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Jan 2013
11:30am, 15 Jan 2013
23,496 posts
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Velociraptor
If the fasting-days thing is about extending life rather than losing weight, as is claimed, the question of what to do when you reach your desired weight surely isn't an issue. You stay on it. Otherwise it's just another calorie-controlled diet gimmick.
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Jan 2013
11:40am, 15 Jan 2013
3,574 posts
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Jambomo
Ahh, thanks guys. I'm not on this diet but i am interested in how it works and the theory behind it.
I suppose what was confusing me was that if you ate 'normally' for the 5 days, you might not necessarily change your old eating ways on the normal days, as Sallykate pointed out the, ways that caused you to be overweight in the first place. If you don't remain fasting would that mean a return to putting on weight. I guess the best way is to continue fasting.
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Jan 2013
12:52pm, 15 Jan 2013
2,991 posts
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sallykate
V'rap the fasting is supposed to have beneficial effects for overweight people in that it seems to reduce cholesterol & improve insulin response quickly, and apparently reduces IGF-1 for a potential reduction in risk of developing cancer - all of interest to Michael Mosley who was looking for a way not to turn into his dad. It is at least a little less gimmicky than anything which comes with a suite of expensively branded replacements and supplements (though I am fully expecting a range of "5:2" ready meals for anyone who can't work out that you just need to eat less).
Mosley wasn't looking for a way to live longer - just to live without a risk of developing type 2 diabetes and/or prostate cancer.
Jambomo, my experience of my OH being on this is that fasting for two days a week has encouraged him to think about the way he eats on the other days. He's making changes but as they're changes which are driven by his personal choice rather than someone imposing something on him they're more likely to stick.
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Jan 2013
1:05pm, 15 Jan 2013
8 posts
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Oranj
I have been doing the diet since September and haven't lost a lb. I was a reasonably slim triathlete beforehand, never overweight, but it has enabled me to cut my training back by half (I realised that over the last few years a lot of my training has been junk miles for weight control). I've regained a lot of my free time at weekends. The other health benefits I guess I can look forward to later in life.
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Jan 2013
1:06pm, 15 Jan 2013
23,505 posts
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Velociraptor
Interesting perspective on it, Oranj 
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Jan 2013
1:31pm, 15 Jan 2013
3,280 posts
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Wriggling Snake
I still think the problem with 5:2 is that it is not a good way to eat, as said above simply think about what you are eating is all you need to do. I think this research has come out of "how the hell can we get a quick fix to the awful problems obesity is going to present". When sensible eating and exercise is all that is needed.
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Jan 2013
4:14pm, 15 Jan 2013
9,923 posts
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Mikuro
True WS but this does more than just 'a quick fix'. If you read back on the thread and online it actually improves your health in ways just eating sensibly and exercise doesn't. It has been shown to be a very good way to eat. And yes it does make you reconsider what you are eating on the non-fast days. It's not just another fad diet as it appears to be - it actually has been shown to have remarkable long term health benefits. Studies are ongoing of course as it's still a relatively new idea.
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Jan 2013
4:27pm, 15 Jan 2013
2,992 posts
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sallykate
WS I can't agree. I've done calorie counting to lose weight and it's awful. A continual daily grind combined with weekly guilt trips as you exceed your calorie limit. I don't think many people succeed in sticking to a 1500 calorie daily limit every single day until they reach a goal weight. I got there in the end but it took me 2 years to lose 3 stone through calorie restriction and exercise. If sensible eating and exercise really were all that's needed we wouldn't have a multibillion dollar diet industry.
OH has wanted to lose weight for some time but didn't know how to start. I couldn't recommend, or police, a daily calorie restriction for him, but he's found the fasting really very easy to stick to. Just twice a week he has to have enough willpower to keep to 600 cals. The rest of the time he still enjoys all the food he loves (even if, as I said above, it's prompted some small sustainable changes towards losing habits which may have contributed in the first place).
I don't think it's a bad thing at all to have one or two days a week without much food. It helps us challenge our relationship with food and to figure out what we want to change.
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Jan 2013
4:54pm, 15 Jan 2013
1,631 posts
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Pestomum
The real problem with "sensible eating" for me is that I don't really know how to eat "sensibly" any more
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Jan 2013
7:08pm, 15 Jan 2013
2,994 posts
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sallykate
PM that's a whole different thread...you might just need to re-learn, or re-train, you can do it though.
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