Is anybody still doing the 5:2 diet?

I did it a couple of years ago but have put the weight back on. Off for girlie spa weekend but then back on 5:2 till hols in 13 weeks. If you look on the 5:2 web site or facebook page you find lots of inspirational stories and maybe a link to Dr Michael Mosley's original Horizon programme which started the hype off.

I have followed this for the last 4 years. Initially to lost the stubborn 21 lbs that I had gained around the menopause and I know maintain my current weight by fasting every Monday. If I have been on holiday/Christmas and increase to 2 fast days to lose any extra I have gained.

I'd be happy to share success/failures weight missed etc if you decide to give it a go. I'm weighing in on Monday and will probably choose Mon and Wed as my fast days as I work those days so easier to keep away from biscuit tin!

A year or two ago I managed to lose 2 1/2 stone with alternate day fasting, 5:2 wasn't strict enough for me. I have kept it off since then by just being careful every other day. I am still doing it, but the food I eat is all low carb, which I am enjoying.
Good luck if you give it a go, petitpois

Two years ago I lost 2 stone on the 5;2 diet and it remains lost. I was delighted. Lake grannycakes the weight had all gone on since the menopause and none of my usual methods of losing weight (counting calories and exercising more) seem to work any more.

This summer I am trying to lose another half stone. So far so good.

Well done you Monica but don't you feel at all faint on the fasting days?

I am doing the LCHF , with fasting and intermittent 5:2 if I have gained weight or need a spurt downwards.
I have lost 2 stone since March and find it suits me very well

No, not particularly. I have never been a big breakfast eater so can miss that meal without a problem. I then eat half my caloris at lunch time and the other half in the evening and I have developed a file of recipes that work out at 250 calories a meal.

I am on a fast day tomorrow. I am out in the morning so will take a home-made salad wrap, an apple and bottle of water with me for lunch and plan a small chicken curry and rice in the evening. A lot of the recipes are based on lots of veg and can be very filling.

Hmmn, doesn't sound too bad actually.

I am about to start the 5:2 diet and bought a recipe book but this has not inspired me. I have previously completed the heart foundation 2 day fast and did have good results it was difficult at first but surprisingly your body soon adapts

I lost about 3 stone when I alkalised my diet. I've just used the word "diet" but I don't regard it as a diet; I did it for health reasons and do feel much better eating this way. Good luck.

petitpois. I found it works well. I soon got used to the fast days without a problem. The big advantage is that if you just eat the recommended 2000 calories on non fast days you can have your cheese butty. I think it works partly on the basis of shaking up thr metabolism by fasting.

I now do my fast days on a maintenance basis.
It is the thought that you can't have treats at all that would put me off a regular low calorie diet.

I've been doing the 5:2 for so long it's just my normal way of life now. I even welcome a fast day if I've had a few over-indulgent ones, on holiday or at Christmas, etc. I find it so easy. For me, not eating at all till teatime then having one 500 calorie meal works. I've never felt faint and don't even notice hunger pangs until around 4pm. I lost a stone easily in the first few weeks and now just maintain the weight I'm at, without having to worry about what I eat or drink on the other 5 days. I hope there are other health benefits too - I know that my blood pressure decreased quite dramatically when I started the 5:2 (so much so my doctor repeated the test) and can only assume it was the reason.

But - and isn't there always a but?! - it won't suit everyone. My DD1 tried it and felt dizzy and ill. She's happy with a low carb regime that I would loathe. It's really just a matter of finding what works for you, but I'm sure I've done that.

DH and I have been on the 5:2 diet for over 3 years now - and find it very easy to stick to - probably because we're both doing it. Neither of us had a lot of weight to lose, but DH's blood test revealed 'pre-diabetes' and this coincided with TV programme on the diet. We were very strict when we started, but now we tend to do our version on the 5/2 - just eat frugally on 2 days a week. And don't bother at all with it if we have guests/go away etc. It's a great diet as you always know you can have 'cake tomorrow'. Both of us at v good weights for age/height. Recommend it. Good luck!

Can I ask if you have live- in partners?
The only people I know who have done /do it and kept off the weight live on their own ...
DH would not take kindly ...And I don't have the willpower to resist if there is stuff in the house and someone else is eating normally .And I do genuinely feel really sick and faint if I dont eat enough. Used to be able to go all day ...
However I have stopped buying cheese which DH (also a bit portly)and I both love and can (and do) eat like chocolate .I lost a 1lb last week and he is definitely shrinking (though refuses to weigh himself).Have tried cutting out alcohol but doesnt seem to have same effect (don't drink that much )

Cross posted grannyjacq1

I did the 5:2 diet a couple of years ago now and managed to lose a stone and a half. I didn't try much weight loss last year but didn't put the lost weight back on fortunately. My husband was diagnosed as Type 2 diabetic just before Christmas, so we've both been very disciplined and kept to the diet he was given. He's lost 2.5 stones and I've lost another stone. We've both found it easier to stick to smaller portions all the time than balancing what to eat on fast days. We both want to lose another half stone and then decide on a weight 'ceiling' for the future.

I have a DH too, Neversaydie. I usually have my fast days on the two days we mind DGS2 at his house. He and DH have breakfast and lunch together and I join them for tea. DD2 leaves food in the fridge for us all. She's a very good cook and vegetarian, so they're healthy and low calorie.

Yes keep going it works and does your body good. Especially the 2 days with no alcohol. Just don't go mad and overeat on the 5 days. We both restrict our calories on the 2 days and have also cut out sugary things eg cakes and biscuits

There are 2 ways of fasting on the 5:2. Either have a very late breakfast. Then you will have fasted from the time you went to bed. Or have a light early ( 7 ish) breakfast and then supper about 7 in the evening. Do what is easiest for you.The benefits will soon be evident.

I've been doing it for about 3 months, and roped in DH too. We have both lost about a stone each, and I am very impressed by how easy it is, having previously tried low carb, low GI etc. DH has actually taken to it far better than I expected, and he is diabetic. He's never even moaned! I don't feel faint, rosesarered , in fact, the theory is that you shouldn't on one day's fast, because in ancient times it was when you ran out of food that you needed to go out and catch more! I do find I stick to the same few meals (hardly recipes) on fast days, and to begin with I was meticulous about weighing absolutely everything. I am a bit more casual now. I think the best part is that it always only one day: "I can't have that roast potato / biscuit/ whatever today, but I can tomorrow". There isn't the same feeling of being permanently deprived, so it is easier to stick to. Good luck OP and anyone else thinking of starting!

Started5-2diet august2013 and gradually lost 3 st. Have battled for years to lose weight and this is the first time I have kept the weight off.I am a great fan of this way of eating and would encourage trying it. Do not find it too difficult and it's easy to work around d days if a social event turns up.

And another thing I've found is that I appreciate my food more. Particularly breakfast on the day after a fast day.