5:2 diet

adouglasmhor

Madrabbitgirl wrote: »

Hi, I have started doing the 5:2 diet and this is my third restricted calorie day. This week Tuesday and today (Thursday) have been my 'fast' days. I have been doing 500 cals on my RC days and splitting this into two small meals, one for breakfast and one for my evening meal (around 7.30 as my partner doesn't get home from work until then so I usually wait for him).

The first RC day (last week)I felt fine until about 6pm & then felt shaky. I felt fine after my next meal but a little irritable.

On Tues I didn't get the shakes, felt pretty hungry but moodwise ok.

Today I feel awful. Not shaky but really low energy, emotional (getting upset over nothing) and had to lay down for a while. I know it is normal for it to affect your mood but what I would like to know is the people that have been doing it longer than me, does it get any easier? I don't want to give up, I have lost 2 lbs already and the health benefits sound amazing (I watched the Micheal Mosely prog) but I am also prone to depression and have been pretty stable in my mood for a while and don't want it to get me down.

I probably haven't drank enough fluids today and also had anesthetic at the dentists this morning so it could be a combination of these things that are making it more difficult for me today.

I would be interested to hear how it is affecting other peoples moods. Thanks.

My third day yesterday as well, on my second day I didn't have enough water during the day so felt pretty rough. Yesterday I was more careful and was fine. Did a body pump class last night too.

Moods haven't been a problem for me but I was getting frustrated when GF phoned me when I was trying to get ready for the gym with limited time.

JillyCornwall

Madrabbitgirl wrote: »

Hi, I have started doing the 5:2 diet and this is my third restricted calorie day. This week Tuesday and today (Thursday) have been my 'fast' days. I have been doing 500 cals on my RC days and splitting this into two small meals, one for breakfast and one for my evening meal (around 7.30 as my partner doesn't get home from work until then so I usually wait for him).

The first RC day (last week)I felt fine until about 6pm & then felt shaky. I felt fine after my next meal but a little irritable.

On Tues I didn't get the shakes, felt pretty hungry but moodwise ok.

Today I feel awful. Not shaky but really low energy, emotional (getting upset over nothing) and had to lay down for a while. I know it is normal for it to affect your mood but what I would like to know is the people that have been doing it longer than me, does it get any easier? I don't want to give up, I have lost 2 lbs already and the health benefits sound amazing (I watched the Micheal Mosely prog) but I am also prone to depression and have been pretty stable in my mood for a while and don't want it to get me down.

I probably haven't drank enough fluids today and also had anesthetic at the dentists this morning so it could be a combination of these things that are making it more difficult for me today.

I would be interested to hear how it is affecting other peoples moods. Thanks.

I only had the symptoms you describe on my first day of fasting which was over 24hrs on clear fluids only. However TBH there are many factors that can be behind how you are re acting to calorie restriction so other peoples reaction might not really be of any assistance to you.
1. It simply may not be 'for you'!
2. What you are eating to make up your 500 cals can make a big difference as can what foods you have been eating in your normal diet leading up to starting this regime & what you are eating in between. ie a diet normally high in processed food or 'bad' carbs could result in withdrawal symptons such as you describe if curtailed suddenly.
3. Your weight...an obese person might react very differently to calorie restriction to someone of a near 'normal' weight.
4. Drinking lots of fluids is essential on calorie restriction.

pineapple

My shirts are no longer 'popping open' and today I walked past a Thorntons toffee shop with no qualms at all! :beer:
I also invested in some new scales to keep track of this new me

TeamLowe

hi all,
just started this this week, as i follow a low gi diet as recommended by my gynae (PCOS) but was finding i was plateauing. i skim read the info as i thought it was simple so did 600 calories my first day (tuesday) without realising that's the amount for men! however, i do think that's low enough for me as i found it difficult plus i need to eat 3x daily for my medication, so three 200 calorie meals works well.

i may not stick at it as it's just to give my weightloss a kickstart but i'm seeing improvements so might not be able to stop lol my fasting days are Tuesdays and Thursdays as i go to the gym MonWedFri to run (C25K) and try to go at the weekend to swim so wouldn't want to fast then.

I found i spent the fasting days dreaming of what i'd eat the next day but wake up fine and appetite not really increased and it hasn't affected my moods so that's good too

pineapple

Happy wet (here anyway ) bank holiday weekend!
Just out of interest I wonder how many of us consulted our GPs as advised before embarking on any of the Horizon fast plans?
I think it is different if you have a known health problem but what if you haven't? I may be doing this for months or possibly forever :rotfl:and I can't imagine my own GP being very receptive to me asking to be monitored/supervised or dieticians (if it is referred on) being able to cope as so many people seem to be doing it.
Cheers

daska

pineapple wrote: »

Happy wet (here anyway ) bank holiday weekend!
Just out of interest I wonder how many of us consulted our GPs as advised before embarking on any of the Horizon fast plans?
I think it is different if you have a known health problem but what if you haven't? I may be doing this for months or possibly forever :rotfl:and I can't imagine my own GP being very receptive to me asking to be monitored/supervised or dieticians (if it is referred on) being able to cope as so many people seem to be doing it.
Cheers

I think they're mainly covering themselves from a legal perspective, especially for the alternate day IF, deliberately eating very little food for a day at a time is hardly a problem for most people, we tend to peak and trough anyway. The exceptions are those with conditions where it might cause serious problems such as those who are insulin dependent. A little bit of common sense goes a long way.

Madrabbitgirl

JillyCornwall wrote: »

I only had the symptoms you describe on my first day of fasting which was over 24hrs on clear fluids only. However TBH there are many factors that can be behind how you are re acting to calorie restriction so other peoples reaction might not really be of any assistance to you.
1. It simply may not be 'for you'!
2. What you are eating to make up your 500 cals can make a big difference as can what foods you have been eating in your normal diet leading up to starting this regime & what you are eating in between. ie a diet normally high in processed food or 'bad' carbs could result in withdrawal symptons such as you describe if curtailed suddenly.
3. Your weight...an obese person might react very differently to calorie restriction to someone of a near 'normal' weight.
4. Drinking lots of fluids is essential on calorie restriction.

I probably am guilty of having too many carbs/processed foods in my usual diet so the dip in carbs on my RC days could be a factor. I am not hugely overweight but would like to lose a stone (or if I am really honest a stone and a half!). I think it is probably the amount of fluids that made a different on my RC days as I felt fine on my second RC day when I was drinking plenty of water . My next RC day will be next tues so I am going to enjoy my food until then (but try not o go too crazy!)

eveie189

I have been doing the 16/24 fasting for a little over a week now and I have to say I can't believe the difference it makes. I am eating better, having more energy and don't have the bloated feeling anymore. I haven't consiously altered my diet, other than to try and eat more protein (I am a ,complete carb queen). I have found that because I know if I do want the sweet stuff I can have it, I am no longer craving it all the time like I did when on or in between diets.

Personally I don't think I could do the 5:2 because of the above but am happy that I seem to have found a way of breaking free from the diet, binge cycle. I have also started walking more and as a result of all this have lost over half a stone. I can't believe it.

pineapple

eveie189 wrote: »

I haven't consiously altered my diet, other than to try and eat more protein (I am a ,complete carb queen)..

I know you are not following the 5:2 plan but one of the points made was that to improve health/lifespan we should aim to reduce our IGF-1 levels through fasting but epecially by reducing overall protein intake.
The 5:2 diet: can it help you lose weight and live longer? - Telegraph
Fortunately I was already halfway there due to the high cost of meat, fish and cheese! :rotfl:
Interesting for those on the Atkins diet

eveie189

pineapple wrote: »

I know you are not following the 5:2 plan but one of the points made was that to improve health/lifespan we should aim to reduce our IGF-1 levels through fasting but epecially by reducing overall protein intake.
The 5:2 diet: can it help you lose weight and live longer? - Telegraph
Fortunately I was already halfway there due to the high cost of meat, fish and cheese! :rotfl:
Interesting for those on the Atkins diet

Thanks for that pineapple but up until starting this I ate practically NO protein, so am looking for a more balanced diet. I should probably also have said I am trying to increase my veg intake.