5:2 fast diet

WestieBestie84
WestieBestie84 Posts: 42 Member
edited November 11 in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone tried this and would you recommend it? More worried about maintaining x

Replies

  • jennifer_417
    jennifer_417 Posts: 12,344 Member
    I do it and I like it. I think it probably depends on the individual. Not everyone handles fasting very well.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Not sure what you mean about being worried about maintaining but my mum and step dad did it for about 6 months and both lost 7-10lbs each on it. There are supposed to be a lot of health benefits that result from doing it and for some people it means that 2 days fasting allows for less restriction on the other days.

    I tried it for a while and initially lost about 3lbs but then stopped losing so I started modifying it so that I counted calories on the non-fast days because it can be tempting to eat a lot more on those days.

    I would definitely do it again and some people use it during maintenance but switch to having 1 fast day per week instead of 2. There are lots of fast diet books available to give you ideas about what to eat on your fast days too.

    When I did it I tended to have the majority of my calories in the middle of the day and something small in the morning and evening.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I started on 5:2 but then swapped to alternate day fasting, because the results were too slow. I'm very impatient :-(
    I've lost 24lbs in 3mths, only a few more to go.
    I'll go back to 5:2 or 6:1 to maintain.
    I do know alot of people have great success on 5:2. Theoretically if you have a 3500 calorie deficit every week, you should lose a pound a week
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Also, if you're on faceache they have lots of 5:2 groups
  • sgall123
    sgall123 Posts: 133 Member
    I've been on 5.2 for just over 2 years now.. I was at a heathy weight when I started, however I did drop 7lbs in 2 weeks then I managed to maintain that loss.. I would now like to lose a final 7lbs but I'm finding this difficult with just 5.2 alone.. I tried ADF for a few weeks but only lost 0.6lbs!! I'm thinking of staying with 5.2 & calorie counting on the other days as that's what I did when I first started 2 years ago.. I know I can maintain very well on 5.2 alone but really want these final 7lbs gone!!
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Out of interest ChristineV297, how many calories do you eat on your fast days and how many on your non-fast days, or do you not count on those days?

    I have lost 5lbs in a month by calorie counting and exercising 7 days a week burning 350-600 calories per day through exercise but I'd like to lose faster. The majority of my loss happened in the first 2 weeks and since then the scales went up and now they are back down to my previous loss. I am eating 1300 calories on average gross, netting around 900 last week so don't know how I can speed up the loss other than adding fast days as don't want to eat any less.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    I don't exercise. Up days I aim for 1600 calories and down days between 400-800 calories. I used to be spot on 500 on down days, but have lapsed a bit lately.
    The only thing I can think of to speed up your loss is to reduce your down day calories or add a couple more fasting days.
    And yes, I always count calories on both up and down days
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Ok, sounds like you're lucky if you can get away with eating 1600 on up days but maybe the down days make up for it. In my case it seems my body doesn't want to drop the weight very fast as due to the exercise I'm doing I should be consistently losing 1.5 lbs per week. I am gonna try and add in some fast days and do gentle exercise only on those days.
  • chantwizzle83
    chantwizzle83 Posts: 82 Member
    If you're lifting or a powerhouse cardio exerciser, don't workout on fast days. You need food for a quality workout. I do the 5:2, but try not to workout hard on fast days. I do light cardio (walking) and make the other my rest day. I'm losing a pound a week. I'm happy with that as I do heavy strength training and endurance running.
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    Yes was thinking about doing cardio first think in the morning as I'll still have energy from the day before. Nothing strenuous though.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Also, as I've only got 4kgs left to go I'm losing around 1-2lbs a month now. Frustratingly slow, but I'll get there eventually
  • WestieBestie84
    WestieBestie84 Posts: 42 Member
    Ok thanks guys. I did try this diet once but gave up as found it hard. I am very interested in the health benefits too. I am going to go for it. I also find I drink far too much caffeine so would hopefully be a bit of a detox from that.
    What I meant by maintain was once went onto eating 7 days a week did the weight go up? Although it appears some go to 6:1.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Rachel the fasting maintainers seem to do well maintaining on 6:1. If the weight creeps up they do 5:2 for a few weeks
  • WestieBestie84
    WestieBestie84 Posts: 42 Member
    Thanks Christine.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting

    Do come and join us in this group!
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    I guess it's all down to the numbers. If you get to your goal weight and work out how many calories you need overall to maintain, then you can see if the number is high enough when split over 7 days (ie. establish whether or not you will feel satisfied doing it like that), but if not then have 1 fast day and split the rest over 6 days.

    What I found to be the best approach when doing 5:2 was to work out the weekly calories I should be eating to lose the weight I was aiming for and then subtract 1000 calories (to take into account the two fast days) and split the rest over 5 days.
  • honkytonks85
    honkytonks85 Posts: 669 Member
    I did this for a year and lost 20kg. However I gained the weight back when I was pregnant with boy number 2. I tried again for a year the same diet and had no success at all. I realised I was overeating to 'compensate' for my fast days and that the excess calories were hindering my weight loss overall. I decided that it wasn't working at this point in my life and am just aiming for a daily deficit. However, I do think it's a great strategy and I think I might try adding a fast day per week once I get my eating back under control.
  • sgall123
    sgall123 Posts: 133 Member
    I've been on 5.2 2 years now.. For the last year I've maintained my current weight with just 2 fasts days a week.. I really want to lose a final 7lbs but I think I've become too relaxed on my non fast days so I'm struggling!!.. I think the only way round it is to come back to calorie counting every day but I hate the idea of doing this.. I'm within a healthy weight range but want 7lbs off for a bit of wiggle room I suppose.. I've toyed with ADF too but didn't have great results.. The question is which do I want more?!! To lose a final 7lbs but or keep doing what im doing & maintaining my current weight!!
  • 2BeHappy2
    2BeHappy2 Posts: 811 Member
    Are the fasting days suppose to be back to back or just any random days?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    2BeHappy2 wrote: »
    Are the fasting days suppose to be back to back or just any random days?
    It's up to the individual. People haven't reported more or less weight loss doing b2b compared to spacing their fasting days apart
  • WestieBestie84
    WestieBestie84 Posts: 42 Member
    JAT74 wrote: »
    I guess it's all down to the numbers. If you get to your goal weight and work out how many calories you need overall to maintain, then you can see if the number is high enough when split over 7 days (ie. establish whether or not you will feel satisfied doing it like that), but if not then have 1 fast day and split the rest over 6 days.

    What I found to be the best approach when doing 5:2 was to work out the weekly calories I should be eating to lose the weight I was aiming for and then subtract 1000 calories (to take into account the two fast days) and split the rest over 5 days.

    Found this really interesting and a very valid point.
    I'm thinking about maybe doing 1 fast day a week and having a smaller deficit throughout the week so I'm not hungry. Also hoping the fast day will help cravings and get in check with what is hunger or boredom eating.

    Thanks everyone for your comments.
  • beets4us
    beets4us Posts: 57 Member
    Do those of you who do this get lethargic on fast days from lack of food? Not sure I could do this with my heavy workload.
  • WestieBestie84
    WestieBestie84 Posts: 42 Member
    I'm going to try it on a non work day.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    slkehl90 wrote: »
    Do those of you who do this get lethargic on fast days from lack of food? Not sure I could do this with my heavy workload.

    . I felt a bit like that in the beginning, but your body gets used to it after a while. Mine did anyway.
    I drink lots of water and tea on fast days. You could have a little snack to tide you over and to stop lethargy or queasiness.
    You'll never know until you try. Some people breeze through it, while others find it more difficult
  • JAT74
    JAT74 Posts: 1,081 Member
    In the fast diet book I seem to remember they recommend doing gentle exercise. When I did it I generally did low impact cardio first thing in the morning on a fast day so I still had energy from the night before.

    Your body does adapt, I remember many years ago doing something called the maple syrup diet cleanse where I drank a syrupy liquid for 2 weeks and ate nothing at all. I still did two fitness classes each week and the calorie intake was no more than 300-400 calories every day. It was a crazy thing to do but I was surprised at how easy it was after the first 2 days.

    After incorporating a fast day or 2 into your week you will probably find you don't get as hungry on the other days too.
  • WestieBestie84
    WestieBestie84 Posts: 42 Member
    christinev297 wrote: »
    slkehl90 wrote: »
    Do those of you who do this get lethargic on fast days from lack of food? Not sure I could do this with my heavy workload.

    . I felt a bit like that in the beginning, but your body gets used to it after a while. Mine did anyway.
    I drink lots of water and tea on fast days. You could have a little snack to tide you over and to stop lethargy or queasiness.
    You'll never know until you try. Some people breeze through it, while others find it more difficult

    Do you have milk in your tea? I couldn't take black tea x
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    rachel84reid wrote: »
    christinev297 wrote: »
    slkehl90 wrote: »
    Do those of you who do this get lethargic on fast days from lack of food? Not sure I could do this with my heavy workload.

    . I felt a bit like that in the beginning, but your body gets used to it after a while. Mine did anyway.
    I drink lots of water and tea on fast days. You could have a little snack to tide you over and to stop lethargy or queasiness.
    You'll never know until you try. Some people breeze through it, while others find it more difficult

    Do you have milk in your tea? I couldn't take black tea x

    yeah I do. I can't stand black tea either, I even tried almond milk to try and keep the calories down, but that was foul! The milk in my tea adds up to 176 calories which == 5 cups of tea. The rest is green tea, which I'm not to keen on either :s

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