The 5:2 Diet, Yes or No?

I'd have to say a big 'Yes' to 5:2 as I've followed it for 4 months and lost 17lb. I'm now happy with my weight and have switched to doing 6:1 for maintenance. This morning I went through my wardrobe and sorted out all my skirts and trousers - the only ones I can get away with wearing now are those with drawstring waists that I can pull right in and the rest are off to the charity shop! Time for a shopping trip.

If you want some advice and info there's a 5:2 Group Forum that you can find by going into 'Groups' and searching for 5:2. There's also another one listed as 5 + 2. I would definitely recommend getting a copy of the book by Dr Michael Mosley which explains the science behind the eating plan and the potential health benefits.

It's not for everyone, but a lot of people have found it really easy to follow and effective. The main advantages of this way of eating for me are that it's really flexible as you can vary the low cal days to suit what's going on in your life, you don't have to eat or exclude specific foods, and you are basically only dieting 2 days a week not obsessing about food every day. It is important that what you eat is nutritious so it doesn't mean that you can starve yourself for 2 days and then pig out on junk the rest of the time. You might loose weight that way but wouldn't be healthy.

You dont lose weight because of a 5:2 diet... you dont lose weight because you dont eat carbs...you dont lose weight because you only eat low GI foods...you dont lose weight because you only eat at certain times... you dont lose weight because you eat x amount of times a day... you dont lose weight because you do p90x....

You lose weight because of one reason only... CALORIE DEFICIT.

How you do this is totally irrelevant... other than if YOU personally find it easier to stick to... its not a magic bullet.

if you have lost weight by eating xxxx calories for x amount of time... its time to re-assess and lower your cal intake or increase you energy expenditure... or both....

Maybe you don't understand the 5:2 diet but calorie deficit is exactly how it works. I believe you eat your 'normal' maintenance calories for 5 days of the week and a minimal amount on the other 2. You are therefore creating a calorie deficit but rather than spreading it out across a whole week you are concentrating your entire deficit into 2 days.

The positives being that your body should not be able to adjust to the huge deficit because it is only occasional and you only have to worry about 'dieting' 2 days per week.

It's not for me but I know some people with a lot of weight to lose that are getting lots of success with this. I have not heard of any reports that it can damage your health either. (would be happy to hear if there are any)

If people are also learning to only eat maintenance calories on their 5 days then when they get to target weight hopefully they can carry on with that for all 7.

Give me this diet

It has worked very well for me - both to lose weight and to maintain weight while reducing body fat percentage.

There are two groups on here:

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8005-5-2-fasting

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8628-5-2-diet

Here's a link to Michael Mosley's web site that explains how the lifestyle works - really is very simple, flexible and easy to stick with.
http://thefastdiet.co.uk/

One of the prime reasons for the fast is the reductions of cholesterol, blood sugar and IGF-1 factors. Mosley did not do this for weight loss. His BBC assignment was about aging. Cardiovascular, cancer & dementia. It just happens that you loose weight due to the average calorie deficit.
So the eating program was hijacked by his co-author Mimi Spenser.
My wife & I do this for the indicative health benefits. Happens that in 6 weeks I've lost 6kg & she 3. It works for us socially. The level of commitment is 2 days out of 7. Diets fail due to the giving up on dieting. People mostly just cant keep that level of committment up. Statistics show 18 months after people diet they are heavier than when they start!
So if you take the view that this is a long term health program to avoid heart disease or cancer, & gratefully accept the weight loss. It's a winner! There is in the forums the concern that you binge on the other days. Science evidence is there that people don't.

Agreed. This was the main reason that I embarked on 5:2 (after much thought and research) and the reason why I intend to continue fasting 1 day a week which will hopefully give me the health benefits without any further weight loss. Having seen the devastating impact of cancer and dementia on members of my family I am committed to doing what I can to maintain my own health. The weight loss has been a definite bonus (but expensive in terms of needing to replace most of my wardrobe!) and the whole experience has made me more conscious about my eating.

An interesting note is that I used to have quite unstable blood sugar and had to plan my day around when I needed to eat, but since adopting 5:2 I have no problems with this. I haven't changed the type of food I eat as I've always eaten a healthy diet, but was probably just eating too much previously and not going long enough between snacks/meals which I presume must have had an effect on my insulin levels. Now I find I don't necessarily need snacks between meals and if a meal is delayed I don't start feeling wobbly!

If you're very hungry it might be a few reasons.
1. If you have a lot of sugar you have to get used to reduction as the 500/600 calories means you avoid sugar in the fast days.
2. Hunger is a lot of habit
3. You have to change to dense protein & salads. Some use whey shakes to help
4. Keep busy.
5. Drink more tea / herb tea / black coffee.
The forums or the FAQs on the eatlfast has help.
Don't fret over going over for a while. This is a long term metabolic change. Diets fail. So this has to work in 6 months time, 6 years time.