5:2 diet

Does anybody do this? The idea is to eat normally for 5 days a week & "fast" (eat approx 500 kcals all day) for 2 days.

I don't really have weight to lose but the suggested health benefits of fasting are intriguing. Most research is from animal studies, but suggest a decrease in likelihood of diabetes, dementia and increase in life span. I just did a quick google search linking the diet to "autoimmune disease" and some people seem to be getting positive results.

My only concern is that over summer, I dieted for a couple of weeks - very healthily I might add! Lots of fruit & veg etc, but this did seen to lower my counts (whilst only on prednisolone). Is it safe to fast with itp?

Any thoughts?

Fasting isn't something to enter into lightly. Which type of fast are you talking about? The kind where absolutely eat or drink nothing? or are you allowing fluids? or are you just going to eat the same thing thing for 2 days?

Things to consider will you be working during that time frame? What are your counts are you feeling tired and run down? because if you are fasting will make you feel worse.
Fasting shouldn't effect your count unless something you are eating is triggering an immune response linked to your platelets.

You may also need to know that fasting can trigger binges (where you eat twice as much as before the fast). This can lead to a weight gain that would normally go when you go back to your normal eating habits. This may not happen if your doing the 5:2 diet.

Thanks for your reply Winifred

The "fasting" days allow 500 kcals and as much fluid as I like within the kcal restriction - so lots of water! I had thought of skipping breakfast, having fruit, veg & some kind of protein snacks during the day and then a 'normal' low kcal evening meal. The health benefits supposedly come from systematically giving your body a break from food. I agree that it could lead to binging - I also really like food so it may also lead to some mood swings!! :whistle:

As far as my itp goes - I'm one of the lucky ones in that I never get fatigue. Ever. In fact, the day before I was diagnosed with a count of 1, I had been on a 6 hour Christmas shopping spree with a toddler in tow! If anything I'm less tired now than I used to gene because I try to look after myself, get enough sleep etc. I do count my blessings that I always feel pretty well with itp!

Having said all this, I did post in a hurry just to see if anyone else had heard of this way of eating and the benefits supposedly associated with it. I'm currently in bed with a rumbling tummy - so the reality of skipping breakfast would be very different to the talk! (not that I'd try fasting today - its a Saturday! And I have a life!!)

Have you thought about juicing? It gives the body a break from digesting food and you still get plenty of nutrients from the fruits and vegetables. Some people are finding it very beneficial.

When I was desperate to loose weight (left over from having kids and being on Pred.) I tried what I called the baby food diet. (didn't eat baby food) What I did was eat a basic plain meals for so many days than after a few days I introduced new foods one at a time and slowly. This way I could tell if there was a food that bothered my stomach or not.

So dinner was like a piece of plain chicken with a veggie and either rice or a potato. So basically I ate that for supper for like 3 days than I switched the veggie for something else and so on. I followed the healthy food guide for eating.

If your fasting days can include meals than I like Sandi's idea of juicing. You would be getting nutrients as well as helping to clean toxins out of your body!