2014 : 5:2 fasters or alternate day fasting

2

Replies

  • sara_jean_15
    sara_jean_15 Posts: 25 Member
    Why fast or suffer? Couldnt think of anything less appealing.
    Here's a thought for you..... Having a daily deficit was a lot less appealing to me than 5:2 when I was losing weight.

    Agreed!! And you are less likely to "fall off the wagon" when you get to eat normal calories 5 days per week!
  • sara_jean_15
    sara_jean_15 Posts: 25 Member
    I am already friends with Lillyloooo, but other IF'ers feel free to add me! I practice 5:2 (or sometimes 4:3 if I need to cut weight). Mainly stick with 5:2. And yes, I will most likely do this for as long as I am able. I no longer do it for just weight loss. Doing it now to get and stay lean. I also keep track of my macros as well (35% Protein, 25% fat, 40% carbs). Best decision of my life to track my macros and clean up my diet!
  • kit8kat
    kit8kat Posts: 48 Member
    Hi Lilly,

    I started the 5:2 on 6th Jan and I am loving it. It's a steady loss (not what I'm used to when it comes to dieting - but then this isn't a diet, it's a way of life) and I'm happy with that.

    I'd love some new 5:2/IF friends so please feel free to add me for the journey :flowerforyou:
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    Yes you need a deficit to lose weight - it is just over the course of an entire week instead of every day. Not rocket science!

    Oh for goodness sake. Is this a wind up?

    So if that isnt rocket science, then I assume that neither is losing weight by eating 200 more your weight loss goal countered by 200 under the next day. Evens out right? If your calorie goal is set to lose weight, then you will lose weight, right? So you eat in exactly the same manner as someone maintaining their weight (sometimes over, sometimes under)

    And.... get this. Even if you have a goal to lose say a pound a week, and you finish slightly over come Sunday, chances are you will still lose say half a pound anyway. Woo hoo!!!!
    Seriously I haven't a clue what point you are trying to make!

    Here's some numbers which might make things clearer for you as there seems to be a comprehension gap:

    5 days at maintenance, 2 days at c. 1500 deficit. Over the course of a week you are c. 3000 deficit for the week. Just under a pound a week weight loss, slow, steady & sustainable.

    You don't want to do it - absolutely fine by me. Everyone knows a daily deficit works but so does this way of eating so why be so negative?
    Personally after 20 years of being fat I found it the best and easiest way to lose my excess weight.

    I am negative because I think there are much more simpler, more enjoyable methods of losing weight. I am entitled to my opinion. In general, I dont really agree with specific diets as they involve changing a way of eating before and after diet and therefore are difficult to maintain.

    As for the numbers. I never questioned the numbers of 5:2 diet. I get it. You questioned the numbers of my explanation while ignoring that you dont have to run at a deficit every day. That's just common sense.

    It was the mentality behind the diet that I could never get. Hence my original post.

    I did it your way and did it the 5:2 way. It is more enjoyable to do 5:2. And sustainable, and has less impact on my training.....for me!!!! Nobody is forcing you to do it. I do not understand what your problem is.
  • happieharpie
    happieharpie Posts: 229 Member
    I just don't like to eat during the day. I consider myself an if-er by default. This works well for me, I feel great, and I enjoy what I'm doing.

    Maybe we're getting too involved in semantics.
  • Juliemoo1960
    Juliemoo1960 Posts: 194 Member
    I have been doing 5:2 for a couple of weeks and it is by the easiest eating pattern I have followed for years. Not for everyone but each to their own.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
    I alternate day fast now as a lifestyle, having started at the top of summer last year. I've lost more weight since I updated my ticker, so I'd say at this point 70-80 lbs of my weight loss happened doing ADF (that's a guesstimate as I stopped weighing myself several months ago). But I do true fasts, water only. Since I do not count calories the idea of doing so, and then restricting down to 500, is absolutely unappealing to me. I have always done better going a whole day of fasting vs restricting down to low calories. I'm an all or nothing person, so ADF suits that tendency. I'm not on a prescribed ADF plan or schedule now, so I pretty much eat when I like, fast when I like. It's worked beautifully.


    However when I hit maintainance my plan is to 5:2 (full fasts) for life. With my activity level I have calculated how much I can eat on such a plan and still maintain at my pretty low (for a man) goal weight. It's such a high number that I'm actually more concerned about getting enough calories in.

    I eat a more lower carb life, and enjoy that. Most of my diet consists of veg, meat, healthy fats, and fruit. Those are my staples. But ADF allows me, weekly if I choose, to eat sweets, pastas, breads, whatever, with abandon and still lose weight.

    Fasting does not impact my excercise days. Some days I have more energy when I do. I did 10 miles last week, race walking, on a fast day, and it was the shortest time I've ever logged. I've bested my pull up max on fast days.

    Something to consider though. I have done fasting in the past for spiritual reasons. I actually believe in the physical, spiritual, and mental benefits of fasting, so ADF gives me the chance to lose weight and stick to a practice I believe in. I'm accustomed to fasting, so going a day without food literally has ZERO challenge for me; there is zero temptation for me to break a day fast at this point. If you're the type of person who gets antsy at the idea of limiting, or eliminating, food for even a day, reconsider. Some people go so overboard and binge on their full eating days in a bid to "make up" for what they didn't get. You can actually end up gaining weight, or at best not losing weight, on ADF if you lack control after fasting days.

    I've found that it's one of those ways of eating that absolutely does not have anywhere near universal appeal, particularly in "eat all day" western nations, but for those it clicks with it tends to suit us VERY well.

    I wouldn't trade this way of eating for anything. It's the perfect way of life for me and fits like nothing else has. ADF, combined with the overall way I eat, just gives me everything I need to lose, and eventually, maintain. It's incredibly freeing.
  • 3laine75
    3laine75 Posts: 3,069 Member
    Why fast or suffer? Couldnt think of anything less appealing.
    Here's a thought for you..... Having a daily deficit was a lot less appealing to me than 5:2 when I was losing weight.

    Isnt that what exercise is about? So that you can give yourself allowances to eat what you find more enjoyable?
    Huh? Don't see the relevance of your comment at all - your still need a net deficit to lose weight.
    BTW I averaged over 5000 cals of exercise a week last year while doing 5:2.

    You seem to have some very odd perceptions of IF.

    Eh? You need a net deficit regardless, 5:2, whatever.

    Do exercise however, and you can eat more like you normally would while not on a diet. Where is the suffering? If you dont want to do exercise, fine, but just eat less of what you did before.

    Cannot see the appeal of something so unnatural as practically starving yourself for 2 days per week.


    Couldn't be more natural actually - the human body is designed for periods of feed and fast, why else do you think we store fat.

    I don't do 5:2 or any form of IF myself ATM but don't feel the need to slag off others who do (because it works for them).
  • duffypratt
    duffypratt Posts: 21
    Gee, I thought exercise was about getting more fit and feeling better.
  • duffypratt
    duffypratt Posts: 21
    <Deleted>
  • mom2sons02
    mom2sons02 Posts: 111 Member
    I've started ADF or "JUDDD" two weeks ago and so far, I'm loving it. :)

    For those of you who were successful with this version of IF: Did you split your 500 calories over two or three small meals or did you focus on one 500-caloriy meal a day?





    I do 5:2, but on my fast days I eat one meal in the evening. I find that if I eat a meal I get hungrier during the day. This way, I eat with my family and go to bed full. Win Win
  • mymuffin88
    mymuffin88 Posts: 14 Member
    I have done this on and off during my life, even though never knew there was a name for it until a couple of weeks ago. What's a little shocking, however, is people who merely wait until 2pm to have lunch and start eating, and call that fasting!!!!! That's a bit way too lenient in term usage for my taste! I guess I would just say that I skipped breakfast -- not that big a deal. Sorry MyFitnessPals, but had to get that off my chest! Ha ha. And yes, I would love to join anyone doing anything to do with fasting, especially anything longer in duration -- it helps keep the momentum going.
  • ms_borgias
    ms_borgias Posts: 9
    i am using 5/2 or 4/3 really helping me get a grip with wasted calories and portion sizes.
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    Gee, I thought exercise was about getting more fit and feeling better.

    When I started losing weight it was the first time I had ever tried and it was incredibly overwhelming. I had NO idea what I was doing-literally came home from my dr. appointment, where my dr. told me to lose weight or I was going to be a diabetic but then gave me no advice on how to actually lose weight, and googled 'how to lose weight.' That's seriously how I started this whole process. I had also never exercised before in my life (no sports as a kid, nothing) and there was no way I would have been able to deal with that, on top of trying to figure out everything else. So, I focused on the weight loss part because that's what I needed to do, in order to get my glucose number down in the normal range.

    I lost over 5olbs without any exercise-my blood panel at the end of that time came back great, including a glucose number in the normal range. After I transitioned into maintenance, then I changed focus and became interested in exercise. I started to walk a mile a day and its progressed from there.

    I did this process in a way that I knew would work for me and would be sustainable. And it worked. I'm very healthy, I'm thin and I'm maintaining with no problem and can keep doing this for the next 40+ years.

    ETA: You can also most definitely exercise while doing IF, I just chose not to.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    I am negative because I think there are much more simpler, more enjoyable methods of losing weight. I am entitled to my opinion.
    Just like how WW is a scam and no one should ever own a treadmill. You are entitled to your opinions but they might be more credible if anything that wasn't 100% your way was ridiculed.
  • angie007az
    angie007az Posts: 406 Member
    I"m doing ADF having bought Krista Varady's book the Every Other Day Diet. I'm finding it actually easier than 5:2 as it's more structured - you know from one day to the next what you're meant to be doing! I don't find I binge on the 'feast' days and so far have lost 2lbs. I have come to actually quite like the feeling of hunger on fast days (I usually have most of my 500 cals at supper time) and wake up feeling lighter in the morning, when I know I have a day when I can eat anything I like.

    I think the thing is to try it, and see how it is for you. Everyone is different, and different things work for everyone.:)

    I just ordered her book today. Did you notice that she (Dr. Krista Varady) is asking Dr. Mosley to remove reference to her research in any future printings of his book? She claims the 5:2 and ADF are really not the same thing and you should not expect to see the same benefits. I found that interesting.
  • MsMimidoll
    MsMimidoll Posts: 249 Member
    ADF...I used to do it, going to start it again
  • Yanicka1
    Yanicka1 Posts: 4,564 Member
    I"m doing ADF having bought Krista Varady's book the Every Other Day Diet. I'm finding it actually easier than 5:2 as it's more structured - you know from one day to the next what you're meant to be doing! I don't find I binge on the 'feast' days and so far have lost 2lbs. I have come to actually quite like the feeling of hunger on fast days (I usually have most of my 500 cals at supper time) and wake up feeling lighter in the morning, when I know I have a day when I can eat anything I like.

    I think the thing is to try it, and see how it is for you. Everyone is different, and different things work for everyone.:)

    I just ordered her book today. Did you notice that she (Dr. Krista Varady) is asking Dr. Mosley to remove reference to her research in any future printings of his book? She claims the 5:2 and ADF are really not the same thing and you should not expect to see the same benefits. I found that interesting.

    The lady is a bit pissed that Dr. Mosley used her research to sell his book. To be fair, dr Valady never tested 5:2, and dr Moseley only used his own experience to push 5:2. Personally, ADF give me a deficit way too large to be sustainable
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    I"m doing ADF having bought Krista Varady's book the Every Other Day Diet. I'm finding it actually easier than 5:2 as it's more structured - you know from one day to the next what you're meant to be doing! I don't find I binge on the 'feast' days and so far have lost 2lbs. I have come to actually quite like the feeling of hunger on fast days (I usually have most of my 500 cals at supper time) and wake up feeling lighter in the morning, when I know I have a day when I can eat anything I like.

    I think the thing is to try it, and see how it is for you. Everyone is different, and different things work for everyone.:)

    I just ordered her book today. Did you notice that she (Dr. Krista Varady) is asking Dr. Mosley to remove reference to her research in any future printings of his book? She claims the 5:2 and ADF are really not the same thing and you should not expect to see the same benefits. I found that interesting.

    I just read her book this afternoon (it's pretty small and she added a lot of filler pages of recipes-it really could have been a pamphlet :laugh: ). I think it's ironic that she's going after Dr. Mosley when she's pretty much ripped off Dr. James Johnson's book/plan, from his book The Alternate Day Diet, which came out several years ago. It's pretty much the SAME thing sheesh. She does back it up with more on the science end, but it's Johnson's plan, with some very minor tweaks (she's a bit more generous on calories than he is). I am going to try out her maintenance plan, as I kept losing doing Dr. Johnson's plan.
  • thedaintyone
    thedaintyone Posts: 17 Member
    I really want to do this!!! I like water fasting but I cannot sustain such a diet for the long term....but I can certainly do 5 days eating healthy and 2 days of water fasting......this sounds like a really good idea...also I am gluten free and the days of water fasting help heal the gut and detox. what a great idea! agreed it really is not for everyone but I could certainly do this!
  • twixlepennie
    twixlepennie Posts: 1,074 Member
    I really want to do this!!! I like water fasting but I cannot sustain such a diet for the long term....but I can certainly do 5 days eating healthy and 2 days of water fasting......this sounds like a really good idea...also I am gluten free and the days of water fasting help heal the gut and detox. what a great idea! agreed it really is not for everyone but I could certainly do this!

    You don't do a total fast on the two days, you still eat 500 calories on those days :)
  • itbloke
    itbloke Posts: 20 Member
    I'm doing a 4:3 fast, which to me is a nice comfortable median between 5:2 and ADF, and for me it gives me the flexibility I need.

    I plan my week out in advance, (for shopping and to have a goal to meet) I've structured my week as follows

    600 calories each for Monday, Wednesday and Fridays.

    I tried having only one meal on the fast days, it is a bit too uncomfortable, so changed to have about 400 calories for breakfast and 200 for dinner (vegetables and a small portion of lean meat eg 25g).

    Tuesday and Thursday: Maintenance but mainly very healthy foods
    Saturday and Sunday: Maintenance but allow myself some comfort foods/take-away and is also good when I go out for the weekend, I'm not as strict with my intake as I would have been if using the conventional daily calorie deficit plan.

    At the moment I am exercising on my non-fast days, using the fast days as rest days.

    I have been doing this for a few weeks now, and love it, it has helped with my cravings throughout my week, it gives me a nice deficit and when closer to my target weight I can reduce the number of fast days. I have plenty of energy. I can be flexible on my non-fast days and do not feel guilty if I grab myself an icecream - I just log it and make sure I meet my calorie goal for the day. I now find that I am unable to overeat on my non-fast days - just soo full of good food!

    I have a long journey ahead of me, so feel free to add me :)
  • angie007az
    angie007az Posts: 406 Member
    I"m doing ADF having bought Krista Varady's book the Every Other Day Diet. I'm finding it actually easier than 5:2 as it's more structured - you know from one day to the next what you're meant to be doing! I don't find I binge on the 'feast' days and so far have lost 2lbs. I have come to actually quite like the feeling of hunger on fast days (I usually have most of my 500 cals at supper time) and wake up feeling lighter in the morning, when I know I have a day when I can eat anything I like.

    I think the thing is to try it, and see how it is for you. Everyone is different, and different things work for everyone.:)

    I just ordered her book today. Did you notice that she (Dr. Krista Varady) is asking Dr. Mosley to remove reference to her research in any future printings of his book? She claims the 5:2 and ADF are really not the same thing and you should not expect to see the same benefits. I found that interesting.

    The lady is a bit pissed that Dr. Mosley used her research to sell his book. To be fair, dr Valady never tested 5:2, and dr Moseley only used his own experience to push 5:2. Personally, ADF give me a deficit way too large to be sustainable

    Yes, it's quite brutal. I think for the short term and then switch to the 5:2 or even 5:1 to maintain. I just listen to my body and adjust as needed.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    Not the versions in the title, but I do 16:8 daily. It was about the easiest thing to transition to. I'm actually less hungry eating on this schedule. I'm maintaining and looked to this way of eating as a simplification rather than a tool. I eat lunch & dinner with the occasional after dinner snack, but in general this makes things very easy. I am not hungry nor do I ever feel deprived. I run & workout and have lots of energy.
    I was doing fine in maintenance before trying IF, but I was constantly hungry and constantly eating. It sounds odd, but eating less often made me less hungry.
  • SKME2013
    SKME2013 Posts: 704 Member
    I have done a combination of 5:2, ADF, 4:3 and 16:8 since the beginning of November 2013 with great success. I mix them up depending on my week and also because it gets boring to just follow one of them. I have lost six kgs in seven weeks and it wasn't hard at all.

    Nevertheless I strongly believe that a lifestyle change is the most important change that I have made. Eating less "bad" calories and replacing them with good ones was the biggest change for me. I had a very close look at my dietary habits and I cut out bad ones such as drinking Coke, putting sugar in my coffee and eating too many sweets. I now eat much more vegetables than I ever did in my life and replace sweets with fruits.

    I am also now a water and tea total, drinking no more drinks that contain useless calories. From time to time I make myself some green vegetable juices and I replace a meal by drinking those.

    I believe everybody needs to find their own way and see what works for them. Nevertheless I believe for all of us it is important to look at our dietary habits and replace bad habits with good ones or no diet will work in the long run.

    Stef.
  • bette73
    bette73 Posts: 1
    I started every other day 3 weeks ago, and am now going forward with 4:3 so I can avoid fasting on weekends.

    Anyway I generally love it. Best diet I have ever been on!

    I understand everyone is different and different things work for them, but for me and my psychology around dieting and eating this is just perfect. I love the idea of short bursts of willpower. I love being able to eat "normal" every other day. And I love how it makes me feel clean on fast days, and seems to rewire my brain on eating days. I don't have a problem exercising on fast days either.

    I have lost 4 kilos so far...I will keep going with this and probably 5:2 forever at this rate.
  • bethanyka
    bethanyka Posts: 159 Member
    I am thinking I'm going to get into this too.

    I think -- *(as previous reply said) a 4:3 which i guess is alternate day fasting.

    Usually i fluctuate my calories thinking, I ate a surplus today, I'll eat a litle bit MORE of a deficit tomorrow.
    Like, i ate 2000 cals today, 1000 cals tomorrow- it's an average of 1500 over 2 days.

    This time- I got a kindle book (Easy Alternate Day Fasting by Beth Christian) and I'd like to do it in a more structured way, keep things all tracked, charted and after a month or 2 I'm going to see if this is right for me. Going with the 5:2 also seems like a good maintence plan, to me, too.

    Keep the suggestions coming. Thanks!
  • GEMMA_2014
    GEMMA_2014 Posts: 81
    I have lost 133 lbs eating 1400 calorie per day. I will try the 5 2 diet to lose the last 30 lbs and take me into maintenance. I do not want to gain the weight back. Maybe the 5 2 diet will work. We will see.
  • Dnarules
    Dnarules Posts: 2,081 Member
    Why fast or suffer? Couldnt think of anything less appealing.
    Here's a thought for you..... Having a daily deficit was a lot less appealing to me than 5:2 when I was losing weight.

    Isnt that what exercise is about? So that you can give yourself allowances to eat what you find more enjoyable?
    Huh? Don't see the relevance of your comment at all - your still need a net deficit to lose weight.
    BTW I averaged over 5000 cals of exercise a week last year while doing 5:2.

    You seem to have some very odd perceptions of IF.

    Eh? You need a net deficit regardless, 5:2, whatever.

    Do exercise however, and you can eat more like you normally would while not on a diet. Where is the suffering? If you dont want to do exercise, fine, but just eat less of what you did before.

    Cannot see the appeal of something so unnatural as practically starving yourself for 2 days per week.

    It is only unnatural in modern times and in countries where food is regularly available. If you think about it from an evolutionary standpoint, fasting was more than likely a very common thing because food wasn't always available.
  • lavaughan69
    lavaughan69 Posts: 459 Member
    I used 5:2 to kick start my diet and found it quite easy. I still use it if I've had a bad weekend of eating or I know I have an event coming up that will put me over my calorie count. My eating patterns have me fasting pretty much every day until noon anyways. I'm not a breakfast eater and I prefer a nice meal at dinner with a snack around 8pm. That's just how I roll :wink:

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