5:2 diet (not really a NoS question)

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weebly
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5:2 diet (not really a NoS question)

Post by weebly » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:13 am

Hope it's ok to ask here. I have a question on the 5:2 diet and was thinking that perhaps someone here has tried it before.

It's different to the NoS, basically you eat whatever you like for 5 days, and instead of two S days, you actually fast for two days (500 calories for women). Lots of positive reviews, but curious if anyone has tried it before and if they have stopped doing it, why did it not work for them?

wosnes
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Post by wosnes » Mon Jun 09, 2014 2:41 am

There is a thread here on intermittent fasting and I think the 5:2 plan is discussed some in there.

I followed it for a while. I found eating 500 calories on the fasting days to be too much trouble, so with the exception of calorie free liquids, I fasted from dinner one night until dinner the next night. I didn't fast instead of taking S days. I fasted in addition to S days.

I purposely didn't fast one week due to having houseguests and eating out. I just never got back on the wagon after that. I felt well while doing it.

I don't weigh frequently so I done know if I lost any weight while following 5:2. My annual doctor's appointment was shortly after I stopped and everything was great.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

earl7z
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Re: 5:2 diet (not really a NoS question)

Post by earl7z » Mon Jun 09, 2014 9:37 am

weebly wrote: basically you eat whatever you like for 5 days, and instead of two S days, you actually fast for two days (500 calories for women).
My problem is overeating, so eating whatever I like for 5 days didn't work. The premise is that you'll eat 'normally' for 5 days and then the calorie deficit on 2 days gives you a total deficit for the week.

For me it was just another way of eating that didn't address my overeating.
All you can do is all you can do.

Food doesn't make you fat. Too much food makes you fat.

wosnes
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Re: 5:2 diet (not really a NoS question)

Post by wosnes » Mon Jun 09, 2014 12:56 pm

earl7z wrote:
weebly wrote: basically you eat whatever you like for 5 days, and instead of two S days, you actually fast for two days (500 calories for women).
My problem is overeating, so eating whatever I like for 5 days didn't work. The premise is that you'll eat 'normally' for 5 days and then the calorie deficit on 2 days gives you a total deficit for the week.

For me it was just another way of eating that didn't address my overeating.
It's not eating whatever you like, it's eating sensible meals. I can't remember if they encourage snacks or not.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

leafy_greens
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Re: 5:2 diet (not really a NoS question)

Post by leafy_greens » Fri Jul 11, 2014 4:18 pm

earl7z wrote:
weebly wrote: basically you eat whatever you like for 5 days, and instead of two S days, you actually fast for two days (500 calories for women).
My problem is overeating, so eating whatever I like for 5 days didn't work. The premise is that you'll eat 'normally' for 5 days and then the calorie deficit on 2 days gives you a total deficit for the week.

For me it was just another way of eating that didn't address my overeating.
Exactly, this diet doesn't address the problem of overeating, and in fact exacerbates it. Rather than helping you get into a moderate style of eating that you can stick with for life (No S.)
"No S IS hard... It just turns out that everything else is harder." -oolala53

Bssh
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Post by Bssh » Sun Jul 13, 2014 3:15 pm

5:2 worked for me. It helped me rediscover true physical hunger & fullness signals so I was able to eat sensibly on my non-fasting days and rarely felt like snacking. Essentially I combined 5:2 and NoS and went from BMI 36 to 19. I've kept the weight off for a year now.

It's not for everyone but it worked for me. I've lost the snacking habit now.
Start BMI 36, current BMI 19, goal BMI 19.
Losing by combining intermittent fasting with NoS.

wosnes
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Re: 5:2 diet (not really a NoS question)

Post by wosnes » Mon Jul 14, 2014 3:01 pm

leafy_greens wrote:
Exactly, this diet doesn't address the problem of overeating, and in fact exacerbates it. Rather than helping you get into a moderate style of eating that you can stick with for life (No S.)
I didn't find that fasting exacerbated overeating. I'd say my experience was just the opposite.
"That which we persist in doing becomes easier for us to do. Not that the nature of the thing itself has changed but our power to do it is increased." -- Ralph Waldo Emerson

"You are what you eat -- so don't be Fast, Easy, Cheap or Fake."

noni
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Post by noni » Tue Jul 15, 2014 1:35 pm

I had done 24 hour fasting 2Xwkly for 1-1/2 years. It did not cause me to overeat on N-days and actually helped me lose the weight I wanted along with No S. But last years holidays did me in. I gained 10 lbs, even with the fasting. I dropped the fasting for 4-5 months, tried to start it up again lately, and failed. Should have kept it going, no matter what, I guess. I keep thinking about it, but my resolve has weakened.

LoriLifts
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Post by LoriLifts » Tue Jul 15, 2014 11:01 pm

I'm a fan of intermittent fasting too. For me, the dinner to dinner fasting works best.

Dr Jason Fung has some excellent videos on the subject. They can be found on youtube and on this website...http://intensivedietarymanagement.com
Habits are at first cobwebs, then cables.

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Over43
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Post by Over43 » Thu Jul 17, 2014 7:17 am

I thought 5:2 was referring to 5 Twinkies and 2 fruit pies.

I have to get my head on straight.
Bacon is the gateway meat. - Anthony Bourdain
You pale in comparison to Fox Mulder. - The Smoking Man

I made myself be hungry, then I would get hungrier. - Frank Zane Mr. Olympia '77, '78, '79

germanherman
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Post by germanherman » Thu Jul 17, 2014 1:27 pm

I'm not a fan of IF or any kind of fasting.

The whole concept is: less times of eating = less amount of calories consumed. That's the classic losing-weight-by-starvation concept.

I still believe that moderation is the key for longtime weight-management. And if i moderate my eating i only have to cut the excess, not a meal per se. Why would i cut a meal, if i can have three moderate filling meals and still lose weight?

My firm believe in moderation left myself only one criteria to determine a value of a diet- or fitness-konzept for me: Is it something i would like to do for the next 40 years, for every day (including Holidays, birthdays, my time in a senior-center etc.). If not: Screw it!
Spend over 450 Dollar on some Systems, Gadgets and courses = Zero Results

Spend 15 Bucks for a Shovelglove + NoS-Diet= ;)

German by nature

noni
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Post by noni » Thu Jul 17, 2014 1:51 pm

The report is that IF has other health benefits, not just weight loss, but it is true that if you can't see yourself doing this for life, then it just becomes another fad diet.

Amy C.
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Re: 5:2 diet (not really a NoS question)

Post by Amy C. » Fri Sep 05, 2014 2:03 am

weebly wrote:Hope it's ok to ask here. I have a question on the 5:2 diet and was thinking that perhaps someone here has tried it before.

It's different to the NoS, basically you eat whatever you like for 5 days, and instead of two S days, you actually fast for two days (500 calories for women). Lots of positive reviews, but curious if anyone has tried it before and if they have stopped doing it, why did it not work for them?
I know that conversation on this thread stopped a while ago, but I wanted to offer that I lost 30 lbs on the 5:2 intermittent fasting. The plan is to go back to IF fasting at least once a week, but only after I get control of my normal eating. The issue was that I would totally pig out on the non fasting days.

After I do the first month of No S eating, I plan to add a day, once a week and in the middle of the week - where I eat only dinner.

earl7z
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Re: 5:2 diet (not really a NoS question)

Post by earl7z » Fri Sep 05, 2014 9:26 am

Amy C. wrote:
weebly wrote:Hope it's ok to ask here. I have a question on the 5:2 diet and was thinking that perhaps someone here has tried it before.

It's different to the NoS, basically you eat whatever you like for 5 days, and instead of two S days, you actually fast for two days (500 calories for women). Lots of positive reviews, but curious if anyone has tried it before and if they have stopped doing it, why did it not work for them?
The issue was that I would totally pig out on the non fasting days.
That's been my problem. Getting a handle on the overeating, which NoS is perfect for.
All you can do is all you can do.

Food doesn't make you fat. Too much food makes you fat.

emdutto
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Post by emdutto » Fri Sep 05, 2014 2:49 pm

I just switched to NoS from "Fast 5" which is where you fast 19 hours a day and then have a 5-hour eating window. Mine was 5pm-10pm. At first, I lost about 7 lbs, but then I just maintained/gained slightly. I would pretty much permasnack during the eating window.

I will say, it did help me to understand that it was okay to feel hungry and I wouldn't die without snacks. I also stopped getting hungry during the day, because my body wasn't "expecting" to eat.

I wasn't able to "not be an idiot" or "eat normal" during the eating window. NoS should help with that.

I also read that IF doesn't work the same way for women and may not be beneficial. Something else to research. http://www.marksdailyapple.com/women-an ... t-fasting/
Emily


Graham
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Post by Graham » Mon Sep 15, 2014 10:32 am

I've only just spotted this discussion, so this is a late response to the question. I have used IF combined with No S on and off more or less since I started No S, as No S alone didn't alter my weight at all. I fast 2 days a week, from evening meal to the next day's evening meal.

My experience has been mixed. I had initial success with the combination, then hit a plateau, still some distance from my ideal weight/waist, where I began to get some niggling issues with frequent sore throats, feeling just on the verge of a cold. This is particularly disappointing if you've read and expected immune system improvement from IF.

At some point I abandoned the fasting and my weight climbed again. I have recently resumed fasting, but it isn't working as well as it used to. I dropped a bit of weight and waist, but progress has been very slow.

I have wondered whether age-related slowing of the metabolism makes this approach less effective. I still like fasting, but I find it difficult to combine with being busy in the evening. It takes time to feel normal and energetic after the fast-ending meal, and last week I had some wine during that phase and felt depressed for two whole days afterwards!

This discussion has prompted me to investigate fasting combined with a restricted calorie meal, I'll get some books from the library and take it from there.

noni
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Post by noni » Tue Sep 16, 2014 1:06 pm

Hi Graham, I also had a mixed experience with fasting 2Xwkly. I combined it with No S so I wouldn't go hog-wild with eating in between fasts. It did help me loose weight quicker as an older, short female who is basically sedentary. But as soon as I hit the normal BMI range, it became harder to keep it off esp. with my wild S weekends. It was to be a 24 hr fast each time and it was difficult as I was the cook and the family schedules were all over the place. It is important for me to have the family sit together for dinner and the 24 hrs didn't happen that often.

Monday and Thurs were the best days for my fasts, but Monday I would have to take pain reliever for my headache, because of the sugar orgy I had on the weekend prior. Then I wanted to tweak my sweets during the week because after all, isn't it okay to throw in a mod after No-Sing for a good while? Not okay. Then it was the holiday time. Lots of it, but kept doing the fasts for damage control. Gained 15 lbs back. Dropped the fasting,just because, for a few months and gained more weight, and No S was done in a half-hearted way. Tried to pick it up again for a couple weeks but just lost interest. It's hard to get excited about anything at my age.

So I'm back to Vanilla No S only, dropped a few pounds again, slowly. I'm doing the challenge to keep me stable. The only time I fast now is when I'm going out for a big meal that evening, but alot of people do that anyway.

I was fasting this way for 1-1/2 years and thought I could do it forever, even tho' I missed eating. I didn't feel tired or lousy when I fasted, except for the Mon headache. Perhaps, the wine was giving you a sugar crash on a fasting day the same way I felt on Mondays.

Healthiermum
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Post by Healthiermum » Thu Sep 18, 2014 2:56 am

I'm currently doing 5:2 mixed with no s and actually find the fasting days quite easy. I like the break from food and normally just have water and tea till dinner and then have a 500 calorie meal or sometimes half the calories and have 2 meals. With no s I was maintaining but not losing( I'm in a healthy weight range so that might be why) but since starting combining them I have lost 4 kilos in about a month.

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