I was on the 5:2 for about a year and a half and lost just over two stone. I then started to experience these jerks which worsened over a three month period. They stopped me from sleeping whereby I was only getting 1-2hrs sleep a night and my life became quite hellish. I tried all sorts of sleep aids e.g. lavender pillow, sesame seed oil self massage, baths, soothing teas, increased magnesium, hot water bottle, valerian etc but had to resort to medication to resolve it.

A herbalist I know said that he had come across this a number off times with people who were on ‘extreme diets’ due to the drop or lack of essential nutrients and minerals in the muscles. Although the 5:2 is not extreme it has worried me enough that I have stopped doing it and for obvious reasons don’t want to go back to that nightmare scenario.

Has anyone else experienced this? If so how did they resolve it and what advice could they give me?

Many thanks Myra. I have tried the magnesium citrate powder and then changed to magnesium oil on the skin which has a greater absorption rate but didn’t change anything.