5:2 diet

[ChicagoBlue]

The science says it works!

2400 calories per day for the 5 days and 600 calories on the 2 days. 600 calories is more than you think if you eat REAL SUSTENANCE!!

Basically, eat normal food for 5 days and restrict yourself to a small breakfast and a small meal on the other days, drink lots of water and Bob's your uncle! If you restrict your CARBS to a minimum on the 5 days, the weight will fall off much quicker, you won't feel bloated and it will make the exercise you do much easier.

22lbs in 5 weeks.....and counting. I'm almost 50 yrs old and want to lose 40 more to get back to what I weighed when I graduated Uni. I have 5 months before I hit 50, so it is very doable, and will be my lifestyle by then.

Good luck!

 

[RandomJ]

Anyone wanna explain this a bit more to me? Do you do the 2 days together or separate them throughout the week?

 

[mcfc-mark]

Sounds too easy/too good to be true. Is it healthy to do this to your body?

 

[SWP's back]

Is it a plan you have to pay for? I've found it online, looks like you need to buy a book or I'm being thick...probably that!

Nothing to buy! Basically you eat less than 500 calories for two days a week the rest you eat "Normally" a lot of people say you can eat as much as you like the other five days but I don't see the point in not eating one day and then going on to eat 3000 calories the next day.

A normal well built bloke can have 3,000 calories a day to sustain normal weight.

The theory is that by cutting to 600 twice a week you save 4,800 calories. On the normal non starving days you can eat what you want (3,000 is a lot anyway) and you'll still lose weight as you've nearly cut 1/4 of your calorie intake out for the week anyway.

I tend to keep it clean anyway on the normal days with the paleo.

The thing I will say is you notice your portion size decreasing on the normal days as your stomach shrinks because it is used to consuming less. I can barely finish a mixed grill now by itself when before I would have it with a starter and desert and then snack later.

Edit: my normal days are 3,000 as I'm 6' 4" and have a 46" chest, basically I'm fairly big and train every day as well. It may be less calories for people of a smaller build.

 

[Danamy]

Is it a plan you have to pay for? I've found it online, looks like you need to buy a book or I'm being thick...probably that!

Nothing to buy! Basically you eat less than 500 calories for two days a week the rest you eat "Normally" a lot of people say you can eat as much as you like the other five days but I don't see the point in not eating one day and then going on to eat 3000 calories the next day.

A normal well built bloke can have 3,000 calories a day to sustain normal weight.

The theory is that by cutting to 600 twice a week you save 4,800 calories. On the normal non starving days you can eat what you want (3,000 is a lot anyway) and you'll still lose weight as you've nearly cut 1/4 of your calorie intake out for the week anyway.

I tend to keep it clean anyway on the normal days with the paleo.

The thing I will say is you notice your portion size decreasing on the normal days as your stomach shrinks because it is used to consuming less. I can barely finish a mixed grill now by itself when before I would have it with a starter and desert and then snack later.

Edit: my normal days are 3,000 as I'm 6' 4" and have a 46" chest, basically I'm fairly big and train every day as well. It may be less calories for people of a smaller build.

That's true about portion sizes, I'm currently consuming no more than 1560 calories a day eating little but often, it's amazing how quickly your body adjusts.

I started 5 weeks ago and have lost 9lbs in that time, running and cycling included.

I've just d/loaded that new Focus T25 and I'm going to give that a crack when i get back off my holiday.

 

[ChicagoBlue]

VIDEO discussing fasting, even though it does not quite cover the 5:2.

As for WHEN to place the 2 days, most people use Monday and Thursday, as it clears you for a weekend and does not place the two days near each other. Lest you forget, it is NOT A REAL FAST, but 2 days of greatly reduced caloric intake, which drives you to healthier food for the biggest bang for your 600 calorie buck!!

The diet is based on 2000 calories for women and 2400 for men, with a "fast" of only 25% of that on your 2 days (500 cal for women, 600 for men).

Throw in a reduction (abstinence is better) of ANY WHITE FOOD (generally refined carbs like bread, white rice, potatoes, etc...) and you will see increased effects.

Throw in some regular exercise, to include a period of muscle building AND fat burning (different types of exercise) and you are multiplying the healthy effects of your diet.

In short...

1) Eat as little carbs as possible.
2) 2 days per week reduce your caloric intake by 75% and make the food as healthy as possible and as low in sugars as possible.
3) On the days you are not reducing your caloric intake ("fasting"), try not eat healthy and not overeat.
4) Do some form cardio-type fat burning work on every other day, even if it is just going for a brisk walk because you are too knackered or overweight to do anything else. DO SOMETHING!
5) Do some muscle building work (lifting, sit-ups or push-ups....just something to increase muscle mass, which burns more calories AND makes you healthier) on the other alternate days.

* ALL OF THOSE THINGS TOGETHER will make you SIGNIFICANTLY HEALTHIER in a shorter period of time than you can imagine, and help you lose weight.

* Remember, while losing weight is a good thing, the whole reason to do ANY of this is to BE HEALTHIER. The healthier you are, the better, REGARDLESS of what weight that means for you. And any muscle growth you manage is heavier than the fat you are losing, so even if you only lose 5 pounds, if you substitute 10 pounds of fat for 5 pounds of muscle, you may think 5 pounds is nothing, but you REALLY have done 10 pounds of good AND MORE, because the increase in muscle mass is both healthier AND consumes more calories! A WIN-WIN situation!!

Good luck!

Of course, make sure you check with your physician before engaging in any new strenuous activity or exercise program.

 

[softlad]

Right i'm going to give this a bash, starting on Monday.

Can any of the regulars on here (i'm looking at SWPs Back here) give a brief example of what they eat on a fast day or some suggestions.

Im a bit rubbish with all this calorie counting malarky!

 

[SWP's back]

Right i'm going to give this a bash, starting on Monday.

Can any of the regulars on here (i'm looking at SWPs Back here) give a brief example of what they eat on a fast day or some suggestions.

Im a bit rubbish with all this calorie counting malarky!

The whole point of the fast day is to leave at least 18 hours between your last meal and you fasting day meal, drink water in the meantime.

So ill eat about 7pm on the normal day and may have a bag of grapes before bed.

Then on the fasting day ill do some cardio in the morning and just drink water until 6 or 7pm.

Ill grill two chicken breasts with some salt pepper and seasoning on them.

Get a bag of beanspouts (only 30 calories but filling), pan fry then in a little coconut oil and soy sauce.

And that's it. I also put some more soy sauce on the chicken on the plate.

It comes to about 600 calories.

Been doing it for 3 or 4 months now and I know it works for me, my body fat is down from 21% to 11%. I'm going to keep 5:2 until I get it to about 7 or 8 and then change to a 6:1

 

[CTID1988]

Might give this a go. Doesn't your body just store more fat after its been starved though? Or is that only when you havent eaten for a few days

 

[softlad]

Cheers SWP!

Gonna start this on Monday then, just as a flavour is that what you always eat on your day of fast?

Can you not add a snack inbetween your last meal and your fast meal, or is that just personal preference.