5 of my 6 kids and I have chronic Lyme disease along with other tick borne infections (we live in the Northeast U.S where the rates are the highest) We all have various long-term auto-immune symptoms as a result such as short-term memory issues, joint pain, skin problems (severe psoriasis), nerve involvement, muscle twitching, heart palpitations – the list goes on and on.

I’ve been told by various health counselors and know that diet plays a HUGE part in managing the disease (there is no cure once you’ve had it long-term.) The problem is that the diets are always so restrictive and even after following them to the letter, I don’t see any change in anything (health or weight) after weeks and weeks. (When you have an auto-immune condition, you tend to put on weight due to the inflammation.) I’m wasn’t looking for a miracle, but I did expect to see some sort of improvement.

I recently watched the BBC documentary and it was the part about cells repairing themselves during a fast that got my attention. I’ve just started the 5:2 diet this week. I’m going to give it 5 weeks. If I see a significant difference (symptoms first, weight second) then you can bet I’ll be putting the entire family on this diet.

Will keep you updated as to the progress.

The first day went well and I wasn’t in the least bit hungry. I found that the next day and today, although I knew I could eat anything, I didn’t pig out (but then I don’t tend to eat much which is why trying to lose weight is so infuriating.) Tomorrow is my next fast day but when I’ve planned a bowl of squash soup for lunch and a small chicken and veggie dinner it doesn’t seem like much of a hardship.

My son had a visit with our LLMD (Lyme Literate Medical Doctor) because of his reoccurring Lyme symptoms. I’m trying to get him (age 23) to try this diet but he thinks it’s “kooky.” He’s at least promised to watch the documentary which is what sealed the deal for me. Hopefully he’ll either give it a whirl or if he sees improvement in me, he might be convinced to try it then.

Our LLMD doc didn’t know about the 5:2 diet, so if I get positive results, I’ll be sharing them with him. Who knows? If this cuts down on inflammation (which is my primary concern) and the resultant symptoms, this could be a very powerful tool in managing chronic Lyme which is a *HUGE* problem in our area of the U.S.

Greetings from New Hampshire where we *still* haven’t gotten any snow!

Well I made it through another fast day but it wasn’t easy. It was rainy and very cold yesterday, all I kept thinking about was eating warm food. Sure, I drank teas and coffee and even had a bowl of soup for lunch, but it wasn’t as easy as the first day.

I am discovering that a few of my chronic Lyme symptoms seem to be rearing their heads. It’s very similar to any herx reactions I get when I start a new antibiotic. Flu-like feeling (achy) Lyme and increased mucous in my nose and lungs. Lyme is a spirochete and it burrows into various tissue. What if there are Lyme bacteria in the fat that I’m supposedly now using? The death of the bacteria (with the ultimate release of toxins) just might account for these symptoms.

In any event, it’s only the first week and I am only one data point, so right now it is only conjecture.

You say that you’ve been doing 5:2 for 5 months and that you have a chronic illness. Have you noticed any difference in your symptoms?