5:2 diet

I've never heard of it, so I googled it. It sounds like something that won't really work and could be really hard to stick with. For me, that type of diet would set me up for failure....jmho. I did herbalife ages ago and lost some weight but also gained it back. Right now, I am trying just good nutrition, portion control, and exercise. It is VERY SLOW, but working.

I am doing 5:2 and have lost 4lbs in the first 2 weeks it is quite tough to stick to on the 2 'fast' days but you just have to keep yourself busy and your body starts to get used to it. Around 3pm is the time I usually feel like giving up, if you can go about an hour when you feel like this then it passes! Good luck

I've done the every other day diet on and off (I'm currently on). It really is manageable and easy to stick to for those who are not afraid of hunger. It's very similar to 5:2 so same rules apply. The weight loss is great. I'm doing it with maintenance in mind. It's a great tool to learn how to maintain, not only diet. After All that's the end goal isn't it? The skills I learned helped me to maintain for several months without a single pound gained outside of regular fluctuations when I was going through hard times and did not have the energy to diet.

Some things you may want to be aware of:
- The first fast day may be a bit hard. Stock on sugar free tea and coffee and don't make up your mind yet that this isn't the diet for you until you get used to it. After about 2-3 weeks you will adjust and it will get much easier. Sometimes you get days that are hard, but not as hard as the beginning (especially when your female hormones start playing games). All you have to do is tell yourself "not a big deal, it's just one day and tomorrow I get to eat more".

- Feast days are not days where you hoard all the food and shove it down with abandon. They are the days where you get to practice maintenance. You get to eat more of the things you like and are much more relaxed, but focus on useful skill and habit building like recognizing hunger, practicing portion control, tending to your fitness goals..etc. In fact you will be pleasantly surprised on your first feast day. On fast day you may be thinking "tomorrow I will eat until I'm blue in the face", but when "tomorrow" comes you will find that your eating is actually more relaxed than you thought it would be. The desire to binge is pretty low (although there is some debate whether 5:2 produces the same appetite suppressing effect as every other day diet).

- Make sure your meals on fast days are predominantly protein. This will leave you more satiated. Start your meal with a low calorie soup like miso soup, and at the end of the meal you will be content.

- The scales will be playing tricks on you, so if you are a person who likes to weigh in daily you will notice the numbers going up and down. Don't let that bother you. It's the trend that matters, not a certain number at any point of time. And believe me, the trend WILL be going down if you do your calories right.

- On feast day try to eat at or close to maintenance. Even though you are manipulating your intake, it's still all about calories in the end. I personally track every day, be it a feast or a fast, to make sure I don't go over my current maintenance calories.

- Keep things flexible. It's okay to shift your days around if the need presents itself.

- If you do decide this isn't for you, it's not the end of the world, just keep looking for a better fit.

Good luck!

tmbg1 wrote: »

I've never heard of it, so I googled it. It sounds like something that won't really work and could be really hard to stick with. F

5:2, which is a form of Intermittent Fasting, has worked for a number of people. Here's a link to a program that originally was broadcoast on the BBC. Michael Mosley, a journalist who was trained as a doctor, discussed various types of fasting with experts and tried them himself. He preferred 5:2. Here's a link to the website he created.