Anyone ever heard of the 5:2 diet

db56
db56 Posts: 31 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
donna

Replies

  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    Yes.
  • db56
    db56 Posts: 31 Member
    Is it a good plan or uhealthy
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
    It's just calorie reduction by eating very low one day and high the next. Not really unhealthy but definitely not necessary. Just set a calorie budget and stay within it. Much easier and just as effective.
  • annared07
    annared07 Posts: 2 Member
    There is lots more info over here (http://www.52fastdiet.co.uk/) as it's becoming very popular in the UK. In my opinion it's much easier than an overall calorie restricted diet and there is more to it than weightloss.
  • 13suzie
    13suzie Posts: 349 Member
    I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who suffers from headaches or migraines.

    Metabolic regularity / meal regulalrity is a form of migraine prevention that most migraineurs swear by and skipping meals (let alone switching to a extreme lo-cal or fast day) wreaks havoc for migraine sufferers.

    That's my 2 cents.
  • annared07
    annared07 Posts: 2 Member
    Not sure whether any of the people replying have tried it. I'm doing it and interestingly I haven't had one migraine since starting and I was a regular sufferer. In the early weeks I did feel very cold on fast days with blurred vision but these symptoms have pretty much disappeared. Weight loss is slow (because I don't have a huge amount to lose - the profile pic is not me) but it is steady and it doesn't feel like I'm on a diet.
  • fatsnacker
    fatsnacker Posts: 209 Member
    I am doing my own version by eating normally 5 days a week and eating 1000 calories on Friday and Saturday rather than the recommended 500 calories.

    I have lost 18lbs in 10 weeks and do not feel hungry.
  • db56
    db56 Posts: 31 Member
    Are you doing the 2000 calories that they say to do on your 5 days
  • MsPudding
    MsPudding Posts: 562 Member
    I do 5:2 and though you will lose weight on it (simply because it does result in a weekly deficit..as does cutting back a little bit every day), the primary reason for doing it is NOT weight-loss but other health benefits. The jury's still out because there's not been enough long-term human testing, but in human tests so far various fasting methods appear to lower the key risk vectors for diabetes and cardio-vascular disease. Animal testing is showing that the lowered IGF-1 hormone levels it causes appear to lower the risk of such things as cancer.

    If you're looking at it just for weight loss, then it will work and it's really just a question of whether you prefer to get your weekly deficit in two short, sharp shocks or whether you prefer a daily deficit.
  • mcdebbie
    mcdebbie Posts: 940 Member
    You may also want to do a search for the other threads on the 5:2 diet and there are also 2 groups that I know of in the group section. "The Fast Diet" book is now out in the US, the program in the UK last year on his findings started many people on the 5:2 path.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Are you doing the 2000 calories that they say to do on your 5 days

    Who are "they"?
    Well worth reading the book rather than get misleading interpretations from random people! (see http://thefastdiet.co.uk/)

    Addressing some of the statements above:
    Migraines - no detrimental impact at all for me.
    Only for weight loss - I'm maintaining not trying to lose any more weight. It's the health benefits that are most attractive for me.
    Staying within a daily calorie budget - many people find it easier to "be good for a day" twice a week rather than feel restricted seven days a week.

    It's an option, certainly doesn't suit everyone but has worked for me.
  • fatsnacker
    fatsnacker Posts: 209 Member
    Hi DB56,

    I am eating 2000 calories a day, 5 days a week. I tried 500 calories on Good Friday for the first time followed by 1000 calories the next day. I did not feel hungry at all therefore in future I will have 1000 calories on Friday and 500 on Saturday as these are the only two days I can manage around work commitments. My weight keeps going down each week and people are noticing.

    give it a try, even eating less one day a week is going to have a weight loss effect if you eat normally the rest of the time.
  • AbsoluteNG
    AbsoluteNG Posts: 1,079 Member
    5:2 follows under intermittent fasting. The intermittent fasting group is in the link below. You can check out what others have asked and probably find the answer to your question somewhere.
    http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/49-intermittent-fasting
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    I'm going to give it a try starting tomorrow. Will have 2000 cals for 5 days and 700 the other 2 days as this equals my TDEE - 20 percent.

    I've tried eating the same every day but I go over at weekends if I do that. Also tried less calories during the week ie. 1400 and more at weekends but that way I'm too hungry on the other 5 days due to training and I ended up over some days. I think this will be easier to manage as I can plan my two low calorie days and stick to them by having 1 proper meal during the day and a meal replacement shake for breakfast as well as protein shake for my third meal. It's only 2 days so hopefully I won't feel so deprived the rest of the week.
  • FeebRyan
    FeebRyan Posts: 738 Member
    I like to do 5:2 but I do it a bit differently

    I never eat after 6pm or before 10am (11 if I can help it)

    Then two days a week I stop eating all together at 2pm and I don't eat again until 11.30 the next day, so. 22.5hr fast. I'm hoping to build this back up to a 24 hour fast but it is hard

    I don't eat 500 calories in that time, I just don't eat

    I don't restrict calories any or the time, I concentrate on when I eat not what I eat (within reason )

    I've lost 6kgs in 5 weeks
  • newme2105
    newme2105 Posts: 89 Member
    I'm doing it. I watched the horizon documentary (on you tube) eat, fast, live longer and bought the book. I am eating 500-700 calories 2 days a week but 1700-3000 calories on the other 5 days... I've lost 13.5lbs in 4 weeks. I have tried to exercise 4 x a week on top. I've found calorie restricting 2 days a week a lot easier than trying to do it all 5!
  • ldbuster0
    ldbuster0 Posts: 207
    I am doing it. I did lose 4 lbs last week. Although I'm not sure if the 5:2 contributed to it. I did eat a lot (1 cup twice a day) of lentil soup. Sometimes I find it very difficult to eat 2000 calories after a fast. I'm still trying to figure out what is going on.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Well yesterday I tried to have a fast day but it ended up being around 1000 calories in the end. I was planning on eating 2000 today so I'll eat 1700 to balance it out from yesterday then trying going for another 700 calorie day on Wednesday or Thursday. I hope this works!
  • db56
    db56 Posts: 31 Member
    So on the eating days you have to have more than the 1200 per day?
  • farway
    farway Posts: 1,264 Member
    So on the eating days you have to have more than the 1200 per day?

    No, you just eat sensibly & healthy, so not 20 doughnuts or meat pie & chips doubled up, with a few pints of beer followed by apple crumble & custard with some chocolate cake and maybe a few cheese sandwiches for supper

    A normal healthy food intake, including veggies
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Actually that's not true. 1200 calories on 'high' days would be way too low. I've worked out my maintenance calories based on my activity level and I need to eat 2200-2300 calories every day just to maintain my current weight. If I want to lose 1lb per week I need to eat 3500 calories less per week in order to do that so I've decided to eat 700 calories on my 'low' days and on each of the other days I can allow myself over 2000 calories.

    If I was eating 1200 on my high days I'd be way under what my body needs for the week and would end up skinny fat and believe me you don't want to be there, I've been there before and it's no better than being fat!

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