5 : 2 Diet

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JulieCook3
JulieCook3 Posts: 1 Member
in Introduce Yourself
I am proposing using the 5:2 diet, having read an article in Woman & Home magazine by Amanda Redman. Any tips anyone, for my first day, please?

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  • coletrain1272
    coletrain1272 Posts: 16 Member
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    I would also like to know about this diet...
  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited August 2015
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    It's just a different way to split up your weekly calorie budget.

    Rather than eating the same amount of calories every day, 5:2 has the calories distributed differently.

    I've seen it mentioned two different ways. You can do intermittent fasting (IF) and eat 500 calories for 2 days of the week (not having those days together) so that you can eat more calories on the other 5 days. Another way is to eat fewer calories per day during the week in order to eat more calories over the weekend.

    Let's say you have a calorie goal of 1400 calories per day. That would be 9800 for the whole week. If you did IF, you could have 2 days of 500 calories and 5 days of 1760. If you did weekday/weekend, you could eat 1300 on weekdays and 1650 per day on weekends.

    Ultimately, all that matters is that you have an overall calorie deficit. Personally, I prefer to eat about the same calories every day.
    JulieCook3 wrote: »
    I am proposing using the 5:2 diet, having read an article in Woman & Home magazine by Amanda Redman. Any tips anyone, for my first day, please?
    The start of any new eating plan is a learning experience. Don't be too hard on yourself if you slip a few times before you find your footing. Good luck!
  • charlotte_faulk
    charlotte_faulk Posts: 4 Member
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    Hello! I'm on the 5:2 with my boyfriend, housemate and colleagues and we're all seeing changes. On two days a week you eat 500 calories. Easy as that. I find if I make a veg soup for lunch that that keeps me going until tea, when I have a stir fry or a veggie curry. It's far easier than you'd imagine because there's always tomorrow. If I'm hungry for cake or chocolate, I don't have to deprive myself - I just save it and then enjoy it another time. I normally save my treats to a weekend and in 4 weeks I've lost over 7lbs.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    Here's a link to the 5:2 group: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting

    I eat 500 calories for 2 (non-consecutive) days and maintenance for the other 5. I log maintenance days also. This will help me with the transition to maintenance.

    I do well on 500 calorie days when I skip breakfast. Then I look for 2 well rounded meals (protein, carbs & some fat). Heavy on low calorie veggies.

  • PinkPixiexox
    PinkPixiexox Posts: 4,142 Member
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    If you can handle the very low calorie days (I personally couldn't!) then this sounds like quite a decent plan to follow. I tried it for one day (the 500 calorie day!) and I felt it was a little too aggressive for me. It's just a mix up of the calorie deficit the majority of us follow now - it won't work 'better' but it'll still work, so it's totally up to you which route you choose! Good luck :]

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