Hello,

time flies! This is already my fourth finished year on a fast diet, and I am embarking on my 5th! This routine really works and after such a long time, I still feel like doing it and I look forward to my fasting day (Monday). I did 5:2 between November, 2012 and October 2013 and since then I stick to 6:1. Lately, and this is what I will experiment with this year as well, I have skipped breakfast on some occasions every week.

I was very pleased with my results, and 6:1 really does seem to maintain a healthy level, one that I reached during my 5:2 regime. Some values, like cholesterol, just skipped back slightly.

I am 182 cm and 71kg.

BMI = 21.4
Body fat = 11%
Glucose = 4.2
Total cholesterol: 4.82 (LDL = 3.26, HDL = 1.43, triglycerides = 0.64)
IGF1 = 114 (normal range 103-221)

So very pleasing values, and what surprises is me IGF1. I have earlier on 6:1 typically been on cca. 140 while I was on 120 with 5:2. So, I am wondering if my skipped breakfasts come into play when I look at that value of 114…

Now, balance is the key here and I am not in for “maximizing”/”minimizing” any values. The good news is that my weight is perfectly unchanged on that level with 6:1 while my blood values are very good. I will try out the “1.5 fasting days” that comes with a skipped breakfast once or so per week and see what impact it has and let you know.

But this regime, 6:1, really does seem to work over time and I have found it easy to hang on to.

Good luck everyone with your fasting!

Warm regards, Tobias

Hi Paul,

I think the wonderful thing today is that there are so many diets to follow, and hopefully there is something that works for you (like LCHF or Mediterranean diet if not fasting diet)! For me 5:2 and then 6:1 really have worked over time. I did 5:2 for a year and then went on to 6:1 and I think “maintenance mode” is just about the right way to label it. I do running 3 times per week in quite a tough way and I am glad to see that the combination of fasting and relatively intense exercise has not exhausted my depots of minerals etc. It seems to be sustainable and healthy over time.

You will certainly have your ups and downs but that is normal and I think the wonderful thing with this diet is that you can allow yourself anything you want on the other days (provided you do stick to the calorie goal). I feel great when doing my fasting day and I feel great when I can eat again the next days 🙂

I experience that my memory has become much better and also my ability to withstand “temptation” in general in life. I still struggle with sleeping on a fasting day, but it is something I have come to accept. I am “cheating” a little bit these days and probably eat something like 750 calories on a fasting day (to improve my sleep) but on the other hand, I have extended the fasting period by some 6 hours by skipping breakfast the next day.

Paul – good luck with your fasting! You should see some blood results quite quickly and that may help in motivating you if ever you feel weak 🙂

Hi Jean,

that really sounds fantastic and it must be wonderful that you can do this routine together and motivate and support each other! 29 lbs is an amazing result; very well done! And beyond the weight loss there are several other benefits that keep you doing it. I lost those annoying kilos quite quickly and has then thanks to the maintenance mode been able to keep that weight (what I do notice is that if anything changes in my daily routine it may suddenly push the success of the 6:1 regime in one direction or the other but over time it does not seem to matter that much). Logically I overeat slightly on the other days as I am not losing any weight, but that is no longer my goal anyway and I also think my body got used to the regime. I just feel much leaner, as if my physiology has changed, my short-term memory (although I suspect a bit selective from time to time ;)) has also got better and I have maintained the healthy cholesterol level (especially a very low triglyceride value) that I gained during 5:2. I mentioned the IGF1 level above which is very low (surprisingly so) so hopefully, that will have a positive impact on my cancer risk as it has been all too common disease in my extended family. One thing that I did not mention above but may have done in earlier posts (not that I sign in often enough :() is that I perceive my will power has got a boost – I know I can say no to a treat which improves my self-confidence. I have made some exceptions during vacations and similar (if someone has cooked a nice meal or so you do not want to be a bore or ungrateful, do you…?) but otherwise I look forward to it every week, which is quite extraordinary, is it not?

If you two do it together I really think you have a great chance to manage for life. I would like to achieve the same…

Many thanks for sharing this very positive story and good luck with your fasting going forward!