Anyone tried the 5-2 Diet?

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1

This diet intrigues me. Right now I’m just toying with the idea, since I’ve put on some unwanted pounds as the result of slowing down an overactive thyroid. There’s lots of material online and several books, but I’d love to hear some real life experiences.

For those who aren’t familiar with it, the 5-2 diet requires two days (consecutive or non-consecutive) of semi-fasting–500 calories for women, 600 for men, mostly protein–and the remainder of the week one eats normally–healthily, of course, but neither bingeing nor counting every calorie. I’m thinking I could deprive myself for a single day at a time easily if I knew I could eat normally the next day, as opposed to facing the endless feeling of deprivation that a typical diet entails. In my case at least one of the fasting days would be Monday, when I’m usually regretting what I’ve eaten over the weekend anyway and feel gung-ho about losing weight, a feeling that rapidly fades as the week progresses. The fasting days can be as varied as one’s life requires, so a social event set for what is usually a fasting day can be enjoyed so long as the fasting day is re-scheduled for another day that week.

It seems to me that this diet might avoid the plateau effect that sets in with diets when your body’s metabolism slows in response to a long-term calorie reduction, a change that can be permanent as shown in recent studies of folks who have lost large amounts of weight. And I wonder if it doesn’t suit the way we evolved, since man in hunter-gatherer days hardly had a constant and reliable source of food. I just imagine a tribe feasting on a kill some days and then having little to eat on other days.

2

I have tried it and know many who have. Personally, I used it to lose about 8 pounds. The trick is maintaining the weight loss. I was pretty miserable for my “fasting” days and I was trying to work it around my intense master’s swim schedule. But, I did maintain the weight loss with fasting in the morning before swimming, and not eating (except for a handful of nuts and coffee) for several hours afterwards. Others maintain the weight loss with fasting just one day a week or just eating in an eight hour window of the day. If you google intermittent fasting you will see several variations. I have friends who use it to lose weight, don’t use any sort of maintenance routine and gain the weight back. But, they are happy enough just to start the 5:2 again for 2-4 weeks.

3

Do we really need a 4th thread on diet/weight loss?

4

Is that really how you want to live? Not being able to eat some days???

A problem is right here:
“In my case at least one of the fasting days would be Monday, when I’m usually regretting what I’ve eaten over the weekend anyway and feel gung-ho about losing weight, a feeling that rapidly fades as the week progresses.”
Why not tackle the problem of balancing out your weekend eating? And getting a handle on why you can’t seem to stay gung-ho for more even a week? If you aren’t staying on track for a week WITH food, what makes you think you’d stay on track for a week or more with this 5-2 routine??

5

I’ve been doing 5:2 with mixed results (but very consistently), and I love it to be honest. This is my third year doing it.

I belong to a couple of Facebook groups where I’ve seen a lot of people have success with very good before and after photos. You may want to search on FB and talk to some people.

What I love about it is it isn’t an “accounting” diet in that you don’t have to count calories or carbs. You basically fast on the two days and the remaining days eat normally. It’s very simple and let’s you pick any five days so you can easily work around social obligations, etc.

I’ve lost 8 lbs with it, but as my weight comes closer to normal, it’s then a struggle because I’m probably eating too much on my regular days.

I actually find the fast days pretty easy now and actually look forward to doing them. Technically, you can eat up to 500 calories on the fast days, but I’ve found it easier to just not eat. It’s very black and white that way. Eating a little bit makes me very, very hungry. Eating nothing is actually pretty easy (a couple of cups of coffee helps).

I try to eat reasonably on the other five days, but to be honest, I eat quite a bit and do eat desserts (like an ice cream pop) often. My goal is to cut back a bit on the sugar and bread front on the five days, but I’m maintaining at a very close to normal BMI (I’m nearly 50), so I’m not too disappointed. I am 5’ and wear a size 6. I’d like to get into the normal zone . . .Bottom line, my challenges have nothing to do with the fasting days and everything to do with the regular eating days. My regular eating is probably overeating for my short height!

For me, it has been a very good experience, one of the few plans I’ve been able to stick with for the long haul. I know some people have body feelings that are difficult - - feeling weak or dizzy or getting headaches. The first couple of fasts are hardest, but then I found all that all just went away.

Happy to try to answer questions on it, but I think it is something to try for a few weeks and see what you think. The one thing I will say is your weight will fluctuate a lot from water so it takes some time to see the downward trend.

6

It’s not sustainable- just like all the other fad diets and eating “plans”. Just eat the food- but less of it. And move more!

7

I’ve done sort of a looser version of this for as long as I can remember. Some days I’m just not very hungry, so I don’t eat a lot. Some days I’m just super hungry (usually after a lot of tennis) and I will chow down (not binge eat, though-that’s never a good thing. I’ll feast, though). I did read the FastDiet book, which seems to align with a lot of how I tend to eat naturally. It’s the 5:2 non-sequential fast.

As for being a “fad” and not sustainable-it’s only within the last 100 years in first world countries that three meals a day + snacks is considered “normal”. Your ancestors did not eat this way. Your ancestors had to pick and hunt the food they ate, and that’s how our bodies are wired to run. Constantly shoving food in your face the minute you feel a hunger pang is a modern behavior.

This semi-fast did not work for my husband, though-if he walks through the kitchen and he’s hungry, he’s going to eat something. I am ok with walking around feeling hungry and not needing to do anything about it. He’s a snacker/grazer, so I have stuff like almonds and unsweet yogurt with fruit around for him. He’s learned not to snack directly from the bag, and to give himself an appropriate portion in a separate bowl, so he doesn’t eat mindlessly.

8

I haven’t tried it, but am thinking of doing so AFTER I finish my current never ending diet.

There have been several articles in the NY Times about it. (Here’s a link to one http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2016/03/07/intermittent-fasting-diets-are-gaining-acceptance/

I think it’s probable that some day doctors will prick your finger and do some sort of blood analysis before putting you on a diet, in order to tell you what will work for you. I don’t think we all need exactly the same nutrients in exactly the same proportions. It may be that excess sugar or excess salt is worse for some people than for others. It may be that some people need a higher proportion of fat in their diets than other people do.

9

I tried it and all that happened was it made me want to binge eat by the end of the day.

10

It’s not sustainable in modern day life. Yes, anyone can do anything for a period of time.

11

I know someone who did it. She lost a lot of weight (like 30 lbs and she isn’t even 5 feet tall). Its not appealing to me but she found it helpful and was able to keep most of the weight off (last time I saw her).

12

MOWC–just eat less and move more does not work for everyone. My metabolism just says fine; I’ll burn calories more slowly. Haven’t tried the fast diet, but there’s nothing intrinsically less natural about it then a regular, mindful eating approach.

13

I think finding a sustainable plan really so varies based on your personality and your personal eating habits. Intermittent fasting is really just a different way of calorie reduction, but one that supposedly doesn’t lower your metabolic rate. It’s huge in Europe.

It’s not going to be for everyone. I’m very rigid, so with other eating plans, if I went off the plan, I would feel like I “blew it” and started eating everything in sight. And I was constantly hungry . . .especially with Weight Watchers. I’ve also tried low carb, and it was great when I was just eating at home, but at restaurants or social events, I was miserable.

5:2 is much easier for me personally because I only have to be rigid and disciplined for one day at a time. It’s easier for me to say to myself “you can eat that tomorrow” as opposed to “you can eat that once a month” or “you can never eat that”. Social events are great. I can just eat normally and try whatever I want. Each week I don’t find it too hard to find a couple of days where I can skip all the meals - - I try to pick busy days, and I barely notice.

I definitely don’t think this plan is for everyone, but for me, the limited strict periods have been helpful. And the next day, I am hungry, but your stomach is smaller so if you eat more slowly, you fill up. I also eat more in the morning after a fast which lets you burn that bigger meal off all day long. By the evening, I’m actually not very hungry.

So definitely different strokes for different folks, but if you are considering it, I wouldn’t dismiss it out of hand. It depends a lot on your personality. I have other friends who tried it and really couldn’t do it/disliked it. But if it appeals to you, I don’t think it is harmful to give it a fair shot and see what you think.

14

I would run this plan or any other by your doctor(s) - see if they think selective fasting on a regular basis is a good idea. Because in the end, you’re doing this for good health right???

15

“I think finding a sustainable plan really so varies based on your personality and your personal eating habits.”

This. It’s taken me years to find a strategy for maintaining a certain weight after an initial loss. For me, it means three real meals (and I HATE eating breakfast, but force myself) and NO SNACKS in between. A fair amount of coffee during the day, and tea in the afternoon/evening.

I exercise regularly - every other day - but not excessively: under 50 minutes per day, mostly the elliptical and weight training. I’ve lost 15 pounds since January on this plan. A friend did it as well, and she barely lost 10 in a similar time frame. It just didn’t work for her.

16

But she lost 10 pounds! Why is that a “didn’t work” scenario???

Of course we can’t/won’t lose identically. We certainly don’t gain it that way!

17

True… she lost a bit under 10 pounds… in an inconsistent way (up & down) and it’s starting to creep up more on her than on me.

I was losing slowly but steadily… but noticed an instant gain when I started adding a gin & tonic after work on the deck. It’s my favorite summer treat, and I’m trying to figure out how I can sneak it in without it repercussions.

Unlike most people, I tend to gain in the summer… it’s like everything is blooming, and so am I :-L

18

Gosh @MomofWildChild, if you didn’t think this thread was worthwhile, you didn’t have to open it. And if you couldn’t respond to my request for actual experiences with anything other than unsolicited advice about this diet or about dieting in general, you needn’t have wasted your time posting. This post was about a specific approach, and I didn’t want it to get lost in the pile of posts in other diet-related threads, particularly not in the thread that has devolved into a semi-private discussion about running. I am ever amazed by the number of folks who, instead of focusing on the specific topic raised in an OP, will drag in a bunch of tangential stuff. Reminds me of the students who always sat in the first row in class in college lectures and waved their hands constantly to hear themselves talk regardless of whether they had anything relevant to say.

Many thanks to those others who offered helpful info. If I decide to go ahead with the 5-2, I’ll come back to report on my experience.

19

It’s the internet. If I’m within the TOS, I can comment as I please. Starting a 4th thread on diet and weight loss seems silly to me. You would get plenty of comments by adding to one of the two threads that are of the hand-wringing nature. Yes, there are some good suggestions in them, too.

20

This sounds appealing, I think I’m going to try it.