5:2 diet

Daedalus

IMO A true fast according to 5:2 is eating only 500 calories between waking and sleeping. If you eat more than that then you are not fasting.

I did 8pm Sunday to 1pm Tuesday with only around 150 calories in that gap.

Mrs_Money

I've just found this thread and just found out about Michael Mosley's prog, from an article by Mimi Spencer in a Sunday supplement (they've written a book together on IF diet), so I'm slightly behind on this.
If anyone wants to see the Horizon prog Eat, Fast and Live longer it's still on Vimeo at the moment.
I'm on my third week of IF- I do 500 calories on Tuesday and Thursday- and don't bother too much the rest of the week (I like salads, fish, chicken, pasta, fruit, nuts - as well as chocolate on non-fasting days!)
"Fast" days (not really a fast) I have something like an apple and non-fat yogurt for breakfast, soup for lunch, huge salad with slice of ham or slice of Leerdammer cheese, or half a tin of tuna in the evening.
I personally, can't go all day with no food, so I spread my 500 calories over 3 meals.
First week I lost 3lbs, second week 1lb. But I'll be happy if I lose 1lb a week for a year! (got 4 stone to get rid of).
Good luck to all

Elliesmum

silvasava wrote: »

On my fast days I'm finding it easier to eat my calories later & later - is anyone else finding that? Yesterday I didn't eat anything until about 4.30 - then had the rest of my quota about 6pm & now I'm just about to have breakfast & I don't really feel that hungry

ps - 152.4lb this morning - :shhh:

I have found this... I completed my 8th fast yesterday and I can now go all day just drinking water and black coffee and so I can have a reasonable dinner with pudding

The only difference today was I ate breakfast, which is something I would not normally do (however I was cold this morning). I had porridge, enjoyed it and had lunch as normal.

EM x

natbags

sleepless
I found it here
http://www.documentarytube.com/eat-fast-and-live-longer-bbc-horizon-2012 HTH

Verityemilia

elizabunny wrote: »

My restricted calorie period lasts for around 36 hours, which is the way I prefer to do it. I personally would think I had failed the fast day if I ate more than 500 cals on the fast day. However, I believe the MM book says that it is acceptable to fast from say one evening meal to the one the next day if you find this easier. So on that basis I am not so sure you have failed.

Thank you elizabunny - makes it a little clearer

Sues48

My 5th fast day is almost over, and I have to say that it's been the easiet yet:) I just hope that I get a decent night's sleep,something that's eluded me so far on fast days!

What has really surprised me is my ability to do without breakfast on my fast days. I have always eaten breakfast so thought I would really struggle to go until lunch without food, but I have managed quite well, which would suggest that eating breakfast is a habit, rather than a response to genuine hunger.

garybarlowsbeard

It seems a bit too good to be true to me if a fast day can count as, say, from 6pm-6pm. So I could have a normal tea at 5.30 ish, then a small breakfast (say 200 calories) then small lunch (300) then eat a normal tea as part of the next day after 5.30/6. Does that count?!

Mado

garybarlowsbeard wrote: »

It seems a bit too good to be true to me if a fast day can count as, say, from 6pm-6pm. So I could have a normal tea at 5.30 ish, then a small breakfast (say 200 calories) then small lunch (300) then eat a normal tea as part of the next day after 5.30/6. Does that count?!

I don't believe it is sufficient to trigger your fast mode.

I don't think it is fair to count the first night as part of the fast, as it is exactly the same state as you would be in a normal day.
Otherwise, most people would say that they don't eat for 12 hours every day and fast for half the week....:rotfl:

LadyinBlack wrote: »

.
I'm encouraged that this could be a long term way of eating which is good for me. Still wish I could get rid of my sweet tooth - I know some people find it diminishes but mine hasn't so far:(

I haven't lost my sweet tooth... and I have been on the diet since October.
However, I found that I was losing weight at the beginning despite indulging in treats.
I did recover the excesses from Christmas over Jan, but find that my weight fairly stable now, if going down very slowly, which is fine as I am nearly at my target. I need tomorrow's fast to recover from pancake orgy tonight:D

Daedalus

garybarlowsbeard wrote: »

It seems a bit too good to be true to me if a fast day can count as, say, from 6pm-6pm. So I could have a normal tea at 5.30 ish, then a small breakfast (say 200 calories) then small lunch (300) then eat a normal tea as part of the next day after 5.30/6. Does that count?!

The impact would be limited. You are eating less calories that day so you will lose weight, but the longer you fast, which I personally take to mean zero calories, the greater the benefits you will receive.

talkinpeace

AS I posted a long time ago on MN,
you have to stop thinking in days and start thinking in weeks.

Work out your own TDEE (lots of links around)
that should be your target for five of the 'days' in the week.
THe other two 'days' should be 500 calories for women, 600 for men.
So (for example) my TDEE is 1950, so by fasting twice and sticking within TDEE on my other days, I am running a 3000 calorie deficit during a week.

Hence the weight loss.