Fasting 5:2
Debssssssssss
Posts: 84 Member
Anyone seeing any benefits from this? What has been your experience with it and would you recommend it?
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Replies
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I knew someone who tried it. It doesn't work because 500 calories is too few leaving you in starvation mode (not to mention hungry beyond belief). Try 1,200 calories a day every day. It's much more sustainable0
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johnnylakis wrote: »I knew someone who tried it. It doesn't work because 500 calories is too few leaving you in starvation mode (not to mention hungry beyond belief). Try 1,200 calories a day every day. It's much more sustainable
2 days a week at 500 calories is not going to put someone in "starvation mode."0 -
I sense a lot of incoming abuse
Have fun0 -
I've read about it. I know for me I would binge, then do my best to have only 500 calories for two days, but couldn't trust myself to do so. I think it would do more harm than good. But we are all different, you know yourself and I'm sure have an idea of how it may work for you, go with your instinct.0
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I'm doing it. They also call it intermittent fasting as there are many ways to do it. Some do 5 feast and 2 fast; 4:3 (that's what I'm doing), there's a EODD - strictly every other day. I've tried out different combinations and I think I've finally figured out what combination works for me. Some recommend 1 meal, some say 1 snack and 1 meal, some say eat your only meal at lunch, etc. So originally I did 5:2 and it worked while I did it. I lost 7 lbs and I could tell I was going to keep losing. Ever had that feeling where you feel the lbs melting off? But I got sidetracked when I went to a week long seminar and quit. Once I quit it was hard to get back to and when I finally did I simply could not follow through. I was starving which I didn't understand because I wasn't starving the first time I did it. Then I read the Every Other Day Diet where it's strictly every other day and I did that for a week but it didn't jive with my lifestyle. One weekend you might be fasting on a Sunday next weekend a Saturday - I need my weekend free of fast days. But what I did pick up from the EODD is eating a 100 calorie snack at lunch and a 400 calorie dinner. My snack is always protein and with that to tie me over I've been able to stick to a 400 calorie dinner. I fast on Monday, Wednesday, Friday. So far so good and I've lost 4.6 pounds but I'm only on week one and only have fasted Monday and Wednesday. Tomorrow will be my 3rd fast day and I'm anxious to see what I will weigh on Monday after a full week and following two feast days-Sat and Sunday. My TDEE is 1,989 calories so I'm trying to stick beneath that on feast days. I wish MFP was set up to accommodate a fasting schedule but if you eat too low of calories on a given it won't calculate your future weight. It would be nice if it would take a 7 day of average calories to determine who much you'll lose in 5 weeks.0
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johnnylakis wrote: »I knew someone who tried it. It doesn't work because 500 calories is too few leaving you in starvation mode (not to mention hungry beyond belief). Try 1,200 calories a day every day. It's much more sustainable
oh bull!!!
I do alternate day fasting. I've lost 11kgs (24lbs) in 3mths.
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Its not necessary and sets a lot up people up for a binge by being too restrictive.0
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It's had the opposite effect on me. I used to eat til I was stuffed! ADF has taught me to learn the difference between being full/stuffed and satisfied.
Also if I feel like something on fasting day, knowing you can have it tomorrow makes this "diet" much more bearable.
I know a lot of people worry about bingeing on up days, the studies have proved this to be untrue. I also belong to a lot of fasting groups, and the binge thing is discussed often.
For those that have a physiological problem with bingeing, than no, I would not recommend this wol0 -
I do ADF. There's a great supportive FB group called Alternate Day Fasting (ADF).0
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johnnylakis wrote: »I knew someone who tried it. It doesn't work because 500 calories is too few leaving you in starvation mode (not to mention hungry beyond belief). Try 1,200 calories a day every day. It's much more sustainable
This information is incorrect.
Deb, there are people in this forum who successfully do 5:2, so a search might also bring up information on it. I personally cannot do intermittent fasting because I lack willpower to stick with it.0 -
Exactly right! Some people can handle it and do very well, others can not. It's all about what suits the individual. There is no right or wrong way, it's whatever works for you
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Debssssssssss wrote: »Anyone seeing any benefits from this? What has been your experience with it and would you recommend it?
Yeah, it works great. IMO, it's easy once you relax and get used to actually being hungry instead of getting faked out by blood sugar crashes.
I cut about a dozen pounds, down to ~11% BF in a little over a month. Check out the group on here if you want.
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For me this diet works brilliantly, I have a busy job where I eat out with clients a lot of the time so suits me but I can see how it's not for everyone. I think if you use your calories wisely there is no need for you to feel hungry...there are tons of recipes online to help get you started.0
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I'm doing it - I actually did it last summer for 6 weeks to lose those last few pounds. I put weight on over christmas so I'm back at it and already lost 7lbs.
I find it easy as long as I'm well prepared!0 -
Yeah, please could people not state things as facts when they're not facts. Someone wrote, "they knew someone who tried it and it doesn't work". Like it's a fact.
Maybe it didn't work for them
I firmly believe this diet does work but must admit it didn't work for me. I found myself struggling too much on the fasting days. In fact I was getting depressed with it and ended up dreading the fasting days. i did lose weight and maybe if I'd followed it more closely I could have managed the fasting days better.
And thats what i intend to do. I'm now much better at eating less and more healthy so I feel I'd possibly be better suited to it and be better equipped to deal with the fasting days.
When I get closer to my goal weight, I'll be trying this again0 -
You must watch the Horizon Documentary on 5:2 fasting by Dr Michael Moseley. Not only is weight loss an outcome of properly fasting, but there are many other great things like improvements in blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Do your research before asking opinions of people who know nothing about it. You can eat so much for 500 cals and it's just for 2 days a week. I would even go so far as saying it's easy. I will never embark on a low calorie diet again, 5:2 has taught me a lot about my eating habits, when I am actually hungry or when I am just thirsty. I feel generally healthier. Check the Facebook pages if you're on facebook (5:2 Intermittent fasting Diet and The 5:2 Diet are two which I am a member of. Each have over 25,000 members and they continue to grow as more people stop being opinionated and actually start learning. Good luck.
http://thefastdiet.co.uk/why-fast/
Dr Michael Moseleys website is very helpful
http://kate-harrison.com/5-2diet
Kate Harrison is known worldwide for her contributions to 5:2 such as recipes and starting the facebook page I mentioned above.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lxyzc
Horizon Documentry (available UK - you may need to search for it if you are not in the UK)0 -
I did this last year and lost just over a stone doing it.. like other people have said, it gets a lot easier once you get used to not eating! And I used to not eat at all for 24 hours and then eat a full 500 calorie meal for dinner...I do want to get back onto it but I'm currently doing Insanity and I don't think I could do an insanity workout on an empty stomach! Although saying that, I used to be able to fast all day and still bang out an hour and half workout at the gym with no food!0
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I tell you what works for sure but is kinda not enough calorie wise,but food wise it can be possible and satisfying.
1000-1100 calorie a day diet.
Works for me,if you can do it for a week you can lose at least 3 pounds(depends on how much you have to lose)
But it can't be good if done for too long period of time0 -
I've done the 5:2 when I've been on holidays and anything away from work, but it doesn't work with my job because I the chef makes me glorious food every day0
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I have done it for health reasons and one of the benefits is that you do lose weight. However, good planning is a must and it is not a green light to eat whatever you want for the other days of the week.
I think the diet works for people who have realistic expectations (i.e. weightloss is slow and steady). It is probably not the best diet for those who prefer to graze all day, I would say they would be best to stick to something else, perhaps the GI foods that will leave them feeling fuller through the day.0 -
gillystevas wrote: »It is probably not the best diet for those who prefer to graze all day, I would say they would be best to stick to something else, perhaps the GI foods that will leave them feeling fuller through the day.
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Try this group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/8628-5-2-diet you'll find lots of people following the diet plan here.0
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I am doing 5:2. I have done it before and liked it. I never have to lose much weight, usually 5-10 pounds and this way works very well.
I plan my 2 days carefully and I use 600 cals as my rule. I do manage to get three small meals in and use Tuesday/Wednesday as my "fast" days. I do not get to the point where I am starving because I do work to find low calorie foods that are filling.
For breakfast I have a Vega choc a lot smoothie made with almond milk (30 cals per cup) So 120 for a good start to the day.
Lunch tends to be egg and veg bake (90 cals) with a cup of soup, usually tomato (100 cals)
A huge dish of roast veggies is easily done under 150 cals, with a small piece of haddock (60 cals). Makes great dinner.
A cup of fresh berries before bed (70 cals) and one cup almond milk to have in tea along the way.
I know this is not for everyone, but for people who already are not between meal snackers this is very doable.
The other days I eat normally, still do not snack between meals, plus right now I am doing Dry January which makes it easy to stay sensible.
When people immediately toss "starvation mode" in people faces it stops them sharing. There is not enough proof that starvation mode is a reality when doing a fasting lifestyle. MFP throws up a warning when you are under 1200 cals, that arbitrary line, does it also throw up a warning when you eat too much and might start to gain? Perhaps it should.0 -
Would you exercise on fast days? Or would you have those as your rest days? And would I still have 1200 cals on none fast days? X0
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On non fast days you eat normal calories. As in, whatever your body needs per day to maintain it's size. For me that is 1500 cals.
Some days I run, but no more than 5k, I will often walk.0 -
Been doing this for two and a half years both for weight loss and maintenance.
Wonder when "starvation mode" is going to kick in?
Suited me far better than every day calorie restriction for weight loss and this way of eating fits really well into my life.
Also finds it supports a very heavy training regime extremely well. At the moment following a 6:1 pattern (six days small surplus to cancel out the one day large deficit).0 -
I did it for about 3 months, a combination of alternate day and 5:2. I have mixed feelings about it. I think it can work really well for some people as a weight loss tool and there are other health benefits. I lost a few inches in the short time I did it but not more than I would have just restricting calories any other way. I really wanted this to be a sustainable weight loss tool for me but it just wasn't. I liked the idea of only having to count calories 2 days a week or every other day but I got frustrated that I wasn't really losing much and was then told that I'm supposed to count calories on the non fast days too to make sure I'm not eating too much. So I thought what is the point of that, I may as well just go back to 1500 calories a day every day (which is how I initially lost 60lbs or so) and see the weight come of consistently and not starve myself for two days a week - some days I found it easy to stick to the 500 cal and some days it was really hard. So I got the myfitness pal app and have been using it consistently for the past two weeks and I'm hooked! I love seeing my nutrition tables and making sure I'm eating all the right stuff. I did like certain elements of fasting though so I am incorporating the 16:8 method too which means I only eat between 12 and 8pm which is not hard for me at all and I log everything and stick to 1500. If 5:2 works for you that's great, you'll only know by trying though. Good luck!
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Thanks guys. Glad to see some really constructive comments. Mostly positive, which is great. I'm at the point were I've been counting calories for almost a year.. Im very much in control of my eating now. I think if I were to attempt this a year ago I would be setting myself up to fail tremendously. I plan to eat at a very small deficit (-200cals from maintenance, would this be ok?) for 5 days then have 600 for the other 2. I still have 20kg to get to goal.0
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I've done IF for just on 2 years now...... not starving, not hungry..... I go every 2nd day with 0 calories. It's normal for me to do it now. I'd rather this than restrict daily. I run faster & have more energy on the days I don't eat. I'm not in starvation mode. I don't binge. I'm not lacking anything & not deprived of anything........ feel like a full large pizza anyone? And I don't ever count a single calorie...... like ever.
Just because YOU can't do it, or know someone who did it...... does not mean it does not work.
By the way..... it's meant for HEALTH reasons not weight reasons .....weight loss is just a bonus. I don't need to lose anything...... but I still do it..... and I've not put on even a single gram of weight.
You don't HAVE to eat the 500cals (women) or 600 (men) at all...and a true fast is just with nothing but water.0
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