We’ve taken to having one very light meal of cut fruit most days, but otherwise “normal” other meals and only fresh fruit or nuts If any snacks are needed. It works well for us and we don’t miss the 3rd meal.
We also have cut way back on beverages other than plain water. H likes black coffee in the morning and I have water sweetened with ginger syrup once daily as a mild anti microbial.
Definitely not unconstrained eating on the five days though it may feel relatively unconstrained. On the official 5:2 website, there is a calculator for determining how many calories you should be eating on the five days, but generally most people do not actually need to count.
It really is just a different way of restricting calories that 1) is easier for some people because the amount of time they need to be strict is brief and 2) some health professionals believe fasting has secondary positive effects including boosted immunity. It may be coincidence, but I think I have only had one cold in the past three years. Clearly not a scientific data point!!
Happened to watch a PBS special with Drkellyann- promoting her 21 day simple weight loss program, and realized it is this 5:2 discussed here. She stresses her recipe for bone broth as the magic elixir for fasting days.
Do most of you make bone broth for fasting days? Where do you get the bones ?
I like the anti alzheimers aspect of fasting, but don’t think I’m rugged enough to endure fasting.
I don’t do bone broth, but I have nothing against it.
You can get bones at the local grocery store’s meat department-I’ll buy them for my dogs on occasion because they like the big beef bones and they’ll spend hours trying to get the marrow out from the middle.
Of course, then they look and smell gross and I have to give them a bath, but it’s a nice treat for them every now and then 
(sorry, I digress).
@SouthJerseyChessMom, I saw pre-made bone broth the other day at the grocery store, in the aisle with chicken and beef broth. I’m sure homemade is better, but if you don’t want to mess with it,…
500 calories a day doesn’t seem like fasting really, I’ve gotten really good at 200-ish cal meals made of lots of veggies and some lean protein. I wouldn’t want to do it for days on end but 2x a week seems OK.
Trying it out today. I’m planning on just drinking water and herbal tea until dinner when I’ll have some of the spinach lasagna I made yesterday, assuming a reasonable size piece is under 500.
What are some of your guys’ go to low-calorie snacks? (I’m not an egg fan…)
I’m going to try to do something similar to this diet and see how it goes, but I also need to eat multiple times a day as I always need to eat with my meds or I’ll get sick. I’m already doing this during the weeks that I have my infusion treatments. I have to fast the day of and the day after I’m usually too nauseous to eat much.
@romanigypsyeyes maybe hummus with carrots/celery?
Popcorn. Nearly Naked or Skinny Girl are 2 good brands that don’t have all the “extras” that add calories and sodium.
Vegetables. You can eat TONS of veggies with little caloric impact. I build my diets around them. Having eggs? Throw in a couple of handfuls of chopped veggies. Making soup? Add as many veggies as the liquid will hold.
I’m going to try “fasting” tomorrow (those of us who are veterans of Yom Kippur fasting, with associated parched mouth and pounding headache, know that’s not really the right name for this approach). Over the weekend I put on a favorite pair of capris for the first time since last fall and suddenly became highly motivated because they were really tight. (Sometimes I really want that overactive thyroid back…) I have a very busy day tomorrow and will be out of the house a good part of it, which I think will make it easier to not focus on eating.
It’s funny–I was getting something out of the pantry this afternoon and glanced at a package of granola I really like. My first thought was–ooh, I can’t eat that anymore, I’m dieting. And then, wait, I can have it Thursday! That pretty much sums up why this approach would work for some people.
Below are the foods I plan to eat on Wednesday, listed with calorie counts. Keep in mind I’m not a morning person and I don’t get up early–semi-retired so I don’t have to–and never really eat breakfast, more like an early lunch, so just two real meals a day is my norm. I’m hoping having it all planned out in advance will help.
Meal 1:
4 oz orange juice (can’t start the day without a hit of oj to take my meds with)–55
1 Yoplait 100 calorie Greek yogurt–100
Snack 1
7 dry roasted almonds–49
Meal 2
1 cup Progresso Light soup–100
1/2 Fiber One multigrain English muffin with 1/2 tbs. peanut butter–97
Snack 2
1 med. Honeycrisp apple (these are my all-time favorite apples, but seem to only be available in size huge, so I’ll have to throw a sizeable chunk away)–95
Other foods I’m considering for my next fast day: eggs (not big fan of hard boiled, but may dry scramble a couple); Sabra singles hummus cups with sliced red peppers for dipping; Boar’s Head Ovengold deli turkey (60 cals. per 2 oz.); berries; melon.
As for beverages, I’ll stick with water, and an iced coffee from Dunkin Donuts, which I can drink without milk since their iced is somehow a lot weaker than their hot, which I take with a little splash of whole milk.
@mommaj I slice mine and put them in a ziplock with some lemon or lime juice…they don’t brown 
I am joining you all trying this. I am telling you so I will be accountable I am in mid-50’s and have had the worst time the past 3 years or so. I have recently joined a fitness program and am learning entirely new ways of eating, but the shopping, chopping , preparing & cooking of all this healthy stuff is time-consuming and I just don’t enjoy it (never have liked to cook). I am still going to try to be as healthy as possible my 5 days, but sometimes it’s just easier not to eat, and the times I have lost weight I have done similar very low calorie days.
P.S. I am planning on Tues (today) and Friday “fasting” days
Some veggies and some fruits-like raspberries and blueberries, cucumbers, celery. I like to munch on arugula, but I’m weird. One large piece of beef jerky is 82 calories. Sunflower seeds (high protein low calorie). I am not a big snacker, though.
following–plan to start this soon!
I guess we have a Fasting Fellowship going! Hope all those trying this report back on their experiences.
P.S.–I will NOT be trying bone broth–don’t even want to find out what it is. I don’t believe there’s magic in any one food and I’m instantly suspicious that someone is profiting off any such claim.
Bone broth is just beef broth. The trouble with soups is it takes a lot of salt before they taste good to me.
All this talk is making me reminisce about my late mother’s turkey bone soup. She would add one of these packets https://delishably.com/special-diets/Make-Your-Own-Signature-Soups-Using-Manischewitz-Cello-Soup-Mixes. - All I remember is the barley and the pieces of leftover turkey. I miss it, and her.
I don’t look at food prep as a chore, I try and think about it as something I’m creating that is mindful. Like I really get into thinking about what goes with what, who’s going to complain about it the most over dinner, whether it’s worthy of making it again, fun stuff like that.
Tues and thurs are my typical fast days, although sometimes I’ll only do one day if I’m burning a lot with tennis. I’m looking forward to tomorrow,