The fast diet (5:2) thoughts?

Bellatrix89uk
Bellatrix89uk Posts: 8 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi all

I came across this plan a few years ago. I'm currently re reading the book and plan to watch the documentary tonight.

Has any one tried this plan?

I have a lot of weight to lose. I struggle with diet plans and have tried every diet going. I lose weight but then lose the motivation and end up gaining it back and putting more on.

I started at 17 stone. I lost 3 and a half stone over a couple of years, but last year had 2 operations and managed to get myself back up to 16.8

I'm now at 16.1
I'm setting myself 1/2 stone goals so it's not too over whelming!

Any advice Would be really appreciated!
:)

Replies

  • MaybeLed
    MaybeLed Posts: 250 Member
    edited February 2017
    As far as I can see the way for success is finding a way of eating that supports the energy balance you need and is sustainable for you.

    I tried 5:2, it wasn't sustainable for me I became a right nightmare. Very quickly made excuses to give up. some people have success with 5:2, some do IF with daily windows. So might be worth trying a couple of ways and seeing what fits.

    As for tips this website has amazing recipes and the rough kcal counts (obviously measure when you make yourself) Many are less than 500 kcal

    http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes

    http://www.bbcgoodfood.com/recipes/collection/52 - their 5:2 collection
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    I did ADF for my weight loss phase (alternate day IF/JUDDD), and then used 5:2IF during the transition period between weight loss and maintenance (still lost during this time, just at a slower rate). IF worked well for me :)
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    I can't link to the groups on the phone, but you can use the search function to find the general IF group and the 5:2 specific group.

    Personally, I've been very happy with it. Minimal food two days out of the week where I'm busy and then a butt ton of calories the other 5. I actually decided to cut out a day recently because I dont have enough to lose to justify a pound a week.

    There's nothing wrong with trying it out and stopping if it's not your thing.
  • DietVanillaCoke
    DietVanillaCoke Posts: 259 Member
    I found it works well, but I also enjoyed intermittent fasting where you'd eat only 8 hours of the day or 6 or what ever combo you enjoyed. I'm back to just counting calories daily though =) Just make sure you're staying hydrated and you don't over or underestimate your calories and you'll be fine.

    It works because the amount of calories per week you eat is reduced though cutting down on 2 days. So it's just as effective as counting calories so long as you eat maintenance or lower on the other 5 days.

  • tbrain1989
    tbrain1989 Posts: 280 Member
    ive never personally tried this because i would know how you choose which days to go low on. ive met lots of people who have been successful long term with it. They basically live on soup for two days per week.
  • CooCooPuff
    CooCooPuff Posts: 4,374 Member
    tbrain1989 wrote: »
    ive never personally tried this because i would know how you choose which days to go low on. ive met lots of people who have been successful long term with it. They basically live on soup for two days per week.
    I do Monday to get it over with.

    When I had two days, I also did Wednesday. I can't remember the last time a social event happened on the hump day.

  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    CooCooPuff wrote: »
    I can't link to the groups on the phone, but you can use the search function to find the general IF group and the 5:2 specific group.

    Personally, I've been very happy with it. Minimal food two days out of the week where I'm busy and then a butt ton of calories the other 5. I actually decided to cut out a day recently because I dont have enough to lose to justify a pound a week.

    There's nothing wrong with trying it out and stopping if it's not your thing.

    Here are the group links...........

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/8628-5-2-diet

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting

    OP - if you can manage the 500 calories days, you'll be fine. Didn't work well for me, but I do eat a little less Monday - Thursday so that I can eat at maintenance on the weekends. So I'm zig-zagging my calories a different way. Whatever helps you stay the course.

    Take the "documentary" with a grain of salt. I had the book and the "proof" for the diets medical claims were: my blood work before....my blood work after. A lot of factors could have affected Dr. Mosely's blood work (exercise, food choices, genetics, etc). Now he's on to hawking a blood type diet (shades of Dr. Oz).
  • Francl27
    Francl27 Posts: 26,371 Member
    Try it. It's all about CICO but for people who have an appetite that naturally varies from day to day, it can work.

    Definitely not for me though! I do zigzag my calories but there's no way I could ever eat 500 calories in a day, unless I was VERY sick.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited February 2017
    It's not a diet, per se, more like re-arranging your weekly calories, a dieting strategy. Will it work for you? Nobody knows. You need to try it to find out. Try it for a month and see how it goes. If it doesn't feel sustainable, then it doesn't work for you.

    For me, having fasting days works like a charm and makes dieting easier (which is the whole point of the plan, to make dieting easier). You might still need to track your calories to make sure you don't overdo it on your maintenance days, though.

    I do alternate day fasting sometimes and I thrive on it, but paradoxically, 5:2 did not work for me as well. On alternate days I get into this routine and motion of fast/eat/fast/eat...etc. The repetition and monotony makes it easier for it to become habitual where fast days are just a part of the plan. On 5:2, I dreaded fast days because I spoil myself all week then comes a fast day which feels like an abrupt halt to my habits. For some people alternate day fasting may feel like too much and 5:2 may feel just right, for others no kind of fasting is sustainable. Try and see how you do on it and then decide if it's something you wish to continue doing.
  • staticsplit
    staticsplit Posts: 538 Member
    It works for other people, but I used to have an eating disorder so I can't do it. I sometimes do a sort of backwards version, where I eat maybe 1400-1500 during the week and then at maintenance on the weekend because I tend to go out for meals more/see friends/etc.
  • gettingto65
    gettingto65 Posts: 78 Member
    I'm starting it next week :) I have a problem with willpower & evening snacking so I'm also thinking about giving 16:8 a go at the same time so I don't go over calories in the evening.

    Just make sure you eat the right amount of calories on non fat days - not too few or too many. Check your TDEE. I'm eating less than my TDEE, but that's because my TDEE is a ridiculous 2100 and if I'm eating healthily & clean then I struggle to eat that much - however if it was chocolate I'd have no problem!

    Feel free to add me, would love a fasting buddy X
  • sfa90
    sfa90 Posts: 105 Member
    I've start doing this since last week, I hope soon get some results.
  • jelleigh
    jelleigh Posts: 743 Member
    I started in December at the suggestion of a friend who has been doing it for years. I really like it and it's taught me to pay attention to my weekly nutritional info instead of just my daily goal. This has been a huge shift for me because I used to (wrongly) feel like if I messed up a day, then there was no way to recover and that the whole week was a toss in. Now I know that I have 5 days where I can eat some of my guilty pleasure foods, two days where I'm strict, and it all equals a Deficit at the end of the week. I've lost 12 lbs since starting it.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    I generally have 2 days a week that are significantly lower than the others. 2 days in a steep deficit and 4 days nearer maintenance works for me.
  • SapioEnigmate
    SapioEnigmate Posts: 15 Member
    It took me a while to figure out the way of eating that works best for me, but I do a sort of mix of 5:2 and 16/8 (really more like 19/5) usually. And throw in some longer fasts every few months. My body just does really well with long-ish periods of not eating due to digestive issues.

    It really is whatever works best for you. Whatever is sustainable for you.

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