If any of the other diet threads were specifically about this diet, then I would agree that a new one is not needed, but I will assume they are not, so a new thread is OK. But MOWC is still entitled to her opinion. So let’s move on.
I have a friend who has lost and regained 100 pounds several times in his life. He is now trying this with good results so far - about 3 weeks in. He likes how easy it is to follow and the lack of decision making needed on the fast days. Thinking of trying this myself.
@rockvillemom That’s what seems appealing to me. It doesn’t require counting/measuring etc. I think I’m going to do Mondays & Thursdays as the fast days and during the other 3 week days do my exercising/walking. And try to get in some exercise on the weekends too… and try to be as good as possible (while eating normally) on non-fast days.
Nothing for nothing, but if you are into any kind of really vigorous exercising, do you really want to be fasting on days you are training and if you are fasting and not working out, what’s that doing to your training? I’m not going to get into an involved debate on this but for those who rationalize fasting with the old saw of that’s how our primitive ancestors ate, do you think they skipped meals because it made them feel better or helped them manage their weight or because they had no luck hunting and ate what ever they could get their hands on? Do you think they felt it improved their performance and functioning by going hungry for 2 days in a row or felt that going hungry really screwed up their day? C’mon, really?
That is usually what I do, Suzy. Mondays and Thursdays, but I will flip a day in a heartbeat if I have a social event one one of those two days.
I enjoy and feel healthful exercising. My way to make it fun is I follow a baseball team and however many runs they score, I walk, run or elliptical that amount the next day. If it is 2 runs or less, then I add a weight training session (I like t25). It feels like a game to me, but I get a lot of moving in!
It seems like if we really completely understood the key to weight loss, we wouldn’t be facing the epidemic of weight gain we are seeing. So maybe the approach varies person to person more than science suggests. I just know it is hard and wish the best to anyone who is trying!
I have run marathons and competed in triathlons and would not recommend 5:2 for people doing endurance type event training. However, I have no problem maintaining a moderate exercise routine that includes runs up to 8 miles. I generally exercise in the morning on a fasting day, and it isn’t problematic. The day after a fast, I eat breakfast first before doing a workout.
But, I am not competing or anything! Just staying fit and trying get to enjoy getting outside and moving.
Doesn’t do anything for me. I often skip days because I’m busy and forget to eat. My metabolism slows to a crawl and stores all the fat it can on days I do eat. My doctor said I need to eat more if I want to lose weight!
^^ I’ve heard this too: you need to eat to lose. Sometimes a giant pig-out session is needed to jolt your system awake 
Wish I would forget to eat!! That never happens to me lol. . .but with 5:2 they do warn you not to diet on the five days. You are definitely supposed to be eating.
You’re not supposed to go two days in a row without eating, and you’re not supposed to not eat for the 2 fast days-it’s a 500 calorie day. It’s ok to disagree with the idea of 5:2, but not until you know about it.
FWIW, I don’t care about my “performance and functioning”. I care about maintaining a healthy weight and good sugar, cholesterol, and BP levels. I have all of those.
When my husband was trying the 5:2 he did not do the fast days on Crossfit days. He would do fast days when he was stuck in meetings all day. It gave him a good excuse to avoid the doughnuts that everyone likes to bring in to the office.
As per one of the other recent threads, I hit 50 and started gaining uncontrollably after never having any issues in my entire life. I tried a number of things over the course of the ensuing 8 years, including working with my doctor, cutting out favorite foods and drinks, increasing exercising. Decreasing food portions (and I never ate large portions to start with), skipping all desserts, sodas, French fries, breads, milk, etc. All I got for my efforts were additional pounds, stress, and feeling out of control and depressed.
One of my Aussie friends told me about the 5:2. She had lost considerable weight and said she and her husband (who did it with her) felt better after losing weight. So I figured ‘nothing else has worked, so may as well give it a try’. So I did. That was two years and 15+lbs ago.
I have not put any of the weight lost back on. Not even temporarily–nothing more than the usual 1-3 lbs fluctuations I’d always had. After a long plateau period, I have begun losing more weight, which is good as I am now only a few more pounds away from my original goal.
I am no longer stressed, unhappy, or frustrated about my weight or how my clothes fit. I can once again pack a suitcase without trying on every piece going in and without worrying whether it will still fit when I pull it out to wear. (That was actually a problem I was having).
I have not had any problems with this plan. I typically choose to do Mondays and Wednesdays, but if I need to change it, I do. If I need to skip a “short” day totally, I do and I don’t stress about it. If it doesn’t work out for a few weeks, that’s fine, too.
As far as those “short” calorie days, I typically eat soup or salads, chicken fried rice, grits, low fat string cheese, boiled eggs, vegetables and lots of water. Obviously, not all on the same day. But I have several choices that I mix and match on those two days and it works out just fine to eat lunch and supper. I found dropping drinks and meat were the easiest ways to “shorten” the calories on those days.
This works for me and my Aussie friend. It did not work for my sister nor for several friends that tried it. I don’t know why or how long they even tried it. Weight loss was not dramatic, but slow and steady once it started, until I hit a plateau about a year in. But I was happy with that 15lbs loss. It was not immediate loss at the beginning either.
But I am happy as a clam that it worked for me after those miserable 8 years of uncontrollable weight gain. I feel like I am back in control and don’t have to do anything but continue with an “anything in moderation” approach to the rest of the week.
Hard boiled eggs are my go-to on Fast days. 70 calories each; nearly perfectly complete nutrition.
Some interesting ideas for fasting day food here. (Food for thought? Groan…) I was thinking one could incorporate eggs, veggie soup, nuts, yogurt and melon for a variety of temperatures, textures and tastes. I’m sure the books about the diet suggest some foods that are low in calories but high in psychological satisfaction, depending on one’s own tastes of course. For instance, I would not want to have to go through a day without a little sweetness from some fruit. Or instead, a half ounce of dark chocolate, which is only about 80 calories and has health benefits, and would be very satisfying to those of us of the chocoholic persuasion! Others may feel deprived without a different kind of food.
My next step is to head to the library. Thanks again to all who chimed in.
Per another mod who follows these things more closely, the sniping level on the diet/exercise threads in particular is out of control. If we need to resort to harsher penalties and more suspensions to get people to act like adults, we will. I sincerely trust we do not have to resort to that.
^^Maybe it’s a fast day for them and they’re hangry?
Mr. Ellebud (he of the great metabolism) has been on the 5-2 for several months. He has lost a bit of weight. It has helped. I make him egg white omelets with lots of veggies chicken breasts lots of steamed vegeta…but in the end he is more aware of what he is eating.
“…but in the end he is more aware of what he is eating.”
Mr. Ellebud and his wise more beautiful half are onto something here. 
This is probably what is happening. One really has to scramble to get a filling 500 calorie “famine” menu. Eggs, non-fat Greek yogurt, lettuce, cabbage, celery… All of these are excellent foods. I believe that the general awareness of where the junk calories come from makes the person subconsciously choose better foods during the 5 days of “feast.”
I do make a bouillon: Chicken broth with carrots and celery. Whether it is feast or famine day…clear soup before a meal does help. Onion soup…yep…don’t fry the onions…put them together with herbs…done
Mr. Ellebud’s favorite soup? Gazpacho…just veggies and V8…and spices.
True. I read a study one time that concluded that people who eat some soup before a meal tend to consume less total calories for the meal than subjects who did not.
I can’t do cabbage or kale. It gives me the flaming poots…