5 and 2 Diet
donjohn49
Posts: 5 Member
Good morning. I started the 5 and 2 diet yesterday. In this diet I eat 1200 calories a day for five of seven days. The remaining two days are called "fasting" days and you consume only 500 calories. Yesterday I started with a fasting day which wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I'm hoping to lose 20 pounds and will need motivation!!
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Replies
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Are you sure this is healthy? Overall, you are eating less than the daily recommended minimum calories for women.0
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I started the 5 and 2 diet yesterday. In this diet I eat 1200 calories a day for five of seven days. The remaining two days are called "fasting" days and you consume only 500 calories. Yesterday I started with a fasting day which wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I'm hoping to lose 20 pounds and will need motivation!!
If you want to lose weight successfully, you need to eat (and train) in a sustainable fashion. Eating 500 and 1200 calories is not sustainable. That is 1000 calories per day on average. The lowest recommended, and even allowed, amount of calories per day, is 1200, because your body needs a certain minimum amount of nutrients and fuel to function. If you starve yourself, you'll be hungry, cheat, give up and regain, and if you continue starving yourself, you'll be sick. You can do anything for a day or two, but you can't do this for the amount of time it takes to lose 20 pounds. One pound of fat equals 3500 calories, so you need to eat 70 000 calories less than you burn, to lose 20 pounds. You have to give this process the time it needs. Depending on your current weight, you can lose 0.5 to 2 pounds per week. Any more than that, you will be burning through muscle and risk your health.
Motivation is a strange thing. It even has its own board in here. But it isn't the crucial element that many look for. Determination, realistic expectations, patience and establishing better habits and changing attitudes, is useful. Weight loss is simple, but it's not necessarily easy. Many people think (and many people wants us to believe) that it's the other way around. Because that means they can sell us something to take away the hassle and the effort. But weight loss isn't complicated, it's just hard work, and you have to do it yourself. You can make it as easy as possible, though, and not starving yourself, but setting an appropriate calorie goal, accurately weighing and logging your food, while you eat food you like, is a way lots of people in here have found success. You can do it too.1 -
I know it doesn't sound great but I only hope to use it for a couple of weeks to give me a kick-start. I am a lifetime weight watcher member and that is normally the best plan for me and one I intend to follow once I get going. Sometimes we just need a kick-start and I'm hoping this will work for me.0
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We don't need kickstarts, and efficient methods (like calorie counting) work so predictably that you don't even need hope, you just have to push through - but you seem to have decided what's best for you, so I wish you good luck with that
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People who follow 5:2 generally eat at maintenance for their non-fasting days. The 500 calorie days are what creates the deficit. As said above, you don't need a kickstart, you just need to find something that you can do sustainably.2
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Good morning. I started the 5 and 2 diet yesterday. In this diet I eat 1200 calories a day for five of seven days. The remaining two days are called "fasting" days and you consume only 500 calories. Yesterday I started with a fasting day which wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I'm hoping to lose 20 pounds and will need motivation!!
^This is NOT 5:2.
This is: http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting
You made up your own made up diet + 500 calorie fasting days. An average of 1,000 gross calories.....not healthy unless you are extremely petite.
At our age (I'm over 50 also) we need to work to limit lean muscle loss. A massive calorie deficit isn't doing you any favors.2 -
+1 for You need to do your research about 5:2. 5:2 isn't about a steeper deficit, just spacing. If your normal daily recommendation is 1200 calories (still sounds low, make sure not to average less than BMR), you should still be eating 8400 calories a week. With a 5:2, assuming 500 calories on your fast days, you should be eating 1480 calories on the other 5 days. Even if you are just looking at a jumpstart/shake things up off a plateau, please be healthy.0
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I think people on here are a bit jumpy. Remember not everyone is the same, not only are our bodies different but so is our minds, in fact if changes from year to year to week to week. I think her version of the 5:2 diet sounds plausible as it is keeping her on the bare essentials and if she doesn't seem to MIND or is struggling then it seems to be okay for her.
Also don't forget people that live to be beyond the fragile 80 years like in most western cultures tend to be very slim, active and consume about the bare minimum with clean calories (mainly less meat, more active, small portions), so telling someone who have been on various diets for years to stop doing something that appears to be good is damaging, people will always have something negative to say, but your results will show them. I think once you start noticing the difference (NOT in weight but in MIND/BODY how you feel, how you move etc) you'll realise how amazing it is for your body to rest a little, to think clearer and just feel more energetic (provided every calorie you are having is of a healthy/natural source).
Enjoy your lighter self (Mind and body) and don't allow others to push you in other directions, focus.1 -
Good morning. I started the 5 and 2 diet yesterday. In this diet I eat 1200 calories a day for five of seven days. The remaining two days are called "fasting" days and you consume only 500 calories. Yesterday I started with a fasting day which wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I'm hoping to lose 20 pounds and will need motivation!!
no. you eat at maintenance for 5 days and 500 cals if you're a woman, 600 if you're male, for the other 2 days.1 -
Good morning. I started the 5 and 2 diet yesterday. In this diet I eat 1200 calories a day for five of seven days. The remaining two days are called "fasting" days and you consume only 500 calories. Yesterday I started with a fasting day which wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I'm hoping to lose 20 pounds and will need motivation!!
Inspiring! Well done .. keep us updated0 -
I think people on here are a bit jumpy. Remember not everyone is the same, not only are our bodies different but so is our minds, in fact if changes from year to year to week to week. I think her version of the 5:2 diet sounds plausible as it is keeping her on the bare essentials and if she doesn't seem to MIND or is struggling then it seems to be okay for her.
Also don't forget people that live to be beyond the fragile 80 years like in most western cultures tend to be very slim, active and consume about the bare minimum with clean calories (mainly less meat, more active, small portions), so telling someone who have been on various diets for years to stop doing something that appears to be good is damaging, people will always have something negative to say, but your results will show them. I think once you start noticing the difference (NOT in weight but in MIND/BODY how you feel, how you move etc) you'll realise how amazing it is for your body to rest a little, to think clearer and just feel more energetic (provided every calorie you are having is of a healthy/natural source).
Enjoy your lighter self (Mind and body) and don't allow others to push you in other directions, focus.
:huh:1 -
Good morning. I started the 5 and 2 diet yesterday. In this diet I eat 1200 calories a day for five of seven days. The remaining two days are called "fasting" days and you consume only 500 calories. Yesterday I started with a fasting day which wasn't nearly as hard as I thought it would be. I'm hoping to lose 20 pounds and will need motivation!!
As others have said, this is not how 5:2 works. You eat at maintenance on non fasting days.
Here's a decent article: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/wordofmouth/2015/jan/27/fasting-facts-is-the-52-diet-too-good-to-be-true
I think IF in its various forms is quite interesting, but NOT as a way to create a VLCD. That's not supported by MFP and should only be done under doctor supervision.0 -
Be careful because you might cause yourself metabolic damage. Basically you'll plateau and not be able to lose weight for a long time. (This is from experience)1
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I think people on here are a bit jumpy. Remember not everyone is the same, not only are our bodies different but so is our minds, in fact if changes from year to year to week to week. I think her version of the 5:2 diet sounds plausible as it is keeping her on the bare essentials and if she doesn't seem to MIND or is struggling then it seems to be okay for her.
Also don't forget people that live to be beyond the fragile 80 years like in most western cultures tend to be very slim, active and consume about the bare minimum with clean calories (mainly less meat, more active, small portions), so telling someone who have been on various diets for years to stop doing something that appears to be good is damaging, people will always have something negative to say, but your results will show them. I think once you start noticing the difference (NOT in weight but in MIND/BODY how you feel, how you move etc) you'll realise how amazing it is for your body to rest a little, to think clearer and just feel more energetic (provided every calorie you are having is of a healthy/natural source).
Enjoy your lighter self (Mind and body) and don't allow others to push you in other directions, focus.
I think it is very important for posters to point out that this is NOT the 5:2 diet.0 -
I think people on here are a bit jumpy. Remember not everyone is the same, not only are our bodies different but so is our minds, in fact if changes from year to year to week to week. I think her version of the 5:2 diet sounds plausible as it is keeping her on the bare essentials and if she doesn't seem to MIND or is struggling then it seems to be okay for her.
Also don't forget people that live to be beyond the fragile 80 years like in most western cultures tend to be very slim, active and consume about the bare minimum with clean calories (mainly less meat, more active, small portions), so telling someone who have been on various diets for years to stop doing something that appears to be good is damaging, people will always have something negative to say, but your results will show them. I think once you start noticing the difference (NOT in weight but in MIND/BODY how you feel, how you move etc) you'll realise how amazing it is for your body to rest a little, to think clearer and just feel more energetic (provided every calorie you are having is of a healthy/natural source).
Enjoy your lighter self (Mind and body) and don't allow others to push you in other directions, focus.
I think it is very important for posters to point out that this is NOT the 5:2 diet.
Yes - agreed. A couple posters pointed it out (too) but @fillo_sot's reply seems to say "hey, we're all different"
@fillo_sot we're not all special snowflakes. Very low calorie diets make it harder for your body to support exisitng lean muscle mass. If you want a high % of fat loss.....you need a more moderate plan.0 -
Hi everyone!
Not sure donjon49 gender or height/size, but I wholeheartedly agree with what Fillo_sot that we are all different. I'd also add to that we all EAT differently. I know plenty who could cut quite a few calories with equal or far better nutrients if they'd stay out of fake diet food land. Personally, I'm back on IF diet (4:3) and don't see a problem eating in this range as long as it's 100% food as in wholesome no-boxes,frozen dinners & limited processed food the only exception being a high quality protein supplementation for Smoothies. I'm 5'2 & my BMR is 1200 TDEE is 1700 and I have 15lbs to lose and crossing off that final 10 can be stubborn. I walk 1-5 miles a day at a moderate pace 3-4 days a week or I bike a few miles. I try to up it x 5-7 days a week when slimming down. I find when losing weight (I'm 50) this works: Feed 1200-1300 and Fast: 500 (mostly) 550 (max). I don't use "diet foods" because then I'm always "hangry" and soon will just feel terrible.
Good Luck To All!
Jenn
If Interested this would be typical meals fast & feed days:
Fast Day: 500 calories.
Begin: 2 cups coffee with 1/2 c. 7grams protein (Fairway) skim milk
Late Breakfast or Lunch (bet 11-3pm) Smoothie made with a 30 gram scoop of Vega High Protein Vegetarian Shake mixed with 1/2 c. frozen berries, 1/2 c. frozen kale, 2 tsp chia, 1 tsp maca
Supper: Curried squash soup with TBSP of wild rice. I garnish with 1 TBSP of the squash seeds (I dry oven roast with tamari)
&
Braggs Fermented Vinegar Beverage 20 calories
Feast Day: 1205 Calories
Start & Breakfast: 2 Cups coffee with 4 TBSP half/half. Brown Rice Cake with TBSP 100% fresh ground almond butter
Lunch: Icelandic Yogurt with TSP Chia Seed TSP of Maca Powder
Snack: 2 oz Blue corn Chips with 4 TBSP Salsa
Supper: Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup (Fat skimmed) chicken, Large Durham Wheat Fusilli, zucchini, onions, celery, carrots. Salad: 2 c. Arugula / Baby Spinach tossed with 1 TBSP basil vinaigrette, TBSP dried cranberries, TBSP roasted salted pumpkin seeds, 1/4 apple & 1oz Merlot Bellavitano cheese
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I did 5:2 to lose my excess weight - but I did it properly with two fast days and five maintenance days.
It was very easy and sustainable and the transition to maintenance at goal weight was a breeze.
Please think again OP.0
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