5:2 diet

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has anyone on here tried this diet normal for 5 days then 500 cals for 2 this may have been on here before if so sorry for the repeat :smile:

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  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    It's been on quite a bit recently - if you use the "search" function you'll be able to find several threads about it.
  • jimbob2010
    jimbob2010 Posts: 15
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    thanks for that :smile:
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    I wish people would quite looking at IF as a "diet" for weight loss. It is a diet as far as it is what/how you eat but it was never meant as a weight loss plan. The intent was supposed to be for some wonderful health benefits achieved by letting your body "rest" on your fasting days.

    If you're looking for weight loss then just set a daily budget that is at a deficit and stick to it. The only reason 5:2 works is that you are eating at a deficit if your normal days are normal and then you eat 500 the other 2 days. If you over eat for 5 days and eat at a deficit for 2 days it isn't going to have any effect.
  • Idreamoflean
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    I did it for a month. Dropped a kilo and a half, but then got poorly. My body went out of sync (ladies) and it freaked me out so I stopped. Lots of people say it works. I suppose it depends what you're looking for. I don't think I could continue to do it later on as a 6:1 for maintenance, but each to their own...
  • stefjc
    stefjc Posts: 484 Member
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    I wish people would quite looking at IF as a "diet" for weight loss. It is a diet as far as it is what/how you eat but it was never meant as a weight loss plan. The intent was supposed to be for some wonderful health benefits achieved by letting your body "rest" on your fasting days.

    Not quite. It was always intended for other health benefits but also always had the side affect of weight loss. This was reported in the earliest of studies and is one of the reasons it is now being funded for more research - mainly for endocrine/diabetic disorders but also in bariatric settings.

    There was never anything about letting your body 'rest' on fasting or modified fasting days - I am not sure what you mean by that.

    Modified fasting like JUDDD, 5:2 and a growing number of others focus on the other health benefits and give guidance on how to achieve them and the pleasant side affect.... that fasting is not fast for weight loss is self evident when you look at those who have done it properly for any length of time - me for example, my 32lb loss took a year (0.6lb per week) and seems to be permanent as I have taken periods of time out as and when and have never gained back more than 2 lbs.

    My appetite is much more controlled, I have a working full button and seem to prefer healthier foods without thinking about it. So I would, as ever, suggest that anyone wishing to get unbiased information simply google it or look at the many research abstracts linked to on many threads here. That way no-one has to depend on any other posters opinions or experiences - mine or anyone elses!
  • jessicawoop
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    People who have done this, did you find it easy to do?
  • lollypoppet
    lollypoppet Posts: 103 Member
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    I think it's a ridiculous fad, i wouldn't trust anything like this at all. the 5:2 thing i've head of is you eat healthy to lose weight, and 2 days to relax a bit, but not go crazy. I dont know much about it, but i wont believe anything about it unlessi 've read the science to it.
  • stefjc
    stefjc Posts: 484 Member
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    Then I respectfully suggest you read the science on it before passing judgement.

    There are plenty of links on the various IF threads here and across the net. Lots of eminent universities are undertaking high class research into the various health aspects in humans, so the early animal studies are being replaced and updated.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    So I would, as ever, suggest that anyone wishing to get unbiased information simply google it or look at the many research abstracts linked to on many threads here. That way no-one has to depend on any other posters opinions or experiences - mine or anyone elses!

    Google the never ending source of reliable information!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    I think it's a ridiculous fad, i wouldn't trust anything like this at all. the 5:2 thing i've head of is you eat healthy to lose weight, and 2 days to relax a bit, but not go crazy. I dont know much about it, but i wont believe anything about it unlessi 've read the science to it.

    You completely fail to grasp the concept and in fact have it back to front!
    Maybe read up on the science and then make up your mind might be a more sensible approach?

    If you read this book you will find tons of references to scientific trials - "The Fast Diet: The Secret of Intermittent Fasting - Lose Weight, Stay Healthy, Live Longer" (Dr Michael Mosley)
    Alternatively....
    Here's some studies that a 5:2 buddy helpfully researched.....

    Abstracts of clinical trials:

    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/86/1/7.abstract
    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/81/1/69.abstract
    http://www.jlr.org/content/48/10/2212.abstract
    http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/90/5/1138.abstract
    http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3017674/
    http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayAbstract?fromPage=online&aid=8544422
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    The only issue I have with someone using it as a diet is the "normal" days. You have to set some restrictions on those if you plan to lose or maintain weight doing this. I've heard people say they can eat anything they want for the 5 days and restrict to 500 calories for the other 2 days. That's fine if you are someone who understands "normal" but I know lots of people who would think that because they had 2 low cal days then they could have 5 days of Baconators and fries washed down with soda.

    I see nothing wrong with doing this kind of eating if you want to do it but you need to understand all of the mechanics of it and understand it isn't necessarily a weight loss plan but a lifestyle change and it's going to take some adapting to conform to that. Nothing works for weight loss unless you are creating an overall calorie deficit.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W9Aj6hRYg4A


    Watch this....all will be explained very easily. I started eating this way last Friday...I've lost half a KG already. Eating at a deficit & working out could not even budge that much for me.
  • pinkraynedropjacki
    pinkraynedropjacki Posts: 3,027 Member
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    I think it's a ridiculous fad, i wouldn't trust anything like this at all. the 5:2 thing i've head of is you eat healthy to lose weight, and 2 days to relax a bit, but not go crazy. I dont know much about it, but i wont believe anything about it unlessi 've read the science to it.


    Ummmm.. you eat at maintain level (about 2000 cal) for 5 days a week, then fast (500 cal) for 2 days a week. Not the other way around.

    SO say Fasting monday(500), Tuesday & Wed eat 2000, Friday 500, Sat & sun 2000.
  • stefjc
    stefjc Posts: 484 Member
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    The only issue I have with someone using it as a diet is the "normal" days... I've heard people say they can eat anything they want for the 5 days and restrict to 500 calories for the other 2 days.

    I hope they are just talking in short hand. All of the reputable IF books advise you to count your 'normal days' and JUDDD has a calculator that many 5:2 ers also use.

    But, as we see here all the time, people do like to leap on a bandwagon without educating themselves. I suspect that most of the diet industry relies on that quite a lot!