Anyone tried 5:2 diet in reverse?

ramshackles
ramshackles Posts: 85 Member
edited November 20 in Food and Nutrition
Hi,

I'm looking to try the infamous 5:2 diet but I plan to have 5 days of famine, ideally in calorie deficit, and 2 days of feasting at the weekend because that's when I lose all self control! Has anyone tried this and seen good weight loss effects?

Replies

  • ghudson92
    ghudson92 Posts: 2,061 Member
    ramshackles wrote: »
    5 days of famine

    I'm not convinced this will be very good for you as you likely won't be eating enough nutrients.
  • ramshackles
    ramshackles Posts: 85 Member
    Well, I'll try to hit 1500 cals on those days with fruit/veg/protein which is just over my Bmr.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    ramshackles wrote: »
    Hi,

    I'm looking to try the infamous 5:2 diet but I plan to have 5 days of famine, ideally in calorie deficit, and 2 days of feasting at the weekend because that's when I lose all self control! Has anyone tried this and seen good weight loss effects?

    it could work, if you get your numbers right. if 1500 cals is your low days then you should be fine.
  • miratps
    miratps Posts: 141 Member
    Just ask yourself how sustainable it is. If you can do this for a long time without giving into a craving or unexpected treat, not feel weak/tired after a few weeks then go for it and see how it goes. But personally I know it wouldn't work for me (or doesn't even based on what I'm doing now). The more I restrict the worse the 'binge' becomes.
  • ramshackles
    ramshackles Posts: 85 Member
    I could go lower - I have tried 800 cals on low days but I would probably only do that on 2 possibly 3 out of the 5 days of famine.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    ramshackles wrote: »
    I could go lower - I have tried 800 cals on low days but I would probably only do that on 2 possibly 3 out of the 5 days of famine.

    you're not goign to get adequate nutrition out of 800 cals so you wouldn't want to do that more than 2 x a week.

    i always think that eating as much as possible while still losing weight is the best way to do it... so if you can do 1500 cals 5 x and then 2500 (or whatever your number is) 2 x a week and still lose then that's got to be a good thing?!
  • ramshackles
    ramshackles Posts: 85 Member
    TavistockToad wrote: »
    ramshackles wrote: »
    I could go lower - I have tried 800 cals on low days but I would probably only do that on 2 possibly 3 out of the 5 days of famine.

    you're not goign to get adequate nutrition out of 800 cals so you wouldn't want to do that more than 2 x a week.

    i always think that eating as much as possible while still losing weight is the best way to do it... so if you can do 1500 cals 5 x and then 2500 (or whatever your number is) 2 x a week and still lose then that's got to be a good thing?!

    Absolutely! I do exercise 4 times a week plus, so let's see :)

  • maryjaquiss
    maryjaquiss Posts: 307 Member
    I do a version of this to maintain. I stick to a minor deficit during the week and don't count calories at all at the weekend. It's working pretty well for me although I'm training for a half marathon at the moment and will need/want to spread my calories a little more evenly as the programme intensifies.
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,616 Member
    ramshackles wrote: »
    Hi,

    I'm looking to try the infamous 5:2 diet but I plan to have 5 days of famine, ideally in calorie deficit, and 2 days of feasting at the weekend because that's when I lose all self control! Has anyone tried this and seen good weight loss effects?



    That's how I gained my weight!
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
    sijomial wrote: »
    ramshackles wrote: »
    Well, I'll try to hit 1500 cals on those days with fruit/veg/protein which is just over my Bmr.

    So not famine in the slightest and nothing like the low days (500 cals) on the 5:2 eating style at all?

    In other words eat a bit lower during the week to give yourself a higher calorie allowance at the weekend.
    Not seeing the problem at all, many people regarding their calorie "budget" as a weekly budget.

    This.

    Op, what you're thinking of doing is calorie zig-zagging. Here's a calculator that will give you a zig-zag pattern if you want something to follow, (fill in your stats and then hit the 7 day calorie cycle (zig zag) button and it will give you different calorie amounts on different days
    https://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm
  • ramshackles
    ramshackles Posts: 85 Member
    Machka9 wrote: »
    ramshackles wrote: »
    Hi,

    I'm looking to try the infamous 5:2 diet but I plan to have 5 days of famine, ideally in calorie deficit, and 2 days of feasting at the weekend because that's when I lose all self control! Has anyone tried this and seen good weight loss effects?



    That's how I gained my weight!

    Really!!! eeeekkkk maybe a bad idea then!
  • Machka9
    Machka9 Posts: 25,616 Member
    ramshackles wrote: »
    Machka9 wrote: »
    ramshackles wrote: »
    Hi,

    I'm looking to try the infamous 5:2 diet but I plan to have 5 days of famine, ideally in calorie deficit, and 2 days of feasting at the weekend because that's when I lose all self control! Has anyone tried this and seen good weight loss effects?



    That's how I gained my weight!

    Really!!! eeeekkkk maybe a bad idea then!

    I ate well during the week ... quite a reasonable diet, not huge calories ... and I'd lose 0.4 kg. :) Then I'd feast on the weekend and by Monday, I was up 0.5 kg. :( Then I'd eat less during the weekend ... and I'd lose 0.4 kg. :) Then I'd feast ... and up 0.5 kg.

    Slowly, slowly, slowly ... I put on weight.

  • Bsp120167
    Bsp120167 Posts: 68 Member
    The 5:2 diet works well if you stick to it. I think when I do it I keep the 2 days during the week to 500 cals and the other week days around 1200 and don't count on the weekends. Hard to keep it up forever though
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    Bsp120167 wrote: »
    The 5:2 diet works well if you stick to it. I think when I do it I keep the 2 days during the week to 500 cals and the other week days around 1200 and don't count on the weekends. Hard to keep it up forever though

    And that's not the 5:2 diet either!

    Why do people insist on attaching an incorrect label to their personal eating patterns?

    For those that don't know the idea of 5:2 is two very low days (500 for women, 600 for men) and five days at maintenance calories (eating normally for those who only calorie count on the low days).
  • sardelsa
    sardelsa Posts: 9,812 Member
    edited August 2017
    I wouldn't call that 5:2... I would call that more banking calories for the weekend, which can work, for some people. There is a chance you deprive yourself so much during the week that you go crazy on weekends and blow your deficit. So that would be bad.

    You could lower your cals slightly, still eat food you enjoy, then come the weekends eat a little extra, still being mindful about your intake. However, you could still blow your deficit though depending on your intake, so I would still try to track it if you can.
  • trigden1991
    trigden1991 Posts: 4,658 Member
    Setting yourself up to fail I'm afraid. Undereating normally results in binging at some point.
  • OliveGirl128
    OliveGirl128 Posts: 801 Member
    edited August 2017
    sijomial wrote: »
    Bsp120167 wrote: »
    The 5:2 diet works well if you stick to it. I think when I do it I keep the 2 days during the week to 500 cals and the other week days around 1200 and don't count on the weekends. Hard to keep it up forever though

    And that's not the 5:2 diet either!

    Why do people insist on attaching an incorrect label to their personal eating patterns?

    For those that don't know the idea of 5:2 is two very low days (500 for women, 600 for men) and five days at maintenance calories (eating normally for those who only calorie count on the low days).

    This.

    I did alternative day IF for my weight loss phase and then used 5:2IF for the transition period between weight loss and maintenance. It's 5 days at maintenance, (or very close), and then 2 non-consecutive 500cal (600 for men) days a week. My 'low' days were Mondays and Thursdays.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
    OP, that's not 5:2 (or 2:5, which I would not recommend), but labels aside, eating less during the week to save calories for the weekend and keep overall deficit the same is totally fine and workable. I often do something like that, since I find it easy to stick to a deficit during the week and go out to dinner a lot on weekends.
  • ramshackles
    ramshackles Posts: 85 Member
    I lost a 1lb eating what I liked with alcohol - I did do a 7 mile hike on Saturday with my daughter on my back though :)
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    ramshackles wrote: »
    I lost a 1lb eating what I liked with alcohol - I did do a 7 mile hike on Saturday with my daughter on my back though :)

    CICO works.... :drinker:
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    edited August 2017
    Bsp120167 wrote: »
    The 5:2 diet works well if you stick to it. I think when I do it I keep the 2 days during the week to 500 cals and the other week days around 1200 and don't count on the weekends. Hard to keep it up forever though

    No..................

    This is an excuse to eat a very low calorie diet. (1200*5)+(500*2)/7 = an average of 1,000 daily calories. WOMEN should average a minimum of 1200 calories before exercise (men 1500) to make sure they are getting adequate nutrition.

    5:2 is five days at MAINTENANCE and 2 days at 500.
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting
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