My take on this is that anyone on the Fast Diet should lose weight **compared to what they would have been**. That means that if my weight is steady, I’ll lose weight, and if I’m actively putting on weight, then I’ll put on less (which may appear as staying the same).

So my question would be, how much are you eating on normal days? You can work out your rough Total Daily Energy Expenditure (TDEE) eg at http://www.fitnessfrog.com/calculators/tdee-calculator.html – are you eating more than that on normal days? Good to be clear, and if you are, you can either reduce that, or add exercise (always easier to eat less?…). Or stop fasting, and weigh yourself for a week or two, see if you are going up?

How much plain simple water are you drinking? I’ve found whatever diet I’ve tried it’s much more effective if I’m not dehydrated and drink plenty (1.5 litres) of water in addition to anything else I drink.

Hello again, owen888 – Snap! I too am a GERD (or GORD**) sufferer, although this is my first time of identifying myself in that way (rather than just saying ‘I have acid-reflux’). Your most recent comment, combined with an upsurge of my symptoms, have prompted me to research the condition and take it more seriously, so many thanks for that.
Since starting the 5:2 approach in late Jan ’13, I have lost 28lb (down to 11st 1lb/ 155lb/ 70.3kg) but only after some cost to my gullet and much experimentation around how best to balance symptoms and recommended 5:2 timings.
I would like us to ‘compare notes’, so to speak, on our progress and best practice. (If you want more details of my situation click on my forum name, then ‘Replies Created’ and find my most biographical comment: 16 May at 9.52pm.)
I wish you well in your efforts and I hope you stay in touch here.
[**Gastro-oesophageal reflux disease]

According to the British Heart Foundation BMI calculator owen888, you have a BMI of 22 which is in the middle of the healthy weight band. Why do you want to lose 10lb?

Hello, owen888 – I would love to hear more about the natural medicines you use to control your symptoms. I am on high, long-term doses of a PPI (proton pump inhibitor) and an H2 receptor blocker – i.e. both sorts of stomach-acid reducers – but I really don’t want to continue on these drugs if there is a viable alternative.
I know internal abdomen-fat is not good news for health but I do wonder how much extra pain relief you will get if you are already well within the healthy weight limits. Has any gastro-specialist recommended a still-lower weight for you than you are now? But, then, you perhaps already have no confidence in conventional medicine – understandably so. Of course, you know your situation better than anyone else. I trust you will do the right things for yourself. I would appreciate your advice.

Thanks for the info, owen888. What is DGL? I will try the slippery elm bark. I don’t like taking PPIs every day – I am trying to taper off now but I am worried about feeling the acid again. I am very very curious about why fasting makes acid reflux worse. I thought losing weight would help with gerd, but it’s gotten worse. But I only have the acid stomach on feast days, not fast days.

Hello, Julie (juliesawitske) – DGL is a licorice herbal supplement – perhaps check it out online. This is a brief description from Wikipedia:
‘Deglycyrrhizinated licorice, also known as de-glycyrrhizinated licorice, or commonly referred to by the acronym DGL, is an herbal supplement typically used in the treatment of gastric and duodenal ulcers. It is made from licorice from which the glycyrrhizin has been removed. Glycyrrhizin is known to cause negative side effects, such as hypertension and edema; removing the glycyrrhizin is meant to avoid these symptoms.’
My apologies for not responding fully to your comments so far – as I’ve just said to owen888, I’m engrossed at present, researching some new leads about my own health issues. I hope to get back to contributing more soon. Best wishes.

Caroline, my husband had borderline high blood pressure when he started the fast diet. For the first few weeks his BP would be even higher when taken on fast days, then back to borderline on feast days. But gradually over the next couple of months his BP has come down considerably, and he is consistently getting readings of 115/68 or lower. I don’t know why BP rises at the beginning of a fasting diet, and why it is higher on fast days – I read from one source that it rises temporarily while your body is cleaning out the junk out of your arteries, but don’t know how reliable that info is. It makes sense though….if your body is in a fasted state it will look to fat for fuel, and that stuff clogging your arteries is composed of fat (among other things), and why wouldn’t it use that for fuel?
What was your question about BP to Dr.M?

Hi owen888,

The TDEE range you quoted is for a 5′ 2″ 130 pound 45 yo female who does “little or no” exercise. See http://www.freedieting.com/tools/calorie_calculator.htm and put in your statistics, set exercise level to little/no exercise then click on the advanced button and look at the maintenance figures using the Mifflin-St Jeor formula – 1427 – and the Harris-Benedict formula – 1561. This is the range you gave.
If you are very active, you need to factor in your exercise as well to get a more accurate figure. If you find eating difficult then perhaps this isn’t the right diet for you. After all, you said you are lucky to be able to eat 1420 cals per day – this intake, plus exercise, should see you shift those last 10 pounds. After all, this diet is touted as a “food-lovers” diet :).

Hope this helps – good luck.