Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I came across this thread and am intrigued and ready to try. I gave up wheat two months ago after reading WheatBelly and now feel like I need to do something else to get this weight off.
I don't know which one to try since the one day a week fast AND the alternate day thing both sound good. I think I will try the one day a week for a month or so and see what happens, then if I feel like it is not doing the job then go to alternate day.
Keep the comments coming!! I will also keep posting as to my progress on this first trial...
Make sure you eat protein and some fat on the fast days. Like an egg in the am and seeds or nuts over lettuce at night.
Men can have up to 600 cals/day. Women 500. Obviously if you're extra big or tiny you may want to adjust these numbers.
Update from OP:
I just booked a 29 day cruise - Southampton to Brooklyn NY on Princess.
I just know they will be HOUNDING me with phone calls as to "why are you displeased with our dinner service? and..You have been absent several days". This is going to be a real PITA but I hope to head 'em off at the pass by explaining my special eating habits at the outset. Any other advise so this will not become an irritant to what I hope is a fabulous, transatlantic experience? BTW, I chose this itinerary in part because i can EAT WHALE in Norway and Iceland..and i plan to do so several times. I remember only that it was delicious but it was so long ago that I need another dose! Don't worry Greens - it is not on the endangered species list. Minke, i think.
Update from OP:
I just booked a 29 day cruise - Southampton to Brooklyn NY on Princess.
I just know they will be HOUNDING me with phone calls as to "why are you displeased with our dinner service? and..You have been absent several days". This is going to be a real PITA but I hope to head 'em off at the pass by explaining my special eating habits at the outset. Any other advise so this will not become an irritant to what I hope is a fabulous, transatlantic experience? BTW, I chose this itinerary in part because i can EAT WHALE in Norway and Iceland..and i plan to do so several times. I remember only that it was delicious but it was so long ago that I need another dose! Don't worry Greens - it is not on the endangered species list. Minke, i think.
Erm, why would you be absent from the dinner service? You can order pretty much whatever you want on cruise ships. I learned while I was on my honeymoon cruise, that if you liked something yesterday, you can order more of it today even if it's not on today's menu.
So order whatever is available that day, that suits your dietary needs. You can even get seconds of something, if it's what you need more of. You can also usually get things without any sauce, or with the sauce on the side. You can go and ask the waiter to bring you the salad with the dressing on the side, but that you won't be eating an entree and won't need the bread. Or you can ask for a glass of juice, and nibble on a slice of bread and butter. There's no reason to not show up.
There is no reason TO dress up and show up at an upscale dinner if I am not having anything much to eat.. except maybe soup or an apple and peanuts to stay under 500 calories /day. I can get this at any bar/lounge location on the vessel.
I have cruised many, many times and cannot fathom dressing for dinner only to sip juice (which, is a relatively poor choice for a limited calorie day as it has no protein). I figured i would simply order in a small salad,, or find a buffet... or the aforementioned bar nuts. The problem ocurrs when you don't show up at your regular dinner table they call you up.. more than once. But I guess after a while they will get the idea.
Hopefully they will have an open-dinner concept option and this annoying practice will be abandoned.
When someone is spending around $5000 per person on a 29-day cruise, it's assumed one would've made an attempt to find out what the dining arrangements are, prior to providing the credit card number.
I did the research for ya though - you have the option of open seating. It's called Anytime Dining. So you have just riled yourself up into a frenzy of frustration over absolutely nothing at all. You probably just lost 2 pounds just in expended annoyance energy!
Oh also - there aren't many cruise lines left that require formal dining for meals at all - most of them have just one or two days during the entire cruise for formal dining, and the rest would be "no shorts no bare feet" casual.
so you have just riled yourself up into a frenzy of frustration over absolutely nothing at all. You probably just lost 2 pounds just in expended annoyance energy!.
Wow.. thanks, anonchick. I was planning on checking out the dining options.. but i got busy ..and lazy.
Mea culpa!
But you're right - most cruise lines have broadened their dining option tremendously.
I feel much better now.
Wow! Well, I was thinking of starting a thread on this diet but it Tjarardo beat me to it. Glad the information is out there because I think this way of eating is extremely valuable.
First off, let me say that I'm a bit surprised no one has referenced doctor Mosley's PBS documentary on this diet. So let me:
It is an excellent piece of work. So for those of you that have questions about this diet or feel that this diet may be too radical or not based on sound science you will find that really this is not the case. Actually there has been plenty of study of fasting and calorie restriction in animals and humans and the conclusions have been very consistent that it does promote good health and longevity. Please watch the documentary to find out more!
The reason the diet has been formulated in this way is based on his research (which you will see in the video). He started out the program with all his major medical tests to see where he was before he started the diet. Now, if you look at him you would notice that he looks to be in decent shape but when his test results come back they show that he is pre-diabetic and has many of his other results in the very upper limits of a high normal range.
So, at first he fasted for 3.5 days and then they did the follow up blood work and it was much improved. But his issue was that how doable is it really to completely fast like this every month or two? Now, I have fasted for 3 days before and although it wasn't quite as bad as I thought it really wasn't something that I felt I could do long term either.
This led him to another doctor that has been doing research on this intermittent fasting approach and they found that the benefits of this were very similar to the ones from a complete fast yet the subjects on the diet could follow it much more easily.
This is just to give those that may be interested in this the back story. As I said, watch the video and I think that some of the misconceptions and questions will be answered. I really did enjoy it.
Now, as far as my own personal observations go here are some. First off, my wife showed me this video only a couple of weeks ago and I have only been on the diet for a week too. So I can't give many definitive answers yet as it is a bit too soon but I will post updates here.
I am doing 5 days normal and 2 days fasting per week (actually today is my third fast day).
On my fast days I have up to 600 calories. Now the first thing I noticed is that even though 600 calories aint much (only 500 calories for women [bonus for men!]) what this does is force you to eat healthy. Think about it. If you could only have 600 calories in a day would you blow that all on half a burger or would you bulk up on maybe berries (strawberries have 60 calories in a cup), maybe some lowfat yogurt, an egg (only 70 calories) some lean protein, most vegetables including salad greens, etc.. Trust me, I think most will end up eating the low caloric density/highly nutritous foods.
Are fast days easy? Well, I wouldn't say they are easy but definitely not as difficult as one might assume. Knowing that the fast is only today and tomorrow I can eat normally is liberating in and of itself. Whatever small issues I have will soon be over anyhow. Also, I have a feeling that these fast days will become easier as my body becomes accustom to this. I know today I haven't had any issues yet (although it is a bit early in the day).
Now, you also may think that on the "feast" days that you may go overboard and more than make up for your fast but I have not noticed that at all. Surprisingly, if anything the opposite seems to be occurring in me. Maybe my stomach has shrunk a bit but I think my daily caloric intake is the same if not a bit less. The other thing too is that since on my fast days I have to eat healthy I have noticed that that has spilled over into my feast days too. I'm not saying I'm a saint on those days but I will have an extra vegetable or fruit or two more than I use to.
So, to sum this all up, it seems very promising. I don't feel burdened by the diet or feel that I can't do this long term which often times like in Atkins or other diets I know there is no way I can keep this up. It's still early for me but I feel confident. So, let's see what more time brings.
PS. I did do some basic math on this and here it goes. For those of you math averse look away now.
Normal weekly caloric intake: 2400 x 7=16,800 calories a week.
Intermittent fasting weekly caloric intake: 2400 x 5 + 600 x 2= 13,200 calories a week
16,800 - 13,200= 3,600 calorie diffence or about 1900 calories a day.
So, basically, if nothing else changes there is a reduction of calories in this diet of about 3,600 a week or about a pound a fat. It is interesting too because one of the people that is interviewed in the video has been on a self imposed calorie restricted diet for years and has a body fat percentage of around 10% (I forgot exactly) plus is medically in great shape especially compared to Dr. Mosely. AND he eats about 1900 calories a day. Food for thought.
Last edited by biggunsmallbrains; 04-22-2013 at 11:32 AM..
So, to sum this all up, it seems very promising. I don't feel burdened by the diet or feel that I can't do this long term which often times like in Atkins or other diets I know there is no way I can keep this up. It's still early for me but I feel confident. So, let's see what more time brings.
This sums up my reaction nicely, after 3 weeks (and 7 lb weight loss) on the 5:2 fast plan.
I can easily see myself adopting it as a permanent practice.
I've been regularly exercising and eating healthily (fish, chicken, lean grass-fed steak, lots of veggies, moderate "good" fats, no processed carbs) for years. Still, the lbs would gradually creep up and be hard to lose.
On my two fast (ie calorie restricted) days - usually Monday and Friday - I eat an early lunch and early dinner, total <500 calories for the day. I try to maximize nutrients - a boiled egg, a 4-oz serving of fish or chicken, a couple of sliced tomatoes, a large green salad, a huge heaping of a green vegetable, a cup of chicken broth, and I'm good. I take fiber supplements and drink lots of green tea, iced black tea, and water. So even on my 'fast' days, the quality of my nutritional intake is superior to what many persons consume on a 2000+ calorie diet.
On the other 5 days, I don't worry about my calorie intake, but it normally is in the 1200-1800 range. Lately the lower end of that range because my appetite has decreased since starting 5:2. I feel like I've increased my ability to recognize when I'm truly hungry and when I'm truly satisfied. I eat more slowly and enjoy my food more. I'm almost at my desirable weight so soon will see if I stabilize or if I need to cut back to a one-day a week fast. I hope not, this plan feels right for health maintenance.
I work out (cardio, yoga, weight-lifting, rowing) 1.5 hours, 5x a week, and my energy hasn't decreased the slightest since starting 5:2.
fwiw, I'm in my mid 60's.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
