Horizon Eat, fast and live longer

beattie1

I'm trying this. Fasted yesterday and eating normally today. I'm sticking to 500 calories on fasting days as frankly I don't think I could manage nothing (unless I locked myself in a room all day!). Yesterday I had sliced raw vegetables at what would normally be meal times, I tried a slim fast shake but scrapping that now as I've realised the motion of eating something is just as satisfying as having something on my stomach.

I won't lie by last night I was feeling pretty crabby but after 'tea' (carrot sticks, sliced pepper, olives and cherry tomatoes) I was surprised at how satisfied I felt. This morning I actually woke up feeling quite refreshed! It doesn't feel too bad fasting for a day or two as you know a 'normal' day is not far.

So tomorrow I'm back on it. Going to try fasting from tonights evening meal till tomorrow evening, have a small meal and then start again on Friday so I can have two days off at the weekend.

I know what to expect now so will be making sure I have water near me at all times and to distract myself, my productivity at work is definitely increasing!

That's interesting, thank you. I'm trying to psych myself up to trying this - maybe next week

TheVimFuego

It was a good programme, I liked the last one on the effects of exercise too (a lot of low impact exercise isn't necessarily the best, basically).

I sort of fast regularly, I don't eat from 6pm until about 10am the next day.

Being low carb helps me I find as I just don't get that hungry these days.

I've read a bit on the whole fasting thing and the positive effects of giving your body a chance to perform some essential maintenance and reduce the conditions which promote disease. I think there is something in it based on my entirely non-scientific view.

You may find this interesting, I don't agree with all the guy says on nutrition but I think he has a point on fasting:

http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

Clearly if you a susceptible to some eating disorder, or pregnant, or have some other metabolic issues then I would not imagine it is a road you want to go down.

wewon

I'm going to give it a bash too, i'm going for the 2 day fasting and 5 day on, am i right in thinking i can fast today (tue) eat wed and fast thursday and eat fri-sun and fast monday & wed of next week, they don't need to be together do they as i think i would struggle 2 days in a row.

thanks

trevoraston

My understanding is that you can get the benefits in the way that you described, non-consecutive days.

That is similar to what Brad Pilon, the author of 'Eat-Stop-Eat' wrote about, having two 24 hour fast twice per week.

MessyLittlePanda

I get the idea, how would this work if you're quite active though? Not sure that a person with a physical job or who is doing serious sport training could cope with 500-600 cals on a fasting day.

robert65ferguson

I'm afraid you may be getting confused with the earlier part of the programme which looked at alternate day day fasting ( the part where Mosely fasted and then was eating burgers at the drive in) Molsley then said he was going to try a pattern of 5 days eating and 2 days fasting which is what he then focused on. What he did was restrict himself to 600 cals on his two fasting days and then eat a balnced healthy diet for five days. Check it out on BBC I Player. He did make the point that fasting should only be undertaken with medical agree. Conditions like Diabetes would obviously restrict the application of the programme. The MFP programme focusing on lowering your carbs to say about 45 per main meal with say 15 carbs for snacks would give a slower but controlled weight loss if done honestly which means writing down EVERYTHING you eat and then logging it. The programme was interesting but the difference is that MFP is a change of lifestyle while dieting is only effective as long as it is maintained. This is why people often regain weight once they flag with their diet.

robert65ferguson

Molsley made the point of reducing the level of protein to allow the body to switch into repair mode.

MrsGCarr

The aims are similar to Dr Johnson's "up day down day diet", I tried this in January and did loose weight, then went back onto a low carb diet which is hard to keep up long term so after watching the Horizon programme I am going to try fasting every other day again, as I have already lost 5kgs on a lower calorie diet in the past 6 weeks.

Here is a sample day's menu: B/fast 20g museli, with a handfull of blueberries and milk to cover. Lunch: 1 pkt Tomato Slimma Soup + 2 rice cakes, then 100g fresh fruit or berries + 2 dessert spoons fat free yoghurt. Only drinking herbal tea and large glasses of water with a slice of lemon during the day, Then evening meal will be a Weight Watchers meal of less than 250 cals or 50g chicken breast or 100g fresh fish with fresh veg and one disk of Aunt Bessies mash potato. On the normal days sticking to a low calorie count of 1440 cals per day. See what happens after 2 x weeks .......

Kazcollins

Is this classed as fasting though, since you are still eating throughout the day. I thought the 5:2 fasting programme was that for 5 days you ate normally, or healthily, and for the other 2 days, you fast for 19 hours, and then have a 5 hour window where you can eat up to 500 calories ( female). Have I interpreted this correctly?

siliisobel

Yeah I was wondering the same thing as I thought you just had one meal on the fasting days and that is it, otherwise if you spread the calories through the day then your not really fasting.....right???

Kazcollins

yes that is what I thought. I was going to eat normaly for 5 days, then fast for 2. On these 2 days only eat 500 calories but only wihtin a 5 hour window, which then means you fast for 19 hours until the next 5 hour window the follwoing day. SOund right?

helen0616

I did not see this program but am fasting today as well. It's my first time doing this and I am feeling ok so far, but it's not even 10A. The articles I read called for liquids only, up to 500 calories, and so far I have had probably only 100 calories.
The only noticeable thing so far is that I am shivering from drinking so much ice water. Thinking about having some warm broth for lunch.

I am encouraged by reading that some of you have done it and felt ok. Probably my biggest challenge will be cooking for the kids tonight and not eating dinner with them. Planning to have some tea and still sit with them if I can manage it.

ryerichard74

The 5:2 ratio of eating normally for 5 days and fasting for 2 i.e. 600 calories for men and 400/500 calories for females does not mean that you fast for 19 hours and eat in a 5 hour window it just means that you eat the 600 or 400/500 calories throughout the day. it does not matter when you eat consume the calories as long as you only consume the correct amount of calories.

kate1975

Watched the program with much interest and after discussing with my husband we have decided to fast Monday and Tuesday together. Looking forward to it to be honest and yes from what I interpreted you also have to lower the amount of protein you eat in general but correct me if I'm wrong! Will log back here in a week to see if there are any noticeable affects! Hope some of you will do the same! Our own experiment ;0) good luck

alizon15

I started this on Monday after reading the articles and watching the programme, i had a very light soup at lunch and low calorie meal in the evening , i actually ddint find it that hard and my second fasting day was even easier , I also found am less hungry on feasting days,and after a sneaky wiegh in , had lost 5lbs after 4 days on diet . I am varying my fasting days according to my social life /work schedule , and am aiming for at least 3 a week. Found this article which gives a good calculator and advice http://www.johnsonupdaydowndaydiet.com/html/diet-science.html. Am sticking with this for at least 5 weeks , (till a very big holiday) and then will reassess.

ruksha123

Saw the program and really want to give the 5:2 a go. Will start once back from holiday on Wednesday.

198441

I watched that too and it made a lot of sense! Also being told how much to drink when no other creature is told that!

gillleeman

I'm afraid you may be getting confused with the earlier part of the programme which looked at alternate day day fasting ( the part where Mosely fasted and then was eating burgers at the drive in) Molsley then said he was going to try a pattern of 5 days eating and 2 days fasting which is what he then focused on. What he did was restrict himself to 600 cals on his two fasting days and then eat a balnced healthy diet for five days. Check it out on BBC I Player. He did make the point that fasting should only be undertaken with medical agree. Conditions like Diabetes would obviously restrict the application of the programme. The MFP programme focusing on lowering your carbs to say about 45 per main meal with say 15 carbs for snacks would give a slower but controlled weight loss if done honestly which means writing down EVERYTHING you eat and then logging it. The programme was interesting but the difference is that MFP is a change of lifestyle while dieting is only effective as long as it is maintained. This is why people often regain weight once they flag with their diet.

Some very valuable points here.

suziecue66

Are you sure that on fasting day you eat throughout the day. Sure he just had breakfast and no food until breakfast next day.
Edit- ok he did have 2 meals on fast day - breakfast and dinner. I suppose you could just have 1 meal.

The calories for fast day is 25% of your maintenance calories.

natajane

I watched this, thinking it would be a load of cobblers to be honest. But I must admit, it's got me interested - the health benefits looked amazing. New brain cells, yes please! Could do with a few more of those

Calorie wise, it seems to make sense too. Today, not on diet at all, I've eaten about 2100 calories sat at home, "naturally grazing'. If I did that for 5 days, and then had 2 days at 500, that would be a total of 11500 calories.

If I was eating my diet calories I'd be on 1660 a day, so 11620 a week. So numbers wise it makes sense to me.

For me personally, being restricted to 1600 calories takes as much thought/planning as being on 500. Planning and then sticking to that plan is what I struggle with - it seems to make me obsessed and then fake hungry! I can deal with 2 days of restriction though for sure.

So I'm going to give this a whizz, feeling positive!

X

kazzyv

My husband and I watched this and we are both going to give it a go. We both need to lose weight but both love good food and cooking. The idea that 2 fasting days a week give us more freedom with food on the other days sounds attractive. And the health benefits seem to be amazing. We are planning to do ur fast days on a Tuesday and Thursday which are both days when we work so we will be kept busy most of the day, and it leaves weekends when we socialise not to have to worry too much. Nothing to lose but those pounds !