5:2 Fasting Diet

13

Replies

  • Miiimii
    Miiimii Posts: 279 Member
    At the beginning I avoid working out at my fasting days, but with the time I got used to the lower calorie amout on my fasting days and feel energized enough to work out. So the question with the exercise calories came just up the last weeks since I started working out on my fasting days.

    I don't know what the book says, because I don't have it. If anyone out there has more information aboute fasting days, exercises and exercises calories, please let me know.
  • Keiras_Mom
    Keiras_Mom Posts: 844 Member
    I don't eat back my exercise calories on fasting days. Yesterday, I consumed 450 calories, but I burned 408 calories (per HRM, at the gym), so my net calories were 42. Sometimes I have negative net calories. If you feel well, there's no need to eat more. JMO.
  • Beavergong
    Beavergong Posts: 178 Member
    I m on 5:2 and I swim on fast days. I usually swim 60 laps but when I started 5:2 on cut that back to 40 on fast days but now I swim 60 again . The book The Fast Diet says don,t eat your exercise calories back on fast days sorry.
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
    I don't eat back my exercise calories on fasting days. Yesterday, I consumed 450 calories, but I burned 408 calories (per HRM, at the gym), so my net calories were 42. Sometimes I have negative net calories. If you feel well, there's no need to eat more. JMO.

    I agree with this - you don't eat more if you exercise on a fast day. If it's just a one-off very busy day you can move the fast to another day. I had a spell of being very active when working on a project and stopped doing 5:2 for that time. If you get too weak and wobbly to continue if you have big burns on fast days you'll need to be sensible. You have choices - if you can't cope with fasting, cycling and working out on fast days you could -
    1) cut fasts back to one a week (on a less busy day), or
    2) eat enough that you can cycle and work, or
    3)reduce the amount of exercise you do on fasting days.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Why not do what I'm doing and work out your TDEE and then subtract what you need to eat every week in order to lose 1lb per week or whatever your looking to lose.

    Then you just need to subtract 1000 calories for your 2 fast days from the total and divide the remainder up evenly for the other days.

    That would mean that if the total you can eat all week after subtracting the weekly deficit is for example 10000 then after taking off 1000 cals for the 2 fast days you'd have 9000 for the other days which divided by 5 would be 1800 cals per day. Still emough to lise weight and you will feel satisfied with what you're eating on the other days.
  • aimesuk
    aimesuk Posts: 51 Member
    Why not do what I'm doing and work out your TDEE and then subtract what you need to eat every week in order to lose 1lb per week or whatever your looking to lose.

    Then you just need to subtract 1000 calories for your 2 fast days from the total and divide the remainder up evenly for the other days.

    That would mean that if the total you can eat all week after subtracting the weekly deficit is for example 10000 then after taking off 1000 cals for the 2 fast days you'd have 9000 for the other days which divided by 5 would be 1800 cals per day. Still emough to lise weight and you will feel satisfied with what you're eating on the other days.

    Because you are totally missing the point of 5:2 and just doing a low calorie diet? Lots of people find it easier to maintain a fast day twice a week than restrict all the time.
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
    Why not do what I'm doing and work out your TDEE and then subtract what you need to eat every week in order to lose 1lb per week or whatever your looking to lose.

    Then you just need to subtract 1000 calories for your 2 fast days from the total and divide the remainder up evenly for the other days.

    That would mean that if the total you can eat all week after subtracting the weekly deficit is for example 10000 then after taking off 1000 cals for the 2 fast days you'd have 9000 for the other days which divided by 5 would be 1800 cals per day. Still emough to lise weight and you will feel satisfied with what you're eating on the other days.

    Because you are totally missing the point of 5:2 and just doing a low calorie diet? Lots of people find it easier to maintain a fast day twice a week than restrict all the time.

    What JAT74 is suggesting is a 5:2 diet with 2 days at 500 calories each. She is showing how to calculate how much to eat on the non-fasting days to maintain a suitable deficit over the week. Makes perfect sense.... :flowerforyou:
  • Crochetluvr
    Crochetluvr Posts: 3,256 Member
    I would like to know what is so important about "jumpstarting" weight loss. :ohwell:
  • mytabouly
    mytabouly Posts: 66 Member
    Hi there! I have just started my first fast day on this "lifestyle change". A colleague of mine has been doing intermittent fasting for some time now and he looks fantastic. He just seems to be bursting with energy.

    We're both programmers so we have very sedentary jobs. This program seems to fit very well with the nature of our work. Just as an aside, I also do strength and cardio training 3 times a week.

    I have a bit of weight to lose (around 12ks) but i guess this really isn't about weight loss for me. I'm much more interested in the health benefits and energy levels.

    I'll check back in a few days to let you know how it's going. I might make my food diary public so if you're interested in what I eat on the fast days, you can see it there.

    Also, first post!
  • beattie1
    beattie1 Posts: 1,012 Member
    I have never heard of this diet. I too am wondering what the benefit of "fasting" for two days is versus just eating 1,500 a day (for example). Isn't it about net calorie deficit at the end of the week, or what am I missing? That said, how do you eat 2,000 calories 5 days a week!! I've been on here for two months and had only one day even close to 2,000. I think I'd have to eat a pint of ice cream every day to get that high. Hmm, maybe not a bad plan...Plus 2,000 is well over my TDEE so that just seems counterproductive. Confused as to why or how this works. :S

    The primary goal of doing the 5:2 diet is a healthier body, the weight loss is a side effect. Read this -
    http://thefastdiet.co.uk/
    A day or two of eating very low calorie puts your body into "repair mode" instead of "growth mode" and improves insulin sensitivity.
  • khrest
    khrest Posts: 4
    Its the only diet that ever worked for me and my wife.
    I've lost 36lb in 4 months, she lost 25 in 3.5 months.
    550 cals on two fast days each week and <1300 on the other 5. Total 7500-8000 cals per week.
    It only works for me because if I eat >1400 cals in a day I gain weight steadily. This meant I lost 1-2lb on my two fast days and then didn't put them back on during the other 5.
    I dont know how you can eat 2000+ per day, every day, I feel bloated if I get to 1800 on bad day.
    Just proves we are all different.
    Oh, and I feel healthier than I have for 25 years, my wife is the same.
    The only negative I've seen is we need new wardrobes, but I can live with that if that's the worst of it!
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    To the previous poster, are you exercising while eating that little? I burn off around 3000 calories per week through exercise but have so far found that by doing 5:2 or any other method that I'm not losing weight if I eat 9,500-11,000 calories across the week so next week I'm going to try and eat no more than 9200 in total including two fast days of 550 each and more on the other days.

    It will be hard for me to eat so little with my current activity level so I don't know how you can eat 7500-8000 unless you and your wife don't exercise.

    I have come to the conclusion after 4 months on MFP that lower calories is the only way for me to lose and 5:2 make this a lot more bearable as 2 days of vlc means 5 days of eating a more 'normal' amount of food.
  • alyssawyn
    alyssawyn Posts: 5 Member
    Hi, does anyone know if its ok to take appetite supressants on fast days??
  • Guitar1969
    Guitar1969 Posts: 33 Member
    It's not the best diet out there is all I can say about it. It's really depriving yourself from what your body truly needs. You need carbs, although they can make you gain weight, you will still need them throughout the day.

    I would still prefer Paleo over 5:2 diet any day of the week. A much better option.
    I think what you mean to say is your body needs complex carbs as nobody needs simple carbs like table sugar , white bread etc. The 5:2 diet does not restrict carbs. I have been doing the 5:2 diet and it is by far the least restrictive diet out there for weight loss but again it all adds up to less calories consumed than burned.

    I think the paleo diet is probably the most restrictive plan out there and is not long term sustainable. Do people understand that the average life expectancy of Paleo man was 25 years - why do people think that plan is good.

    I think though from what I am reading is everybody is modifying the 5:2 with a calorie restricted diet on the other feed days as well which is not what they recommend at all. So you shouldn't be calling it 5:2. I think you are going to see stalls that way and it is unhealthy as it is going to catch up to you.
  • Guitar1969
    Guitar1969 Posts: 33 Member
    Hi, does anyone know if its ok to take appetite supressants on fast days??

    don't...

    Absolutely not. After your first few fast days you will not feel as bad.
  • mytabouly
    mytabouly Posts: 66 Member
    I'd say a definite no to appetite supressants. I did my first fast day and it really was not too bad. You just need to make sure you have water always handy. I found that gum helped when I started to feel a little too ravenous. Today I woke up feeling fab, none of the usual bloating etc.

    So far so good....
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    Do you REALLY feel that an appetite suppressant will act that quickly? It's only for one day, you can eat tomorrow. Chew on a celery stick, drink some water, have a cup of bouillon, there's all sorts of ways to manage a hunger wave.
  • Fairlieboy
    Fairlieboy Posts: 84 Member
    Personally, I wouldn't do it. Fasting and too low calories leads to binging! x
    Here is the interesting scientific outcome from proper research in the USA. The obese patients had a much better compliance with this eating regime than other patients using other calorie restrictions.
    In contrast, 60,000 people in over 30 scientific studies using a wide range of diet programs increased weight following 2 years after their diet. Diets are a sure fired way to increase weight. Who has not yoyoed!
    Some of the other mfp people in the groups 5+2 or 5:2 say the value of the program is they don't binge. My wife has been on every diet known. This one is a doodle. It allows social eating without guilt. While we have only been doing it for 6 weeks I have lost weight & does not cramp our lifestyle.
  • alyssawyn
    alyssawyn Posts: 5 Member
    No I don't think I really need it, I haven't been struggling hunger much but I was just interested in finding out whether it would have any negative impact??
  • alyssawyn
    alyssawyn Posts: 5 Member
    *struggling with
  • khrest
    khrest Posts: 4
    To the previous poster, are you exercising while eating that little? I burn off around 3000 calories per week through exercise but have so far found that by doing 5:2 or any other method that I'm not losing weight if I eat 9,500-11,000 calories across the week so next week I'm going to try and eat no more than 9200 in total including two fast days of 550 each and more on the other days.

    I don exercise beyond some power walking and a cricket match once a week; my job doesn't allow it and I simply cannot stick with (or afford) gyms.

    I'm now in maintenance and gradually trying to raise the calories slowly, aiming for 1400 per day with one fast day this week. I think I will keep the single fast day even in maintenance, having watched the documentary and seen the compelling health benefits from fasting.

    I need a bit of an overshoot on my target anyway as we have 5 days in New York at the end of the month and I'm planning to eat for England whilst out there; just love American BBQ and Seafood!
  • Beavergong
    Beavergong Posts: 178 Member
    I do find I can exercise on fast days. I often don't swim as far and I make sure
    I have water with me. So I do try to keep up my routine.
  • mikeydj
    mikeydj Posts: 2
    Hi, my name is mike Jenkins and I (and a lot of my friends) are in the Facebook 5:2 Intermittent fasting diet group. So far I have lost 28 lbs. I still have another 38 to go. Its working well for me :)

    I am not sure if you are in the group or not but there is a lot of friendly advice there. The link is below but you can obviously just use the search button on Facebook. I hope this may be of help to you.

    Mike


    https://www.facebook.com/groups/187492001383720/
  • SGSmallman
    SGSmallman Posts: 193 Member
    The idea of 5:2 and 8:16 (Intermittent Fasting) and all others isn't a diet or weight loss plan, it's a intake plan on how you get your nutrition.

    I can't physically eat 6 meals a day i end up feeling crappy and under eating to hit my TDEE. But using Intermittent fasting following lean gains programme I eat my intake within an 8 hour window and fast for 16 hours and this works for me because im at my desk for 8 hours a day and go to bed reasonably early and wake up at 5ish to go to the gym.

    I have seen a boost to my weight loss but its probably because im hitting the correct intake and have repaired the damage of under eating/ over eating basically yoyoing has done to my metabolism.

    Just remember there are no quick fixes what we are trying to do is build a sustainable lifestyle long after weight loss and into maintenance mode.

    Do what works for you not what someone else suggests or is the quickest way everyone reacts differently.
  • madamshome
    madamshome Posts: 5
    Have been doing alternate day fast, (500-600 cals) for 2 weeks.

    Is there a way of adjusting the calorie target on FP for the low cal days?
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    No there isn't unfortunately. If you're doing alternate days of 500-600 how much do you eat on the other days. I eat 500-600 two days a week and on the other days up until now it's been 1500-1800 but this week I've lowered that to 1400-1600. Some people say that overall with these amounts on my fast days it's still too little across the week. I you're having 3-4 days of such low calories you'd have to eat a lot on the other days not to go too low (depending on your TDEE and goals) surely?
  • Keiras_Mom
    Keiras_Mom Posts: 844 Member
    No there isn't unfortunately. If you're doing alternate days of 500-600 how much do you eat on the other days. I eat 500-600 two days a week and on the other days up until now it's been 1500-1800 but this week I've lowered that to 1400-1600. Some people say that overall with these amounts on my fast days it's still too little across the week. I you're having 3-4 days of such low calories you'd have to eat a lot on the other days not to go too low (depending on your TDEE and goals) surely?

    There's a calculator on Dr. Johnson's (author of the Alternate Day Diet) website which gives your UD (up day) calories, and your DD (down day) calories. I lost over 100 pounds with alternate day fasting and now maintain with 5:2.
  • mytabouly
    mytabouly Posts: 66 Member
    WOW!!
  • kathymhardy
    kathymhardy Posts: 267 Member
    Mokey, this is a weight loss option. It has been known to drop body fat and lower cholestoral and blood sugar in a short amount of time. I really don't understand why people can't understand that people need to try different options. Everyone's body is different and we react to food, diets, eating habits differently. That's why there are so many weight loss alternatives, because some things didn't work for everyone.

    I am committed to eating healthy and exercise, but at different times in my life, I need to try different things. Right now, I need to lose some weight. In a few months, I might need to maintain.

    I'm really getting a negative vibe from some of these replies. I'm only interested in people's results and experiences, not opinions about how horrible of a choice I'm making and what I want to try.

    On an additional note, I hate diets, I believe that the only way to stay healthy for me is to adopt healthy eating and exercise, but there are times when people need to lose weigt. Right now, this is my time.

    'Like' - good for you x
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
    I really don't get why anyone thinks this is a weight loss plan unless all you're doing is fooling yourself with your calorie intake. Why not just average out the calories and eat that every day? There's no weight loss advantage to starving one day and pigging out the next or just plain starving if you do VLC one day and LC the next. It's amazing the lengths people will go to in order to fool themselves about what is healthy.

    People find it easier to count and control calories just two days a week, and to eat normally (around TDEE) on the other five. So for them it's more sustainable, and clinical trials have shown this type of thing to be at least as effective as continous calorie reduction as you advocate above.

    So it is a way of achieving a calorie reduction by eating 5.5 days food in 7 days - a 21.5% reduction - rather than eating 21.5% less every day.

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