Fasting 5:2

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Debssssssssss
Debssssssssss Posts: 84 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone seeing any benefits from this? What has been your experience with it and would you recommend it?

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  • johnnylakis
    johnnylakis Posts: 812 Member
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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 sustainable
  • lynn1982
    lynn1982 Posts: 1,439 Member
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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."
  • Woodspoon
    Woodspoon Posts: 223 Member
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    I sense a lot of incoming abuse
    Have fun
  • let1179
    let1179 Posts: 58 Member
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    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.
  • LettingTheSmallStuffGo
    LettingTheSmallStuffGo Posts: 72 Member
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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.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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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.

  • bm920
    bm920 Posts: 114 Member
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    Its not necessary and sets a lot up people up for a binge by being too restrictive.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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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 wol
  • shibainugal
    shibainugal Posts: 46 Member
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    I do ADF. There's a great supportive FB group called Alternate Day Fasting (ADF).
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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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.
  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
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    bm920 wrote: »
    Its not necessary and sets a lot up people up for a binge by being too restrictive.
    That would depend on the person. It's all about preference.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    SLLRunner wrote: »
    bm920 wrote: »
    Its not necessary and sets a lot up people up for a binge by being too restrictive.
    That would depend on the person. It's all about preference.

    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 :smile:
  • feisty_bucket
    feisty_bucket Posts: 1,047 Member
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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.
  • gemgemleigh
    gemgemleigh Posts: 4 Member
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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.
  • pinkvici
    pinkvici Posts: 140 Member
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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!
  • Stevesb62
    Stevesb62 Posts: 4
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    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 again :)
  • MrsGraves1987
    MrsGraves1987 Posts: 162 Member
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    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)
  • priyac1987
    priyac1987 Posts: 115 Member
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    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!
  • cottony
    cottony Posts: 109 Member
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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 time
  • jadumz
    jadumz Posts: 80 Member
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    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 day

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