My experience with 5:2-style intermittent fasting
eat in the past
I have been through a progression of eating styles over the last 4-5 years. I was eating the Wheat Belly diet, then I was eating Keto, and then my thyroid went haywire, which I now attribute to eating Keto (low carb), and since then I’ve heard from a lot of people who had the same thing happen to them. . reduced carbohydrates.
Then I ate anything and everything during my recovery from hyperthyroidism, I had a period of time where I allowed myself to eat what I wanted when I wanted, and there was a lot of healing around body shame and shame around food. I felt like it was a pendulum going backwards from such a restricted way of eating.
Then I found the Medical Medium and my health started to improve a lot. During that time I stopped eating meat and chicken and ate vegan 90% of the time, and only eggs and fish were two foods I didn’t want to give up.
Intermittent fasting 5:2
For the last month I have been following the 5:2 Diet. I really don’t like to call it a diet because it’s really a lifestyle. It was first popularized by Michael Mosley, a British journalist. I saw his documentary and I was hooked.
Everything is centered around intermittent fasting. There are some types of intermittent fasting, but the 5:2 Diet is eating normally for 5 days a week and fasting on 500 calories for women and 600 calories for men, 2 days a week (based on 1/4 of your daily amount of calories). Many people find this way of eating easier to achieve than the usual calorie restrictive diets.
Health benefits and weight loss
I have long stopped focusing on weight loss, if it happens, so be it, but the health benefits of eating this way have been well documented. In particular, I want to see what effect it has on my high blood pressure.
Many people have lost weight eating this way, and it is known to improve metabolic health. When your body isn’t digesting all the time, then it can repair and regenerate itself.
One of the things I liked about this way of eating is that it tricks your body into not feeling restricted and then going into starvation mode and storing fat. On other diets I have been on, I would never lose weight because of this.
Low carb but not ketogenic
I have now worked out what my body is most comfortable eating in these 2 days, and it has made the process easier. I have found foods that fill me up but are low in calories. And I’m not eating Keto either, instead aiming for whole plant based foods. It was hard at first, but adjusting my meals made it easier.
what days to fast
I was fasting on Tuesday and Saturday but found I needed to change it because on Fridays I have my PT session and I needed more food on Saturday to recover. So I’ve moved to Monday and Thursday.
No fast days
I haven’t really noticed that I binge on NFD and one thing I’ve come to notice is how much more I love and enjoy food on NFD. And not obsessively, but rather of appreciation and enjoyment.
It’s not meant to be free for everyone in the NFD, you don’t have to count calories, but you do need to be mindful of what you’re eating.
Support
I belong to a Facebook group for this diet and a lot of people mention that they can go all day without eating and eat all their calories at dinner, but I can’t. It makes me very hungry. lol i have to have 3 meals so i figured out the best way to do that. The groups are a great support and you get ideas about what to eat. I also bought 3 books on this way of eating, and 2 of them are for vegetarians.
I use the myfitnesspal app to count calories. I use the barcode scanner when I’m in the supermarket to get an idea of the caloric value of food. I went into this without having counted calories before.
It’s still early days for me so I’ll keep you posted on how it goes.
(If you are considering this way of eating, consult your doctor, and it is not recommended for pregnant or lactating women, people with blood sugar problems, people with eating disorders)
Let me know if you are interested in eating this way or already are.