The Fast Diet Challenge

500 or less isn't too hard to manage on. Just stay strong, and good luck!

I saw that programme and it does seem compelling. Its good that it was on the BBC because I feel they have a bit more integrity than other channels.

If I were you, I'd try one day fasting first.

I, however could not do it. I fail to see how I could go about working on a farm every day on 500 cal.

No you dont feel like killing, your body Adapts, infact you feel happier, i personally make sure i drink water, green tea even coffee if its what i want...but it does give time to your body to repair i eat once a day on the fast day and the meal has a fruit, cereal and dairy in it n ofcourse veggies n sometimes lentils, incase you are working out hard you might want to add a protein drink, you are good to go or at least i am!

I did 5:2 fasting for a couple of months and lost weight really steadily. More steadily than I am now on the same average daily deficit. I did find it a bit difficult and cheated by netting 500 on my down days rather than just eating 500 because would do a big 600 cal cardio workout. No problems with working out fasted. Did get that funny ketosis taste in my mouth though.

I probably should try to go back to that eating pattern. I got out of the habit when I stopped while on vacation.

bump

If you end up doing great in a month, you won't know why. Trying a new fasting program may work or it could be the 30ds or the 6 week or it could be from cutting out bad habits. There will be no way to tell. I wish you the best! Hopefully, your big change of a month works for you.

I do a 24 hour fast once a week, except for one week a month where I do a 36 hour fast instead. The fasting is zero calories during these periods, and I never feel like I'm starving.

Some weeks I may skip a fast if I'm just not feeling it. It's not a big deal. It's one strategy that can help some people.

I find it's easier for me to do this and keep to my weekly caloric total than it is to stay at a deficit every single day. So basically a typical week changes from 7 days of deficit to 3 days of deficit, 1 day of fasting and 3 days of maintenance.

I continue to run and power lift even on fasting days (though I generally try to schedule it for a run day.)

I haven't been able to find any actual scientific studies that would support this kind of fad diet. You don't need to give your body that much time to do "maintenance". You do that every night while you are sleeping. A diet like this while doing a lot of exercise is also likely to deprive your body of necessary calories and cause you to lose muscle instead of fat.

Hey Guys today I bought 'The fast diet' book by Dr Michael Mosley (guy off BBC) half way through and he reckons letting your body essentially starve by cutting your calorific intake by 75% for any 2 days of the week is apparently meant to be amazing for you and your body and states studies have shown things like less chance of cancer, diabetes etc etc..

I know some of you guys are probably thinking, ''Wow, no way! 500 calories a day as if''

But I'm giving it a go starting tomorrow and Monday of every week. I'm only allowed 1400 calories a day now on MFP but struggle to even hit this.

I'm not anorexic or anything far from it but am allowed as much black tea/coffee, water as well as 370 calories for 2 days of the week. Should be interesting.

Oh and of top of this me and my wife are doing the 30 day shred and 6 week 6 pack.

It's all about lifestyle change people not 'fad' diets.

Like to hear what you all reckon.

Chris

I am interested to know if the book cites any long term studies. I would give a lot of credit to someone who maintained that diet for a year or more and are not incarcerated.

The book is referring to intermittent fasting and there are a lot of studies that say it is healthy. Keep in mind that there are many ways to fast. There's alternate day fasting, 16 hour fasting, or the 5:2 day fast which is what Mosley does. Whichever you choose is up to you and your lifestyle. Link below is to the wiki article that has papers cited at the bottom if you want to learn more.


http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting


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Thanks, Im familiar with IF, but this seems like it would be a completely different experience.....For myself at least.

But it IS IF.

Here is some info on the original TV programme and the benfits it had on his health.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9480451/The-52-diet-can-it-help-you-lose-weight-and-live-longer.html

Hi, We have been following the IF plan since August and have lost 14lb's. It takes a week or two to get into it but now it is something that is just part of our lifestyle. The main reason we did it is for the health benefits, reduced heart attack, stroke, dementia, diabetes and cancer risk. We have elderly parents whose quality of life, in their seventies, is impacted by all of these things and it is heart breaking to watch.

If we are going to live through to our eighties or nineties or beyond then we do not want the last twenty years of our life to be in a home not knowing who we are or being able to speak. If, by reducing what we eat on two days a week we can enjoy an additional twenty years of good quality life then it feels as though it is worth trying.

We hope you find it as beneficial as we have. Good luck.

THIS is exactly my reasoning too. Diabetes and dementia are common in my family and it's worth being proactive and trying out different things now to avoid these diseases. I'm fairly happy with my weight right now, so if I do lose any it'll be a bonus.

I can understand why everyone is skeptical, and yes the 5:2 diet is a fad right now, but have a look at the book before making knee-jerk condemnations. Mosley cites many many studies to back up his claims.

Just one point to the OP though--I would probably add one new regime at a time, give it time to become part of your routine, and then add the next one. Eg February start fasting, March start 30DS, etc.

This is very interesting. I had no idea the benefits of fasting. 2 days a week doesn't seem so bad. I'll probably test this out in a few more months. Right now, I'm lucky to get through the day without binging!

Good luck, I really hope it works out for you.

It's sad some people here think it is a fad diet. It's anything but. You just eat a lot less for 2 days a week. The thing Michael Mosley and all the other experts picked up on time and again is that we are NOT programmed to eat 3 square meals a day. We evolved in an environment where we killed, gorged, and fasted. Our bodies expect to have lean times and have adapted. We even use the lean time to repair ourselves. And to the sceptical, I would say just google it. There is a wealth of science out there to back it up.

There's still a good case for not eating the junk food so prevalent in Western society today, but I've done too many weightloss programmes where a big family get-together has left me feeling guilty about the roast potatoes, etc. Luckily I am a major vegetable fan so I don't eat badly most of the time - just too much

5:2 is a way to keep your weight under control without putting your life on hold. I choose Mondays and Thursdays because they are least likely to be disrupted by social eating events, and because I am normally at work, with a routine I can make fit around my eating plans. I'm in my 4th week and have lost 4lbs.

I have 2 boiled eggs for breakfast, and a big salad in the evening. You would be amazed how big a plate of food you can get for 250 calories when it is salad. For the first couple of weeks I felt deprived, but the hardest thing was to drink tea or coffee without milk. As I take skimmed milk in my tea anyway, I've sacrificed 50 calories from my evening meal to have milk in my tea and suddenly it's become easy

I've found what Dr Mosley says is true. Hunger doesn't build and build in waves. It gently knocks the door a few times a day and shuffles off when you don't answer. The less you answer the less it knocks.

I bought Dr Mosleys book but you really don't need to. Everything you need to know is on his web site. And there's not a lot there because there aren't a lot of rules. It's not an important part of his life - just something he does a couple of days a week and then forgets about. He's not a fanatic like Atkins or Sears