It is complete nonsense that you cannot get medical treatment immediately in the UK if you need it and our NHS is open to all and free at point of delivery So please do not compare it to the very unfair system in the USA that leaves many people without the medical care they need This person was treated in an ambulance by highly qualified medical staff. I am sure if she had wanted and needed to have been taken to an Accident and Emergency Department of a Hospital she would have been. It seems from her posts she has made her mind about what caused her condition without the benefit of any in depth medical investigation, very unwise, and did not want to bother herself even with an ECG.It appears it was her choice to be dropped off at another railway station and continue home. Clearly she should consult her GP as soon as possible not self diagnose. These events may well indicate an underlying serious condition (not necessarily related but triggered by fasting) which needs investigation and treatment. This should not put other people off the 5:2 which helps many people lose weight and improve their general health.

In the UK, all GP doctors have a system whereby emergency cases or in the case of a child being ill, you can access a that day or at least a next day appointment.

There are also hospitals around the country which have some form of ‘walk in’ centre where you turn up and wait to be firstly triaged and then seen by a doctor. It can take a while but you are then fed straight into the A&E system if required.

Finally, I don’t believe that an ambulance would have done anything other than taken someone in the condition you describe directly to A&E and called someone on your behalf.

I have 2 small children and myself am epileptic and allergic to eggs, so have used the various methods of accessing the Health Service many times with consistently terrific care.

Sherbert, please go to your doctors as something here isn’t adding up xx

Sorry to hear this, Sherbert. I had to abandon the diet too. I really wanted it to work and had high expectations that it would. Not only did I not lose much weight, I felt so lethargic on the fast days and those that followed that I was barely able to exercise. I had no motivation and was just tired. I think my whole life I’ve been a little hypoglycemic to begin with, so the fast diet just made my blood sugar drop too much. I suspect the same happened to you, though I didn’t pass out.

I’ve been back on calorie counting for five weeks or so and have already lost three pounds. I have my energy back and have been able to bump up my exercise. I plan to remain vigilant about weighing frequently and logging calories every day. It is a pain, but it does work.

Does sound like a blood sugar issue to me, too. Lots of people have ‘normal’ blood sugar readings yet have highs and lows during the day. My s-i-l is one of them: must eat at regular intervals to avoid sugar lows.

What you eat for breakfast as you come off a Fast might matter: try higher protein, lower carbs for the breakfast after a Fast Day. Cottage cheese and low-glycemic fruit, perhaps. Eggs and sausage. perhaps.

Sherbert: see a doctor. Lots of people second-guess what they think the MD will say and so avoid going. And then it turns out that there was something really wrong. Hope that’s not your case.

@sherbert Just putting in my comments for what they are worth.
I too have hypoglycaemia and suffer horrific migraines if I try to fast completely or have fluid only for 24 – 36 hours. ( hospitalised when I have my 2 yearly colonoscopy)
I tried for a few years to do the ‘ 40 hour famine’ to raise funds for charity and ended up feeling so appalling that I gave up. Even having barley sugar etc didn’t help.
I also have low blood pressure
SO…
I do NOT fast completely. I eat to 500 calories or below even on days I work and exercise. I eat protein and some carb depending on what I feel I need.
As others have already said I do think you should see a GP at least. It appears the fasting is triggering some response which is affecting you seriously so you do need to get it checked out.
There are a lot of benefits with fasting but you should NOT be making yourself ill.
For your own health and safety I think a complete medical check is advisable.
At the very least it would give you an idea of your critical ‘ numbers’ e.g. BP, resting heart rate, cholesterol levels, BSGs etc.
With this information and in concert with your GP you could then work out a plan which would be useful for you personally.
Even with fasting and 5:2 it is not a ‘ one size fits all’ and things need to be tailored to individual needs.
It may well be that fasting is not for you but until you get it checked properly you are really working in the dark.
Hope this is helpful.
In Australia our health system is not bad but there can be wait times to see a GP especially in country areas. A friend told me he tried to make an appointment this Monday and can’t see the doc until next week!

Sherbert, I hope you find health and a diet plan that will work for you. good luck.

It could also be a mineral deficiency. Your body has enough energy in glycogen and fat to last you days without passing out, as long as you stay hydrated and are taking in minerals.

Being low in sodium, potassium, or magnesium can do all sorts of weird things to cortisol, adrenal glands, and blood pressure. I had an incident a few years back where I almost passed out driving down the interstate at 70 mph with 6 youth baseball players in the truck. Could have been a disaster. Whole way home I kept nodding out, while I was driving! I hadn’t eaten much that day, and the food I had just eaten was highly processed (granola bars). I went back and checked (I track everything I eat) and added columns in my spreadsheet for potassium, sodium, and magnesium, and it was unequivocal. I was super low in potassium and magnesium. Ever since that day, I track those three minerals in my daily diet (plus all my calories and macros), and haven’t had a problem. I was worried when I started 16:8 that I’d get that feeling again, but I make sure I take in a minimum of 4800 mg of potassium every day (in the form of meat, spinach salads and the occasional potato) and a 200 mg magnesium supplement, and I feel great during a fast.

If you’re getting dizzy after a meal, when insulin should be out in full force removing glucose from your blood stream, being low in potassium will mimic the conditions of diabetes. http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/media/releases/potassium_levels_possible_key_to_racial_disparity_in_type_2_diabetes

In my family, extra weight is a serious issue. My father and I are obese for over 15 years. I don’t understand how this horrible thing started, but it lasts for more than a decade. My father has been operated on heart, because of this extra weight. One day we had to call http://www.airambulance1.com because he couldn’t breath and lost his senses. Since then, we’ve tried all kind of diets, but nothing helped because after 2-3 days of balanced eating we felt so hungry that ate twice more that usual. I hope that one day food will not be as much as an issue to us as it is today.