Many people have found that they easily adapt to the 5:2 Fast Diet and start losing weight straight away, others find it more challenging. If you persist it will work, but there are things to bear in mind.

Firstly I would not obsess about weight. What you really want to do is lose fat, preferably around the gut. I would always start by measuring your stomach, around the belly button, and see what happens over a period of time. On a normal diet you will lose a mix of fat and muscle, which is why it is important to up your exercise levels when you diet, to maintain muscle mass. Muscle is more metabolically active than fat; it burns calories even when you are asleep. What is unusual about Intermittent Fasting is that studies have consistently shown that people on it tend to lose mostly fat and very little muscle.

I also think that people have to be realistic about what they eat and drink on non-fast days. You shouldn’t be obsessing about calories on your non-fast days, because that defeats the whole purpose of it, but nor should you go wild.

If you are not losing weight/fat then I would look first at the calories you are getting from drinks on your non fast days. Juices, lattes, alcohol, fizzy drinks, smoothies all contain a lot of calories. If you can move to drinking more water and sugar free tea/coffee that will help. Calories you drink do not satiate. If you eat three apples they will fill you up. Drink 3 apples in form of a small fruit juice and it will not fill you up.

The other thing is you should be moving more. I always take the stairs, even up 7 flights. Get a pedometer. Aim to do 10,000 steps a day. Most people do less than 5000. A long term study on people who lost weight and kept it off found that those who were successful all increased the amounts they walked.

Good luck

Filed under: all, in depth, q & a by Michael
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It’s entirely possible that this is my favourite time of year. Looking out of the window now, the garden is still kissed with early morning frost – but I can see bright green shoots, unfurling leaves, the first golden crocuses, and the hyacinths just starting to show. It always feels like a relief. Spring. We’ve made it!

Like many of you, I have never fasted in warm weather; we’ve been hammering away through snow and sleet and torrential rain, so it will be great to try it with the sun on our backs, on days that have more energy and bounce than the short grey days winter. I’m guessing we’ll naturally want to eat lighter meals as the weather warms – salads, raw veg, grilled fish, the kind of things that hold little appeal when it’s below zero outside and the central heating is on indoors.

We’re not there yet, though. But early spring is full of promise and potential, a time, I think, that calls for a subtle shift in our idea of how a Fast Day might go. We’re unfurling too. This is a moment, perhaps, for a clean, clear veggie soup: still warming, still filling, but fresh and feisty, like the season.

Spring vegetable soup

• 1 small onion, finely chopped
• 1 stick celery, finely chopped
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 bay leaf
• I250ml vegetable stock – homemade will give the best flavour, though a stock cube will do
• 150g peas, fresh or frozen
• 150g broccoli, cut into little florets
• 100g mange tout
• Generous handful of herbs – mint, coriander, parsley
• 2 spring onions, finely chopped
• 1 tsp soy sauce
• Squeeze of lemon
• Chilli flakes to taste
• S&P

Gently sweat celery and chopped onion in a pan with the olive oil. Once translucent, add stock and bay leaf and bring to a gentle simmer. Add vegetables. Cook for 2-3 minutes until tender. Remove pan from heat and add herbs, spring onion, soy and lemon juice (plus chilli flakes if using). Season and serve. This makes enough for four and has a calorie count of around 100 calories a portion.

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Busy times at Fast Diet Towers. We are delighted that this website is proving so popular, and that many of you are sharing your inspirational stories with the growing army of Fast Diet fans out there. We try to answer directly as often as possible – please forgive us if we can’t, we read them all and we are delighted that several key voices are emerging to hold hands, share their ups-and-downs and inspire the rest of us. Thank you.

Meanwhile, the Fast Diet book goes from strength to strength – it has been the UK’s bestseller for three consecutive weeks now. Overwhelming. But the book could only ever be the beginning of our understanding of the benefits that Intermittent Fasting can bring. The start of a conversation. As we’ve often said, the science is in its infancy and we are learning all the time. Some answers are not definitive. Some questions remain. We really want to hear your experiences to help us understand more about this radical, refreshing and healthy approach to diet. For us and for many, it has become much more than a ‘diet’ – it is a way of life, really – and sharing our experiences, good, bad or indifferent, will certainly lead to new ideas, new avenues, new thinking. We hope you will accompany us on that fascinating journey.

And so, onwards… The Fast Diet Recipe Book is due out in early May (it is available for preorder here). I have been working closely with dietician Dr Sarah Schenker, a nutritionist with both Spurs and Chelsea football clubs (and Norwich City too, just to prove she is non-partisan). The cookbook will, of course, be stacked with tons of great, tasty recipes (more than 190 of them at the last count), but there will also be a glut of nutritional advice for anyone who really wants to get to grips with what best to eat on a Fast Day when calories are scarce. Some dishes will be simplicity itself – we certainly understand that not everyone wants to be in the kitchen when fasting – while others are designed to appeal to home chefs who want to bring a bit of low-cal flair to their Fast Days. Plenty of dishes can be made ahead of time and frozen; others are quick, fresh and full of goodness. And, yes, there will be plenty of warming, filling meals too (not just leaves!). We hope you’ll enjoy them all.

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28th April 2013

I’ve written about the 2 Day Diet  before (see below) and I promised to write a review; somewhat belatedly, here it is.

I think Michelle and Tony Howell have done a great job. There are lots of  books out there based on some variation of intermittent fasting, but this is one of the few that is actually written by two people who genuinely know what they are talking about. The book is based on research they have been carrying out for many years at the Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention project based in Manchester. As the name implies the emphasis is on intermittent energy restriction for 2 days, while encouraging people to eat a healthy Mediterranean diet for the other 5 days.  They suggest that the two days should be back to back, for a variety of reasons.

Firstly they think that if people do them back to back they are more likely to actually do them.

Secondly “it may have additional health benefits”. The reasoning is that if you do your fast days back to back you are spending more time in a better metabolic state. As they point out, “levels of insulin and leptin fall quickly (within 24 hours) when we eat less, so cells can put more effort into staying in top condition”.

I suspect that many people find it easier to split the fast days; that is certainly what most people who contact me say. I would be very interested to see a trial comparing back to back with split days eg Mondays and Thursdays. I have had a lot of contact from people whose blood glucose and cholesterol levels have improved markedly using the split day method.

In addition to the science, “how to do it” and recipes, there is lots of sensible advice on exercise. I think it is well worth a read and I wish their research all the best

Michael

An interesting variant on intermittent fasting is something called the 2 Day Diet, based on research by Dr Michelle Harvie and Professor Tony Howell. You will be hearing a lot more about this as they have a book out soon and the book is being serialised next week in the Daily Mail. It is also given a lot of support in today’s Daily Mail by Jenni Murray

Dr Harvie is a leading research dietician and Tony Howell is professor of medical oncology at the University of Manchester; he is also research director of Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention based in Manchester.

Their primary motivation is finding ways to reduce the risk of breast cancer and I have written about their research in The Fast Diet.

Their most recent study was a randomised trial at the beginning of last year, the results of which have been sent off for publication to a nutrition journal. In it they did a three way randomisation of 115 women comparing a daily energy restricted Mediterranean style diet (ie a standard diet) to two different versions of the 5:2 diet.

The first version of the 5:2 diet involved eating 650 calories a day for two days; on those days the women had to cut out pasta, bread, potatoes and all fatty foods. The diet consists mainly of milk and vegetables. For the other five days a week they could eat as much as they liked, although encouraged to eat healthy foods.

Women on the second version of the 5:2 diet were banned from eating carbohydrates for two days of the week but they did not have a specific calorie limit. A sort-of modified Atkins approach.

The third group followed a standard weight-loss diet, sticking to about 1,500 calories a day and avoiding high-fat foods and alcohol.

The striking finding was that after three months the women on either of the 5:2 diets had lost an average of nine pounds (four kilos) – nearly twice as much as those on the standard diet, who lost just five pounds (2.4 kilos). They were also almost twice as likely to have stuck to their diet.

As I mentioned above, they have a book out called The 2 Day Diet which I look forward to reading. It provides considerable further support to research showing that intermittent fasting offers benefits over and above standard dietary advice.

I’ve been in email chat with Dr Harvie, who generously praised my “excellent” Horizon. “The fact that you did it and showed it worked was, to us, very powerful television. We see intermittent dieting as another approach that people may wish to use but it clearly does not suit everyone. However it could have considerable public health importance and that is why we wrote our book, the proceeds of which will go to the charity Genesis who support our work.”

I will write a review when they send me a copy.  I will also keep you up to date with further developments. Exciting times…..

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When you’re scraping frost from the car windscreen and watching gritters out on the roads, the idea of a salad isn’t going to set the heart racing, even on a fast day. While our mantra of ‘mostly plants and proteins’ means that salads are one of the pillars of eating on the Fast Diet, these chilly days demand something more warming. Here’s a week of menus, two breakfasts and two suppers, which should do the trick. Again, the calorie content is approximate based on experience rather than measurement – so weigh your ingredients to hit the magic numbers.

DAY ONE

Breakfast: Kippers, followed by half a grapefruit

There is great power in a humble kipper – full of good fats and packed with protein. Little wonder they are an increasingly popular breakfast staple: last year, sales were up by 80 per cent at Sainsbury’s, while Tesco sold 150,000 in the first three months of last year. There’s about 125 calories in a kipper fillet, so it makes an ideal, satiating fast-day breakfast. Michael is a big fan.

To cook with no smell, place in a dish, add a slice of lemon, cover with Cling Film and microwave for two and a half minutes. You could serve with wilted spinach and a poached egg if this is your ‘main’ fast day meal. Or have half a pink grapefruit as a sweetener afterwards (around 50 calories).

Supper: Beetroot and Bramley Soup

The idea for this brilliantly warming soup came from my friend Alex Renton who made it for me one chilly autumn lunch-time at his home in Edinburgh. I loved it so much that I made it for the brilliant cook Allegra McEvedy, who asked to use it in her Guardian column. Here’s her version in its entirety. This makes plenty – probably about six fast-day servings. Maybe miss out the butter, or swap for a low-fat alternative such as Flora Cooking Spray (not the same flavour, sorry, but we are skimming calories here). Similarly, make your stock from a veggie bouillon cube, and have low-fat rather than full-fat Greek yoghurt. The star anise is vital!

‘Takes 30 mins once beets are roasted (which takes around an hour and a quarter). Leftovers last for 3-4 days in the fridge.

550g/5 medium raw beetroots – whoppers take a lot longer to cook
2 medium onions, roughly chopped
2 tbsp butter
2 bramleys, peeled and quartered
1 litre stock, light chicken or veg
2 star anise
1 tsp caraway or cumin seeds
Few splodges Greek yogurt
Some chives
Salt & pepper

1. Pre-heat the oven to 200C /400F/ gas mark 6.
2. Put the beetroot on baking tray with 1cm-deep water. Cook for 1-1½hrs until a knife meets with little resistance, then take them out and run under cold water for a couple of minutes until cool enough to peel.
3. Put a wide, thick-bottomed pan on the heat and melt the butter in it, along with the spice seeds.
4. Over a medium heat, sweat the onions – taking care not to let them colour – with the spices, keeping a lid on.
5. Slice the core out of the apple quarters and chuck them in with the onions.
6. Cut the peeled beets into roughly inch-sized pieces (it’s going to get blitzed) and toss into the pot.
7. Pour on the stock, whack the heat up, drop the star anise in and put the lid back on. Season.
8. Once boiled, turn down heat and simmer for 15 mins. Pick out the star anise and chuck away, then blitz the soup with a blender until pureed. Serve with chopped chives and Greek yoghurt and a spoon.’

DAY TWO

Breakfast: Chive Scrambled Eggs with a hint of Nutmeg

An easy one, this. Everyone knows how to scramble an egg, and how they like it done. The idea here is simply to lend extra flavours and dimensions to a classic – on other days, you might want to add a scant grating of parmesan (a little goes a long way), some shards of smoked salmon, a handful of fresh coriander. I like a little tomato and chili relish on the side… Forego the toast. You can have that tomorrow.

Supper: O’Kelly Fish

I first wrote about this quick recipe in my book 101 Things to Do Before you Diet – and it remains a firm fast-day favourite in our house. I think it owes something to Jamie Oliver (all in one pan, super easy, super tasty), but over the years it has altered with each outing. Here’s my most recent take.

I’ve always called O’Kelly Fish, by the way, because I first had it in the kitchen of our friends the O’Kellys, who live in the South Downs surrounded by children and chickens. The dish is wholesome and hearty, great for gangs of people, but with no carbs. This should make enough for a family of four.

1. Blanch a packet of green beans and a pack of thin asparagus for a minute of so in boiling water. Broccoli works too. Drain and place in an oven-proof pan.
2. Lay four or five vines of cherry tomatoes on top, add a little olive oil, salt, fresh-ground pepper and plenty of lemon juice. Plenty. Maybe two lemons. Chuck in the husks. If your calorie count allows, throw in some black olives.
3. Place a fillet of seasoned salmon per person on top of the veggies. Add any herbs you fancy – coriander is nice; chili flakes are a good idea.
4. Oven roast at 200 degrees for 20 minutes or until fish is just cooked.

The tomatoes and lemon will have made a wonderful juice, to spoon over the fish once served.

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A review article in the Journal of the American Medical Association which was published on the 2nd January caused a lot of excitement in the press/

The excitement came because the scientists involved claimed to have found evidence, based on 97 studies involving nearly 2.9 million people, that people with a Body Mass Index (BMI) of between 25 and 30 (which officially makes them overweight) are 6% less likely to die than people considered to have a healthy BMI ie 18.5 to 25.

So is “Being overweight OK”, as some headlines claimed? I’m not convinced, and nor were most obesity experts. The criticisms were vigorous and in some cases vitriolic

Professor John Wass, vice-president of the Royal College of Physicians, said: “Have you ever seen a 100-year-old human being who is overweight? The answer is you probably haven’t”, while Dr Walter Willett, from the Harvard School of Public Health said: “This is an even greater pile of rubbish” than a study conducted by the same group in 2005.

The main criticisms were:

1. Confounding factors. The people regarded as “normal weight” may have previously been overweight, then lost weight through ill health
2. Mortality is not everything (though it is, of course, pretty important). What this study didn’t reveal was whether the overweight lived that extra 6% longer in good health or in hospital with drips in them. Living longer is not the same as living better. We know obesity is a strong predictor of diabetes and diabetes can lead to serious and unpleasant health problems
3. BMI is probably not the best measure that can be used to measure obesity. A tape measure may be a better predictor of future health. Gut fat is extremely unhealthy, but it is not clear that fat on your bottom or thighs is quite as bad. It is all about distribution, not quantity.

I certainly am not going to allow the pounds to creep back up in the hope this will allow me to live 6% longer. I like being slimmer, feel much better on it and all the tests I’ve done to date suggest that I have extended my healthy life, not shortened it.

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This is one of those questions that I get asked a lot and the short answer is, “yes, it seems to be fine to combine the two and may indeed be beneficial”. The long answer is a lot more complicated. I am just working my way through the academic literature on this, some of which is in the book, but the headlines are:

• Make sure you are well hydrated. We get a lot of fluid from food (some of it added during the manufacturing process to add weight, bulk and therefore value), so if you cut your calories to a ¼ during your fasting day you will be consuming less water. I recommend drinking lots of calorie free fluid during the day, whether you are exercising or not. This can be black tea, black coffee (the idea that coffee makes you dehydrate is a myth), water from the tap, herbal teas, whatever. I am not a fan of diet drinks for reasons i will write about later.
• I have had tweets saying things like, “i have a dry mouth” or “my mouth sometimes tastes funny on a fasting day” and this is almost certainly a sign of dehydration.
• Men seem to not only tolerate but respond better to exercise on fasting days. For women the picture is more complicated. I welcome feedback on this

One of the key benefits of exercise and fasting is they both increase insulin sensitivity, and insulin sensitivity is an independent predictor of future mortality. But they work in different, complementary ways. Exercise for example, particularly short burst of HIT (High intensity training) depletes the glycogen stores in the muscles, while Intermittent Fasting (IF) depletes the glycogen stores in the liver.

On a more general note I had a look at the government guidelines for the BBC R4 series, You and Yours, on exercise, 5 a day and alcohol. I attach links to features I wrote about them for the BBC

BBC features:

‘Confusion’ over how active we should be

Five-a-day campaign: A partial success

Alcohol message ‘is confused’

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Like Mimi and many others I spent the run up to Christmas and then into the New Year feasting, rather than fasting. It is so strange; I know that I shouldn’t and that I will feel bad afterwards, but I still couldn’t resist eating far too much chocolate, cake and mince pies. It is because it is there, right in front of me, all the time.

Normally I try to ban such things from our house as I have a sweet tooth and know that when I am feeling peckish they will be hard to resist. As Oscar Wilde once famously put it, “I can resist anything but temptation”.

There’s a book I’m reading at the moment called The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt that helps explain why we sabotage our own best interests.  As he points out, we can probably muster the willpower to resist ordering a dessert but not the willpower to resist it if one is put in front of us.

Or, as the poet Ovid wrote “Desire and feeling pull in different directions. I feel the right way and approve it, but I follow the wrong”.

We are like riders on the back of an elephant. We hold the reins and think we are in control; we can steer the elephant as long as the elephant has no desires of its own. But in the end the elephant does what the elephant wants to do and we are left helplessly raging at our own apparent weakness.

But is it really weak will or is it mainly about context and opportunity?  I have a lot more to say about unconscious impulses, but that will have to wait for another day.

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My features on drinking triggered a lot of media interest, some of which seems to have misunderstood what I was trying to say. I am not, for example, telling people they should not drink but rather trying to give them the evidence so they can make their own judgements. The science researchers I spoke to were keen to emphasise the value of having two alcohol free days a week, something which fits in neatly with the Fast Diet.

The Public Health Minister Anna Soubry came on Radio 4 after my series had gone out and said:

“That was a brilliant report if I may say…I thought the 2:2 was a cute message. Good, simple and accurate as well. Certainly I’ll talk to the CMO (Chief Medical Officer) about that.”

I have listed the media response to the guidelines below if you would like to see what others are saying.

BBC Breakfast TV interview

I was on the sofa up in Manchester on Tuesday 2nd January talking about the Fast Diet but also about a new series for You and Yours looking at government guidelines in relation to exercise, booze and “5 a day”. If you want to watch the BBC Breakfast interview the link is here. As an added bonus you get to see a Christmas present from my wife, a new shirt that is not pink.

The media response to drinking guidelines

UK press:

Alcohol guidelines ‘too high’ say doctors

The new Puritans don’t understand the joy of drinking

So it’s OK to be a little plump, then. Raise a glass (or three) with me to another blow against the health fascists

Julian Baggini: Confused about health? Drink more

Even a tipple a day is one too many – warning from doctors

Foreign press:

A daily tipple may be the death of you

Anti-Alcohol Guidelines ‘Ineffective’

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Michael, I saw your programme and then watched again with my husband, we liked the idea and thought it was manageable and about more than just weight. I was 12st and too heavy and I’m now 60, retired and needed to keep fit as well as healthy. My husband was obese at 15st.

We began doing 2 days in a row at first. I downloaded the Fitness Pal app so I could keep track of calories on the fast days. We had each other as moral support, and we encouraged and commiserated with each other. We began to lose weight steadily. There were weeks at about mid November where we were not visibly losing weight but we noticed the inches disappearing from our waistlines.

I am now 10st 5lb and my husband is about 13st 11lb. Both of us have reduced waistlines! We decided to split the fast days after about 5 weeks and it is so much easier to deal with the nagging munchies, you just tell yourself that you can have a treat in the morning. It is much better to be busy on a fast day as the thoughts of food are lessened.

I told some other friends and now have a small group on Facebook, we chat on the group about success rather maintain healthy levels of nutrients, take a daily Sanatogen to supplement any lack that may occur. I was worried about potassium and iron levels as I am a vegetarian. One of the best foods we use is quorn as it is incredibly low in calories.

We both feel that the diet is extremely effective and manageable. It has changed our outlook on food. We will continue until we have reached our target weights and then probably maintain a 6/1 lifestyle which will enable us to maintain the weight Thank you for the programme. It’s changed our lives for the better.

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Hi Doc,

I saw your 5:2 special after I got back from my 40th birthday trip. On the drive back, I was just so disgusted with myself and somewhat despondent, as I had gone back up to 194lb’s. I’m 5ft 10, male, and had in 2009 gone up to 200!. Then I saw your show on iPlayer, Eat, Fast etc. Was brilliant, highly recommend it. Best time spent in front of the TV in my life.

I have been doing the diet since then, and now weigh 172lbs, and have started swimming 4 times a week in the last 2 months as well. It is the easiest thing I have ever tried to make myself feel good. The weight loss is good, but the rest is great as well. You just feel so much better. My next door neighbour also tried it for a few weeks. He lost 11lbs, and said the same thing I did. He noticed his insides now are good, no more reflux etc etc. I had that for the last 20 years. Basically beer & eating crap.

Thanks really, you have changed my life a great deal. I have also been like a rabid ex-smoker, evangelizing on the benefits. So I have had a few people start, and they all are blown away at the results.

Merry Xmas and have a happy new year

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Hi Michael,
My wife has lost 1.5 stones doing IF and is loving it, but I feel a little deflated I am not seeing weight loss. I will get my bloods tested to see if cholesterol has fallen (incidentally my BP has gone from ELEVATED to COMPLETELY NORMAL) but it would be fantastic to lose some weight too. Any thoughts gratefully appreciated. I await your book with some excitement.

I am surprised that you aren’t losing weight and I wonder if on your non fast days you should try a higher protein – lower carb approach (lots of stuff on this in the book). You should also try to identify if there is something in your diet that is particularly calorie rich. Typically it will be drink (alcoholic or fruit juice or lattes) as you can drink a lot more calories than you can eat without ever getting satiated.

Thanks for the response. I drink lots of fruit juice so will watch that and with your book will give it a determined go starting next week.

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DAY ONE

Breakfast: Tricolore Omelette

This is a great way to get punch and flavor into what could be a bland dish. Lightly fry a chopped spring onion and add some chili flakes (as many or few as you fancy) in a small frying pan with just a spray of oil to stop it sticking. Separate two eggs and whip the whites with a fork until bubbly. Add salt and plenty of pepper, and cook gently until the omelette is set to your liking. Perhaps add a small crumble of goat’s cheese too, plus chopped parsley, and serve with a handful of baby herb leaves.

Supper: Winter Waldorf Salad

Try this with endive leaves, red and pale varieties, with half a red-skinned apple, a stalk of celery (both chopped), a handful of walnuts for crunch and protein, perhaps a quartered fig for prettiness. Dress with low-fat yoghurt, a little Dijon mustard and a squeeze of lemon juice, mixed and then drizzled over the dish. If you have calories to spare, add a hint of a hard blue cheese – perhaps some of the Christmas Stilton.

DAY TWO

Breakfast: Jumbo Porridge with Jewel Fruit

OK, so I’m stuck on pomegranate at the moment – but add a swirl of pomegranate molasses (get it here) along with the seeds, together with a dust of cinnamon, and you arrive at a wonderful ruby-studded dish with a flash of inspiration from the middle east. Use jumbo oats as they keep you fuller longer than the more processed varieties. Perhaps add mandarin segments or chopped kiwi for more glistening colour, and a swirl of agave syrup (a low GI sweetener) to taste.

Supper: Spinach Soup with Tapenade Toasts

I love Jane Lovett’s book Make It Easy – and this is my homage to one of Jane’s lovely soups, modified for the Fast Diet: a glorious, nutritious bowl of jolly green goodness….

Fry half a chopped onion, a small chopped potato and a clove of chopped garlic in a little oil. Add a grate of root ginger and nutmeg and a pint of vegetable bouillon (from a cube or your own veg stock). Bring to the boil and simmer until the potato is softened. Add 250gms – or more – of washed spinach, and simmer till the leaves are wilted. Puree and serve with a crisp, thin slice of toasted ciabatta spread with green-olive tapenade (or pesto) and a swirl of low-fat crème fraiche. The soup will keep in the fridge for two or three days.

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In The Fast Diet book, you’ll find plenty of menu ideas for your fast days. In my experience, fasters tend to come in two varieties – those who like to keep things simple and stick to very basic foodstuffs during a fast, and those who like to create taste sensations to keep their fast days full of flavour.

The former group tend to develop fasting habits – naked poached eggs for breakfast; a heap of straight-forward steamed veggies for supper. The others like to experiment. If you’re in this group, here are some ideas to inspire you this week. Each dish should clock in at around 250 calories or less, though these are inspirations rather than recipes, so I haven’t counted every calorie, as we have in the book. For precise figures, please weigh your ingredients and check a calorie counter. And add your comments too – variety is the spice!

Mimi

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‘No fasting for me during the last fortnight. My house, like the rest of the nation’s homes, has been groaning with food – and I defy anyone to saunter past a plate of mince pies without sneaking one in. Ditto sausage rolls. Quality Street. Ferrero Rocher. I also had my annual tussle between brandy butter and cream on the Christmas pud, and settled (as is traditional) for both. But, new year, new me, and I’m back on the programme and fasting today.

It actually comes as a relief. I was beginning to feel stodgy, like a walking, talking Christmas pud myself, and I missed the loose, lean feeling that intermittent fasting brings. There’s a pleasant sensation of control and clarity that comes with fasting, the very opposite of the post-holiday slump that usually descends at this time of year, when you can barely be bothered to reach for the remote.

Today, then, it’s my usual fasting breakfast of muesli (Alpen No Sugar) with unblanched almonds, hazelnuts, dried cranberries (festive) and pomegranate seeds (fashionable). To be honest, I have taken to slinging pomegranate seeds on anything that doesn’t actually move, à la Ottolenghi, Nigella, Nigel Slater, Lorraine Pascal, all of those TV cooks. In 12 hours or so, I’ll have a generous watercress salad with crumbled feta, balsamic and probably more pomegranate seeds. Shame not to. So pretty.

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Keen to get cracking on the 5:2 diet? 500 calories a day (600 for lucky men) can seem forbidding, but Xanthe Clay’s delicious recipes with 250 calories or less will make the fast days fly by.

There are some great recipes here with versions for men and women. Enjoy!

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From twitter: @DrMichaelMosley My partner’s dodgy knee has improved since diet; not sure if cos less weight on it or inflammation down.

My reply:

One of the things that I am particularly interested in is the anti-inflammatory effects of intermittent fasting (IF). A number of studies, in humans and in mice, have shown that IF reduces inflammatory markers (unlike high protein diets which seem to increase them). In a review paper for The Journal of Nutritional Biochemistry, March 2005, Dr Mark Mattson (whose work I cite frequently in my book as he is one the great researchers in this field) writes:

 “Intermittent fasting and caloric restriction (CR) extend lifespan and increase resistance to age-related diseases in rodents and monkeys and improve the health of overweight humans. Both IF and CR enhance cardiovascular and brain functions and improve several risk factors for coronary artery disease and stroke including a reduction in blood pressure and increased insulin sensitivity…The beneficial effects of IF and CR result from at least two mechanisms — reduced oxidative damage and increased cellular stress resistance.”

I will go into the mechanisms around oxidative damage and what he means by cellular stress resistance at a later date if anyone out there is interested.

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On fast days, I have tea (with milk) in the morning, black coffee and the odd Miso soup during the day, then something healthy when I get back like a veggie curry, stir fry or jacket potato, cottage cheese and salad.  I know jacket potato is not brilliant for its GI but it’s swings and roundabouts on this way of eating I think. I find that meal very satisfying after a day of real fasting so it works for me.

If I’m doing a fast day when I’m at home then it’s more difficult not to ‘graze’ so I try to at least make the grazing heathy. I tend to make a large pot of veggie stew, have some for lunch, maybe a cup full late afternoon and then pep it up with spices / curry for an evening meal. Anything left gets frozen in portions for a quick meal for when I get home late from work (I keep portions of cooked brown rice in the freezer to have with it)  The key thing is flexibility for me – if a planned fast day becomes a non-fast day then no problem, I just fast the next time it’s convenient and no guilt :-).

Today I was “in the zone” so ate nothing until 5 ish, then had some reasonably healthy leftovers and a piece of fruit. I’ll have a glass of wine (or two) to see in the new year but won’t get back on track with the serious calorie restriction until I get back to work later in the week.  One thing I have decided to do is not to have breakfast most days – even on non-fast days – as I think this will work well for me as a long term weight control strategy.  Of course I might also get the health benefits of the 12 – 16 hr ‘fast’ when the body goes into repair mode rather than build.

See Maria’s story here.

Filed under: all, in depth, q & a by fastdiet
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I started doing IF after seeing the television documentary in August.  As I’m a sceptic about faddy ‘diets’ I was interested in the research behind it and did a bit of reading before really getting stuck in.

I’ve now lost 22 lbs, down from 11.4 to 9.10 (BMI 24.04 to 20.69). I’m 57 and post menopausal – had been struggling to kick start loss of the weight that had crept on during the past 5 or so yrs.

Having just come through christmas with no weight gain I think this way of eating is pretty amazing – and yes I ate the full works, including christmas pudding, cake, chocolates – but have now learnt to eat and enjoy (without going over the top) and then compensate. The most important thing for me is that I see how sustainable this is long term – no “going on a diet” and then struggling to keep it off in a depressing cycle.

I’ve just read the book and think it’s a very good intro to the ‘experiment’!  All I would add is that I started out doing smaller meals throughout the day on fast days – but found it easier to not eat anything at all until the evening if I’m busy (eg at work or out and about).  Eating breakfast really does make me hungry for lunch – so not eating anything until an evening meal makes far more sense for me.

Some weeks I do 5:2 some 4:3  – the fast days fit around my life, not the other way round.  I don’t do two in a row (tried it once but it felt too much like being “on a diet”!).  My diet is generally healthy anyway, mainly plant-based, but over the years I was clearly eating just that bit too much each day and the weight crept on.

See Maria’s meal plan for fasting days.

Filed under: all, in depth, q & a by fastdiet
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from Jackie J

Servings: 6

75g dried red lentils, rinsed
2 onions,  peeled and left whole
3 red peppers, split and seeds out

fresh tomatoes about 5-6 med depending on size (mine were cherry toms and I used about 15)
2 chilli peppers (more or less or none!)
3 garlic cloves, unpeeled
6 carrots, peeled and sliced

spray or teaspoon max olive oil
2 pints chicken or veg stock

a sprig of fresh rosemary and 1 of thyme chopped or you could use fresh parsley instead but put that in at the end

Directions:

1. Put all veg in a baking tray spray with oil or drizzle a little on and mix to coat and roast in hot oven for about 45 mins until all is done.  I didn’t need to cover mine but you don’t want the liquid to evaporate so you might need to after a while, or take it out before the carrots are quite done as I did.
2. Simmer the lentils in a little water (just to cover) until tender.
3. Add the stock, the herbs and the roasted veggies (I leave all skins on except for the garlic cloves ).
4. Simmer together for 15-20 mins depending on how done your carrots were..
5. Blend (I use a stick blender), and puree the soup until no lumps remain,
6. Season with salt and pepper  or soy sauce to taste.

Works out at around 149cals a big bowlful depending on how much oil (these cals are for 10ml oil) and is very satisfying. You can make it without the lentils  for 109 cals per bowl. If you use spray oil its even less.

Filed under: all, in depth, q & a by fastdiet
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The biggest, biggest tip of all:
It’s a diet that is the same no matter what your size or age.

I can tell my husband that he has to be good on a Thursday but can eat chocolate on a Friday. The fact that no food is banned on five days a week makes it a way of life not a diet. He has not lost much weight since we started in September, but his waist has dropped three inches – something all men would be pleased with. He has noticed his irritable bowel problems (family history of diverticulitis) have cleared up almost completely after fasting. Probably to do with the fact that the intestines have time to actually finish dealing with everything and settle properly. The complete opposite of the “little and often” brigade. I have lost a stone and am now lighter than I was at graduation and yet currently have a glass of wine in front of me.

Top tips

• Reject snacking :  it started with ‘selling product in hard times’ rather than ‘people need this’
• Hunger will pass : unless you are an athlete carrying no body fat, hunger translates into calling on reserves – ie the muffin top – be as active as you can manage when hungry and burn that visceral fat
• Skipping meals creates starvation mode : such utter bollocks, starvation mode only kicks in after a week!

Being 47 with a BMI of 20.8 while regularly drinking wine is NOT to be sniffed at 🙂

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A poem on the joys of fasting by Jelaluddin Rumi, who was born in what is now Afghanistan in 1207.

Fasting

There’s hidden sweetness in the stomach’s emptiness.
We are lutes, no more, no less. If the soundbox
is stuffed full of anything, no music.
If the brain and belly are burning clean
with fasting, every moment a new song comes out of the fire.
The fog clears, and new energy makes you
run up the steps in front of you.

When you fast, good habits gather like friends who want to help.
Fasting is Solomon’s ring. Don’t give it
to some illusion and lose your power,
but even if you have, if you’ve lost all will and control,
they come back when you fast, like soldiers appearing
out of the ground, pennants flying above them.
A table descends to your tents, spread with other food,
better than the broth of cabbages.

Filed under: all, in depth, q & a by Michael
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So far I’ve lost 21 lbs  and I can honestly say that in  30+ years of dieting I’ve never known such a fantastic and easy way  of losing weight.  But it’s not just that, I’d say it’s become a Way of Life for me now as I feel that after all these years I’ve finally become free from the tyranny of ‘diets ‘.  I’ll never go back to the likes of Weight Watchers and who’d have thought that shedding weight could be so easy!

I’m now hovering just above 10st and BMI 22.6 down from 26.4 in August which is utterly brilliant – I was a stone and a half heavier when I started this. Hopefully this time next week after intending to thoroughly enjoy Christmas. I’ll be roughly the same weight but as this is a WOE (Way of Eating) for me.  I’ll be back fasting on the 27th (and no doubt with relief..)

I never thought when I started this that I’d actually prefer my fasting days. I’m not obsessive, I love food and cooking and eating, so it’s not about the not eating so much but it’s the feeling of energy and clarity you feel during and after a fast day.

I started this after seeing the TV programme but didn’t have any blood tests done, so I don’t know if I’m getting the health benefits, but I’m pretty sure I am. As a post menopausal woman of 55 who was starting to feel old and tired and definitely unsexy  it’s no exaggeration to say that I’ve got my mojo back ( in so many ways if you know what I mean).

When I first started this I often woke at night hungry but I don’t anymore.  This WOE feels natural and I think that my body has now tuned into a more intuitive way of eating. Now when I want something on an eating day I actually ask myself if it’s worth ‘spending’ the calories on it. I NEVER starve myself, but I now ONLY eat the things I really like, so when they offer the cakes and sweets round in the office and I don’t really want one (as I don’t really like sweet things anyway), I can feel quite justified in not being pressurised into having one just for the sake of it.

Top tips

• Chilli sauce!! (Always make your fast day meals tasty because they are more satisfying).
• Remember that the hunger doesn’t build  – it’s amazing how many days  I wake up after a fast not at all hungry
• Drink lots of fluids (its easy to get dehydrated on a fast day and water fills you up anyway)
• Green tea, (green tea with lemon grass is my favourite). though I have real black coffee too
• Miso soup , (if really really hungry , though I don’t find I need it very often these days )
• I always eat 2 small meals (though lots of people prefer just one)  , 2eggs and slice of ham for breakfast , then a  big plate of veg , in the evening could be either soup or strir fry (in stock) with a few prawns  ,
• Have a 8hr eating window only  –  so I always make sure that I h get in 16hours of not eating anything , so in effect I have 500 calories in 36 hours

Filed under: all, in depth, q & a by fastdiet
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