Why I love the 5:2 diet

I think the emphasis is quite clearly on eating normally on the non-fast days. That is what makes it easier to keep to than a diet which has you eating minimal amounts every day, and also makes it a more sensible regime. Most of us have gained our extra pounds over several years, since the menopause, after eating normally all our lives (or since we were young and vain, anyway) We are less likely to go overboard now.

I agree, elegran. Eating minimal amounts every day can be quite punishing! Someone might say that they've been 'naughty' and eaten a couple of biscuits or whatever ! Why is it 'naughty' to enjoy food? We do have a responsibility to ourselves to stay as healthy as we can by eating food that doesn't harm our health, but we are allowed to enjoy tasty things!
The 5:2 does let you do this and it's not 'faddy'.

It's worked well for me so far. Since last September I have lost 1 stone and feel very much better for it. I am now at a weight at which I feel happy but will continue with the 5:2 diet but probably change it to my version of a 6:1 diet instead as it means that I can indulge myself occasionally!
I feel surprising good on "fast days", more energy and enthusiasm than some other days and I am convinced that it's the right diet for me as I cannot follow a diet that says "never again" to some of the things I enjoy

There are a few recipes here and I found some stuffed mushrooms in M&S today that have just 120 calories per serving - 2 mushrooms - so that will be my evening meal tonight with lots of salad veg. I have also become a fan of Ryvita crackerbread at 19 cals each. They're nice and crisp and make you feel you're eating more than just fresh air.

DH and I have been doing this for a couple of weeks and have both lost nearly half a stone. We have 2x250 calorie meals at lunch and supper and DH has his extra 100 calories as a grilled well trimmed rasher of bacon and tomato for breakfast (which I skip).

We have not found it too difficult. I base our main meal on fish, egg or chicken and found that I can generally produce a reasonably filling main meal at lunch time and a vegetable based meal, often soup and a bread roll, in the evening, although an evening favourite is a smoked salmon and quark wrap with extra salad.

I am developing a reasonable repertoire of recipes by looking through recipes I have and working out ways of reducing the calorie content - vegetables are simmered in a little water rather than fried, some ingredients are left out or substituted. I find the key to keeping to 250 calories a meal is to weigh every ingredient and draw up new versions of recipes based on very carefully measured and calorie counted ingredients.

My husband and I have done this diet on and off since seeing the TV programme about it. It is great! I didn't need to lose weight, but have lost a few kilos and my husband is now down to his youthful weight. After a while, it is a good feeling to feel hungry for a few hours knowing that you can eat whatever you want the next day. What amazes me is that, whilst you go to bed hungry, you don't wake up hungry. After a while on the intermittent fast, you don't want to eat so much on the non fasting days.

keep reading about this diet but cant find details about it

worlie this is a link to one of the original articles by Michael Mosley that appeared in the Telegraph just after his original television documentary on Horizon.

www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9480451/The-52-diet-can-it-help-you-lose-weight-and-live-longer.html

But if you Google Michael Mosley Fast Diet you will find loads of information and I'm sure other GNetters will have useful information for you too. Shysal has had excellent results by following this diet and seems to be one of the best informed of us. Let's hope she adds a bit to this thread for you.

I have lost a stone since September and feel much better for it. It's easier for me because I don't have to constantly deny myself of all the things I enjoy eating.

worlie, as *Yoga' says, I have had success, but by fasting on alternate days. The book I have is
this one
Good luck if you decide to give it a go.

I have been doing the 2:5 diet for three weeks now and have lost 2lbs. Having used Weightwatchers online for the last two and a half years and lost almost 5 stone I felt that I needed something extra to help with the loss of weight. I don't stick to 500 calories but get as near to it as possible and do the two days together as it fits the lifestyle and gets it over in one go. Doing fine - it's quite an easy way to lose weight and I would recommend it to anyone. Good luck to those on their journey and to those thinking about trying it - go for it! What do you have to lose?

Semi skimmed milk has 255 calories per pint which means I need to work out how much I use in tea and coffee. I think I might switch to soya milk which has less calories and is also supposed to be much healthier. I can't face a day with limited food and limited cuppas [of the two it's the cuppas I can't do without]. Then I might boil up a couple of eggs and have lots of vegetables. A sprinkle of parmesan makes veggies taste nice but need to work out how many calories in that.

~Fasting day tomorrow, I do look forward to it but am often stuck as to the most filling things to eat. I find that protein (chicken etc) is very filling but am not a fan of vegetables so make up with fruit.

I have lost 2lb in the past 2 weeks but find that I tend to eat more junk on my eating days.

Any advice or recipes.

Have you tried teas that you can drink without milk, Tegan? Liquorice, mint or chai perhaps, or fruit teas? You can save a lot of calories this way to use on food instead.

I've got a few herbal teas that I like but I like to have a bit of honey in them which defeats the whole object. Fruit teas used to give me migraines. I've got a liquorice one that I like. It's when I'm at work that I seem to go from cuppa to cuppa. I need to get into the right mindset and feel that I'm waiting for a bit of sunshine. Chucking it down here tonight .

For me one of the most interesting things about this way of eating (I won't call it a 'diet' is that I find I am less hungry on the normal eating days. This came as a complete surprise and a nice one, because as a former carb junkie I would have expected to blow out on the 'normal' days. Instead, my body seems to be learning new habits. I first started this way of eating with a one-week vegetable purification diet on a Polish health farm. I have type 2 diabetes and a week of eating just veg, no bread, sugar or refined carbs, and no fats, normalised my blood sugar completely. Since seeing the Michael Mosley programme my DH and I have been doing the 5:2 thing intermittently and we both feel it's a good way to eat as we are getting older and don't need so many calories. On a fasting day I start with a half-size portion of my normal muesli, a cuppasoup for lunch and a boiled egg and crispbread at supper time. Not too difficult, and definitely worth it.

I have just begun the 5:2 diet - Day 1 wasn't too bad although around 5.00 pm I did feel like I hadn't eaten anything when in fact I'd eaten fruit for breakfast and lunch. Today is Day 2 and it's been more difficult. Just had to snack on some radishes to get me though till this evening :-(

The fact that I have never attempted to diet before and love my food may have something to do with it. Plus living in France where I drink wine more than when in the UK.

The reason I decided I had to do something to prevent more weight gain is being of post menopausal more than anything - my metabolism has disappeared over the past 3 years since stopping HRT and I really don't like the fact that my clothes ( up 2 sizes) feel uncomfortable. I do walk but
hate the gym and all keep fit exercises generally.

Hope it works :-)

Started on the 5:2 after Christmas and lost 8 pounds by end of March. Went away for 3 weeks over Easter and didn't do it at all - have not put any back on but am finding it difficult to galvanise myself into action again now. I found the easiest way was to eat nothing before midday and then try and manage on 500 cals after that.

Totally agree it's the best way to try to keep slim.
I have a late breakfast then early dinner and lots of water. When I start to feel hungry I have a diet coke to fill me up.
The next day I have porridge with honey and milk and blueberries delicious.

Similar things for me! I don't feel so hungry on non diet days and being able to eat proper food on these days really make it bearable.

I can manage the fast days fairly well. Lots of non milk tea and a cup of savoury miso tea soup at lunchtime.

I had the fast diet book veggie salad Nicoise last night! Piles of salad it was very tasty and I felt full.

I have had a go....had to educate myself on the 500 calories. I have never really counted calories before and don't own scales! Tegan am not really taking into account my tea n coffee intake with skimmed milk as I count that as work fuel.But am eating more fish and greens and feel more energy over the last few weeks. So I feel its working.

We have just completed the 3rd day of fasting. DH has lost 2.3 kg! I am not weighing again till after the next fasting day. (Lost 4 pounds after 2 fasting days). I definitely have more energy since starting.
The strange thing for both of us is that we really appreciate the food on non- fasting days - it makes you think more about what you are eating. DH (a real foodie) even asked how many calories in our normal lunch today- something he's never done before.
Thoroughly enjoying this way of eating.

Ate the last piece of cheese that was in the fridge tonight [cheese is my downfall] and have banned bread so hoping to start dieting properly tomorrow. Feel so much better now the weather has improved so hope that will make it easier to do the 500cal days. Rather liking the soya milk but may buy some powdered skimmed milk tomorrow to keep the calories down with my tea and coffee.

tegan I love my cup of tea but on fasting days have resigned myself to having many mugs of fruit tea- peppermint (very refreshing) red berry (rosehip- delicious) or lemon ginger. I have made the decision to treat fast days totally differently from eating days.
But I must admit that the one I have at breakfast the next morning is absolutely wonderful!

on my fast days I still allow myself two cups of normal tea in bed in the morning, then its a slice of lemon in hot water several times during the day. I have always had an energy dip about 4pm, so then I make a pot of real leaf tea and have three cups (in a bone china cupnof course!) that gets me through to my evening meal and then I can think 'well, I've nearly done the whole day, so no point in giving up now'. The next morning, I don't wake up feeling hungry, but I do enjoy my breakfast

I find that lemon in hot water makes me pee for England! Very cleansing though I am sure.