5:2 diet

teaandcakeordeath

First fast day completed and I've had 424 calories, wasn't too bad at all though I have to admit I'm starting to get peckish! I fasted from 9pm on Monday to 8pm tonight- had a beef steak teriyaki stirfry which was delicious though not as big as I'd anticipated because the supermarket had ran out of beansprouts! Going to have a couple of prawns before bed so don't chew my foot off overnight! Am looking forward to the cinema tomorrow- guilt free sweeties! Lol.

superpup

Note to self... don't drink too much green tea on your fast day. You may not be able to get to sleep until it's nearly time to get up!

Grrr...

elizabunny

urbancookie1 wrote: »

Ive had 480ish calories so far according to myfitnesspal and lots of water. So it sounds like no biccy & tea for me tonight then.

So, am i getting this right the fast day isnt really a 24hr day 5 till 5 it will be more of a 39hr day by the time i eat breakfast tomorrow.

Yes that's right as I understand it:)

I am hoping I will be able to continue with my 2nd day fast tomorrow. I will have my last meal at around 7.30pm tonight, then it will be 500 calories tomorrow, followed by normal breakfast on Friday:)

Gloomendoom

danielwade wrote: »

Take a look at the variations of Intermittent Fasting. I have been using this to drop the extra bodyfat I put on over Christmas and I've already dropped most of it and I'm only a month in. I can already see my abs showing, which I've not seen for over 6 months.

How I have been doing it, however, is by fasting for 16-18 hours per day. It sounds harder than it actually is. Basically I allow myself to eat between 9am and 5pm and then stop eating until 9am the next day. So most of that fasting time occurs while I'm asleep.

It doesn't sound hard to me. Generally, I have only been eating one meal a day for years and often with an longer 'fasting' period. It didn't stop me getting fat.

I suspect that your results are due to what you are eating and how much, rather than the length of the gap between meals.

elantan

elizabunny wrote: »

Have you had around 500 calories today? Or would the cuppa and biscuit be the 1st thing you have had? My understanding is that you can have around 500 calories on your fast day. For example I started my fast at around 8pm on Sunday, I had 500 calories on Monday, my fast ended at 7am this morning:)

Does that make it roughly 35 hours that you have fasted ? ( with obviously the 500 cal meal on the Monday )

Old_Socks_old_Stick

Elantan - when I fast I have a light meal at 7pm and then the next day I have the 500 cals, usally lunch and dinner or just one big meal at dinner, then get up the next day and eat normally. So yeah, about 36hours with just the 500 cals.

I presume that's how most of us are doing it. Some people have a fasting window say from 7am to 7pm and then eat. But I think with the 5:2 you give yourself 1 full day of eating very little (just the 500 cals).

Hope I have explained that right.

Mamjak

danielwade wrote: »

Basically I allow myself to eat between 9am and 5pm and then stop eating until 9am the next day. So most of that fasting time occurs while I'm asleep.
.

The only thing with fasting at night is that your whole body slows down when you sleep so each hour only counts for about 2 hours when awake. This would mean you are only actually fasting for about 8 hours and therefore probably not getting the health benefits that have been found in longer fasting.

To me it sounds more like you are feeling the benefits of a good healthy way of living and eating rather than from actually doing the 'fasting' diet.

But if that works for you then great! Well done on your results so far :T

elizabunny

elantan wrote: »

Does that make it roughly 35 hours that you have fasted ? ( with obviously the 500 cal meal on the Monday )

Hi elantan, yes that's right:)

I won't have any results until the weekend though as I am determined not to weigh myself every day, I find this so disheartening. Our weight fluctuates day to day for various reasons and I feel I will get a better picture if I just weigh once a week.

LadyinBlack_2

Hi all
Just found this thread and hope I can join.

I saw the original Horizon programme and was inspired to start the diet, I lost nearly two stones and managed to keep it off till Xmas. Then it all went:mad:. I went mad over the holiday and am now just getting back on it. The weird thing is that I feel better on the 5:2 but still over indulged every day for weeks.

I am now firmly on track. As others have said it's a diet for life and definitely suits me more than points counting etc.

If anybody likes Ryvita (the seeded ones), they are £1 in Morrisons. I just stocked up. I like them and use them on non-fast days. If there's none on the shelf when you get there you probably live near me;)

CKgeordieinlondon

Hello everybody I hope you don't mind but i thought i might share my experience with you.

Like a lot of people I started this regime quite soon after seeing the Horizon programme, some time in August. i had some limited success and managed to lose 2lb in a month. Ok but not great and I found the fast days really hard going. I just can't sleep when I'm hungry.

Still looking into intermittent fasting I discovered 16/8 system where you fast for 16 hours and eat in a 8 hour window.(As Danielwade has already mentioned). First thing that involved was giving up breakfast .:shocked: hard at first but amazingly liberating once you get used to it. I gradually moved my lunch back until my first meal of the day is around 2pm and my last is finished by 10pm. That resulted a further 3lb loss over 2 months

So thats 5 lb over three months. A better result than I've had before but could still be better(It's all about the weight loss with me.)

Then in December I thought why not combine the two? Eureka. Since Dec 21st I'm averaging a very healthy 1 - 2lb loss resulting in a further 9lbs.

So basically on non "fast" days I eat (and drink) anything I like as long as it's not before 2pm or after 10pm. (4 and 12 Friday and Saturday) .

Fast days consist of a cup_a_soup late afternoon and Usually fish , steamed veg and some boiled potatoes as late as possible so I go to bed all full and sleepy.

I can't say I'm never hungry I am, but boy do i appreciate my food. Its moneysaving in one way as my food bills have definitely shrunk. On the other hand I do have to buy a sandwich at 2pm each day because if I had a home made sandwich I'd eat it long before then


Anyway the moral of this long post is it took me a 3 months to get to this. So take your time lot tinkering working out what works for you.

i don't regret spending the three months it took but I do wish I'd known about this way of eating 20 years ago