I tried the 5:2 diet last week – with some worrying results. Basically, the diet involves you eating 25% of the calories you should usually have for your weight and height on two non-consecutive days a week.
I have heard from colleagues, friends and family that it works well. I brushed up on it a bit online and read the Fast Diet website. I worked out I could have three meals adding up to 555 calories on a ‘fast’ day. Being coeliac, dairy free and on a low FODMAP diet, I’m already restricted with what I can eat. But as it was January – and I had the motivation that only comes easily in January – I was willing to give it a go.
I did the first low-calorie day on a work day as I barely think about food because I am so busy at the hospital. I had a glass of skimmed Lactofree milk to start the day (as I was worried about calcium) and a banana. I had home-made red pepper and tomato soup, which was 66 calories, for lunch. I also had cherry tomatoes, grapes and an orange.
I was really hungry by late afternoon so I had a cheeky bag of Tyrrells popcorn. I worked out I could have Thai pad ka pao (stir-fried chicken with basil) for my tea, minus the rice and egg, which still felt like a proper meal. I then had some raspberries and blueberries. Unfortunately, though, with the fruit I had gone over my limit by 20 calories. I went to bed very hungry, which is not a nice feeling. I also felt headachy but put that down to tiredness. But then I couldn’t sleep for ages.
I had a normal day in between and then went for Day 2 of low calories. I had slightly less so I would be within the quota, which basically meant I had to drop the milk. This is a worry for me as the dietitian previously advised that, as a coeliac, I need a lot of calcium, especially as I may not have absorbed it properly for years. I know you can get calcium from other things – but not enough with my calorie quota.
I was fine during the day but just before tea I was ravenous. Again, I had popcorn as it is low in calories and had the Thai dish for tea. I had an orange at lunch and didn’t realise there was about 50 calories in that – so I could barely have anything else. Arghhhh! Bad planning. No time to plan. Must make time to plan.
Later, I worked out I could just about have a small carrot and a cup of tea (with a trickle of skimmed milk). But I was headachy and absolutely exhausted. This wasn’t helped by my baby waking me regularly in the night. I felt really dizzy and had no energy. I also felt very dehydrated, even though I had drank way more than the recommended two litres of water. The dehydration feeling continued into the next day, too.
I then thought, maybe I should actually see what dietitians think about the 5:2 and whether it is suitable for people with coeliac disease. I had a look online and found a really helpful news article by the NHS (2013).
It states the following;
‘The body of evidence about 5:2 diet and intermittent fasting is limited when compared to other types of weight loss techniques.’
It also states that there have been anecdotal reports of:
- difficulties sleeping
- bad breath (a known problem with low-carbohydrate diets)
- irritability
- anxiety
- dehydration
- daytime sleepiness
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I lost 1Ib in the week I did this diet (and it was my birthday weekend so I was definitely not careful on the non-fasting days). But I had all the reported side effects. I know the 5:2 diet is not appropriate for diabetics, for example, so maybe coeliacs should rule it out, too? I’d be interested to know if coeliacs have had any success on it. It is not specifically stated on the Fast Diet website, but we do need a balanced diet and I cannot see how you can achieve that with the 5:2.
At least I have learned more about low-calorie options and the difference between fruits, snacks and vegetable calories and how many calories carbs can add to a meal. So it has been a useful exercise. I am a carb fiend but maybe occasionally I can drop them and have soup by itself for lunch. I also usually run quite a bit so I feel I need them for energy.
I have done Weight Watchers in the past, which is obviously very well-researched, so I think I will do that again to lose the last 7Ib of baby weight. At least I can eat loads of healthy food and won’t go to bed hungry. Exercise is obviously the best thing overall, but I have just had surgery so can’t do that for a little while.
Wish me luck!
By Karen Woodford – coeliac disease, lactose & fructose intolerance