5:2 diet any advice?

mackmm31
mackmm31 Posts: 2
in Getting Started
As the title suggests really. Been tracking on mfp for over a month now and loving the new found knowledge but am interest in trying the 5:2 diet for it's benefits. I quite like the idea of fasting for two days for discipline reasons... It's a skill id love to master.
Any advice, tips or knowledge greatly appreciated. Also- good solid calorie ideas that I can eat which would have the most benefit of on 500 calorie fast days.
Cheers!

Replies

  • Rooooose
    Rooooose Posts: 149 Member
    Hey! I've been doing 5:2 for almost a year now and I like it. There are 2 groups on MFP with your kind of questions: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8005-5-2-fasting and http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8628-5-2-diet
    There are many ways of fasting, personally I like to spread my 500 calories eating light lunch and dinner but some prefer to eat all 500 calories at once. I think most important is to drink enough, and eat veggies so you won't feel very hungry!
    Good luck with 5:2! :)
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
    As the title suggests really. Been tracking on mfp for over a month now and loving the new found knowledge but am interest in trying the 5:2 diet for it's benefits. I quite like the idea of fasting for two days for discipline reasons... It's a skill id love to master.
    Any advice, tips or knowledge greatly appreciated. Also- good solid calorie ideas that I can eat which would have the most benefit of on 500 calorie fast days.
    Cheers!
    I do 4:3 with great results.

    Advice? Sugar free gum. Drink a couple of glasses of water right when you get up in the AM. black coffee. KEEP YOURSELF BUSY. Try your fasts the days you are the most busy.

    One thing I found works is this.....24 hour fasts and not a full calender day. I fast 7pm to 7pm usually. So all day if I get hungry I know at 7pm I can eat 2500 calories for the next 24 hours.
  • johnsat
    johnsat Posts: 7
    Hi I been doing a 5-2 diet since mid March with a slight add or minus on the 2 fast days I eat around 1500 kcal but I also do 2 gym sessions 1 am before work 1 pm after work and burn around 300 kcal on each session. the other days i try to keep below 2000 kcal and do a stretch class in between I have lost 17lbs and starting to feel the benefits.

    Remember 1 thing if you gain weight without much effort it takes a massive amount of effort to lose it so bear in mind that this fitness plan in one form or another is for the rest of you life not just for the next time you go to the beach.
  • Frappleberry
    Frappleberry Posts: 251 Member
    As the title suggests really. Been tracking on mfp for over a month now and loving the new found knowledge but am interest in trying the 5:2 diet for it's benefits. I quite like the idea of fasting for two days for discipline reasons... It's a skill id love to master.
    Any advice, tips or knowledge greatly appreciated. Also- good solid calorie ideas that I can eat which would have the most benefit of on 500 calorie fast days.
    Cheers!

    I've tried 500 cals really hard. I don't mind feeling hungry because when I'm in work I can put it to one side, but by 6pm I'm really struggling with tiredness. I've found that I can get to about 600-700 cals and even I've done 530 cals but I've never got below 500! If you try it, it's about finding what works for you with your routine and needs, good luck!
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    Hey! I've been doing 5:2 for almost a year now and I like it. There are 2 groups on MFP with your kind of questions: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8005-5-2-fasting and http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/8628-5-2-diet
    There are many ways of fasting, personally I like to spread my 500 calories eating light lunch and dinner but some prefer to eat all 500 calories at once. I think most important is to drink enough, and eat veggies so you won't feel very hungry!
    Good luck with 5:2! :)

    Yup, been at it since May 2013. Slowly slipping into maintainance now, so my losses have slowed (but I've been eating more on non fast days too).

    I do best on lunch and dinner, veggies and lean proteins. Yesterday for example I had egg/banana pancakes with berries for lunch (250cals) and cod marinated in soy sauce/tomato paste/madras curry powder with sauteed zucchini and tomatos for dinner (200cal) and some rasberries as a treat in the evening. I cook my meals myself and tend to use lots of different spices and fresh herbs for taste. I also cook with leftovers and then portion them out for fast days as I always take lunch to work with me.

    Berries are in season, so if I need a snack, they are awesome. A hot tea or bouillon can help, if you get hungry or feel cold.

    All in all 5:2 is a longterm way of eating and not a diet. The only thing that has ever worked for me and seems sustainable for the rest of my life, as I'm not made for daily restriction. It's not for everyone, but perfect for me.
  • heybales
    heybales Posts: 18,842 Member
    As the title suggests really. Been tracking on mfp for over a month now and loving the new found knowledge but am interest in trying the 5:2 diet for it's benefits. I quite like the idea of fasting for two days for discipline reasons... It's a skill id love to master.
    Any advice, tips or knowledge greatly appreciated. Also- good solid calorie ideas that I can eat which would have the most benefit of on 500 calorie fast days.
    Cheers!

    Since starting MFP - the thing to remember about that diet is that for 5 days you eat at MAINTENANCE - no deficit.

    So if you exercise - you log it. Of course your eating goal just went up because you just burned more on that day - so of course you would eat more to reach maintenance.

    Then the 2 days is 25% of maintenance, not just 500 calories. That's if your maintenance was really average for generally sedentary woman at 2000 calories.

    But if you exercise - it's probably not. You could burn 2400 on average on the 5 days, so you get to eat 600 on the 2 rest days, which are hopefully spread out anyway.

    Suggest you set your MFP diet / fitness profile to Maintain, and be honest with the activity level.
    Sedentary is 45 hr desk job/commute weekly with no kids or dog walking or such included outside of exercise.

    Since exercise is only added when you do it, confirm you add it and eat to goal - which will likely seem high - unless you actually logged how much you used to eat prior to a diet.

    Then on your low days - you gotta plan your food out to hit that 500-600 calories, so who cares what the MFP eating goal says.
  • Fatandfifty3
    Fatandfifty3 Posts: 419 Member
    It works for me. I'm not half as disciplined as the rest of the posters but I have been losing weight very successfully. This has been the best and most effective diet I've tried in 35 yrs of dieting. As with the previous poster I see this as a lifestyle change rather than 'a diet'. I have never had such a good relationship with food.
    I tend to have a 12 -14hr fast overnight then spread my 500cals throughout the day. For me it's sustainable as I know I can eat whatever I want (within reason and 2000cals) the next day.
    The first week will be hard. You will feel drained on your fast days but after that your body and mind adjusts and it's not a problem.
    Good luck.
    Word of warning- if you do have eating disorder I would advise a check with your therapist or doctor about if this is the diet for you.
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member

    Then the 2 days is 25% of maintenance, not just 500 calories. That's if your maintenance was really average for generally sedentary woman at 2000 calories.

    .

    You can do ^^^this.

    Or just keep it simple. 500 / 2000. Many don't count on non fast days and that is OK, if you have a good feeling for portions.

    I did 500-550 and lightly active TDEE (1700) + exercise (200-500) on non fast days at the beginning .

    In July I'm trying to eat more intuitively and not counting cals on non fast days. My guesstimation tells me, I'm getting between 1800-2500 on non fast days at the moment. I'm still losing, just slower.

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