Thread: 5-2 Diet anyone?

I was not attempting to lose any weight however found that a change in diet made a huge difference.

Was working away form home 5 days a week for the last 3 years. This involved many hours on the road to site and then eating like a single man. Too much of the prepared / ready meals resulted in belt going out 2 holes. Been at home last 6 months eating wife food and it has all gone away. Difference is what am eating is now prepared in house by my personal cook who believes food should be made from the basic ingredients where you know what is in it.

An example is we bought some crumbed frozen chicken the other day. The ready made version had many extra ingredients that the home cook would not put in there. Most of the extras are not good for you. As an occasional treat not a problem however if taken as a regular part of diet it had an impact.

Originally Posted by bacicat

I was always told that fasting would do the opposite as your body goes into a mode where it will hang onto your fat if you stop eating regularly as it thinks you don't have any food available and will then only release the fat as a food once your body has no other energy source. I keep getting told I must eat regularly - not skip breakfast, etc. that's what my Doc says anyway.

Your Doc is probably following past practice, now superseded by later and better research. That or he is making some assumptions about your behaviour, etc.

Fasting for more than a couple of days, sure, puts you into conserving mode so your metabolism slows, etc. Intermittent fasting (i.e. a day at a time) has provable benefits, and the (proper, peer-reviewed, statistically significant) research shows that there is no need for a complete fast, simple calorie restriction works nearly as well. We even understand the mechanism, so it's not just a fad. The big question is whether people can actually stick to it because it does require at least some discipline.

The two days in five idea is what the scientist call a reasonable compromise. Alternate day fasting is marginally more effective, but difficult to maintain. Most people don't have that discipline. Less than two in five is largely ineffective.

The other thing you have to do is exercise. Not to extremes, just enough to stress the muscles a little bit. The problem with losing weight is that you will metabolise muscle as well as fat, unless you work the muscle enough that your body 'knows' it has to preserve it. If you don't do that, you will still lose weight not in the way you want.

Originally Posted by 3toes

I was not attempting to lose any weight however found that a change in diet made a huge difference.

Was working away form home 5 days a week for the last 3 years. This involved many hours on the road to site and then eating like a single man. Too much of the prepared / ready meals resulted in belt going out 2 holes. Been at home last 6 months eating wife food and it has all gone away. Difference is what am eating is now prepared in house by my personal cook who believes food should be made from the basic ingredients where you know what is in it.

An example is we bought some crumbed frozen chicken the other day. The ready made version had many extra ingredients that the home cook would not put in there. Most of the extras are not good for you. As an occasional treat not a problem however if taken as a regular part of diet it had an impact.

Eating fast food seems to be the biggest demise of most people, and sugar.
I've watched quite a few programs on weight loss etc, and this seems to be where most trainers etc target first.
In our fast world today, it seems we have no time, or desire to really "cook". By the time we get home, we're too stuffed to be bothered to take the time out to choose good foods and put it all together to make a healthy nutritious meal.
Its all about convenience really,,,
Because of this, we, as in most of society, have turned to "fast processed food". Its easier to go to the supermarket, choose foods which are already half prepared, as in sauced/marinated, pre-cooked/blanched etc. Add to this, a lot of so-called "fresh foods" which are treated/preserved with God only knows what chemicals, designed to help "keep" foods longer.

I think back to my much younger years, I don't recall really ever seeing any "fat" people. This was more pronounced when the more we saw fatter people, we made fat jokes,,,, as more people got bigger, the jokes wore off, as this seems to be the "norm" now.
Our older life style cooking, with lard/fat, a "bit" of salt, no "preserved" stuff in the pot, IMHO is a lot healthier for us than most of the foods we can buy these days.

I watch shows like Jamie Oliver/Curtis Stone etc, and they all say the same thing,,, "Fresh is best". Which is fine for them, this is their lifestyle/job. They have full access to all the best produce etc, and can afford to pay for it too But if you watch, they basically cook what I would say, is "old style".

The 5:2 diet was on the telly again on the weekend and is still on Plus-Seven for anyone who's interested.

https://au.tv.yahoo.com/plus7/sunday...ode-30/?play=1

Been on it for around 6 months now and hardly notice the calorie restriction days now. Lost around 11kgs and down to 79kg. It was not to lose weight that I did this though and more interested in the long term health benefits (Father had strokes, Parkinsons and dementia at 70).
Definitely feel better so I guess I'm a convert and will keep going. Also BP is down from 145/90 to 135/75.
Cheers
Mark

Originally Posted by bacicat

I was always told that fasting would do the opposite as your body goes into a mode where it will hang onto your fat if you stop eating regularly as it thinks you don't have any food available and will then only release the fat as a food once your body has no other energy source. I keep getting told I must eat regularly - not skip breakfast, etc. that's what my Doc says anyway.

If your in ketosis your body will burn fat when you fast. If your not in ketosis you'll be really hungry . At least I would be anyway.

You get into ketosis by cutting back your carbs.

Originally Posted by R Miller

lots of small meals is the way to go, basically eat like a cow, graze all day, keeps your belly feeling full, and keeps your metabolism moving along, just don't eat the fatty crap/ take away, lots of vegies, some nuts, little fruit and about some lean meat.

Lots of small meals is really bad for your blood sugars and insulin as it keeps them elevated all the time.

I believe the principle behind the fasting is to reduce insulin production which in turn helps with the weight loss and is generally healthier for you.

Originally Posted by loneranger

If your in ketosis your body will burn fat when you fast. If your not in ketosis you'll be really hungry . At least I would be anyway.

You get into ketosis by cutting back your carbs.

For anyone interested, here is a map of the biochemical pathways in the body. http://biochemical-pathways.com/#/map/1
I've always found it interesting, however haven't a clue what most of it means.

Originally Posted by loneranger

Lots of small meals is really bad for your blood sugars and insulin as it keeps them elevated all the time.

I believe the principle behind the fasting is to reduce insulin production which in turn helps with the weight loss and is generally healthier for you.

Unless your a type one diabetic! Like I am, lots of small meals are the key.