5:2 diet

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I've seen a few posts on the 5:2 diet/lifestyle. I'm not sure it's something I want to try, or could even do but I'm interested to get peoples thoughts. For people who don't know what it is, it is a lifestyle where you eat normal calories five days a week and two nonconsecutive days you eat approximately 500 (women) to 600 (men) calories day. Basically, intermittent fasting.

Has anybody tried this? Success? Stupid fad?

Replies

  • KateTii
    KateTii Posts: 886 Member
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    I wouldn't call it a fad - it's just a different way to control calories - looking at a weekly calorie total rather than daily - you just take what would've been your daily deficit over the seven days and squeeze it into two days.

    I personally haven't tried it as I get too grumpy when I don't eat enough and I also work two jobs and would risk my health/work performance trying to survive on such little calories on those days... so I know it won't work for me. From what i've seen it's either the best thing since sliced bread or torture. Some people enjoy eating "normally" for the 5 days and then having two small days to make up for it. Others, would rather small sacrifices each day but have each day relatively balanced. If you can handle the idea of 2 days of fasting, give it a go - you'll quickly learn if it's for you or not.
  • MelaniaTrump
    MelaniaTrump Posts: 2,694 Member
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    I think you would learn more about healthy eating lifestyle by eating good foods, same amounts, every day.
    After all, you are doing this to learn for life. A fad is a passing thing.
  • Dreysander
    Dreysander Posts: 294 Member
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    It's just another way to get your deficit in. For me it was a bad idea because it got me into a really unhealthy mindset.
  • AskTracyAnnK28
    AskTracyAnnK28 Posts: 2,817 Member
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    What would be "normal calories"? Would that be your maintenance calories for the 5 days?
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    What would be "normal calories"? Would that be your maintenance calories for the 5 days?

    Yes.
  • mkakids
    mkakids Posts: 1,913 Member
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    I started this was abd occasionally use it now as a tool.

    For example, if i know i have a weekend planned with lots of excess, i have a 500 cal day on friday or monday to even it out.

    I like the 5:2 concept, but ive found a constant steady deficit easier.

    I still had to count calories on my off days to ensure i didnt go over maintenance....so if im countinb anyways its just easier, imo, to eat 500 cals less each day.
  • mmovesian
    mmovesian Posts: 15 Member
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    I recently started it. I found that trying to maintain a deficit everyday was making me obsess over food choices in ways I didn't like. Many people switch to 6:1 for maintenance instead of 5:2, so it can be a permanent lifestyle change--not just a fad.

    There is currently (mostly anecdotal) evidence that fasting in this way is better for overall health but I'm not 100% convinced. It's just a different way for me to get my weekly deficit in.

    I still count calories every day, and they're set at the maintenance level of my goal weight for 5 days and 500 calories for 2 days. I'm hoping that by doing this I can get used to eating at maintenance for the long haul once I reach my goal.

    It works for me, but it ultimately depends on your schedule and your preferences.
  • SisterSueGetsFit
    SisterSueGetsFit Posts: 1,211 Member
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    Thanks everyone!!
  • memo1974
    memo1974 Posts: 57 Member
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    Let's do a little math:

    OPTION A:
    5 days at 1500 calories per day = 7500 calories
    2 days at 500 calories = 1000 calories
    weekly total = 8500 calories


    OPTION B:
    7 days at 1400 calories per day = 9800 calories
    workout 5 days a week and burn 600 calories per workout = 3000 burned in a week
    weekly total = 6800 calories


    As you can see, if you want to lose weight, you need to work for it.
    Option A has you starving for 2 days, which most likely will lead to muscle lost, and a slower metabolism, which translates in a harder time burning fat.
    Option B allows you to eat healthy, will raise your metabolism, which will make it easier to burn fat, and as a side effect you will feel better, and perform better in your daily tasks.

    It's your choice, for me option B it is a clear winner.

    Cheers.

  • SisterSueGetsFit
    SisterSueGetsFit Posts: 1,211 Member
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    memo1974 wrote: »
    Let's do a little math:

    OPTION A:
    5 days at 1500 calories per day = 7500 calories
    2 days at 500 calories = 1000 calories
    weekly total = 8500 calories


    OPTION B:
    7 days at 1400 calories per day = 9800 calories
    workout 5 days a week and burn 600 calories per workout = 3000 burned in a week
    weekly total = 6800 calories


    As you can see, if you want to lose weight, you need to work for it.
    Option A has you starving for 2 days, which most likely will lead to muscle lost, and a slower metabolism, which translates in a harder time burning fat.
    Option B allows you to eat healthy, will raise your metabolism, which will make it easier to burn fat, and as a side effect you will feel better, and perform better in your daily tasks.

    It's your choice, for me option B it is a clear winner.

    Cheers.
    Wow!!! I appreciate the thought you put into this! Thank you.
  • CoffeeNCardio
    CoffeeNCardio Posts: 1,847 Member
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    Unless you plan to eat this way forever, I'd just pick a goal and stick to it. IF is about teaching your body to expect food/ be hungry at a certain time so you can calorie cut without the hunger aspect and so you can get control of which feelings are hunger and which are something else manifesting as hunger. As well as other reasons. If you're just in it to get to goal and don't much care how you get there, why take the extra complication? Eating a certain amount of calories EVERY day is gonna best set you up to continue doing that well into maintenance, just as IF will best prepare you to continue to do IF. Do now what you plan to do later so that later is easier. Don't be tempted to over complicate something that doesn't need to be overcomplicated. Do IF, but don't do it because you think it's a good way to lose weight, do it because you mean to do it in the long term for the many other reasons it's so popular.
  • hannahsaurausrex
    hannahsaurausrex Posts: 5 Member
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    I did it successfully for about a month and lost 6lbs. Its not something I could keep up though personally, as I was so hangry on my fast days. Some people do really well on it. I'd say it works best if you're really busy and don't have much time to think about hungry you are
  • spyro88
    spyro88 Posts: 472 Member
    edited January 2016
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    My partner has been doing this for about 3 months now and it seems to work really well for him. He doesn't have a lot of weight to lose but it is going down gradually. He plans to switch to 6:1 to maintain it when he is at the weight he wants.

    The only problem is on his non-fasting days he does tend to eat a bit more unhealthily than he usually would, feeling it's ok to treat himself on those days (sweets and coca cola etc.), so I don't know if it works brilliantly for an overall healthy lifestyle. He's aware of this though and sees it as ok as his weight is still going down overall. He doesn't find it particularly hard to stick to but I definitely would as I know I get grumpy when I'm hungry!
  • ChickaDee2012
    ChickaDee2012 Posts: 49 Member
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    Hello all,
    I'm 52 and 5'4". I think I'm in the 150s (my scale is not working) at least at last check.

    I've been doing IF for about 2 months now... my IF approach is different "16:8". Basically this means fasting for 16 hours and getting all your eating in an 8 hour window. I chose this IF schedule, because I wasn't sure that fasting for 2 days was do-able for me. In 16:8, the 8 hour eating window can be whatever works for you. Most online articles suggest effectively skipping breakfast and starting your first meal at 11am or 12noon and your last meal would be 7 or 8pm. But I really like my breakfasts. so I've chosen to eat between 8:30 to 4:30. It is not for everyone but this schedule works for me.

    IF is working for me. My relationship with food is not the same. I've found that I'm not thinking about food all the time, my cravings have gone down too. But that said, I've been doing a couple of other things like a LCHF (low carb high fat) diet, and drinking 6-8 glasses of water a day, so it's hard to say which is responsible...maybe IF or maybe all 3. In any event, I'm thrilled that my Christmas belly bloat is gone and I see a different in my waistline and overall my clothes are looser in 2 months.

    The next step is exercising more regularly. From what the online articles say, adding the exercise while doing IF will show even more positive results! Can't wait to see what happens! :smile: Please feel free to add me.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited January 2016
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    memo1974 wrote: »
    Let's do a little math:

    OPTION A:
    5 days at 1500 calories per day = 7500 calories
    2 days at 500 calories = 1000 calories
    weekly total = 8500 calories


    OPTION B:
    7 days at 1400 calories per day = 9800 calories
    workout 5 days a week and burn 600 calories per workout = 3000 burned in a week
    weekly total = 6800 calories


    As you can see, if you want to lose weight, you need to work for it.
    Option A has you starving for 2 days, which most likely will lead to muscle lost, and a slower metabolism, which translates in a harder time burning fat.
    Option B allows you to eat healthy, will raise your metabolism, which will make it easier to burn fat, and as a side effect you will feel better, and perform better in your daily tasks.

    It's your choice, for me option B it is a clear winner.

    Cheers.

    That's not really a fair comparison. People who do IF still work out, so by your calculations of the same workout they would be doing 5500 calories a week. That's not how it works anyway.

    This is how it works:
    A hypothetical female has a sedentary maintenance of 1800 calories.
    OPTION A:
    5 days at 1800 calories + exercise calories (more freedom and choices) = 9000 calories + exercise calories
    2 days at 500 calories (get used to them pretty fast) = 1000 calories
    Total = 10,000 calories plus exercise calories

    OPTION B:
    7 days at roughly 1400 calories per day + exercise calories
    Total = 10,000 calories plus exercise calories

    Both options provide the exact same loss but one is easier for certain people than the other. For some people option A is easier because it provides more leeway in terms of calories to eat their favorite foods in non-microscopic portions, and 2 low calorie days per week are an acceptable tradeoff. For others option B is easier because they dislike having low calorie days, and smaller portions is an acceptable tradeoff.

    I personally do every other day diet, where I go low one day and then high the next. After a couple of weeks those 500-600 calories get much easier than you expect. I barely ever feel hungry, even on low days.

    Basically it's just a way people use to regulate their calories in a way that is easier for them, that's all. It's a good fit for some and a bad fit for others.

    5:2 does not lead to increased muscle loss or decreased fat loss. It's just as effective as a regular deficit. Even if we assume muscle loss on fast days, normal days will counter the effect by providing a better muscle sparing effect than a regular deficit.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited January 2016
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    memo1974 wrote: »
    Let's do a little math:

    OPTION A:
    5 days at 1500 calories per day = 7500 calories
    2 days at 500 calories = 1000 calories
    weekly total = 8500 calories


    OPTION B:
    7 days at 1400 calories per day = 9800 calories
    workout 5 days a week and burn 600 calories per workout = 3000 burned in a week
    weekly total = 6800 calories


    As you can see, if you want to lose weight, you need to work for it.
    Option A has you starving for 2 days, which most likely will lead to muscle lost, and a slower metabolism, which translates in a harder time burning fat.
    Option B allows you to eat healthy, will raise your metabolism, which will make it easier to burn fat, and as a side effect you will feel better, and perform better in your daily tasks.

    It's your choice, for me option B it is a clear winner.

    Cheers.
    Wow!!! I appreciate the thought you put into this! Thank you.

    I've not seen this. Not in the 5:2 book I read (Mosley). My take is that 5 days are maintenance (4:3 if you are very overweight). Logging maintenance is the lifestyle change. You learn about portion control.

    Option B is just a variation of a very low calorie zig-zag diet (VLCD) - not 5:2. Option B averages out to 971 daily calories for the week. Too low for the vast majority of women. Really hard to get adequate nutrition. MFP guidelines don't allow promotion of VLCDs.

    Option B would be the "winner" is you wanted a number on the scale quickly - with zero regard for fat to lean muscle loss. I don't want lean muscle loss.....not for me. The good news is most people don't burn nearly the number of calories they think they do. So the net is likely more than 971.

    Here's a link to one of the 5:2 groups here:

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting
  • CommandoShelley
    CommandoShelley Posts: 2 Member
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    I've been doing 5:2 since November and lost a little over 10 pounds. I hate calorie counting and am terrible at it. Even logging everything in MFP wasn't helping which is why I decided to go with the 5:2. I didn't think I'd like it and I thought I'd be starving on fast days, but I'm not. I eat a bag of SteamFresh veggies and 4 ounces of protein or a huge veggie salad with 4 ounces of protein both are about 250 calories. Two meals a day like that and I'm fine. Not hungry, don't have cravings. I drink lots of water and tea. I've never been hungry on my fast days and even workout on those days. My non-fast days I eat normal. I have suffered no issues with weakness or loosing muscle, I've actually gained muscle/strength. I'm a runner and I've actually gotten faster, probably from losing weight, it's easier to run without the extra pounds.

    I don't think 5:2 is for everyone, but it works for me. I'm so much less stressed about food and food choices that I don't binge like I used to and I don't feel guilty on non fast days when I eat "bad" food. In fact, I'm actually eating healthier on other days as well because I don't feel like eating a salad is an obligation (like I felt when I was calorie counting. Turns out I actually like salad and veggies!) I'm under 15 pounds from my goal weight and going strong.