5.2

Hi, I would like to join you too.
I am an ex 5:2 dieter (back in 2012-2013. and I lost all the weight I needed (10lb I am short and it’s difficult to shift).

At the time I did 300 cals Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
I have started cutting out sugar on the 1. January and done some intermittend fasting ie eating brunch between 11am and 2pm and eating supper no later than 6pm. I have lost 3lb but I think the first two pounds were mainly water so I think from now on I need to get more consistent and determined hence joining you lovely ladies.

Hi, I’ve just joined and been reading all the posts. What do you eat on a non fasting day, is it low carb, low fat, or portioned controlled, or non of the above!

Re the carb question. According to Michael Moseley’s Original book you could eat whatever you liked as long it was no more than 400 cal for women and 600 for men.
The main premise being that you ate what you liked so you would stick with it and also to keep it simple so everyone could join in.
However I find that by eating lots of vegetables with either a couple of eggs or chicken or fish as a main meal satisfied better and eliminated craving for sugary things (my big weakness). If I want carbs I have them at night as by the morning the glycemic effect is gone (I never crave sugar in the morning).
Hunger makes me very alert and my body says “get up and get some food” making it difficult to sleep. Therefore I have my meal early evening.

400 calories a meal?

I follow a slimming world lifestyle and both myself and my husband are within a healthy BMI, but it may do me good to follow the 5.2 whilst doing slimming too. Clearly reducing my food intake on fast days

I think the original calorie allowance was 500 on fasting days for women and 600 for men, but it seems that the current thinking is 800 which is easily achievable. Unless the new book says different there was no cutting of carbs and you could eat whatever you fancied on non-fasting days.

I'm afraid it didn't work for me. I was very grumpy on the 500 days and on the other days I over compensated and ended up gaining a stone. My GP was very disappointed as I have PCOS and this is supposed to help with insulin resistance, but it just wasn't for me.

Sorry 500cals for women.

Florence64 - No diet works for everybody. I am sure you have worked out your own way of eating that suits you. I found was that fasting/dieting is mainly done with the head not the stomach. I have had periods of fasting when I was on a roll and found relatively easy and other times I just could not get motivated and could not fast at all. For me the main reason to fast or diet is to get motivated to come off sugar. It is the culprit for somany illnesses and the main problem and reason why I gain weight.
Sometimes I just do intermittent fasting because I don’t need breakfast but I still have to be careful not to fall into the carb/sugar trap and graze all afternoon.

Hi MOnica such an inspirational story! Your husband must be feeling so much better, not having to take medication anymore, physcologically better too, knowing that he's no longer diabetic.It is one of my worries, with being 3 stone overweight. Good to hear you have found a meal pattern to suit you, it's early days for me yet, but feeling positive .

Hi ,Lumarei Cutting out the sugar sounds a good idea, I'm addicted big time, definitely need to cut down.I don't know how it's happened I've always had a sweet tooth but now crave it all day long.I have burning mouth syndrome, and find while I'm eating something sweet it feels better, but quickly comes back unfortunately.

Loza when actively trying to lose weight I try to limit my calori intake to 1500 calories, but not very stricly.

For me the joy of this diet is that I can eat whatever I like, providing I do not exceed the calorie limit.

When I go on to the weight maintenance version of the 5:2 I fast one day a week and, theoretically, can eat as much as I want on other days. Actually what has happened is that my eating capacity has shrunk and I now quite happily turn food down if I do not feel hungry. I no longer enjoy sweet foods and can quite happily sit with people having a slice of cake with their coffee or tea, without feeling any desire to eat a slice myself.

Due to my short stature my daily calories requirements are 1500, so in order to lose some weight I have to go down to at least 1200cals or less/day. At that rate it takes me a month to lose a pound or two and I feel deprived on a daily basis. This is why 5:2 is essential for me. Depriving myself 2-3 days and then just keep to 1500cals is more doable.

Ahhh, I just read Michael Miseley’s 800cal intermittent fasting and understand the difference to the 5:2 diet now.
5:2 was/is 500 cals on 2 days/week - no timing or food type restrictions and the 800 diet is a (12 week) DAILY Intermittent fasting concept whereby you can eat a low carb mediterranean style diet in a restricted eating window preferably not eating for 18 hours or more and then consume all 800 in 6 or less hours. I suppose you could do the 800diet on 5 days a week and eat normally at the weekend.

He does also say that the 800 calorie diet can be done in the same way the original 5:2 was/is. Namely, 800 calories two days a week. The 16/8, low carb 12 week version is only for the masochists or diabetics.

Although low carb is very popular, there has been a research published recently suggesting that in the long term this eating pattern can have serious health risks. www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2018/08/180828085922.htm

I know a number of GN ers do the 16/8 daily eating pattern and have found it very successful, without any of the add-ons. The 800 a day for 12 weeks diet is specifically aimed at those with diabetes as this diet is claimed to 'cure' diabetes. But less extreme versions of this diet have also been effective against diabetes. DH, who has/had diabetes, did the original 5:2 with me for about 4 months about 4 years ago . At his next diabetes check he was told that he no longer needed medication and he has stayed at this level ever since, even though subsequent health problems meant he regained all the weight he had lost (and more).

At the end of the day, it is a question, if you need to lose weight, of finding a diet pattern that suits you, and your life style.

Oh thank goodness for that.I thought I'd been eating too many calories.I'll carry on with 800 calories on the two days, then read the book when it arrives.

I’m on my 2nd fast day this week. When I weighed myself just now I’ve gained 2lbs! Aargh! I hope fasting today will take it back off again but yo-yoing up and down can’t be right. Maybe it’s because I’m just into y third week. Or I must be having too many calories on my non fast days.

I lost 2 stone on it and my weight constantly yo-yo d on it. In fact I lost the last 6lbs in the 5 days after I completed it - and I have stayed that weight ever since.

Thanks MOnica for the reassurance. I’m sticking with it for a few weeks and see how I go. I have to remind myself I’m in it for the long haul.

I'm doing a version of the 5:2 / 16:8. I try to put off eating till lunch time every day and days when I'm not out for lunch or dinner I fast. Done two fasting days this week. I tend to have homemade soup for lunch and then a M and S meal with extra veg for dinner. There is a lovely chicken and corgetti (spelling?) for only 233 calories. Finding this fairly easy to maintain. Eating out is my problem!! Must get dressed as out for lunch again!!

It is my first day today. Going to do 800 cals on Monday, Wednesday and Friday. I have listed my food for today with a bit of leeway for a snack if I feel the need - some fruit, a caramel rice cake or a packet of French Fries crisps, all at only 78 cals or less. I like to have a little treat.
I have also started a graph to record my weight loss (don't mark any gains). I will only weigh myself the morning after a fast day to avoid the yo-yo effect.
Good luck everybody who is giving this a go. Every healthy eating plan works as long as you stick to it, and this is easily doable and can be continued for life by just being careful on what were previously fast days. Daily deprivation is not sustainable for me.

Yes, shysal you are so right. Everybody needs to find a way of eating they can sustain. It means we need to experiment a bit to find what suits us.
MOnica good to hear that the 800cal intermittent fasting is also meant for only 2-3 days which seems more doable in the long run.
To my dismay I have just realised that instead of 11lb, I have to lose closer to 20lb. :-(.

So disappointed with myself, I only managed to fast one day last week, life just seemed to get in the way.I've just got dressed for work this and everything feels tight I'm so uncomfortable I'm fasting today and Thursday this week, getting weighed Friday, I'll let you know.

Don't beat yourself up Katyj, one fasting day is better than none.
My book hasn't arrived yet but on Googling it does seem that he recommends low carb eating. I am less likely to stick to the plan if am too strict so will still have multigrain bread sometimes (baked beans on toast for lunch today).
I look forward to hearing how everyone is doing.

Had a good week so far. Done two days fasting back to back as I like to get them out of the way. However, I did find my exercise class really hard and felt exhausted. Maybe I need to plan my fasting days better and not do them the same day as the gym. As Katy says life gets in the way.