The FastDay Forum

THe Daily Fail have NO INTEREST in keeping it simple - as they do not want their readers to succeed.
As they have highly paid (over £100k per year) journos paid to tell readers how to eat
who would have to be sacked if readers actually did my version of 5:2 !!!!

[carorees]

Plus what would they do if we all protected ourselves from cancer? It would be the end of their quest to categorise everything we eat into being either cancer causing or cancer protecting!

I assume the methodology published is extracted from the new book - it certainly was when they did 5:2 Fast Diet a few weeks ago, can't see any point in making so much fuss about the new system if they haven't presented the method that the book uses. But I won't be buying it anyway - I don't do 5:2 by the book - I started in August, long before anything was published, and my way is working very well for me, so I don't plan on changing anything.

Can I ask what TDEE stands for please ?

TDEE = total daily energy expenditure. That is basically how many calories you need to consume to maintain your body weight (I think).

It's centre page spread in the Daily Mirror today, with a large banner on the front page, Menus and plans inside, you can order the book for a £1 off the £6.99 retail price.

It's £5.45 on Kindle at the moment, and of course you can download a sample FOC.

I downloaded and read the free sample, it's just (part of) the intro of course.

For the two days dieting they say: you eat foods that are high in protein, healthy monounsaturated fats (such as nuts), and fruit and vegetables, which are satisfying and reduce the feelings of hunger... it is deliberately low in carbohydrates, which appear to make people feel hungrier...

Dramatically cutting calories for two days a week helps you to relearn how hunger feels and what a 'normal' serving looks like... Our Dieters found that contrasting the two restricted days to their normal intake helped them to identify what triggered them to eat - and to overeat. If you're a serial dieter you may have been stuck in the low-fat, low-protein, high-carbohydrate pattern of eating... Being restrained on the two restricted days will give you the confidence to master your diet and food cravings and reinforce your desire to be in control of your diet on the other days of the week.

This all seems very sound. Unlike Dr M's 5:2, they specify 'healthy' foods and, more significantly, they fully intend that eating patterns on the other 5 days should change too. This is what makes their diet less attractive because 5:2's big appeal is that we can have our cake and eat it. Still, the science may be on their side...

Got the book but had a quick look and I'm gonna send it back. I just stick to our 5:2. It seems to be more like a diet. I had enough of diets. Not for me! Good luck to all anyway

[carorees]

For the two days dieting they say: you eat foods that are high in protein, healthy monounsaturated fats (such as nuts), and fruit and vegetables, which are satisfying and reduce the feelings of hunger... it is deliberately low in carbohydrates, which appear to make people feel hungrier...

Dramatically cutting calories for two days a week helps you to relearn how hunger feels and what a 'normal' serving looks like... Our Dieters found that contrasting the two restricted days to their normal intake helped them to identify what triggered them to eat - and to overeat. If you're a serial dieter you may have been stuck in the low-fat, low-protein, high-carbohydrate pattern of eating... Being restrained on the two restricted days will give you the confidence to master your diet and food cravings and reinforce your desire to be in control of your diet on the other days of the week.

This part could easily apply to 5:2 as well. We are already advising people to use their fast day calories on low carb foods, with protein and lots of vegetables, while most of us are gaining the eating habit retraining on our feed days and gaining the control over our appetites just as they say.

Yes I agree Caroline, I feel that having been doing it for 5 months it it makes sense to me to change the '2' towards the sort of diet they are advising (easier as well as healthier), and after that it seems natural to start changing the '5' too... (But don't say it too loud or it might put some people off!)

I still want to enjoy my fish + chips occasionally though!

If anyone is interested I bought a 5:2 recipe book on my kindle fire by someone called Jaqueline Whitehart, got some good recipes and it was cheap.
Also been using a website called www.kaylinskitchen.com these are recipes designed with south beach dieters in mind, but she has some fab recipes which I find fit in well with 5:2 for both fast and non fast days. Worth a look

... been using a website called http://www.kaylinskitchen.com these are recipes designed with south beach dieters in mind, but she has some fab recipes which I find fit in well with 5:2 for both fast and non fast days. Worth a look

Do you mean http://www.kalynskitchen.com?

Yes sorry you are right my typo mistake.

I've bought this book after researching many authors of other 5:2 diet books (there are soooo many out there!)
The main difference is that the 2 fasting days are recommended to be taken consecutively, thus giving the body a proper chance to detox and clear the palate. It also ensures that you do the second fast without loading up on carbs in between.
I find this method a good one; I make a huge mixed salad of leaves, grated carrot and beetroot, chopped spring onions, celery, cherry tomatoes, mint, dress it with a few drops of Balsamic vinegar and oil, then use it for 2 meals on each fasting day. I top it with either dry-fried salmon, hard-boiled egg, wafer ham or cottage cheese - all recommended as foods on fsating days.
I hate having to count calories and you don't need to on this version; you simply eat the recommended portions of recommended foods each day.
I am finding that I crave simple, tasty, healthy foods on my non-fsating days as well - nothing manufactured (OK, the ham was packeted, but in future I shall cook my own gammon.) I don't feel hungry, I have energy enough for my daily dog-walk and I think it will work!