5:2 Diet

stphclar6
stphclar6 Posts: 7
in Introduce Yourself
Hi all, I have recently come across the 5:2 diet and have read good reviews. What are peoples thoughts?? Can some one give me some advise??? Can you really eat what you want on your non fast days?? Seems to good to be true!!!

Replies

  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    A calorie deficit and exercise are the best ways to approach weight loss.
    If you "eat what you want" on non fast days, you are likely to gain, and are not learning moderation or how to balance your macros.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    Hi all, I have recently come across the 5:2 diet and have read good reviews. What are peoples thoughts?? Can some one give me some advise??? Can you really eat what you want on your non fast days?? Seems to good to be true!!!

    I have been on it for 11 weeks and lost 29.9 lbs with little cardio exercise. Only PT I have been doing is body resistance weights.

    Can you really eat whatever on fast days?

    Yes.
    and No.

    Studies in mice showed that over time even thsoe who ate whatever they wanted on the feast days still lost weight.

    IN reality, on your feast, or eating days, you are best to stick to your TDEE or maintenance calories. For me taht is 2250. On fast days some lit says to eat 500 calories, but I stick under that if possible.

    Advice I have is water, sugar free gum, and stay busy. It really is easier than you think. I do a diff version of 4:3 whre I fast 3 times.

    I weigh in on sat late mornings. Then the rest of saturday I eat what I want and dont really log or pay much attention but I dont intentionally overeat. Some people I read who are on this will eat alot and binge on feast days. That will not help the cause.


    I dont fast for calender days. I fast 24 hour cycles. Example, sunday at 7pm is my dinner. I fast until monday at 7pm. Then 7pm monday-7pm tuesday I eat 2250 calories. Repeat.

    That helps me because if I get hungry or want to eat..I know i just have to wait until dinner and can eat whatever I want.



    I will say this...it has been easier than I thought. I eat pizza, subs, steak, wings...just less and stay under calories.

    It really is just a way to eat at a deficit and also has other benefits.
  • Saeriellyn
    Saeriellyn Posts: 2 Member
    I am committing to this diet after several weeks fiddling around with it. It makes a lot of sense but it is a mistake to think of it as "easy". I have done complete, water- only fasts for a day at a time before, and actually I find them easier than counting cals and keeping them under 500. It feels like having even a small amount of food sort of "primes" my appetite and then I expect more, whereas if I know I'm not eating at all I just put the thought of food out of mind and keep myself busy. But I am trying to do this diet as outlined and I have fallen off the wagon with every try so far, mainly when the mid-afternoon munchies hit and my kids want snacks and I have to prep and serve food I had not intended to eat.

    So this is why I've joined MFP - to hold myself accountable on fast days and then to track what I am consuming on non-fast days, as I tend to go overboard on those. You still have to eat healthy and use portion control or you can easily undo the calorie deficit created by the fasting days.

    If anyone else is doing 5:2, I would love to team up.
  • marye2021
    marye2021 Posts: 225 Member
    You have to be diligent on your fast days-- I have to set a calendar reminder for me it is easy to get caught up in the 'eat whatever you want' but really they just recommend you eat at your TDEE so it isn't like you are eating 5000 calories for 5 days and then only eating at 500 for 2. that math won't help you lose weight.

    Lots of athletes use some form of fasting when training-- mostly hours wise like 16:8 or 20:4 etc.

    Give it a shot it, helped me get over my plateau
  • stphclar6
    stphclar6 Posts: 7
    I have just had a baby so needing to shift a little weight...I usually monitor my calorie intake and exercise which although slow has worked well....I am purely interested in people's experiences of the 5:2 and the reported health benefits.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    I will also say this.
    I took a week off after 6 very intense weeks.

    I told myself that week I will eat when I am hungry.

    I lost 1.4 lbs taht week.


    After awhile on ADF your body learns teh diff between hunger and being thirsty/bored or the time on the clock. On my feast days I find myself eating so much less than I did before I even started this and tough to get even to TDEE.

    So, this way of eating DOES teach you alot of things. It teaches your body, AND mind, that we truly arent hungry that often on a daily basis. We have become slaves to the marketing of restaurants and food commercials that we need to constantly eat big meals.

    Lunch used to be just something you ate very light and small, what we call a snack now but has blossomed into calories we used to alot for dinner.


    It has come to the point now after 11 weeks taht I dont have to really count calories. I still fast every other 24 hour cycle (eat up to 500 cals during your fast). My body has learned and adapted to what is needed. Yeah, subconsciencly I count but no longer have to make it a chore that so many people fret about. Your body relearns just what hunger is
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    Another fantastic thing about fasting.....

    When people on ehre were fretting about holidays, birthday parties, work parties, etc and going over....well when you fast you can shift your fast day to before or after and not have to worry about it one bit!
  • stphclar6
    stphclar6 Posts: 7
    Great feedback guys! Thanks.....I will give it a go and let you know how I get on.....feel free to add me as a friend, would be great to have some support and guidance :smile:

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