BACKGROUND: 50 year old, perimenopausal woman, 5′ 4″, major family history of heart disease, genetic predisposition for high cholesterol. (When I was a very active, 105-pound, diet conscious 17-year old my cholesterol was 265!)It’s never in my life been below 200 and is usually at least 230 even with lots of exercise and strict diet. Tried a statin briefly in my mid-40s and within days went from feeling like a normal person to an arthritic old lady. It hurt just to sit in a chair! Never again. Otherwise generally healthy. On no medications other than a little over-the-counter vitamin D.

EXPERIMENT: Decided to experiment with IF before my annual checkup. Had a lipid panel done two months before checkup, started IF, had same tests again just before checkup. 1st month-no particular emphasis on exercise other than lawn mowing and yard work. 2nd month added some moderate exercise in the form of walking or swimming about 2-3 x per week.

RESULTS: (I’ve only listed variables that were of interest to me or that had a noteworthy change pre-post experiment)

(#s represent Day 1, Day 30, Day 60)

Weight: 153, 150, 148
BMI: 26.3, 25.7, 25.4
Total cholesterol: 258, –, 220
HDL: 75, –, 68
LDL: 166, –, 140
Triglycerides: 85, –, 58

Not sure how much of the change is due to exercise vs. 5:2 IF, but since I didn’t add much exercise and since it has never made much difference in the past, I suspect it’s the IF that has made the difference. Weight loss has been disappointingly slow, but I have gone down about one dress size and feel much more comfortable, energetic and happy so I’m not complaining. I’m finding fasting to be quite manageable. On fast days, I have 50-calorie cup of coffee (cream and light sugar) when I wake up, 400-calorie lunch around 1:00 and a 50-calorie cup of miso soup in the evening. I’m continuing the experiment. This third month, I’m incorporating an at-home core strength exercise program.

I wonder if it’s possible to get my cholesterol below 200? I’ll keep plugging away and perhaps have it tested again in a few months. I’ll keep you posted.

Thanks Michael and Mimi!