Hi @mrbeezley – interesting that your heart burn has settled with fasting . Reducing weight can improve heart burn as can eating smaller meals – good hear it’s working for you
This topic contains 313 replies, has 181 voices, and was last updated by bigbooty 6 years, 5 months ago.
This is my timetable if it helps.
Sunday – Non Fast Day last meal about 1800
Monday – Fast Day – skip breakfast and lunch and just drink low cal juice or water and tea and coffee with a little bit of milk and no sugar and herbal teas
1800 Eat normal meal with family but try to have between 400 and 700 calorie meal then eat nothing else
Tuesday – Eat Breakfast as normal around 0700
I’ve found I prefer to eat nothing until an evening meal on a fast day rather than something, can cope better and just drink to compensate the hunger which passes quicker.
Have lost on and off 11lbs in 3 months, need to be more sensible on non fast days as I think I was over indulging and need to do more exercise
I love fast days, I really feel it doing a lot of good for the inner fabric.
Basically I think I’m doing a one off 600-700 cals in a 36 hour period and my other fast day is a Thursday.
Hope this helps!
Hmmmm…..I’m beginning to think it may be simpler to have the 500 calories all at one time in the evening (fasting from 6 p.m. til 6 p.m.) rather than try and figure out the optimal way to split them – then, i would have breakfast on the NON-fast day around 9; this way, i maximize the “healing” time (24 hrs) – while doing 500 calories in a 39 hour period –
Does that make sense???
Hi Dr. L. I’ve experimented with 2 meals or 1 meal only on fast days (breakfast & supper; breakfast & lunch; lunch only; supper only) and find the ‘supper only’ works best for me at the moment. But I don’t stick to this rigidly every fasting day.
I find that having breakfast on fast days and non-fast days (for me usually 100g 0% fat Greek Yoghurt and 80g berries) seems to trigger my hunger but I eat it sometimes as I have problems with constipation which I think not having breakfast makes worse.
‘Supper only’ means that I can cook for and eat with the family, being sure to avoid carb-heavy items and any alcohol. It also meant that for 2 months I could keep quiet about dieting and nobody even noticed… Apart from my daughter who did notice I’d lost weight (about 5 kilos at that point).
I do find that not eating supper produces the greatest weight loss (usually doubles my weight loss) but it’s rather anti-social and you lose the comfort of eating something in the evening so for me it’s probably not as sustainable in the long run.
I too am interested in maximising the ‘healing’ aspect of fasting, but I don’t think the research is very clear cut on this, especially for women. Interestingly, the cancer specialists/researchers Dr Michelle Harvie and Prof Tony Howell from the Genesis breast cancer prevention centre (Dr Michael Moseley uses their earlier research in the Fast Diet), have brought out an updated, clinically-tested diet (called the 2-day Diet) where you diet for 2 consecutive days each week, don’t count calories but avoid certain foods (mostly carbs) and stick within portion limits on others. You eat 3 meals a day on those 2 days so don’t go hungry. From what I’ve read it’s still “clinically proven” to be more effective at shifting fat and also leads to “dramatic health improvements” (as compared to conventional dieting). So perhaps maximising the no-eating window is not quite as essential as we think/hope?
Hi, Alison A – They don’t HAVE to be non-consecutive. I believe having two separate fast days spread out over a week is thought by many to be easier to cope with (in terms of the degree or length of time that one might feel uncomfortably hungry).
Some people, however, prefer to do their fast days consecutively – to get them out of the way, so to speak, or because it fits their weekly commitments better.
What matters is what best suits your temperament and lifestyle – and any chosen pattern of non-fast:fast days can be changed if-and-when your circumstances require it. I’m glad you are experiencing success. Long may it continue.
to lose allot of weight like 68 lbs usually ur advised to have a 1300 cal a day forever. i luv this diet because i’m not a prisoner 2 food.
however, now i’m @ stand still. it goes up and down 1 lbs but never lower than 202
i lost 16 lbs since march 2
should i do a 3rd fast day?
1800 cal x 2 2000 cal x 2 and 500 cal x’s 3 = 9100/7 days averages 1300 cal a day.
would that be a healthy kick-start dr mosley?
Is there any evidence that the slow metabolism of an under-active thyroid affects weight loss? I have taken prescribed thyroxine for 20 years. On the Fast Diet I lost 7lbs in 9 weeks and have been stuck at the same weight for three weeks. I’m eating just 500 calories and drinking black tea on fasting days, but on those days I have much lower energy than usual and feel very cold. I don’t think I could do Alternate Day Fasting to kick start more weight loss.
I have lost 26 lbs in 4 months by following the 5:2 Fast. I found eating a 100 calorie breakfast, a 100 calorie lunch, a 200 calorie dinner, and leaving the other 100 calories for milk in my tea, and a few crackers or veggies, and then a very small snack (even a square of chocolate) in the evening so I didn’t feel deprived. I have underactive thyroid (since birth), so but haven’t had any issues with the weight coming off – stick with it for a month and you’ll start to see the pounds come off.
Would appreciate any ideas on how to slow the weight loss now while maintaining the 5:2 for optimum health.
@michael Mosley : it’s something I’ll stick to for the rest of my life, I don’t believe in diets but I think this should be renamed The Fast Way of Life!!! ;-)I’m not in a hurry to lose the weight as its coming off at a pace for the rest of my life and I am in a hurry to improve my everyday life. I thank you for your tireless work in improving people’s lifestyles.
Hi Michael
I am just starting out on the 5:2 plan but as a shift worker I find that I am having problems finding a routine. My working week is a10 day, 6 working and 4 days off cycle of two early shifts 7am- 6pm, and 4 late shifts of 3pm to midnight. When my fast day falls on a late shift, where I am working until midnight or later I find that I am awake for too long in the day to make fasting a realistic option and temptation to stray is hard to resist.
I have decided to fast on my first early shift and my first rest day to make life easier for me. This effectively means that there 3 whole days and then 5 whole days between fasting days.
My question is, do you think that this adaptation will produce sufficient benefits, or do I need to try and squeeze in one more fast day into my 10 day “week” ?
Your advice would be most welcome.
Regards
Chris.
HI Michael and other blog posters,
I’m new to this blog but did read the book. I have been on the Fast plan for 3 weeks and so have fasted 6 of the last 18 days. I fast Mondays and Wednesdays. I’ve lost about 3 1/2 lbs. My question is, when do most people weigh themselves? Do you do it weekly? Daily? Just after fast days?
Thanks for answering.
Patty
I am on day 2 of the diet and today is my first fast day…so far so good!!
I find it hard to eat breakfast before work as it is too early so from 8pm last night I have fasted until 12.45 when I had a ham salad for a light lunch(200 Calories according to my fitness pal app)I have drank fruit tea and water and am looking forward to a diet coke when I leave work! (sadly my addiction!) I am planning on eating tonight around 8pm does this sound ok? I am one in need of reassurance!
(Also any ideas on a quick 300 calorie meal inc a chicken breast?)
Thanks!
@michael Mosley i seem to remember u saying that the metabolism slows down past so many hours. can’t find it anywhere.
would u b so kind to tell us again, what were the time frames please?
maybe now, it is slowing because on fastdays i eat @ night only, all the 500 cal.
this seemed to be easier. use to do twice a day 150 & 450. maybe i should go back 2 that. may i have ur input?
I started on the plan this week and successfully managed two days of 500 calories per day. I didn’t stick to the suggested one or two meals a day but spread the calories among breakfast (salad), lunch (salad and a poached egg) and dinner (vegetables) with a few snacks of strawberries and celery & carrot sticks in between meals. Is this sort of pattern acceptable or is it better to go for more hours without eating a thing? I’d be grateful for suggestions!
Is it ok to have 3 small meals (for example, 150 cal breakfast, 100 cal lunch, 250 cal dinner) all between the hours of 7am and 7pm on a fast day? I have been doing (roughly) this for the past 2 1/2 months and have lost about 15 pounds. But the book seems to suggest 2 meals per day on a fast day is recommended. Would I have better results/more health benefits by going down to 2 meals rather than 3?
hello Dr. Mosley and 5:2 enthusiasts…
I have two points of discussion, one is how is it possible that i can weigh the same amount from the last morning of my two day consecutive fast to the morning after I’ve broken my fast which is from 5pm to 5pm (one meal)
And from a doctors point of view i have a blood work comparison from last year and this year. How well am i doing?
Many Thanks
Trevor
Hi, eng63 – Monday and Thursday sounds like a good spread over the week. The two days do not have to be back to back, although some people do prefer to do their days together. The choice is yours: do whatever best suits your temperament and weekly schedule. This 5:2 regime is flexible and the two days of fasting can be moved around during the following weeks if special social events, family commitments, business or health needs require it.
I don’t think the scientific research to date has definitively proved that any one 5:2 timetable is better – for either health benefits or for weight-loss – than any other. All best wishes for a good experience of using the 5:2 method.
Hi Trevor – I’m not certain that I understand what you’re asking in either of your two points.
Re weighing the same: Are you disappointed not to have lost a noticeable amount of weight after one block of two consecutive days of fasting? I would say that one needs to have a long-term approach to 5:2. Any immediate weight-loss tends to be mostly water anyway and lots of factors influence our daily weight statistics, which can fluctuate considerably. Keep going – in a steady, sustainable way that suits your lifestyle and temperament – and, hopefully, after several weeks, you will start to notice a positive trend.
Re the blood work comparison: presumably you have some statistics that a medical doctor could interpret for you. Are you asking whether it is safe and/or a good idea for you to start using the 5:2 approach in order to improve those statistics?
Hi Jeanius, Sorry it was no clear so I’ll clarify.
@first point, I’m not at all disappointed at a lost as I have happily plateaued at what you could call my fighting weight of between 74-75kg (fed-fasted). I’ve been fasting since October 2012 and I’ve noticed this for want of a word phenomenon quite often. I Fast from Tuesday 5pm – Thursday 5pm and i weigh same from Thursday morning to Friday morning even though I have had two meals in between that time in breaking my fast. I was just very intrigued how that is possible? and No, I only pass a #1 not a #2 in that time.
@Second point, didn’t realize links were forbidden and i had actually posted one from my blog detailing my results from last year and this. Just wanted to know if the results were going in the right direction and whether I could expect more improvements or were they going to be as good as they get? from a doctors point that is?
Unfortunately it doesn’t paste very well so not to worry.
Many Thanks for your reply
Hi, Trevor – it’s good to hear you’re happily at your fighting-fit weight. The more I read and think about the range of different experiences posted by various contributors the more fascinated I get, like you, by the human processes involved. For example, I’ve just searched the www for “How soon before food turns to fat?” and found numerous interesting links that I will now go off and explore.
I don’t have any specific replies to your discussion points myself right now, other than it seems to me there’s no question one can ask that one cannot get answers for online – the wonders of the www (or wwww!)
M/M-
I am excited to try your plan. A couple general question, please.
I am a 5’ 11” 240#, 71year old male in excellent health. My goal is to lose 20-30#. I have been assigned a total calorie intake of 2020/day in order to meet a goal of 1# loss/week. I started your plan on 4/29 as my first fast day and continued with a 2nd fast day on 5/2.
Question: I am surprised that I experience very little discomfort in meeting the 600cal on fast days or the 2020 on non fast days. I realize it is difficult for you to speculate on individual results but I’m curious if you have any opinion of why the plan has been so easy to adopt? My only stress is thinking about food not because I’m hungry but just in the habit of eating/snacking.
Question: because it has been so easy to date I’m wondering if there is advantage to be gained by increasing fast days to 3 and/or reducing intake below the 2020/day? I know you promote the 5/2 schedule as it seems to produce the least discomfort. I also realize that the plan will not work if you allow you body to get into starvation mode. So, is the 5/2 + 2020/day probably the best or might a person tweak it?
Thanks much for presenting a plan that seems to be satisfying so many folks. I can’t wait to take my first weigh in a couples weeks.
Hello, JBrooks – I think the two meals per fasting day was the pattern that Michael M found best suited his personal situation. It sounds like your three meals regime is already really working for you – 15lbs weight-loss in ten weeks is great – and it seems to be the preferred method of many other 5:2 followers.
As I understand it, the scientific jury is still out about the ‘best’ timetable with regards to results/health benefits so a key question is still ‘What works for me and enables me to happily sustain the programme long-term?’
You could experiment and try two meals rather than three, of course. For myself, speaking as a risk-averse person, images of rocking boats come to into view but you might be far more adventurous and might find that the new timing suits you even better: you choose. I’m so glad that you have been doing so well. Long may that continue.
Hi, Im just finishing my third week and am quite happy with the results so far. I had a 5lb loss in the first week and 1lb in the second.
I’m trying to find the best time frame for me to do my fast days. I spend 80% of my working week out on the road as I do account management and Im finding 0000 to 0000 a bit difficult. I need to eat something during the day so Im wondering if, after reading the info above, 2pm-2pm would work better?
If Ive got this right, I could have a normal lunch around 1230-1300 which is when I am out working and then my fasting day starts at 1400.
I then have a low cal evening meal around 1900.
I have a low cal breakfast at, say, 0800 and that would bring my cals to 500.
At 1400 my fast day ends and I eat a normal lunch.
Or, I could have a normal lunch at 1230, low cal evening meal, no breakfast and normal lunch?
I’m so conditioned to thinking of an eating day as breakfast/lunch/dinner Im finding hard to get my head around it.
yay yay yay 🙂 finally got out of plateau. was sticking @ 202 lbs for a week
from mar/2/13 218 lbs to may/5/213 now 201 lbs
that’s 17 lbs woo-hoo!
still have allot 2 lose. goal 150 lbs. so 51 lbs to go.
this is the best lifestyle!
i’m no longer a prisoner 2 diets 4ever & 4ever. limiting calories & guilt to infinity. thanks so much michael 4 everything. i wish 2 everyone the same joy!!!!
Many thanks, Michael – using the ’50 latest posts’ is a bit like starting a jigsaw but it is good for directing one to the new comments on those tucked away corners of the site.
Re the new website design: speaking personally, I would urge you to avoid any of those moving/flashing parts – swishy banners that fly about and that your eyes can’t NOT see. Nothing personal, but the constant movement of the two images on the current homepage – advertising the two books – really put me off.
Happy Bank Holiday Monday to all – what wonderful sunshine today. I hope those who have had its warmth in their locality, have really relished it.
Hi, I’m doing this diet for the health benefits, as I don’t need to lose weight. It isn’t clear to me, from what I’ve read so far, how many of these benefits -reduced cholesterol, lower fasting glucose levels and blood pressure -are a result of people losing their excess weight , or are attributable to putting the body into a fasting state. I have read that many academics believe that a minimum period of 18 hours without food is required for maximum benefit. While I am comfortable with going up to 20 hours without any calorie intake, in the context of maintaining this diet indefinitely I’m concerned about losing too much weight. After 1 week I dropped a kilo. I know that you suggest doing the diet for only 1 day a week in these circumstances, but will I still get the benefits? Incidentally my husband-who is also doing the diet, and who needs to lose about 4 stone lost absolutely nothing after 1 week. We have yet to weigh in this week so hopefully the situation will be reversed.
Hi there,
I have been doing the diet and have lost 22 pounds. I still feel the fast days are difficult and was wondering as the diets states you have 500 calories a day, you should have breakfast and miss lunch or whatever meal you choose to miss. Do you have to miss a meal? Is it not as long as you stick with 500 cals you can choose to eat whatever and whenever? What is the purpose of missing a meal? Thanksx
Me again
I find the comments about how much to eat (and when) confusing. For ME it is much simpler just not to eat at all (lots of water). Monday to Friday I swim at 7am (3.5km which I am ashamed to say takes 90 minutes). On those days I don’t have anything before (and until lunch at 1pm) so do AT LEAST a 17 hour fast 5 days a week. I don’t eat dinner and lunch 2 of those days. Feel great and with lost of energy, no headaches or trauma (cook dinner for my husband when not eating and don’t FEEL hungry so its really all expectation and something to do – not real hunger.
The weight loss was a trauma at first – lost 2kg the first week, them put on a few hundred grams (Muscle) and then for about 6 weeks only lost about 200g a week, BUT after 14 weeks – 10kg and 17cm from waist. The weight goes up and down in the first 10 weeks if you exercise because of the muscle increase. Do lots of exercise (I recommend swimming) and it will work. The other thing about the fast days is no alcohol (Don’t want to sound alcoholic but we do drink wine every day with meals, now skipping on fast days and I think my body appreciates it!)
Hello, Amigos4 – yes, the 500cals limit (for an average female) on a fast day can consist of eating ‘whatever and whenever’, as you say, without necessarily having to miss one or more meals. If you have already lost 22 lbs then it sounds like the 5:2 system has been working for you. Well done for all that effort but, if you still find the fasting days difficult, then perhaps you are beginning to struggle to sustain your 5:2 eating plan? If so, I wonder if it might help to review the choices you have been making about both ‘what’ and ‘when’ you eat on fast days, maybe needing to experiment with 500cals-worth of more satisfying foods, eaten at different timings, to see if some changes can make the experience easier for you.
With this in mind, I repeat below a comment I made last month (17 April) on this subject and would suggest that you also read back over various other contributions made by different people in this section – ‘Different Ways of Managing Your Fast Day’ to see the variety of eating schedules that people choose to suit their individual preferences.
My comment repeated from 17 Apr: “In principle, on a fast day one can consume up to 500cals of ANY type of food/drink but, to stave off hunger pangs as much as possible, many people find it best to ensure they focus on protein and vegetables in particular. These are the less calorie-dense, more sustaining and healthily nourishing choices but it’s up to you to choose what works best for you. Ready-meals, pasta, rice, potatoes and fruit are all fine so long as the portion sizes and overall total intake for the fast day stay within the 500cal limit. It can take quite a bit of experimenting to find what gives you ‘the best bang for your bucks’ and keeps you happy to be on the 5:2 regime.
When and how many times to eat? – again, it’s up to you. One of the most important principles is that the 5:2 system should be manageable and sustainable for you, suiting your own individual circumstances. (Scroll up to my comments of 1.22pm on 15 Apr to see how I replied to a similar query from roselord7.)”
I hope this helps but, if it does not relate to the actual difficulties you are experiencing, then perhaps you could write again, giving more details of how you arrange your fasting and describing the difficulties. I wish you ease and continuing success using the 5:2 method.
Hey, I’m just beginning to properly appreciate the benefits of using the two new links, recently added to the bottom of this website’s homepage – so, thanks to Michael and the technical team for these improvements:
Click on “See all posts” and ALL the topic headings throughout the site are listed, including those poor, ill-used ‘Cinderella’ subjects tucked away and not immediately visible on the homepage.
Click on “Read the latest 50 comments” and you can see what new comments have been added (plus details of what section they have been posted to) since the last time you surveyed the site. So, no need to scroll through all the sections or to memorise the number of listed posts from your last visit to find the new items! Hooray!!
And has the “All comments” link, beneath the contributor’s name and date details of each individual comment always been there? I’ve only just recently noticed it. It’s really helpful because it does mean one can review one’s own total collection of comments or those of any other contributor before responding to their latest remark.
I do like understanding the technology and being able to use it to the full.
my first posting – i am really inspired by all the wonderful progress you folk are making, and the encouragement you are giving to each other.
i’m on my second week, and amazed by how much energy i have – especially after fast days.
fruit teas are a godsend 🙂
my problem with dieting through my whole life has been that i am diligent during the week, but let things slide on the weekend.
i associate food with pleasure, and after working all week, i need some pleasure!
i am piloting mon – wed – fri fast days this week so i can relax at the weekend, and not undo all the good work of my week.
i wondered if anyone else has tried 3 fast days, and how it’s gone?
i’d welcome any feedback / thoughts.
@newfastdieter. welcome. i just started last mon the 3 day fast days after doing the 2 day fast since 3/13 because i was stuck. the Weight loss plateau can be very frustrating.however, it’s working and . the energy is something that truly is amazing. i wonder if we input energy in the search box how many post will come upwish u success.
Hi everyone I am new to this page. Just starting my diet again and was looking into the fasting. but I believe I saw a posting by bingo2013 … I believe were looking for a calorie counter? I usually use this web site that has a few good features that I like….http://nutritiondata.self.com/.
@michael i’m going to be starting 3 day 4 day 12 hour shift standing in a sauna atmosphere. i don’t think i should fast during those days. what would u suggest?
Have been following the plan for 6 weeks now and find it quite easy. I have lost 2kg of weight but my clothes are telling me it could be more. Whatever its all good. My Blood Sugar levels have reduced greatly. I am 73 yrs old and quite fit ish and mobile. I fit in my fast days around MY life but do 2 a week. I just keep telling myself i am doing the BEST thing for my body. I plan to be here for a Good Time AND a Long time. HAPPY DAYS.
Hey guys! i really need some help. I have started the 2 day diet today and i was doing well then boom i ate 250 extra calories.I was wondering if i can just burn that off by doing an hour of exercise or do I have to start again tomorrow?
also do negative calorie food count? haha like celery and apples?
Thank you very much 🙂
Hi,
I have BMI of 22 so I don’t really want to lose too much weight (if any). I am trying 1 day a week fasting at 600 – 650 calories. I’m 2 weeks in and think I’ve lost weight already. I really like the idea of the non weight loss benefits. Michael/Mimi – do you think once a fortnight is still helpful enough for those other benefits?
Hello to ‘just me’ – First, maybe just relax a bit and approach the 5:2 method as a long-term venture rather than an urgent sprint. Planning one’s intake in advance seems to help. If you’re only concerned with weight-loss then, presumably, the extra exercise would burn off the extra calories but I’m not sure whether that would still provide the added health benefits, including the positive overall attitude- and appetite-adjustment that many people happily report.
Perhaps do some research on negative calories too: “A negative-calorie food would by definition consume more calories, for the body to handle it and process it, than is contained in the nutrient content in the food. Theoretically that’s possible,” says Tim Garvey, chair of the department of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama, Birmingham. “In actuality there are no negative-calorie foods,” he says. Or, as the esteemed nutritionist Marion Nestle put it in a one-line email to the BBC: “Total myth. Nothing else to be said.” (Extract from BBC News Magazine article online, 15 Mar 2013, by Kate Dailey)
Things like celery and lettuce are LOW-calorie, as is any watery high-fibre fruit or veg, so they add bulk without lots of calories, but beware the natural sugar content of some fruits such as apples. Too many apples = more calories than you might think.
Are you using ‘The 2-Day Diet’ by M.Harvie and T.Howell (rather than ‘The Fast Diet’, which is the basis of the discussions featured on this site)? If so, you’ll get rather different advice and might get confused. Still, if you wander around this site, you’ll find that most queries have been discussed. All best wishes.
Hi, monoc (from 9May) – As only you know the proportions of your special muesli mix, try researching the individual ingredients using one of the many calorie-counter facilities online and also check-out the concept of low-GI foods (GI: Glycemic Index). Then you can calculate a ‘per portion’ figure and decide whether the calories involved give you a satisfying-enough result over other possible choices.
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Michael Mosley gives an update for 2019, current research in the field and announces a tour starting in February.
Michael looks at the Horizon special, "What's the Right Diet for You" and tells us which diet they say is best for him.
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28 Apr 13