INTERMITTENT FASTING

This topic is about Intermittent Fasting as made popular by Dr. Michael Mosely in a BBC program. He also wrote a book titled "The FastDiet". His approach was based on animal studies that showed fasting increased the health and longevity of rodents, and it picks up on studies in humans done by Krista Varady of the U of Illinois on alternate day fasting (ADF). Dr. Varady's medical journal article is available on Google.

Cutting to the chase, Mosely considers that ADF is too difficult (he used himself as a guinea pig) and so he proposes the "5:2" plan. This is very simple: Fast 2 non-consecutive days per week, eat whatever you want on the 5 non-fasting days. This protocol caused people not only to lose weight steadily but also their blood panels improved.

This sounds extremely difficult and daunting, and much harder than dieting. But in practice it is far easier than dieting, and I've been successfully applying it for nearly 2 months now. I've lost over 30 pounds, and it has been simple. The reason it works is that it is counter-intuitive. When Dr. Varady was studying ADF with her human study, she and others expected people to eat 175% of their normal intake on "feed" days to compensate for the previous days' fasting. But in practice, although they were not restricted at all, people didn't do this. They actually ate 100% to 110% of their normal intake on "feed" days. This results in a very large weekly calorie deficit, and this causes weight loss. In my case, the loss has varied between 2 and 5 pounds per week, even when eating like a swine on the "feed" days. Yes, I have cheated, and have stalled out once or twice. But I've always compensated and am on track anyway.

Here's the deal: people tell you not to fast, because they are afraid that your body metabolism will become aware of the fasting and switch you into "starvation mode" where your metabolism slows down to conserve body mass, making it impossible, or at least much harder, to lose weight. This is a real phenomenon, and explains why it takes so long to starve to death. But studies have found that this "starvation mode" is not like a light switch that suddenly switches on--it takes a little time. If you fast one day, and eat whatever you want the next, the body doesn't have time to switch into the calorie conservation mode, and you really do get the benefit of your fasting.

Also, "fasting" is not really eating nothing and drinking nothing, as an Islamic person would do during daylight hours of Ramadan. The fasting in this instance is "modified fasting," which allows you to eat a small number of calories on a "fast" day: 600 calories for men, 500 calories for women. In practice this works out to a decent breakfast, no lunch, and a small dinner. Mosely's book contains lots of examples of 600 and 500 calorie meal days, and recipes, but really you can just make up your own. For me a fast day is typically two poached eggs, a slice of non-buttered toast, a strip of bacon, coffee and skim milk for breakfast -- actually a pretty substantial breakfast that only really comes to 300 cals. Then no lunch. I'll typically work through lunch, or play ping pong, or drink iced tea, or all of the above. Really pretty easy to skip lunch when you are busy. Then dinner, to make it easy, is a can of tuna or salmon, or a tin of sardines. Of course, you could be more creative. I've also had a thin homemade lean hamburger on a bun, a small broiled salmon filet and a salad, or a tuna salad full of vegetables and some olive-oil mayonnaise. The possibilities are endless for a 300 cal dinner, but it is a small dinner by western standards.

This sounds hard, but it isn't. Here's the key, as Mosely points out. The beauty of the 5:2 plan is that, on fasting days, you know that YOU CAN EAT ANYTHING YOU WANT THE NEXT DAY. This is incredibly powerful. Unlike dieting, or atkins, or the normal protocols, where the Sword of Damocles is always hanging over your head (oh, I ate too much, oh, I shouldn't have eaten that, oh, i need to cut back, eat less carbs, no bread, etc etc), you only restrict yourself on day1 and on day2 you can eat anything. If you are longing for a bacon cheeseburger with fries, or pizza, you can ponder this craving on your fast day, and the next day you can have at it.

Maybe it's just me, but I really enjoy the freedom of my non-fasting days, which form most of my week. And as for the fasting days, I don't dread them anymore (I did for the first 2 or 3). Now I actually look forward to them with happiness, and I am very pleased and self-righteous during those days. I also find that I am more mentally sharp, and better at sports and other activity. This is something that sounds counterintuitive, but as Mosely points out, during the fast days you are letting your body clean itself and repair damage. You have taken your foot off the accelerator and you are just coasting, you are not telling your cells to grow, grow, grow by continuing to fuel them all day every day. This has a salutary effect on your health, and there are many people worldwide who restrict calories dramatically every day only for the health effects. This sounds hard to me, and I won't be one of them.

If you, like me, are obese and hating life, and are a recidivist with every bleeding diet that you try, losing 40 pounds on Atkins then gaining it all back and more, try this protocol. It is much, much easier than dieting, and after 2 or 3 fast days you will find it is very simple and easy. I have another 60 pounds to lose. I've been following a 4:3 protocol, which is fasting 3 days per week (Mon/Thur/Sat). Of course the days are your choice so long as they are non-consecutive. The 5:2 plan recommended by Mosely is so easy for me that I pushed myself to add another fast day per week to speed the process and make it a little more challenging. Now I'm finding the 4:3 is really easy. It really does get much easier the more you do it for some reason. You don't get unduly tired or hungry. You just eat your little programmed 300 cal meals for breakfast and dinner, and stop. No fuss, no muss. Then you can eat like a swine if you want on the "feed" days. In practice I have had some reasonable "feed" days and some incredibly sinful "feed" days. It doesn't seem to make a large difference over time.

I also found that I have a slightly different relationship with food now. For the most part, I am seeing why I got to be so fat, and the quantities of food I used to gorge myself with seem impossibly large now. This is not something I realized would happen, but I'm happy it has. Now when I eat like a swine, I eat like a smaller swine.

This is making a huge difference in my life, pulling me back from the bring of many potential health problems, and giving me a sense of well being and control over this formerly disastrous part of my life. I recommend that any of you that need help google michael mosely and intermittent fasting, and read dr. varady's journal article on alternate day fasting. There is enough information on the Internet to give you all you need. Or you can buy Dr. Mosely's book for about 10 bucks on Amazon if you want. There are lots of variations on this fasting theme, and you can find something that works for you personally. But don't discount fasting. Nearly all cultures and religions have featured fasting throughout the ages, and now we are becoming aware that there is a strong scientific basis for it. Primitive man didn't scarf down 3 high calorie meals a day every day. He probably hunted and feasted hugely, and then went hungry for days when he couldn't find something to eat. In some ways, our success in making cheap food available to everyone with no effort is our downfall; it's possible that it contributes to a lot of our diseases.

OK, either you will try this or not. I gain nothing either way, I am not associated with anyone trying to make money on this. It's just that it works and is so easy, and it frees you from the incessant calorie or carb counting and fear. Have the guts to cut back tremendously just 2 days out of your week and watch what happens. If you are like me, you will find it very easy, and you will be incredibly pleased with the results.