I am not sure if our body will stop losing weight and reach homeostasis and balance on its own ever(as I am sure we are going to drink in excess at times and also eat few extra pastries/ice cream/chocolates on occasion). Though it is a well built machine, I think external influences (parties, festivals, birthdays) will make it hard for it to maintain the balance.

Once I reach my ideal weight (another 10lb) my plan is to switch between 6:1/5:2 for maintenance, as my weight fluctuates.

I am wondering the same thing too! I read this article about IF- that say it’s so good and all that, but I am afraid for what will happen if I do it and then stop.. Do you guys think this is helpful? http://healthdivas.blogspot.com/2012/09/the-power-of-intermittent-fasting.html

I mean- it does say that fasting helps lower your cravings and makes you satisfied with good-for-you foods, but I’m just not sure!

Eight weeks is not long term but a change that I seem to be experiencing is described well by Sam2013 in that I find myself not just “satisfied with good-for-you food” I have a new appreciation for quality food and my attitude toward food seems to be changing. I am beginning to view food as fuel not as a pain reliever. In other words I seem to be losing my fear of hunger pains and am gaining control over them rather than letting them control me. The line of reasoning continues in that I can control when I eat, how much I eat and what I eat. I still crave cheeseburgers and biscuits & gravy but now I am finding it easier to choose the grilled chicken or fish in place of the burger and fruit in place of the biscuits & gravy. I must admit the fact that I can have the burger and/or the biscuits and not “break the diet” takes a lot of the pressure off.

I read these comments with interest. I am motivated by the health benefits but to be honest am more focused on losing/maintaining a healthy weight. I’ve been on the plan for about 3 months, finding it very manageable. I do worry that I am making my body used to needing fewer calories – certainly I am not getting the dramatic 5 or 6 1bs weight loss each fast day! I find that a fast day on a Monday makes me feel great after an indulgent weekend. I’m certainly not losing too much weight and would love to drop another 4 or 5 pounds but my body has stabilised at a bmi of about 22. I’m hoping to keep going long term – it doesn’t feel like a ‘diet’ but just a healthy approach to eating.

It hit me when I was browsing on this site a few weeks ago that as you lose weight, you are carrying around fewer pounds of flesh and, as a result, your calorie requirement reduces. It seems obvious but it was not something I had ever realised before. That’s the main reason why diets tend to grind eventually to a halt as the reduced calories that you are eating match your daily requirement for weight maintenance. So, there should be a stage at which even the calories on a fast diet match your daily requirement and you stop losing weight. I reached that point after three months on the diet and my weight reached about 8stone 12lbs. At that level my calorie requirement is a mere 1700 calories a day. Sadly a week spent in a hotel with full english breakfasts and dinner out every evening has left me with an extra half a stone despite missing lunch every day and trying really hard to go for the lowest calorie options. Perhaps there will be enough events of that nature to mean that the fast diet really has to be a way of life to keep my weight at a comfortable level.
There is a daily calorie requirement calculator on this site now. See home page for the link. It is quite illuminating!

I’m hoping Michael will read and possibly respond to this posting, maybe as a long term case study.
I began the 5/2 diet immediately after seeing the Horizon program in Aug 2012 when I needed to lose the weight I’d put on following a ruptured Achillies Tendon operation in April 2012. This injury happened during my weekly Karate session, so I was fairly fit before the diet, BMI was about 23 but never got my fat levels below 16%.
After a year now my BMI is 21 but my fat level(calculated electrically) is now 6% !. Gloucose level is 5.4, Cholesterol ratio 3.1. I still eat healthily throughout the week. I’m still limited to the excercise I can do, but walk at least 2 miles each day(noted in another Horizon program) with some skipping and weight training. My concentration, reaction times and sharpness has improved no end, and as a Driving Instructor this has made my work a lot easier.
Can I safely carry on with this 5/2, and will my fat level continue to fall because I’ve heard that 4% is the essential body fat level… Thx Michael, Colin

I want to know if the health benefits ie lower cholesterol, lower blood pressure continue to happen if only doing 6:1 fasting? Is there any studies to show that fasting one day a week is still good for the body or is 5:2 the ideal?m