Fasting two days a week?

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  • alpine1994
    alpine1994 Posts: 1,915 Member
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    Interesting that some people are "annoyed" by this under eating of calories. If you are overweight, you should be under eating. Your body can access the fat stores if you will allow it to. The problem with society now is that we have been programed to think we need to eat every 3 hours and we never give our bodies a rest. In addition, we never get to the fat stores. Now that I'm on the 5:2 plan, and yes, it's my own version of the plan, I notice all the overweight folks everywhere I go and many of them are very young. Like some of the posters mentioned, you have to do what works for you.

    I eat every 3 hours and I lost weight, have kept it off for 8 months, and my labs are perfect. Eating every 3 hours or doing an intermittent fasting plan gets you the same results if the calorie amounts are the same. It has nothing to do with our bodies "getting to fat stores". Eating smaller meals frequently or fasting is a personal preference and you shouldn't say that eating every 3 hours won't work since myself and many other people are living proof.
  • capnrus789
    capnrus789 Posts: 2,736 Member
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    This sounds completely miserable. Surely you can find something that works, and doesn't make you hate life.
  • Rhozelyn
    Rhozelyn Posts: 201 Member
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    I agree. I tried this and ended up binge eating because I was so hungry. If you are prone to binge eating don't try IF because you may trigger binges which make you put on more weight.
  • Bssh
    Bssh Posts: 123
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    Health benefits can be Googled. Research Mark Mattson, Krista Varady, watch the Michael Mosley BBC Horizon documentary, peruse the posts here: http://www.52fastdiet.co.uk/the-5-2-lab-f10/.
  • dafydd_brown
    dafydd_brown Posts: 11
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    This worked well for me initially but as with all fad diets it's hard to stick to because it makes you miserable and hungry! If you've got the willpower to stick to the fast on the 2 days and then not overeat on the other days then it might work but I seriously doubt many people have the willpower to stick to this sort of diet for long. On the fast days I'm tired and irritable all day and all it takes is for something to go wrong and I end up wrecking the fast day and needing to do another one. Eating filling but low calorie and nutrient dense food throughout the day really is the best way to go for me... although it's taken a while to realise and even longer to put into effect. (I say all of this despite planning on eating nothing but an apple and a handful of nuts during the day because I'm planning on having an indulgent evening!)
  • TeresaB1979
    TeresaB1979 Posts: 158 Member
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    This sounds completely miserable. Surely you can find something that works, and doesn't make you hate life.

    Yeah, I find spending 5 days a week being relaxed about what I eat pure misery! :wink:

    In all honesty, 5:2 is (for me and many, many others) a great way to create a calorie deficit (which is all that is needed to lose weight) in a way that means you only have to be really 'good' (restrictive) with calories for 2 days a week. For the other five days you can eat very well and I have found that in order to gain weight I would really have to pig out.

    Don't view it as a 'diet' though. Like any other plan to lose weight it should be change of lifestyle and something you will stick to for good. I am only a couple of pounds from a healthy weight now and when I hit my target I will do 6:1 to maintain that weight and intend to do that forever because for me, that is a simple and enjoyable way of eating.

    The documentary 'Eat, Fast and Live Longer' is really interesting and informative and is what inspired me to eat this way when I saw if back in February. For me, not having to be really strict about calories every day was the biggest advantage. I love it! :smile:

    I have seen people on here who say things like 'It will make you miserable!' but then go on to say they've never done it because 'it's horrible' (something they 'just know' without any experience). Logic would indicate that people who do it know more about it than people who haven't. You should make your decision to eat this way based on how you like it once you've tried it yourself. :smile:

    *Edited to add: Also, if you view it as a 'fad' then it is a fad (Just saw the comment above me). Just something to do for a while. Intermittent fasting has been around a hell of a long time. It is not a fad unless you treat it like one... It's not for everyone, sure, but just because something isn't for you it doesn't make it a 'fad'.*
  • latepaul
    latepaul Posts: 49 Member
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    I've been doing 5:2 for just over a year and have lost about 70lbs on it.

    Key points are that whilst there's still debate about the health benefits it's one way to organize a weekly calorie deficit. For me it's more sustainable than other forms. I used to do a straight 1800cals/day diet with occasional cheat days but over time that became harder to maintain. With 5:2 I'm never more than 24hours from eating whatever I like.

    However that's me. I know people who if they miss a meal then an hour later they really feel it. To be honest I probably wouldn't recommend it to those people. But I can easily go all day without eating, especially if I'm busy with other things. I don't get physical hunger pangs very often, it's more psychological cravings ("I really fancy X").

    In terms of eating at a deficit on non-fast days - I do have MFP set for 1lb/week and I use the calorie amount as a guide. Fast days I eat 600-700cals regardless, non-fast I'll aim for the MFP target but also eat back exercise calories. However part of the reason I set MFP to a deficit is that my experience is that it overestimates the exercise calories. Plus I will go over usually at the weekends or if I'm eating out with friends.

    Bottom line is it may not work for everyone but it definitely works for me, and the reason it works is sustainability. I know I can keep this up indefinitely whereas previously I was always secretly pulling to that point where I'd lost enough and could go back to how I wanted to eat.
  • Gkfrkv
    Gkfrkv Posts: 120
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    I have read testimony from people who swear by fasting for two, then eating their normal 500-1000 deficit the other days. I'm not sure if this is because they have a larger deficit for the whole week or something else, I'm just curious as to why someone would do this and is it useful at all?

    I'm guessing it might also have something to do with the whole "Intermittent Fasting" thing.

    It has been said before: the original intent for this is to eat maintenance 5 days and 500 calories 2 days.

    Like any diet it's about creating a calorie deficit. If this way works for you? Great. If low-cal, vegan or palo works for you? Great for you. But at the end for weight loss the only thing that really matters is calorie deficit.
  • Gkfrkv
    Gkfrkv Posts: 120
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    This sounds completely miserable. Surely you can find something that works, and doesn't make you hate life.

    Yeah, I find spending 5 days a week being relaxed about what I eat pure misery! :wink:

    In all honesty, 5:2 is (for me and many, many others) a great way to create a calorie deficit (which is all that is needed to lose weight) in a way that means you only have to be really 'good' (restrictive) with calories for 2 days a week. For the other five days you can eat very well and I have found that in order to gain weight I would really have to pig out.

    Don't view it as a 'diet' though. Like any other plan to lose weight it should be change of lifestyle and something you will stick to for good. I am only a couple of pounds from a healthy weight now and when I hit my target I will do 6:1 to maintain that weight and intend to do that forever because for me, that is a simple and enjoyable way of eating.

    The documentary 'Eat, Fast and Live Longer' is really interesting and informative and is what inspired me to eat this way when I saw if back in February. For me, not having to be really strict about calories every day was the biggest advantage. I love it! :smile:

    I have seen people on here who say things like 'It will make you miserable!' but then go on to say they've never done it because 'it's horrible' (something they 'just know' without any experience). Logic would indicate that people who do it know more about it than people who haven't. You should make your decision to eat this way based on how you like it once you've tried it yourself. :smile:

    *Edited to add: Also, if you view it as a 'fad' then it is a fad (Just saw the comment above me). Just something to do for a while. Intermittent fasting has been around a hell of a long time. It is not a fad unless you treat it like one... It's not for everyone, sure, but just because something isn't for you it doesn't make it a 'fad'.*

    It's not my thing (not eating leads to bad things for me), but if it works for you then it works for you.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
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    This sounds completely miserable. Surely you can find something that works, and doesn't make you hate life.

    I'm definitely not miserable! I love life and food. I eat lovely tasty menus on fast days. They just only add up to 500 cals. I don't like restricting daily and I can't stick with that for life. I prefer 5:2 because of that. it is a great tool for weight loss and maintenance, if you like it.

    It's a personal preference and everyone has to find their own 'right'way. This is mine ;-)
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
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    Interesting that some people are "annoyed" by this under eating of calories. If you are overweight, you should be under eating. Your body can access the fat stores if you will allow it to. The problem with society now is that we have been programed to think we need to eat every 3 hours and we never give our bodies a rest. In addition, we never get to the fat stores. Now that I'm on the 5:2 plan, and yes, it's my own version of the plan, I notice all the overweight folks everywhere I go and many of them are very young. Like some of the posters mentioned, you have to do what works for you.

    If you are overweight, yes, you should be eating at a deficit -- but not necessarily under eating, which is commonly used to indicate eating in a way that doesn't meet basic nutritional requirements.
  • Poofy_Goodness
    Poofy_Goodness Posts: 229 Member
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    This sounds silly to me.
  • TeresaB1979
    TeresaB1979 Posts: 158 Member
    Options
    This sounds completely miserable. Surely you can find something that works, and doesn't make you hate life.

    Yeah, I find spending 5 days a week being relaxed about what I eat pure misery! :wink:

    In all honesty, 5:2 is (for me and many, many others) a great way to create a calorie deficit (which is all that is needed to lose weight) in a way that means you only have to be really 'good' (restrictive) with calories for 2 days a week. For the other five days you can eat very well and I have found that in order to gain weight I would really have to pig out.

    Don't view it as a 'diet' though. Like any other plan to lose weight it should be change of lifestyle and something you will stick to for good. I am only a couple of pounds from a healthy weight now and when I hit my target I will do 6:1 to maintain that weight and intend to do that forever because for me, that is a simple and enjoyable way of eating.

    The documentary 'Eat, Fast and Live Longer' is really interesting and informative and is what inspired me to eat this way when I saw if back in February. For me, not having to be really strict about calories every day was the biggest advantage. I love it! :smile:

    I have seen people on here who say things like 'It will make you miserable!' but then go on to say they've never done it because 'it's horrible' (something they 'just know' without any experience). Logic would indicate that people who do it know more about it than people who haven't. You should make your decision to eat this way based on how you like it once you've tried it yourself. :smile:

    *Edited to add: Also, if you view it as a 'fad' then it is a fad (Just saw the comment above me). Just something to do for a while. Intermittent fasting has been around a hell of a long time. It is not a fad unless you treat it like one... It's not for everyone, sure, but just because something isn't for you it doesn't make it a 'fad'.*

    It's not my thing (not eating leads to bad things for me), but if it works for you then it works for you.

    Cool. Yeah, it's not for everyone. :-)
  • suprzonic
    suprzonic Posts: 68 Member
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    I have read testimony from people who swear by fasting for two, then eating their normal 500-1000 deficit the other days. I'm not sure if this is because they have a larger deficit for the whole week or something else, I'm just curious as to why someone would do this and is it useful at all?

    I'm guessing it might also have something to do with the whole "Intermittent Fasting" thing.

    Hi - this site has lots of people doing 5:2 and heaps of information for you: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/forums/

    I researched it just for my own info. Tried it. Still doing it. Love it! I've never been able to find results of any scientific human study - stopped looking when I found this ...http://www.adelaide.edu.au/news/news61581.html

    I was swayed by a tv documentary and lots of online testamony too. While I'm waiting on those human trial results to come in, I've elected to keep going with 5:2 :)
  • catwilliams8
    catwilliams8 Posts: 1
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    Just one I came across now. Cardioprotective benefits too http://www.nutritionj.com/content/12/1/146

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