Dr Michael

Somehow I happened to come across this wonderful way of dieting. I am not obese, but little bit overweight and have been looking for ways to lose some weight. I have tried different things in the past (except the paid ones as I am a believer of taking control of my own diet) and had various levels of success.

Started 5:2 on March 10th and I modified this to 2:1 diet (eat 2 days and fast 1 day) and if there is a hurdle, I try to make it 1:1 and go back to 2:1. Since fasting is part of Indian culture (we catch later though by eating more), I have not had any issues.

So far I have lost at least 7 pounds in 8 weeks and have not weighed in the last 3 weeks and planning to weigh only once a month to avoid frustration and doubting the diet.  My pants fit (some of them 10-15 years old) and I have moved to the last hole on the belt. I will try to post the pictures soon.

I did health checkup in the first week of May and waiting for results to compare to my previous years.

Will keep you posted. Thanks.

I too have been dieting for a life time.  Someone in my office told me about the diet when they saw it mentioned on Good Morning America.  I immediately looked it up and ordered the book but started right away that was in mid March.  I am sorry I didn’t measure myself when I started because I know I have lost  lots of inches.  Clothes I couldn’t even think about wearing, now are loose.  I have lost sixteen pounds.  I feel so much more energy, even on fast days and everyone has noticed the change in me.   I no longer eat a big lunch but have switched to fruit and yogurt but I do indulge in a bagel on Fridays.    I also have an underactive thyroid and am on medication but this just seems to be the right way of life for me.  My son said he can’t remember me looking so good.  I will be 65 next month and I’m looking forward to a happier and healthier way of life with the Fast Diet.

I came across this way of living via The Horizon TV show and it made so much sense that I began fasting the very next day. That was four weeks ago. In that time I have lost 3.3kg (7.2lbs) and I cannot believe how good I feel (and look!). At 47 years of age I now have the body that I had before I had children (my oldest just turned 21yrs). I have thrown out all my fat clothes and plan never to put on those unwanted kilos ever again. On Mother’s day my own mother and father were so shocked at my transformation that they wondered if I’d had a facelift!

Oh I should probably mention that before I began the 5:2 diet I had been calorie counting for 4 months and had lost 3.5kgs (7.7lbs) – I same amout I lost in 4 weeks with fasting.

On fast days I feel light, in control and virtuous. On feed days I feel nourished, pampered and a little bit naughty! I’ve also noticed (and I don’t want to gross anyone out here) that my body is working in a much more predictable (regular) fashion. So along with my fat clothes I’ve also thrown out my fibre supplements 🙂 I’d also like to add that I do a lot of walking (yesterday I walked 20kms), I’m sure this has helped with my weight loss and I would very much recommend that an exercise plan be included and walking is such a lovely way to spend one’s time. A calorie counter is helpful too, there are many free apps out there, the one I use is called EasyDietDiary.

Anyway – that’s me in a nutshell, thank you Michael and Mimi – this has changed my life and the life of many of my friends. It’s easy, it’s fun and it works.

Happy living everyone!

Dear Dr Michael!

I was just wondering when the forums where going to appear! I was about to comment to suggest that it might be worth taking it in, but now you already have! Anyway, great job with the books. I have just got the recipe book in the post and is now marking out all the recipes that i can imagine myself cooking on a fast day with little lables. Its a lot of labels since i have to mark out every other page! eveything looks delichious!! I am really looking forward to one of them tonight.

I have one question though. i didnt know where to put it, but i thought might as well put it here. This is my second day, second week of fasting, its going great! i have lost several kg’s already and can see the difference! But yesterday i caught a nasty cold and today i got a slight fever and feeling a little fever faint. How do i do with my fasting day then? i know of course that a lot of water is importand for both fever and fasting, but should i not fast on days when im ill? i dont really mind, im sure i could do it, i just dont want to damage my body.

Regards – Iris

Hello! I am a 58 year old woman and started the 5:2 three months ago. I have struggled in the past to maintain a steady weight. It has yo-yo’d between about 55kg and 75kg recently. I have high blood pressure, high-ish cholesterol, and a family history of stroke, heart disease and diabetes. I also take antipsychotic medication which makes it easy to put on weight and has been associated with changes to lipid metabolism and predisposition to developing diabetes. My dietitican suggested this diet. In the last 3 months I have lost about 14 pounds (slow and steady) and, remarkably, five (yes, FIVE) inches off my waistline! After some experimentation I have settled on taking most of my 500 calories in one go, skipping breakfast and having my small meal as late in the day as I can manage – usually after 4pm. For me, the health benefits are more important than the weight loss, though both seem to be happening. I have just ordered the recipe book. Many thanks!

Good morning!  I have  question.   Are all variations of intermittent fasting welcome on this forum?  Frankly, I am successfully doing 16/8 fasting (eating for 8 hours out of the day), because I don’t want to count calories for even two days a week!

I love intermittent fasting.  It’s time has come.  It’s such a freeing experience no matter how we do it!

Hi!  I’m new to the forum, but have been doing the 5:2 since January, and have lost 1 stone 10 pound,  I find this the easiest diet, I find I don’t have to think on my fading days, Tuesdays and Thursdays, I know what I can and can’t have, bizarrely I have more energy on my fast days than my normal days… weird. ..

Thank you for coming up with this, is brilliant. .. doing it with my mum, it’s great doing it with some one as you can support each other if your feeling a bit of it!  Looking forward to posting my before and after pictures! !

Michael,

I had watched the exercise and diet programs on PBS. Couldn’t quite get through the gut program. Sorry, a little squeamish. I had been adding cardio intervals to my regular workouts and now do them regularly though I use the Tabata interval. The Timmons interval just isn’t hard enough — and Dr. Jamie  admits in an email exchange that he was looking for the “easiest” interval that a regular person, or someone who hadn’t done much working out, could manage.

I started the 5:2 diet about a month ago along with a move to a more vegetarian eating pattern along with green tea and an Ayurvedic tea designed by my herbalist wife. So far, I’m down 4.5 pounds and am now the lowest I’ve been in 5 years. Initial bloodwork done just a week into the regimen had the overall cholesterol dropping by 40 points from 136 to 96. I am off Lipitor as a result (still on Zetia, for now). Also supplementing with grapefruit pectin. Blood glucose was down though not as far as the doctor wants it.

I don’t find the CR days easy but I’m managing and people in my office are surprisingly supportive. The teas and water are getting me through. What I’m trying not to do is go crazy on the non-CR days. Trying to stay within an 1800-2000 calorie limit, a drop more on the days I’m working out.

I’m very curious to see what the new bloodwork will show. Those test are scheduled for late June so I’ll report back then on those results.

Ian in Los Angeles

Hi,

ive been on the 5:2 for a few months now. Along with spinning classes I’ve lost a total of 38 pounds!

im now at a weight I haven’t seen for 18 years. At last I’ve found something that’s sustainable and effective…….it really is a fantastic lifestyle change.

Hello everyone! I started this diet yesterday. Today was a fasting day for me. I am well pleased so far. I made a HUGE fat 300 calorie salad and got several eatings from it. I was hungry this morning  but now I aint. I am finished for the day. I am excited to be here.

Hello! I just weighed in after my second fast day and have lost 5lb in 6 days! Ok,  I know it all happens quickly in the first week of any diet and then you slow down but I’m very chuffed nonetheless! I’m hoping to lose 1st 4lb in all, so 13lb to go. A rate of 1-2lb per week would be great.

The only other restrictions I’m imposing on myself are that I drink alcohol on only two days per week – something I’m going to try to stick to after a recent successful month on the wagon – and only one sugary treat per week – if I go to someone’s for dinner and they make a lovely dessert or something. Otherwise on non-fast days it’s big breakfast, small lunch, big dinner and fruit only for snacks, which is how I normally eat. And lots of walking and swimming.

I think this is going to be a pretty perfect diet for me. Partly because I love food and eat well, cook everything from scratch etc. – I just eat too much! Everyone says your metabolism slows down in middle age. That may well be true – but I don’t think it helps if you’re also  just really greedy! Anyway, I don’t want a Lifestyle Change, just a way of losing weight without having to think about it much. I was worried that I’d feel all faint and headachey and not be able to concentrate on work during the fast days, but not at all. In fact I was really productive as I didn’t get my usual post-lunch slump. So whether I stick to a one-day-per-week fast or not when I’ve lost the weight, I’m definitely going to be eating less for lunch generally.

Many thanks, then, for this simple, brilliant idea!

EllieB.

First heard of Fast Diet in Boston Globe, saw program on PBS (thanks to Web) and fell in love.  I am 71, with BMI of 27.5 and could not seem to be motivated for any old diet.  The Fast Diet struck a nerve and I am now ready for Week 6 and down 8 pounds.  On Fast Days, I eat nothing until a bowl of soup and maybe an egg in the evening.  It seems to me this is mind over matter.  I am seldom “hungry”, but habit wants me to grab something.  Keeping busy is key to keep my mind off food.

Just love this diet.  I’m sure I can get my BMI in limits and fit in my jeans easily again !

5:2 Fast Diet means to me: large free-choice-days  and some little hours of self discipline a week,  result: 3 lbs during the first 9 days (vegetarian meals). Thank you for your video-documentation “Eat-Fast-LiveLonger”.

Hi everybody. My husband and I have been doing the fast diet for 3 months now and feeling great: we have lost about a stone, can fit into old clothes and have lots of energy. We havent done any blood work to see the health improvements but are positive that we are going in the right direction. However, now that the holidays are approaching, we are getting really nervous about how to keep it up and not lose everything we’ve achieved so far. Has anybody successfully kept fasting when in holidays? Any tips would be greatly appreciated! And to Michael, thanks so much for your honesty and clarity when delivering science. I use your programs all the time to teach my students… 🙂

My compliments and thanks to Michael and his team for bringing IF to us all. I saw the documentary on SBS (Aust) and had no doubt it was for me. In three weeks I’ve dropped 6kg and feel so much healthier, on 3 days fasting each week. I’m a former runner and gym junkie who, with age (I’m mid 60’s) and sore muscles, gave it up and started to put on weight, but this seems to be a great alternative for a healthy lifestyle. I know I can’t keep up the 3 days forever and will drop back to 2 or 1, or maybe try skipping breakfast and fasting for 16 hours daily.  But in the meantime, there are so many benefits I’m feeling – food never tasted so good, energy levels are up and feel like getting on with those things I’ve been putting off, disposition is much more pleasant, even improved sex life.  Need to wait a while for blood levels, my doctor recommended six weeks. Life’s good again – that’s how I’d call it. Thanks.

Hello Michael and hello to everyone else too of course,

I remember seeing the Horizon prog and being stunned by the physiological changes that people reported. I watched it again yesterday and have also read a few papers around the subject and decided to make today my first fast day.

I am 46, currently weigh 91.2kgs and have raised cholesterol levels. Blood pressure tends to be higher than average also and heart disease, cancer and strokes run in my family.

Of course I’d be thrilled to drop some weight, but it’s not weight loss that has made me decide to do this. It is absolutely the prospect of lowering cholesterol, blood pressure and also IGF-1 levels.

I had thought that sticking to a calorie level of <600 a day on fast days would be tough (and I don’t kid myself that one day = experience) but I started to read calorie counts on things in the supermarket and was amazed at how many things can easily come in under that level whilst still being what I would view as a meal.

Today I’ve drunk tonnes of water and black tea and had a poached egg with 30g of smoked salmon and I’m looking forward to my evening meal of a very carefully weighed out tuna salad nicoise later.

I am also registered to run the Royal Parks Half this October and hope that the 5:2 and the run aren’t mutually exclusive. I can’t see any reason why they wouldn’t be anything other than fine as long as you don’t overdo it on fast days perhaps.

Anyway, I just wanted to introduce myself and say a little about why I have decided to follow 5:2.

My first fast day – so far 500kcal and I even went out for tea (half portion linguine 300kcal).

I’m hungry but very aware that come 9.30 tomorrow morning there a toasted teacake with my name and jam on.  Something I would normally feel horrendous about.

I just want to stop dieting and be healthy.

Fingers crossed . . . . .

Hello,
I began the 5:2 diet immediately I got back from a long holiday DownUnder in April. I downloaded the book on to my new iPad and read it all through on the flight home (airline meals are good practice for fasting) and was impressed with the science behind it and the promise of other huge health benefits. I have had breast cancer and first tried intermittent fasting 5 years ago as recommended by the Genesis Breast Unit. At that time their diet was heavily dairy based and I couldn’t sustain it. My current weight isn’t excessive but I would like to shed about 30 – 35 lbs. I have no difficulty with the fasting days apart from caffeine withdrawal. I can’t drink tea without milk! I now counteract this by factoring a small amount of skimmed milk into my calorie count to have with my tea and drinking some black coffee (as if it were medicine). I’m learning to love herbal teas especially licorice.

I’ve bought the recipe book and some of the recipes have become everyday favourites however may I make a plea for a less “middle-class” version. I can’t see it being much use to people on a budget, people who live away from large towns and the rather more conservative amongst us. I have tried creating my own meals by doing my own calorie calculations but find it very frustrating as calorific values vary widely between the sources I use. Has anybody else come across this phenomenon? Can anybody recommend an accurate source of calorie content of foodstuffs?

My whole family are now doing the fast diet and not finding it a hardship at all, although my husband tends to fall off the wagon more than the rest of us but then he’s slim and fit already. I don’t even have to feel guilty on W.I. nights when I indulge in the delicious cakes made by other members. A Win – Win situation.

Hi there,

I’m from Australia and here our food labelling uses the kJ. My grandma has recently started this diet after watching the documentary (i.e. she does not have the book, in which this query may be explained) and I just wanted to confirm that your use of the term ‘calorie’ in fact refers to the kilocalorie/Calorie.

I assume this is the case as an apple would contain 143 times the recommended fasting intake if calculated in ‘calories’, as opposed to a 6th of the intake if calculated in kcal/Calories. I just want to confirm as this distinction can have a big impact on the results of kJ conversion calculation!

Thank you!

Hi starting my second week so fast num 3. I have lost 2lb but have been dieting for awhile doing other diets. Now lost 27 lbs since Jan. I am very interested in the health side of it. The best bit was that in a week I had lost an inch off my waist. I couldn’t believe it was thrilled. Tried a pair of trousers on that I hadn’t been able to get on any fitted me. Will keep going so far so good.

Hi
I’ve been on the diet since mid January and have lost 2.5 stones. I have been on various diets throughout my life and this one is way the best. I am on a fast day today and have to admit I’m pretty hungry at the moment although lunch is looming at 1pm. Yes you do have weeks when you plateau, but stick at it as it will start to drop again. I tend to lose a little bit one week, half a poundish, then a pound or two the next. My husband is also on the diet and has had great results as well. I have half a stone to go to get to my target weight then I will try 6:1 for maintenance. The only downfall I have found is that none of my clothes fit me and I don’t want to buy anymore until I get to the weight I want to be! Nice problem to have though!

Hi everyone,

I’m new on the forum but not new to 5:2. After watching Michaels wonderful documentary end of August 2012, I was sure this was going to be ‘it’ for me.

I’m 52 and was used to being slim most of my life until I started having strange sypmtoms a while after having my second daughter in 2002, one of the symptoms being gaining weight for no reason.
It took 3 years to find out what was wrong with me : I had Hashimoto’s and was now hypothyroid. It took a long time to get my medication to the right dose so the past 10 years I gained about 10 kgs (22 lbs). I never ever managed to lose any of it … until now !

Since I didn’t have a lot of info and ‘the book’ wasn’t out yet, I searched the internet and found Brad Pilons ‘EatStopEat’ site. I read his book and started doing his Flexible Intermittent Fasting (similar to 5:2) in September 2012 (24 hrs real fasts so not eating after breakfast until the next breakfast, twice a week).

I knew that my pace was going to be slower (because of my underactive thyroid) but I didn’t mind. Rather losing weight slowly than not at all !
I’m proud to say so far I have already lost 6,5 kg (14 lbs), which is 10% of my original starting weight and plan to go on until I’ve lost another 4 kg (9 lbs). After that I’ll switch to 6:1 to keep it stable and still have the benefits of fasting.

I hope to see some improvement in my bloodwork as well as high cholesterol is usually a problem for hypo patients.

Thank you Michael and the BBC for informing us !!! It has changed my life ;o)
Cheers, Carla

Hi everyone, have been doing the 5-2 for 4 months now and have lost 30 lbs which am really pleased about.
I normally fast on Mondays and Thursdays and not having anything to eat till after midday when I have a spicy lentil soup with spinach which comes to about 140 kcal, in the evening I have a white fish curry with spinach again on bulgur wheat which comes to about 430 kcal .
I make my meals up in advance for the week or two, as dont want to be using the kitchen preparing mine while my family have a different meal.
I have tried different meals but have settled on these two as dont mind eating them twice a week and find them filling.
I am about 7 lb off my target weight, though wont really know till I get there, which should hopefully be within 2 months, then I will be going on the 6-1.
It’s not just the fasting that has been beneficial to me, it’s the realisation that I have been over eating for the sake of it, and a little hunger won’t kill me.
I did suffer mild headaches once or twice in the start, but have been clear of them apart from yesterday when due to time restrictions I tried to do 2 consecutive days , which I won’t be doing again.
This is the 1st diet I have been on and am pleased that it working for me, even if I may be a bit grumpy on fast days.
Hope everyone finds it as beneficial as me.