The FastDay Forum

It's driving me up the wall all the negative comments by family members re the 5:2 diet! .... things like ''it's dangerous starving yourself'' , ''it's ridiculous'' , ''you'll end up with anarexia'' , ''i don't care if it was invented by Doctor's and has health benefits, you'll have headaches/the shakes/tired blah blah blah''

Does anyone else get this?

My immediate family are fine about it but some other people I know are sceptical. They will just have to wait and see the results.

I have had both ways some people think it's crazy and will give me an eating disorder... I don't see how as I'm not obssessed with food. I eat to live, not live to eat!

I also have had some really strong support from my family, who saw the horizon show in the UK and think this could do me and my allergies some good! not to mention getting my weight back down to normal!

Try to ignore the negatives as much as possible, it's possible that some people are jealous that you have the motivation for this and will lose some weight while they remain stuck as they are.

I don't get headaches but i do get grumpy at the end of the fast. I have always had hypoglycemia, though with honesty i haven't had one turn on this diet! I eat a little around 11am and then 7pm. I am trying 24 hour fast now, not sure how that will go but hey ho!

Ignore the haters, they gonna hate =P

The science makes perfect sense. The evolutionary theory makes perfect sense. The experience of hundreds of people on this forum makes perfect sense. Ignore them. Don't waiver a millimetre you are doing the right thing.

I haven't told anyone I'm doing 5:2 yet! Only first week and 2 fasts done so far, but while it's term time, I don't need to discuss it with anyone. Thing is, school breaks up on the 28th.....!

Same my mum don't approve aswell

Ignore people who don't want to understand. The proof is in the pudding as they say

It's such a shame when you don't have the support of your family. Mine are indifferent and not really interested, I don't normally use forums but love this one. When you need a bit of a boost, just pop into the forum and leave a message, I am sure that you will get lots of support and encouragement here.

Well done for starting 5:2,you are not alone here, sending a big hug

X

I'm so lucky, my husband saw the Horizon programme and suggested this for us both, and my Mum and sister have both started it too so I have lots of family support. My bosses think I'm mental tho, but one of them is cycling and going to the gym whilst carrying on eating and drinking like, well like a traditional chef/publican. I think I'll have the last laugh
Well done for starting, and for finding a support system. You'll show them all x

My mum said the same, that I would get terrible headaches and struggle at work, but after a couple of fast days, she seems to be realising that it might work for me

I do get terrible headaches when fasting so the doubters are right in that respect. But I am also losing weight steadily and reassessing how I manage my eating, so it's all good.

Just to play devil's advocate a little, I can see why these people are so sceptical. When my friend first told me about this diet after she'd watched the Horizon programme I thought the whole thing ill advised (for all the reasons mentioned in this thread). I was intrigued if sceptical though and caught up with the programme on net some time later. Dr Mosely presented such a compelling case that I was largely won over. Yet it took reading the book last month for me to be convinced enough to try it myself. I can't pretend I find it completely easy but (at least in weight loss terms) it's working. I just think that people who haven't seen the programme/read the book and considered the evidence presented therein will naturally be sceptical and think this is just another fad diet.

I love my Fat friend who weighs in at weight watchers having got to goal and back to Start weight about 6 times comment(i removed a porcine reference and put "start weight then, so as not to offend! Get me!!!)

"Well it's not a proper fast then is it if you can eat!"

"My friend Ginge is on that thing you're doing, he's lost <INSERT TWICE AS MUCH WEIGHT AS YOU HAVE LOST IN HALF THE TIME> Yeah, HE's doing well...."

Although in fairness she is the only one who has commented, no else has noticed, and I just say we are "eating healthily!"

[carorees]

It's funny how ww and sw are not considered fad diets and yet the long term success in keeping weight off does not seen to be that spectacular! So the term fad diet has no connection with how effective it is (I suppose that is the strict definition of a fad...a temporarily popular phenomenon). Whether or not this is a fad diet will not be known until at least a year or two.

IMHO, a diet is only worth doing if the gains achieved are actually maintained. If it proves that this WOE results in people being and staying healthier then I expect it will not fade into the background and will not be a fad. If we are all back at our start weights in a couple of years and no longer fasting then, yes, it will have been just a fad.

I think that we have shown conclusively that it is an efficient way to lose weight and one that challenges a lot of 'facts' that we have been fed by numerous experts over the years. I feel that I am now armed with an easy way to control my weight that does not have a 'fad' element to it. I know exactly what I need to do and I don't need to worry about portion control or food type combinations as a fast day = 600 calories, black coffee and lots of water. To me it is not a 'fad' but a well informed, smart and effective health enhancing tool.