Hey, interesting! I didn't even know this was a "thing" but I've been doing this off and on for a few months now. Although I skipped last week due to being too busy to fast and this week due to PMS making it nearly impossible for me (I'm too bitchy as it is and need a LOT of food when I have PMS). But the other weeks of the month I generally fast 2 days per week.

If you're interested, I wrote more about what I'm doing on my blog (in sig). I've been doing mostly water fasting sometimes with a small vegetable juice for "dinner." Is the plan you're talking about water or juice fasting?

So far, it's been okay. But the health benefits don't seem to compare to my longer (week + ) fasts. Specifically, after my two week fast last year, I felt AMAZING. I have honestly never felt that good in my entire life. I'd like to do that again one day but it's difficult to find the time. For now, the 2-day will have to do.

Two week fast! I don't think I could ever do that, I did a 2 day fast and really suffered. The point of the 5/2 diet from what I've read is that it is a good compromise between the 'stress' of fasting and the positive benefits. On a fast day you have one small meal, and then have a regular caloric intake on non-fast days. Apparently you really don't lose much of the benefits when comparing it to a constant 3-4 day fast, and is obviously easier to discipline yourself into.

I know there were several threads on here that I have actually read through, but I'm asking specifically about the 5/2 diet and people's experiences.

Are your two day fasts water or juice?

I only drink water and green tea. On my fast days I will skip two meals, say breakfast and lunch, and then have a small dinner which ends up being 24hrs since my last meal.

Hi,

I would like to know what degrees of success people have had with the 5/2 diet. It sounds very appealing as I think it's something I could easily get used to after a few weeks. I've found only small success with changes in diet, but I'm trying to convince myself that by fasting more it will aid in healing the body and hopefully have a positive effect on my skin.

For those who are unaware, essentially it is combination of fasting 2 days for every 5 days of a regular diet. There are plenty of youtube clips and it has been proven to reduce IGF-1 levels and assist weight loss with results comparable to more rigorous and difficult fasting regimes.

As an aside, when people say they're 'clear' I feel this can be a relative term. If you could please describe to some detail what that means for you that would be more helpful

 

Diets do not work for ANYTHING.

It has to be a life style change. Something you do all the time. In other words whatever you do requires balance.

I say the word 'diet' for linguistic simplicity even if it is stigmatized. Caloric restriction aka 'eating less' is a lifestyle change but I'm not going to call the thread 'skipping some meals'. The information I'm trying to obtain is whether people have noticed positive effects with this shade of grey rather than a black/white solution. If not then fine.

I urge you to start it.

IGF-1 is definitely the key word here.

It may not work for everyone, but my body did not appreciate all the carbohydrates that I was putting into it. Same for the processed foods, and lack of vegetables.

I've talked about this in 2 other threads, but this is because I want everyone else to have the same amazing experience as I did.

If you haven't already, try lowering carb intake, eating more vegetables, cutting processed foods. Saturated fats are your friend. So is exercise.

What are good 'top 5' vegetables to consume? Sometimes I hear how certain vegetables can be really good but don't seem to be as common as say Broccoli. What sort of quantities? Can I consume these during a fast period since they have very little calories?

I believe that acne is not something that is cured by doing things perfectly, but a series of doing things "as perfectly as possible."

Try kale and tilapia for a while. I don't have a "top 5." Kale just tops the list as #1, and whatever else whole vegetables I can get my hands on.

Just read the nutrition facts and go for anti-inflammatory, lower-carb options.

I think there's a site called nutritiondata.com that is helpful for this.