I had a stroke at forty. From being completely paralysed down one side and unable to speak nine years ago, I have now returned to work, pretty much fully recovered physically and mentally.

I’ve been doing the fast diet diet all year. But I’m not such a good faster. I find that fasting does affect my balance and concentration so I modify it on some days.

The interesting thing for me is the effects fasting has had on my brain. I feel myself again, like somehow I have my brainy-ness back. Or rather, it’s sharpness. Before, I often felt fuzzy in my thinking, my thoughts and insights were just beyond my reach . I know stuff, and I know I know, but just can’t access it. This would happen when I was tired, had a migraine (another byproduct of the stroke) or had been concentrating for a long time.

This improvement I measured with the cognitive testing recommended in the Fast Diet book. The improvements were marked and just so exciting!

My balance has improved with fasting. Being a stroke survivor, I’m on aspirin and would be covered in bruises on my legs from bumping into things. So much so that I couldn’t wear skirts in summer some weeks. I noticed a bruise on my leg the other day and suddenly realised that I haven’t been bruised for months.

My ability to concentrate and focus my attention has improved and this is expressed in my language. My word finding abilities have improved and my speech is clearer, finding the right words quickly, without hesitation therefore being clearer, more accurate, and saying what I wanted to say. This feels wonderful and empowering as it has enable me to regain some mental acuteness, clear thinking and wit

While this is anecdotal, for me the cumulative effect on my brain has been fantastic and is evidence enough for me to keep fasting at least one day a week for life.