Has anyone tried or doing the 5:2 Diet ? (5 days normal eating, 2 days 500/half calories?)
raj2208
Posts: 26
I'm just wondering if anyone does this, how they find it and what type of things they eat on the 2 low calorie days?
I did try it a while ago for a few weeks, and did lose quite a bit of weight (about 600-800g per week), but just found that I was STARVING ha ha ha. I could try doing it on my two days off exercise per week, and wait until lunchtime to have breakfast - is that what people do ? Have a light breakfast/lunch then normal dinner?
Any tips would be appreciated, thanks!!
I did try it a while ago for a few weeks, and did lose quite a bit of weight (about 600-800g per week), but just found that I was STARVING ha ha ha. I could try doing it on my two days off exercise per week, and wait until lunchtime to have breakfast - is that what people do ? Have a light breakfast/lunch then normal dinner?
Any tips would be appreciated, thanks!!
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If you aren't willing to eat that way for the rest of your life, it's not worth it.
It's better to learn sustainable habits. You even said yourself you were incredibly hungry following it before. You can easily eat at a deficit without feeling hunger pangs, and learn sustainable habits that will help you reach your goals and keep it off once you hit maintenance.0 -
missiontofitness wrote: »If you aren't willing to eat that way for the rest of your life, it's not worth it.
It's better to learn sustainable habits. You even said yourself you were incredibly hungry following it before. You can easily eat at a deficit without feeling hunger pangs, and learn sustainable habits that will help you reach your goals and keep it off once you hit maintenance.
I agree. For some people they really enjoy it and they have no issues with it. I for one though would not be able to do it. I woke up late today, ate "breakfast" around 1ish for like 550 calories and then didn't eat again until after 6, but before that I was getting hungry, headache-y, blah. I can't have low calorie days like that.
Is there a reason you are interested in this method? It won't help you lose more weight than a standard deficit will. The only reason that I would recommend choosing it is if it's the method that helps you best maintain a deficit. Just like how some people will eat really big meals (as I do), or will eat lots of small meals, or will eat most in the morning and then very little at night, or eat most of their carbs at a certain time of day, etc. None of these things will help you lose more weight, they are all just methods employed to help you sustain your deficit/eating needs with as much satiety and comfort as possible.
But if this is something that you are interested in trying because you really love having high calorie days but cannot do this every day without exceeding your caloric needs, then I do know that @christinev297 follows this type of eating. Or at least something similar. I can't remember any specific members at the top of my head who use this type of diet, so you could go ahead and PM her or see if she responds here to see how the diet is maintained.0 -
I found it hard at first, but it gets easier. I only have a home made cappuchino for breakfast. 150-200 for lunch (often a soft serve Ice cream Cone :-) and a cup of soup and berries and or hot chocolate at night. Diet drinks and chewing gum plus lots of water helps. Eating at maintenance on the other 5 days is great :-). I ironically I have been swapping the soup, ice cream and berries for some lean meat and steamed, seasoned veggies of late . Who would have thought that.0
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I'm just wondering if anyone does this, how they find it and what type of things they eat on the 2 low calorie days?
I did try it a while ago for a few weeks, and did lose quite a bit of weight (about 600-800g per week), but just found that I was STARVING ha ha ha. I could try doing it on my two days off exercise per week, and wait until lunchtime to have breakfast - is that what people do ? Have a light breakfast/lunch then normal dinner?
Any tips would be appreciated, thanks!!
What was the calorie level you had set for high days?
Low days = hunger but high days shouldn't. It's also harder to have/contemplate the fast day if you aren't eating enough on the non-fast days.
Having said that it may just not be right for you to do the method.0 -
In my younger days when I could lift weights, they did what was called the zig zag method. It is similar but a bit more complex and really works. The body builders used it to define the abs. It takes off that last little bit of fat that is almost impossible to get rid of.
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I use 5:2 when cutting. Small breakfast, coffee for lunch, small dinner.
Your high days should be 2000 calories or TDEE (maintenance calories). You shouldn't be starving.
But as has been said, it works for some people, and doesn't for others. You need to find what suits you best.
I've actually found now that some days I just eat like this normally without thinking about it. It all evens out over the week, so it obviously fit my lifestyle quite well.0 -
I did it for a while but then school holidays happened and I didn't want to not be eating in front of my kids and then for some reason never got back on it. I would normally have coffee for breakfast an egg or some fruit for lunch (or nothing) and save most my calories for dinner. Also lots of water/ tea. I found the longer I could delay food the easier it was.0
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It usually takes about 5-6 low calorie days for the hunger to become more subtle, so in the case of 5:2 that would be 3 weeks of adjustment after which low calorie days become much easier. If it's hard for you, don't do it. Really. Though I'm an IF advocate, I'm a much stronger advocate for "choose the easiest route that would still get you results".
For me, some 5:2 or every other day diet every now and then is quite an easy way to cut calories while still eating all I want in any quantity want. For others, it may be hard and not the best way.
On low calorie days make sure you have a lot of vegetable soup prepared. They're around 100 calories per big bowl. Blended is the best. You could have an all-soup day with 5 meals, or just use it as a snack for when you're very hungry before or after your main fiber and protein rich meal. The mind game of reminding yourself that it's just one day and that tomorrow you will eat whatever you want usually works for me, but may not for you.
If you decide on going for one 500 calorie meal (or 400 calorie meal +snack) it's best not to have it for breakfast. Delay till lunch or even dinner. The best thing that works for me is a 100 calorie snack mid-day then a 400 calorie dinner.0 -
Thanks everyone for your advice. Normally I try to stick to around the 1200calorie mark, but I do a lot of high intensity exercise, so sometimes I do eat back some of my exercise calories as I do get hungry. When I was doing the 5:2 diet for those few weeks I was sticking to that, and then going around 500-600 calories on the 2 low days. I just get frustrated when I am almost at my goal, then after a night out for dinner/drinks I can put on 1.5kg and then it takes weeks to get it off again. Thought maybe the 5:2 diet may make it easier to maintain my weight that's the reasoning behind it. Cheers
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Thanks everyone for your advice. Normally I try to stick to around the 1200calorie mark, but I do a lot of high intensity exercise, so sometimes I do eat back some of my exercise calories as I do get hungry. When I was doing the 5:2 diet for those few weeks I was sticking to that, and then going around 500-600 calories on the 2 low days. I just get frustrated when I am almost at my goal, then after a night out for dinner/drinks I can put on 1.5kg and then it takes weeks to get it off again. Thought maybe the 5:2 diet may make it easier to maintain my weight that's the reasoning behind it. Cheers
That's why you were hungry. On high calorie days you shouldn't be doing 1200, you should be doing somewhere around maintenance. Eating 500 on low days then a low 1200 on high days makes your deficit too steep for the body to handle so it responds with hunger.0 -
this is my second week on 5:2 and i love it. yes, it sucks still on my fast days as i tend to still get bad hunger pangs, but i notice on my regular-eating days, i can't eat as much and i stay fuller for a lot longer than usual. it's not going to be a magical diet where you drop more weight than anyone else doing calorie restriction but i do find that fasting benefits me on the days i don't fast, such as shrinking my stomach so that i can't fit as much food in there anymore; so then i naturally cut back on calories. and yeah, i would definitely be doing more than 1200 calories a day on non-fast days. i'm clocking in around 1500-1800 a day (with moderate exercise) and have been seeing results--not necessarily on the scale but for sure in the way my clothes are fitting.
and on fast days, i typically eat a small lunch and small dinner (maybe a tiny dessert thrown in there as well). my last fast day i ate:
BREAKFAST:
coffee with 1 creamer and splenda
LUNCH:
luna bar
1/4 bag of sunflower seeds
DINNER:
chicken noodle soup
DESSERT:
72% cacao chocolate ghirardelli square
i have a friend who fasts as well and just drinks black coffee all day and waits to eat all her 500 calories for dinner. it's all whatever you prefer/how long you can last LOL. i tend to be super hungry in the mornings and can't wait as long before i eat, so my choice is having two small meals.0 -
I've been doing it for about 4 months. It's really pretty easy now. First few fasts were hard, but that ended quickly and I now "crave" fasting days...like my body needs a food break. I find it much easier to plan my fasting days when I'm going to be super active and busy, like out all day shopping, etc. I start the day with a coffee and a little heavy cream and finish the day with a 450 calorie or less meal. If I skip carbs on the meal, I can pretty much eat just about anything I want, and lots of it if I'm hungry.
In the beginning, I would sip on miso soup during the day if I started to feel sluggish or starving. Something hot and salty like miso or broth seemed to really help the headaches I got the first few weeks.
The best thing about the diet is that it is SO FLEXIBLE, and is proving to be pretty easy to stick to. Some weeks I do three fasts, some weeks two, some weeks one. Some weeks I skip fasting all together if I'm on vacation or something. Just depends on what the scale is doing, and my plans. I think this WOE has trained me to identify true hunger and I'm full a lot quicker than I used to be, so even on non-fasting days, I log pretty low calories. Good luck!0 -
Thanks everyone for your advice. Normally I try to stick to around the 1200calorie mark, but I do a lot of high intensity exercise, so sometimes I do eat back some of my exercise calories as I do get hungry. When I was doing the 5:2 diet for those few weeks I was sticking to that, and then going around 500-600 calories on the 2 low days. I just get frustrated when I am almost at my goal, then after a night out for dinner/drinks I can put on 1.5kg and then it takes weeks to get it off again. Thought maybe the 5:2 diet may make it easier to maintain my weight that's the reasoning behind it. Cheers
As Monkey said...high days too low. It's a common mistake people make.
You're at a stage (going from profile pic) like me that there's not much to go? You have to set and trust the numbers...so TDEE on high days and 500 on low. Let it take the time it does.
I was stuck on 1200cals/day too and the 5:2 helped me move from that. Something that may be very applicable to you as well (just my experience not an expert) is that I finally could play around with my food intake because I noticed I'd have a better workout depending what I ate the night before (higher carbs actually). Awesome. This is a better focus for me now. On my high days I'm comfortable at 1800-2300 depending at 5'7". I lift though so maybe your context is different with running. I fasted training days because they are days I'm busier but I also train in the morning so I think this is up to the individual.
If you do go back to it...do it right. Read as much as you can and use it to enhance performance (as in comparison to 1200/day). I think you'd be surprised what a difference it makes. I can move to and fro with different methods now (tdee-% and 5:2) depending on my mood and circumstance but the best thing is 1200 is not the default anymore and I don't fret about it.
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Raj, I do alternate day fasting. You can take a peek of my diary if you wish. I'm down to my last couple of kgs, so I'm trying to be super strict! Once I get down to my goal weight I'll do 6:1 and 16:80
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I IF. The hunger you feel for the first few weeks often has no bearing on how you might feel after your body has adapted to the eating schedule. It could simply be a case of you sticking it out and seeing if things level off for you. It does for many IFers.
But personally I do full, true fast days; i.e. nothing but water. I find that a full fast day leaves me usually without hunger, where low calorie "fast" days stoke hunger and make it much more of a challenge. YMMV.0 -
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Sorry people I can't work out how to reply to certain posts LOL (call me blonde), but thanks for all your tips and advice!@_SKIM_ I do weights too 3 x a week plus running, I've been doing weights for 20+ years, and LOVE it, and i always work out in the morning too, I have 1-2 rest days per week. I do find though that training makes me a lot hungrier, so thought I'd do the fast days on my days off? Not sure, maybe if I try both and see waht works best? I work from home too which makes it a bit harder as food always within easy reach !! LOL. Will give it a go starting next week and see how i get on Thanks everyone 0
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christinev297 wrote: »Raj, I do alternate day fasting. You can take a peek of my diary if you wish. I'm down to my last couple of kgs, so I'm trying to be super strict! Once I get down to my goal weight I'll do 6:1 and 16:8
Thanks heaps, have friend requested you so I can take a squiz at your diary and get some ideas cheers ! Sarah
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Iwishyouwell wrote: »I IF. The hunger you feel for the first few weeks often has no bearing on how you might feel after your body has adapted to the eating schedule. It could simply be a case of you sticking it out and seeing if things level off for you. It does for many IFers.
But personally I do full, true fast days; i.e. nothing but water. I find that a full fast day leaves me usually without hunger, where low calorie "fast" days stoke hunger and make it much more of a challenge. YMMV.
Yeah I don't think I could survive on just water all day...I get very nauseous and feel awful if I don't eat for a long time, but could probably survive till lunchtime, then have something light, then a 400'ish calorie dinner. Will try it out for a couple of months and see how i go. I did start to look forard to the fasting days, as I always felt SO GOOD the day afterwards 0 -
Thanks everyone for your advice. Normally I try to stick to around the 1200calorie mark, but I do a lot of high intensity exercise, so sometimes I do eat back some of my exercise calories as I do get hungry. When I was doing the 5:2 diet for those few weeks I was sticking to that, and then going around 500-600 calories on the 2 low days. I just get frustrated when I am almost at my goal, then after a night out for dinner/drinks I can put on 1.5kg and then it takes weeks to get it off again. Thought maybe the 5:2 diet may make it easier to maintain my weight that's the reasoning behind it. Cheers
As Monkey said...high days too low. It's a common mistake people make.
You're at a stage (going from profile pic) like me that there's not much to go? You have to set and trust the numbers...so TDEE on high days and 500 on low. Let it take the time it does.
I was stuck on 1200cals/day too and the 5:2 helped me move from that. Something that may be very applicable to you as well (just my experience not an expert) is that I finally could play around with my food intake because I noticed I'd have a better workout depending what I ate the night before (higher carbs actually). Awesome. This is a better focus for me now. On my high days I'm comfortable at 1800-2300 depending at 5'7". I lift though so maybe your context is different with running. I fasted training days because they are days I'm busier but I also train in the morning so I think this is up to the individual.
If you do go back to it...do it right. Read as much as you can and use it to enhance performance (as in comparison to 1200/day). I think you'd be surprised what a difference it makes. I can move to and fro with different methods now (tdee-% and 5:2) depending on my mood and circumstance but the best thing is 1200 is not the default anymore and I don't fret about it.
Thanks- yeah I"ll increase my normal days a bit. I definitely find I have a better workout with a higher carb lunch/dinner the day before. I need to work out whether to do my fast days on workout days or rest days. I have 1-2 rest days per week, the rest of the week I'm either doing weights/cardio at the gym or running.0 -
I tried it a year ago after watching the documentary. I found that I could do 700 calories a day and still lose at the same rate. I gained it all back when I was eating in a cafeteria that summer, and was doing a lot of walking... not sustainable imo. If you really want to try it though, here are some things I ate:
Plain oatmeal packet for 100 calorie breakfast. I put some cocoa and stevia in for flavor, now I would probably add 1 tbsp PB II for protein.
Some other things I ate were:
chicken broth
Chow Mein (the vegetables)
V8
I made a vegetable soup with V8, Tabatchnik soup, and hot sauce.
Miso soup (I found a dry mix that was only 35 calories a cup)
frozen baby shrimp
plain tuna
Salmon patties
I used Swanson flavor booster to add flavor to my soup creations.
Sometimes I had 300 calories left for dinner, but usually less. I scoured the grocery isles for the lowest calorie foods I could find that would still give me nutrients and make me feel full.
Good Luck!
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