The 5:2 Diet

Not sure if this should go in the Food section?

I have just bought a book on the 5:2 Diet. I'm not normally a faddy diet person, but my friend spoke very highly of it, so I thought I'd look into it.

Has anyone else tried it?

Re: The 5:2 Diet

Do you think you can exist for those 2 days on 500 cals ! And more to the point do you need to !

Re: The 5:2 Diet

Mups I am not a fan of 'diets' the very word implies a short term measure. People frequently find diets to arduous too stick to for any length of time and quickly abandon them .

I much prefer a permanent life style modification.

I tried the 5:2 option with the intention of making it permanent part of my eating.However I failed miserably and found it too difficult to stick to after a week

It has given me the incentive to have have two days a week when I have a lower than usual food intake, not the 500 calories I was supposed to have on the diet more like 1000 but less that my usual intake of around 1800-2000 cals a day.

I find this works well and is not difficult to achieve

Re: The 5:2 Diet

That sounds good, Meg. I just try to eat and drink less than I used to.i'm not a diet fan, either.

Re: The 5:2 Diet

I have seen it work very well for some people - men who normally fall at the first hurdle seem to find it particularly easy to follow. Also people who have business dinners and parties to go to can swap the days around and still lose weight.

It's well worth trying if a normal calorie control approach doesn't work for you.

I think all these diets can work for different people, just need to find the one that works for you.

Re: The 5:2 Diet

I don't think the diet has a name but the dietician suggested I try to keep my carbs under 140g per day. It took a bit of getting used to but I succeeded in losing a stone in a good six months.

Re: The 5:2 Diet

Ania I think it is easier for those of us who live alone and are not having to cook for others to maintain moderate eating.

My basic food for half the day doesn't vary much at all, organic irish oats + tea for breakfast ,
home made soup/ egg or cheese dish + coffee for lunch, then something different each night for an evening meal + side salad if appropriate .
Snacks in the evening are fruit and nuts.
This regime helps me to keep track of how much I eat without having to do a lot of daily calorie counting .
I don't get bored with it because they are all foods I enjoy.

I don't snack in the day or have constant cups of tea or coffee which I think is how many people put on excess weight.

On the 'fast days' I still have porridge for breakfast and a large bowl of soup (nothing else) for lunch then a large plate of 'bits' for my evening meal . The latter will consist of apple/celery/carrot/pear/ tomato and a tiny sliver of cheese
I don't feel hungry on fast days

Things like cakes are an occasional treat
I have to watch the home made bread at lunch time it is tempting to eat more that I should

Re: The 5:2 Diet

ALL diets work...it's the sticking to them FOREVER that causes the problem...I come and go with a half stone,it's been the same for Years....Eat healthily 80% of the time,but I don't deny Myself some of the goodies I like ...Life's too short ;~)

Re: The 5:2 Diet

I dont ever "do" diets.....waste of time and effort in my opinion.
Just eat smaller portions of what you would normally,I really cant be fussed to calorie count ive more important things to think about in life.
If diets work for some then good for them...

Re: The 5:2 Diet

I think it must depend how much weight you need to loose I needed a diet to follow to loose the 5 stones I did, since I stopped dieting I have put a little back on but I am still 4 stones down on what I started at. Without the diet I would never have lost anything. Saying diets don't work really makes people who need to loose for health think they can never achieve anything and that is not true. I am glad I ignored everyone who said it wouldn't work and just did it.