Has anyone ever tried the 5-2 Intermittent Fast Diet

[Happy Grumpy]

Sounds interesting.

 

Can anyone describe a 600 calorie day in terms of meals? What breakfast, lunch and dinner would equate to 600 calories. 

Edited November 3, 2016 by Happy Grumpy

[tropo]

On 10/20/2016 at 3:07 PM, robblok said:

 

 

[tropo]

54 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

I've been doing this 5:2 diet for a couple of months. It definitely does work for me. I find it easier to use the variant of simply not eating anything at all on the two days as I have no real idea what 600cal is anyway. So just lots of tea and water, and maybe one slice of toast.

 

I've lost 3kg so far.

 

I find this much easier than trying to exercise (I hate all activity apart from walking, and always have done) or trying to follow any sort of calorie or food-type related diet. This diet I could do forever without even noticing.

How do you determine a 3 kg loss. At a body weight of around 100 kg I can vary up to 3 kg in a day without dieting, based on how much food and fluids I've consumed. I've woken up 2 kg lighter. If I was dieting for a full day, the variation could be even more.

 

You need to get some pinch calipers to really determine if you're losing fat, but testing more than once a month won't show anything useful and it also doesn't tell us anything about visceral fat loss. Lack of testing methods is the big (and frustrating) problem in Thailand. 

[KittenKong]

4 hours ago, Happy Grumpy said:

Can anyone describe a 600 calorie day in terms of meals? What breakfast, lunch and dinner would equate to 600 calories. 

 

600cal is not very much at all. Cornflakes. Salad with some chicken. Some thin soup. As I mentioned, I find it simpler just to have nothing on my 2 "off" days.

 

http://graphics.latimes.com/cheatsheet-he-intermittent-fasting-menus/

[KittenKong]

4 hours ago, tropo said:

How do you determine a 3 kg loss. At a body weight of around 100 kg I can vary up to 3 kg in a day without dieting, based on how much food and fluids I've consumed. I've woken up 2 kg lighter. If I was dieting for a full day, the variation could be even more.

 

You need to get some pinch calipers to really determine if you're losing fat, but testing more than once a month won't show anything useful and it also doesn't tell us anything about visceral fat loss. Lack of testing methods is the big (and frustrating) problem in Thailand. 

 

I determine weight loss by using scales. I not aware that my weight has ever varied by as much as 1kg per day if checked in the morning, and if I check my weight every morning and it shows about 103kg whereas previously I checked it every morning and it showed about 106kg then I can be fairly certain that I have lost 3kg in the meantime. YMMV.

 

As for other testing: one sideways look in the mirror when I get out of the shower is enough for me. Again, YMMV.

[tropo]

7 minutes ago, KittenKong said:

 

I determine weight loss by using scales. I not aware that my weight has ever varied by as much as 1kg per day if checked in the morning, and if I check my weight every morning and it shows about 103kg whereas previously I checked it every morning and it showed about 106kg then I can be fairly certain that I have lost 3kg in the meantime. YMMV.

 

As for other testing: one sideways look in the mirror when I get out of the shower is enough for me. Again, YMMV.

Yeah, sure, you can say you lost 3 kg, but 3 kg of what? That's the question. You can store a lot of weight in the bowel and by water retention. If you haven't exercised for awhile and you start hard training again, your weight can shoot up - water and carbs in the muscles. 

 

Unfortunately visually it is a very hard way to measure progress. At my level of fat now it's impossible to tell.

 

A 100 kg + person will not notice 3 kg of weight loss in the mirror. A 50 kg lady could see it.

 

I used to get a DEXA scan whenever I returned to Australia, but I don't get over the much these days.

Edited November 3, 2016 by tropo

[JSixpack]

On Friday, November 04, 2016 at 0:15 AM, KittenKong said:

 

I determine weight loss by using scales. I not aware that my weight has ever varied by as much as 1kg per day if checked in the morning, and if I check my weight every morning and it shows about 103kg whereas previously I checked it every morning and it showed about 106kg then I can be fairly certain that I have lost 3kg in the meantime. YMMV.

 

As for other testing: one sideways look in the mirror when I get out of the shower is enough for me. Again, YMMV.

 

Keep it up; it's no illusion that it's working for you. You may plateau at points but if so weight loss will resume afterwards. You'll find on non-fasting days you'll desire to eat less, too. It'll help of course if you also cut out the Twinkies on those days.

[KittenKong]

On 05/11/2016 at 6:39 PM, JSixpack said:

You'll find on non-fasting days you'll desire to eat less, too.

 

I think that this is an important (but rarely mentioned) part of how this diet works.