busy - even working in a cafe surrounded by delicious foods! I'd recommend that anyone starting the diet doesn't spend their first fast day lounging around the house, as it's almost impossible to avoid temptation at the beginning, when giving in seems easy. Don't set yourselves up to fail!

Anyway, I hope this helps anyone considering this diet - and when I say 'diet', I mean in the original sense of the word, I don't see this as faddy in any way. I've never tried a fad diet, and never intend to. The science behind this is that humans evolved at a time when food was scarce and not in the modern society when snacking is all we do. Creationists may have no reason to believe in this diet, but everyone else, give it a go!

In response to the original post about fast day suggestions, I save all my calories for my evening meal so that I go to bed feeling content, and I generally have something like soup followed by a low fat ready-meal (Marks and Spencer's Count on Us range is good, as they have a lot of options for under 350 calories) or I'll have some smoked salmon and cottage cheese with broccoli, or maybe some stew and some fruit salad. I found when I had smaller snacks throughout the day, the weight was still coming off, but a little slower, so I guess just figure out what times and portion sizes work for you. Good luck!

Dovetail - I can do whatever the hell I like as can you.

This post asked for feedback from people doing 5:2 so that they can support each other. As you're clearly not interested in this diet why don't you go and annoy someone else and leave me and MY diet in peace. Better still try being supportive instead of attacking people who are doing something different to you or not following the instructions as you happen to see them because you've really been quite rude to me,especially in your earlier post.

FYI (as you seem to be so concerned about what I'm doing) I am following 5:2 which is very flexible:
On 2 days I will eat 500 calories
On 5 days I will eat whatever I like (that might be 1200 calories or it might 2000 calories but that's up to me .)

Please don't try to go down to 1200 calories on your "non-fast" days. It sounds like you would lose weight twice as fast ...... but very low calorie diets result in lots of muscle loss. That's a really high price to pay ..... besides, lots of people hit plateaus with very low calorie diets ... making the weight slower.

TeaBea - thank you for your kind and supportive comment. It certainly beats being told to "read the bloody instructions!"

You may well be right but I want to keep it fairly low for the next 2 or 3 weeks. If I stop losing I'll just eat more :-) I don't think there is really any danger of me sticking to 1200 calories anyway on a diet where you have a licence to eat what you like 5 days a week :-) If I had that much willpower I wouldn't be here in the first place.

I had about 1570 yesterday but I am finding that especially after my fast day - I fill up on much less food and have to focus on eating more. I'm eating healthy food and lots of it most of the time but last night I found I was still on less than 1200 cals - so forced down a glass of wine, 2 thorntons chocolates and a few crisps. Ahhh - I LOVE this diet :-)