The FastDay Forum

Quoting TML13 on another post of mine about the benefits of 5:2

"...there are so many versions of 5:2"

Made me think about why people diverge for the simple principle of pure 5:2


2 days a week you consume 25% of your calculated TDEE. On other days you consume your TDEE and no more.

What can be simpler?.

Have I got the right gist of true 5:2?

Yes that's exactly it. As it says on the front of the book, it's simply "Eat well for five days; reduce your calories for two."

Simple.

Right on!

Most 'versions' are either to try to lose weight faster than 5:2 loses, or for convenience. Nothing wrong with either, but they are not 5:2.

Well, before I came to the forum it was even simpler than that, it was just eat 500 cals on 2 fast days a week (or 600 for men) and normally the rest of the time, TDEE meant nothing to me!

Not everyone here does 5:2 but they do other types of fasting highlighted in the horizon programme such as ADF, and I don't see things like low-carbing being to do with 5:2, for me that's part of 'normal' eating.

People diverge because not everyone is as lucky as you. A lot of people on the forum have other issues to consider. You have to make allowances.

Lucky? How so?

I honestly don't mean to sound rude, but who cares what is the true 5:2 eating plan? MM just made something up loosely based on various IF plans already being studied, something he thought would be more sustainable, but still helpful. The 25% of TDEE was pretty arbitrary. The two days, also pretty arbitrary. It's unclear that this particular combo does anything long term other than allow some people to lose weight. Some people try this and it doesn't work for them (usually this means they don't lose weight or don't lose it as fast as they want), so they add on variations. True fasts rather than just VLC days. 4:3. 5:2 plus low carb. Whatever. People do what works for them to reach their goals. Who cares if it doesn't strictly adhere to some arbitrary plan that happens to be published in a book?

I truly don't mean to be rude. I just wonder why the obsession with the true 5:2 that is going around on the forum lately.

Because the basic 5:2 doesn't work for absolutely everyone and its offensive to imply that those who need to watch calories or carbs or adapt in some other way are stupid.

I truly don't mean to be rude. I just wonder why the obsession with the true 5:2 that is going around on the forum lately.

Agree entirely. But perhaps we should ask Moogie to change the name of the Forum from "the 5:2 fast diet forum" to something more appropriate, like "The general weight loss diets forum".

Even though it's called the 5:2 fast diet forum, it's always included people doing many varieties of intermittent fasting, just as the book talks about other versions of intermittent fasting. If people not adhering exactly to 5:2 (and I'm not sure there is even agreement about what that is--the first two definitions in this thread are different enough that people in the past have considered one of them not truly 5:2) are not welcome here, perhaps we should go elsewhere. I'm actually seriously considering that.

However, Moogie has never made me feel that way, so maybe I'll stick around and just ignore threads that look like they have the 5:2 police hanging out in them.

Because the basic 5:2 doesn't work for absolutely everyone and its offensive to imply that those who need to watch calories or carbs or adapt in some other way are stupid.

I have read and re-read the original posts and I see no such implication of stupidity, nor any offensiveness whatsoever. I'm not sure why you're so defensive when absolutely no-one was being or is being attacked.

Well my 5:2 +16:8 and wey hey day works just for me each week. My choice!

yes that is unfortunate referring to the KISS stands for Keep It Simple Stupid.

I enjoy reading about what everyone is doing on their weight loss or maintenance journey. I also think the original plan by MM is the simplest and for me the best to follow. But we are all different, be boring if we weren't.

Nice weather we are having wouldn't you agree? Great time to hop outside and take a short walk and get some fresh air....