5 diets we can’t even begin to understand

Sunday 11th May 2014

We know losing weight is difficult, and that different things work for different people. However, there are some diets which really take the biscuit (not literally, of course. Biscuits wouldn’t be allowed in any of these).

1. The Tapeworm Diet

If the idea of ingesting a baby tapeworm that can grow to a length of over 10 METRES isn’t off-putting enough, Dr. Michael Mosely recently experimented with the diet himself and found that he actually put ON weight (we’d rather you than us, Doctor!). So you sustain a parasite bigger than the world’s biggest snake, and you don’t even lose weight! Where do I sign up?

2. The ‘Sleeping Beauty’ Diet

Supposedly Elvis Presley was a fan of this diet, where you sedate yourself for several days whilst you sleep off the pounds. Whilst it may be an effective form of weight-loss, it makes the list because a) I’d prefer not to get addicted to heavy sedation medicine (like Presley) and b) I quite like living and not being asleep the whole time, thank you very much.

3. The Purple Diet

Everything you eat has to be purple. Think about that for a second. How many purple foods can you name? I can think of eggplant (aubergine) and red cabbage, and that’s about it. Frankly, that’s a little limited. I also think I can see a potential loophole to this diet masterplan…

4. The ‘Cabbage Soup’ Diet

You know what isn’t the nicest thing to wake up to in the morning? Cabbage Soup. You know what makes it even worse? The thought that you’ll be having cabbage soup again for lunch, and again for dinner. And the next day. And the day after. I honestly can’t even understand how this is even a thing.

5. The Dukan Diet

There are worse diets out there than the Dukan diet, I know. However, it makes the list because of its mind-boggling complexity. I honestly feel like I would need to sit down with a wall-chart, colourful post-its and a giant Encyclopaedia of Food for a long afternoon to even make a start. Don’t these people understand that we have better things to do other than making sure we get our 1.5 tablespoons of bran everyday?! I think I would probably have more success deciphering the Aztec calendar below than understanding the Dukan Diet.

Its diets like these that remind me why I love fasting as a sustainable, long-term Way of Eating, giving me control over what and when I eat. Oh, and the weight loss and long-term health benefits help too!

What are your least favourite diets? Tell us in the comments!

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Watch this family’s amazed reaction to their son’s transformation

This guy found the perfect way to give his parents a nice surprise. Watch the video below (comparison pics here!).

 

Know anyone who needs a boost? Send them this!

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Fast days at… Pizza Express

Pizza Express has become a feature on every British high-street, with its consistently good pizzas and its never-ending voucher offers. Here we explore their menu, to try and find The Good, The Bad and the Ugly…

The Good: Pizza Express has 4 pizzas in its ‘Leggara section’ that are all under 500 calories – the American Hot Leggara comes in at only 396. Despite that, they are both delicious and filling, making them a fantastic option for a Fastday dinner, and giving you enough room for a snack earlier on in the day.

The Bad: Despite being a starter, and having the word ‘Salad’ in the title, the Mozzarella and Tomato Salad contains over 450 calories making it the worst fast day choice of the starters on offer.

The Ugly: This is a straight tie between the Calzone Verdure and the Chocolate Glory Dessert. Having both would mean 99% of a woman’s RDA of calories! Scary – best to stay away!

Verdict: The Pizza Express menu certainly has some monstrosities – but if you’re careful then a meal out there is certainly compatible with a fast day.  If in doubt, talk to your waiter – they have a section on their website about the 5:2 diet, so they should be able to point out the best options for you on the menu.

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Fast days at… ASK

ASK has helped transport the best bits of Italy (the food!) straight to our high streets. Here we explore their menu, to try and find The Good, The Bad and the Ugly…

The Good: ASK’s pasta portions can all be ordered as ½ portions with a side salad, which is a fantastic flexible option for Fastdays. Their ½ portion of Fettucine Bolognese with salad comes in at under 400 calories, while their ½ portion of Linguine con Frutti di Mare is only 297!

The Bad: The Antipasto Classico Board, which in on the starters menu, is a whopping 753 calories, which would be over most Fastday budgets! Second prize goes to the side dish of chips with garlic mayonnaise, which is 671 calories.

The Ugly: The clear winner here was the Prima Salsiccia, which is a monstrous 1256 calories – more than two Fastdays put together!

Verdict: We love that ASK offers the flexibility of smaller portions with salad – why don’t more restaurants do this? However, there are still some things to be avoided on their menu, and unlike other popular chains they don’t offer any Fastday-compatible pizzas.

 

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Eating out on fast days

Eating out on fast days is never easy. Many standard dishes at popular restaurants are absolutely filled with calories, making fast days almost impossible to manage. That’s why we’ve put together this short guide highlighting some of the best (and worst!) choices at some of the UK’s biggest chains. Tell us what we have left out in the comments!

Our recommendations…

Pizza Express seems fairly aware of the 5:2 diet – they have a section on their website about it specifically, so in doubt your waiter may be able to help you. Their ‘Leggara section’ pizzas are all under 500 calories – the American Hot Leggara comes in at only 396! Despite that, they are both delicious and filling, making them a fantastic option for a Fastday dinner, and giving you enough room for a snack earlier on in the day. However, there are definitely some things on the menu to be avoided (some of the mains, including the Calzone Verdure, are over 1000 calories) so best to be careful!

We also love ASK, because all of their pasta portions can be ordered as ½ portions with a side salad, which is a fantastic (and flexible) option for fast days. Their ½ portion of Fettucine Bolognese with salad comes in at under 400 calories, while their ½ portion of Linguine con Frutti di Mare is only 297 – giving you plenty of room for anther small meal.

We’d also recommend Jamie’s Italian as a place to eat out on fast days. 20% of the main meal menu options have less than 700 calories, and plenty have even less than that – on the website they recommend their Pumpkin Tortellini and their Baked Shetland Salmon as dishes with less than 500 calories – both of which sound delicious!

And what to avoid!

We struggled to find a way to create a fast day meal at Nando’s. Every mains option we checked was over 500 calories. However, if you’re really determined, we would suggest the ¼ chicken with no sides – but that’s probably not the most balanced of meals!

Although some GBK restaurants do serve smaller 4oz burgers that could ‘just’ work as a fast day meal, their regular options are less satisfactory. A single portion of chips would break your fast day budget, coming in at 633 calories, while the Mighty Burger is an astonishing 1749 calories – around 3 fast days!

Of course, the best thing about the intermittent fasting way of eating is that it is very flexible – so if you find yourself in a place which isn’t fast day friendly, or you simply want to enjoy your meal fully, then simply reschedule your fast day for a time later in the week!

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Which fruits are best?

We all know that fruit is good for us. Governments and doctors tell us we are supposed to eat 7 portions of fruit or vegetables per day – and our ancient ancestors ate lots of fruit, which has to be a good sign

But some fruits contain far more sugar than others. For example grapes have twice as much sugar as the same quantity of strawberries.

Check out this useful infographic from naturalhealthyconcepts.com.

Fruit For Health [INFOGRAPHIC]
Courtesy of Natural Healthy Concepts: Fruit For Health [INFOGRAPHIC]

These guys are big believers in antioxidants  – and despite all the stories in the media, scientists simply don’t know yet whether antioxidants are especially healthy or not.  We like the chart, though, and think it is useful for fasters.

Print it out and put it on your fridge!

Think this is useful? Pass it on!

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The only kitchen volume conversion chart you’ll ever need

I love combing the internet for the best fast day recipes. I do NOT love that US and metric volume measurements are so different.  I keep this great infographic saved to my favourites, so that when I am looking at recipes I can quickly convert American volumes into metric. I hope you find it as useful as I do.

Share this with anyone who has the same problems!

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How to… make a wonderful home-made miso soup

Miso Soup is a favourite among fasters, and its no surprise why. Low in calories, yet high in nutrients, Miso Soup is a crucial part of many fast days. Best of all, Miso soup is quick and easy, and can be adapted in countless different ways, so it never gets boring. The recipe below is a basic version, but check out the ideas at the bottom if you want to liven things up!

  1. Bring 4 cups of water to a slow simmer and add your seaweed. I personally prefer Wakame seaweed for its distinctive salty flavour, but you can use other types as well (like Nori seaweed, which is used with Sushi).

  2. Allow the seaweed to simmer for 5 minutes – if you’re not a fan of the salty seaweed flavour, allow it to cook for longer.

  3. Reduce the heat further and add your spring onions and miso. Stir until the miso is completely dissolved. This recipe will make 4 delicious servings in 10 minutes!

If you want to make things more interesting, don’t be afraid to experiment.  Try adding tofu chunks, soy sauce, mirin or other vegetables to liven things up. Happy fast day, everybody!

 

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FastDay’s favourite prepared foods

We’ve found the best supermarket meals out there for fast days, so that you don’t have to.

We all know that feeling. At the end of a fast day, many people aren’t exactly in the mood to cook dinner. Or, if they cook they can’t resist the temptation to have a bit extra! In those situations, a supermarket prepared meal can be an easy and occasionally delicious solution. The problem is that there are just so many to choose from…so we’ve picked our favourites to make your choices easier. If you think we’ve missed out on any particularly good meals, let us know in the comments below.

(Also I’m afraid that at the moment we’ve only looked at UK prepared meals – we’ll try to start investigating prepared meals in other parts of the world soon).

Marks and Spencer

We can’t recommend Marks and Spencer’s Fuller for Longer range enough. These fabulous meals are tasty, filling, and nearly all fit comfortably within your fast day calorie budget. The nutritionists at M&S have tried to produce meals that are high in protein but low in carbohydrates, which is why they are so filling – and is of course what we recommend for getting through fast days. Our particular favourite is the “Salmon and Potato Bake”, which is just 307 calories. However, it’s very difficult to go wrong with this range so don’t be deterred from experimenting with other meals.

Tesco

Tesco’s Eat Live Enjoy selection of prepared meals is smaller compared with its competitors, but they are still really good. For vegetarians, the “Spicy Bean Falafel with Bulgar Wheat” particularly impressed us – although it is 494 calories, which doesn’t leave you with much room for the rest of your fast day. The only fault with Tesco’s range is that it doesn’t have the variety of some of its competitors – but there’s enough to keep you busy for a little while.

Sainsbury’s

Sainsbury’s Be Good to Yourself range focuses on low fat products, not calories – although nearly all are around 400 calories so are still suitable for fast days. If you like fish, then you’ll be sure to like their “Cod and Salmon Fish Pie”, which at 363 calories is perfect for a fast day. The range can also be supplemented with other products from their Be Good to Yourself range, so if you’d like to start incorporating some low-calorie snacks into your diets keep an eye out for their brand.

Asda

Asda’s Healthy Choices! range is noticeably cheaper than some of its competitors – many of their frozen meals cost just £1. Most of them are less than 400 calories, making them perfect for a fast day dinner. We love their “Chicken and Choriza Paella”, which comes in at 333 calories. It’s delicious  as well as being low in calories. However, some of the other meals in their range are less tasty – we weren’t so impressed by the very plain “Chicken, Tomato and Basil Pasta”.

Waitrose

While Waitrose’s LOVE Life range is expensive, it is also delicious and can definitely be recommended. Our number one pick is their “Mushroom Risotto”, which is completely filling and is only 363 calories. LOVE Life has many options to explore, and the Waitrose website makes it very easy to filter for dietary requirements. The only drawback is the price tag – but since you’re not eating that much on fast days then maybe it’s worth it.

We are looking for members of our community to review prepared foods. if you are interested contact us.

 

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5 great snacks to get you through a fast day

Fast days can be hard. When I first explain my new Way of Eating (WoE) to people, they can’t understand how I can only eat 600 calories in a day. That’s probably because they don’t know about the great low-calorie snacks I’ve found that keep hunger at bay.

  1. Miso Soup – Miso soup makes a wonderful lunch/snack on a fast day, and can be adapted to all kinds of different tastes. The one that I make comes in at about 75 calories. Its also healthy, easy to make and totally delicious! Check out this recipe for miso soup if you feel inspired.

  2. Rice cakes – whilst rice cakes may not be nutritionally rich, low-fat rice cakes are only 29 calories, and are surprisingly filling.  However, because of their high glucose content they can cause blood sugar spikes, so the may not be the perfect solution for everybody.

  3. Pickles – A medium size pickle (3-4 inches long) has only 8 calories, leaving plenty of room for your main meals. Don’t eat too many though – although they are low in calories, they are high in sodium.

  4. Green tea – Green tea contains no calories, is full of good nutrients and tastes great – what’s not to like?

  5. Frozen fruit – although grapes are only 2 calories, once I start eating them I can’t stop! The answer to this issue is freezing them beforehand, so they become mini grape-popsicles. These taste great, and because they are frozen are difficult to wolf through – so I find myself eating 2-3, not 20-30! Even better – try blueberries or strawberries, which are less sugary than grapes so contain fewer calories.

 

 

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Caroline’s 5:2 and 16/8 fasting diet success story

Caroline’s success story

By carorees

Your Background

How you got to where you were at weight/health-wise

My weight just kept creeping up over a long period, though it may have accelerated somewhat during my pregnancy with my son when I definitely over-ate, and then continued to do so afterwards. I made some half-hearted attempts to get it under control but could not stick to anything and had resigned myself to ever-increasing girth and an early grave as I had developed high blood pressure and joint and muscle problems, and what I think was signs of trigeminal neuralgia. By October 2012 I was around 105kg (over 16 stone; 230lbs)

What you have tried in the past to lose weight/get healthy? Why didn’t it work for you?

Over the years since middle-age onwards I tried a variety of diets including calorie counting, low fat, the ‘F’ plan diet, Rosemary Conley’s hip and thigh diet, Atkins. What happened with all of these was that I just gradually slipped out of the habit of sticking to them. Atkins was the most successful and if I had found a solution to the breakfast problem (I can’t stomach eggs for breakfast or any meat-based breakfast) I might have been able to continue with it. I guess that all the diets I tried were too inflexible and restrictive to be sustainable.

Discovering Fasting

How did you find out about fasting?

I found out about the 5:2 diet from one of the other mums at my son’s football team who, while standing on the sidelines watching a match one day, mentioned that she had lost a fair bit of weight from fasting and but that she hadn’t yet noticed any improvement in memory which fasting was supposed to help. As I was worried at the time not only about my weight but also about my partner’s memory, my attention was caught immediately and I asked her about it. She told me about Michael Mosley’s Horizon documentary, which I had missed as I had been on holiday at the time, and as soon as I got home after the match I found the video online and watched it.

What appealed to you about it and made you decide to start it?

I found the documentary very compelling. The science spoke to me as being plausible but the fact that only two diet days a week were called for was very appealing. I started out doing the 5:2 diet the day after I watched the documentary.

Your Goals

What did you want to achieve?

At first, all I wanted to achieve was to lose some weight…even a 5% loss would have been a benefit. I had no idea at the start what I would be able to achieve. I thought I would give it 6 weeks and see what happened before deciding whether to continue.

Did you have a particular timescale in mind or other motivations (eg forthcoming events, a health scare etc)?

I hoped that by losing some weight I could bring my blood pressure under control and also relieve some of the joint pain.

Starting Out

How were your early fasting experiences?

My first fast was terrible. I felt awful, developed a splitting headache and did not sleep at all that night. The second one was 100% better and by the time I had done 4 fasts, I had no problems at all.

What were your early results like?

I did not weigh myself at the start (due to fear of what the scales would say) but after two weeks I felt I needed to know what was going on, so I weighed in (at 105kg) on 5th November 2012, about two weeks into the fasting journey. For the first 5 months I was losing about 1kg a week, which was amazing! When the first 6 weeks of my ‘trial period’ were up, there was no doubt in my mind that I would continue.

Your Fasting Journey

What did you do which made fasting sustainable for you?

From the outset I knew that having mini-meals would be impossible as it would not satisfy me and would be difficult to plan, so I started out fasting for the full 24 hours and then having all my 500 calories in a single evening meal. This meant that I could eat with the rest of the family, pretty much the same things apart from I would replace the potatoes or rice with more vegetables.

When it came to the summer holidays, after I had been following 5:2 for around 8 months I thought how I might be able to cope with them and keep on fasting. I decided that it would be convenient for me to skip breakfast and follow the 16:8 fasting pattern (in which one eats only during an 8-hour ‘eating window’ each day and fasts for the remaining 16 hours). That way I could join everyone in a normal lunch and dinner without causing any problems socially. It worked spectacularly well and I lost a further 1kg over my 3-week holiday which would normally have resulted in a 2kg or so gain! I was so happy with the 16:8 fasting style, I decided to continue with it and I now intend to carry on for the foreseeable future.

What do you like/dislike about it?

I love fasting as a way of controlling my weight. It is so flexible that it can be fitted around whatever my week holds. If I overeat at a party or whatever, I can easily just increase the amount of fasting I do in the week following, or even in advance of an evening event. I never need to feel, while fasting, that I am depriving myself as I know that I can have whatever I fancy when I am not fasting.

The only disadvantages I found was that when I was doing 5:2 fasting, I could not sleep on the evening of a fast day. I sleep badly anyway and the fast days were very bad for my insomnia. Happily this is not a problem with 16:8 and so that problem is solved. The second disadvantage is a slight tendency to constipation, but since I started taking a magnesium supplement to help my sleep and blood pressure, it also has helped with the constipation and so I now feel I have arrived at a really sustainable lifestyle which will enable me to maintain my new healthy weight indefinitely.

How did the loss/health benefits progress?

As might be expected, the weight loss did slow slightly and so now at the end of the weight-loss phase, my average rate of loss has been about 500g per week. After about 6 months my blood pressure had decreased enough that I could come off the medications. I also found that the signs of trigeminal neuralgia had disappeared (although this might be a coincidence as it is known to come and go).

When did people start to notice the changes in you?

It took quite a while before anyone noticed that I had lost any weight, probably because when you have a 40″ waist, a 2″ decrease in the waist is hardly noticeable. However, I remember that in about April (that was after 6 months) I needed to buy new clothes as my old trousers were falling down. When I went out in the new outfits, people started to notice, so I think that the better fitting clothes made the change in shape more obvious. Now people who have not seen me since I started losing weight are really astonished at the change. Even I am still constantly surprised by my reflection in the mirror!

Your Success

When did you reach your goal?

I reached my goal weight, almost exactly 18 months after starting my first fast. I have lost 41kg (6.5 stone; 90lbs) in weight and reduced my waist size by at least 30 cm (12″) – I didn’t measure my waist for the first 3 months so I am not exactly sure how much I have lost there. In fact, my measurements are back to what they were in my 20s (37-28-38). My BMI has gone from morbidly obese (38.6) to normal (23.5). My blood pressure has reduced from 160/110 to 120/75 and I have come off all medications.

How did you feel about reaching your goal?

I feel ecstatic about the success I have had and feel that I have been given a new lease of life. I can’t express how happy I am to have discovered this way of eating and my aim is to help as many other people gain this kind of success as I possibly can.

Did you find it easy/hard, fast/slow?

I feel very lucky that, for me, the journey has been astonishingly easy.

Your Fasting Future

Have you considered how you plan to maintain? (or are you currently maintaining, and if so, how?)

I entered maintenance in the middle of May 2014. My plan is to continue 16:8 and to monitor my weight daily. I have in mind a maximum and minimum weight. If I go over the maximum I’ll increase the fasting or if I go below the minimum I will decrease the fasting. Easy. Thus far, my weight has remained fairly stable varying by no more than about 500g up or down on any one day. I am happy with that.

Update, September 2014. I have been maintaining for 4 months now and have continued with 16:8 almost every day (apart from two stays in a Bed and Breakfast where I did eat breakfast as I had paid for it!). In that time I have been on a three week summer holiday where I gained only 500g (1lb) and quickly lost it again. In fact, my weight has slowly gone down another kg (2lb) so that I am maintaining comfortably below my target.

Will you keep fasting in some form or have your eating habits changed in other ways to help you maintain?

As I believe that there are other benefits to fasting apart from just the weight loss I will certainly keep fasting.

Have you hit any bumps in the road while maintaining – i.e. continued unwanted weight loss, unexpected gains etc?

So far, so good. The slight extra weight loss is not unwanted as it allows me some scope to feel comfortable about indulging at birthday parties, Christmas and on holiday.

Your Top Tip!

If you could give a new faster just one piece of advice based on your experience, what would it be?

Play with different ways of using fasting to create a system that suits you personally. This will mean that it will be sustainable for you and fit into your lifestyle.

Fasting in a Nutshell

Sum your experience up & ‘big-up’ fasting in around 25 words!

Simply not eating for a period a few days a week can give you the tools to create the healthy body you have always wanted.

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Melinda’s 5:2 fast diet success story

Melinda’s story

By Melinda_in_NC

Your Background

How you got to where you were at weight/health-wise

Last year, at 47, I had a wake-up call. One hot, humid night I was playing tennis and I started to feel funny in my throat. This was the same feeling my mother had reported 10 years ago just before having to have a triple heart bypass. So I was scared and got a doctor’s appointment right away. It turns out my heart was fine (phew), but I viewed the whole episode as a come-to-Jesus moment. I weighed in at 151 lbs. I told my doctor I was going to lose 20 pounds. He countered with 25.

I joined Weight Watchers the next day (for the fourth time in my life – never having made goal). In three weeks, after following the plan faithfully and tracking every morsel, I had lost 0.6/lb. When I expressed concern, shock, and dismay, my WW leader asked me if I had been exercising that week. I answered “yes,” and she replied that it was probably muscle mass. I called (can I use a bad word here?) BS on that right then and there and knew there was NO WAY that was the issue.

The next day, my sister told me about MM and the fasting “diet,” which she had heard about on National Public Radio. We both started the very next day. The day of my next WW meeting, I weighed myself on my home scale and had dropped 4.4 lbs. I never went back to WW and quit on the spot. BTW–we both bought the book and watched the program on the Internet and were both sold instantly.

Discovering Fasting

How did you find out about fasting?

As mentioned above, my sister heard a segment on NPR and then we both bought the book and watched the Horizon program. It was compelling and intriguing.

What appealed to you about it and made you decide to start it?

I knew I needed to do something to get my health on track, and WW wasn’t working for me. So I decided to give fasting a month to see how it would work for me. I liked the idea of eating normally 5 days a week and fasting 2. That seemed like such an easy-to-maintain lifestyle.

Your Goals

What did you want to achieve?

My main goals were to lose 25 lbs and get healthier. The promise of anti-inflammatory effects, anti-ageing properties, and a possible decrease in dementia down the road were all also right up there with losing the weight.

Did you have a particular timescale in mind or other motivations (eg forthcoming events, a health scare etc)?

I hoped to lose the weight at the 1-lb a week clip. It has been substantially longer than that, but I don’t mind. I feel great and look good and know I am doing my body good.

Starting Out

How were your early fasting experiences?

My whole life, I was brainwashed to think I had to eat every 3–4 hours. When I was 18, I was diagnosed with low blood sugar, so I knew that I HAD to eat all the time. So I was a little nervous about fasting. I did clear it with my doctor beforehand, and he told me not to worry about my low blood sugar. He said not eating for a few hours was not going to kill me! Even so, I was very nervous starting out. The first 4 or so fasts, I was very spacey and confused. I think a lot of those feelings were probably due to anxiety and also probably due to my body detoxing. I also used to say, “The hunger is all mental!” After the first 4 or so fasts, that spacey feeling left and I haven’t had that feeling since. Also, at first I was very tired during the day and felt like I had little to no energy. That lack of energy also disappeared as I got more experienced with fasting.

I kept a journal for the first three months, tracking everything I ate and how I felt in addition to my weight and measurements. My sister, who got me on this path, was new to fasting, too, so we would email or text each other throughout the fast days, saying, “How are you feeling?” and giving out encouragement (which was great). At first, I was obsessed with food on a fast day. My journal has lots of notes in it like “I’m starving!” and “Only four more hours to go!” I weighed every morsel of food and obsessively checked calorie counts (quickly dismissing MM’s count in the back of the book in favor of My Fitness Pal or Google calorie counts). I would document how many calories were in each of my favorite foods for ease in tracking later.

Like many others, I had a hard time sleeping at night at first. My sleep was definitely disrupted.

At first, I did two small meals, a 200-calorie lunch and a 300-calorie dinner. Soon, I found this forum and discovered that it might actually be better and (weirdly) easier to eat only one meal a day, and save my 500 calories for dinner time. So, my sister and I tried it after about a month of fasting, and found, much to our surprise and delight, that it actually WAS easier to wait for 24 hours. Added bonuses were that it made sleeping easier at night because I was no longer hungry in the evening, and it made eating easier because 500 calories can be a lot if you eat well. Soon, I stopped obsessing over calories and just ate “well” on a fast night, knowing if I ate well (lean protein, leafy greens, minimal or NO refined carbs), it would be hard to go over 500 calories.

Additionally, at the same time I read MM’s book, I read a 1995 Joel Furhman book about fasting, and I became convinced that longer time periods with few to no calories might give you the most health benefits, which is why I have stuck to 24 hours (on my offical fast days….2 or 3 of the other days of the week I do 16/8’s).

What were your early results like?

The first week, I lost 4.4 lbs. The first ten pounds went pretty quickly, averaging 0.88/lb a week. The second ten have been much slower (now I am averaging 0.5/lb a week). I have experienced a few plateaus, which are frustrating. I have been in a long one which has lasted 3 months, but that also coincided with me starting perimenopause. Last week, in an effort to get the weight loss started again, I did a 4:3, and I lost weight for the first time in months!

Your Fasting Journey

What did you do which made fasting sustainable for you?

Discovering miso soup has been my biggest savior. I had a few episodes of tingling hands and low heart rate/blood pressure, and it was nerve-wracking. However, once I added electrolytes to my fast days, all of that shakiness has gone away. Now fasting is almost easy! Sure, I get hungry, but if I have a packet of miso soup, I feel better and it sates my hunger for several hours.

What do you like/dislike about it?

I love how easy it has been to lose weight. But, by far the best thing about it is how easy this lifestyle is to maintain. It has been 9 months and I have missed very, very few fasts. Remarkable. And even those months that I didn’t lose weight weren’t a total loss, because I maintained my weight! The other thing I love love love is that I eat well the other days and still lose or maintain weight!

I also like how fasting decreases your appetite and it also seems to give you a desire to eat more healthfully.

There’s not too much I don’t like, because it’s so flexible. And it has proven results.

How did the loss/health benefits progress?

I haven’t had my blood work done since starting, but will be very curious to see how my health indicators have changed. My sister saw some remarkable results, however, and the only thing that changed for her is that she is fasting.

When did people start to notice the changes in you?

People started noticing after I had lost about 10–15 lbs, and that makes it even better. Compliments are great motivators!

Your Success

When did you reach your goal?

I have not yet reached my official goal, but am within 4 pounds of it, so I feel pretty darn happy about where I am so far.

Did you find it easy/hard, fast/slow?

While at times the weight loss has been a bit too slow for my liking, I am still pleased at the overall trend. And like I said above, if I wasn’t losing, at least I was maintaining (even despite starting perimenopause!), and that is a victory in itself.

Fasting is now pretty easy for me. Yes, some days are harder than others, but it’s just one day at a time. And I can always eat tomorrow.

Your Fasting Future

Have you considered how you plan to maintain? (or are you currently maintaining, and if so, how?)

I plan to continue fasting one day a week to reap the health benefits of fasting. I will also throw in 16/8’s or an additional fast day, as necessary.

Have you hit any bumps in the road while maintaining – i.e. continued unwanted weight loss, unexpected gains etc?

I hit a wall but am doing two weeks in a row of 4:3 to shake up the body.

Your Top Tip!

If you could give a new faster just one piece of advice based on your experience, what would it be?

If I can do it, anyone can! Don’t give up. This will absolutely change your life for the better if you can stick with it. And electrolytes/miso soup will make you feel better if you start to feel shaky or lightheaded.

Fasting in a Nutshell

Sum your experience up & ‘big-up’ fasting in around 25 words!

I look better than I have since before kids (16 years ago) and feel better than I ever have. I have more energy and feel so empowered by this lifestyle!

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Is it safe to fast when taking prescription medicines?

If you have a condition that requires medications, you will likely be wondering whether you will need to take any special precautions with intermittent fasting. Most prescription drugs can be taken normally when fasting. Many, if not most, medicines are actually better taken on an empty stomach (e.g., thyroxine, digoxin), with others there is no difference whether they are taken with food or without. Some medicines that need to be taken with food (see below) can be taken with your fast day food without needing to make any changes. If you only need to take a medicine once a day, it is simple to take it with the main fast day meal. Do not be tempted to skip or reduce your medications without consulting with your doctor or pharmacist.

In a few cases special considerations are needed. The information leaflet that comes with your medicines may help you to know whether any precautions are needed when fasting, or you can ask your pharmacist or doctor for advice.

How fasting might effect your medication

There are several ways in which fasting might affect your medications:

  • Changes in the way the medicine is absorbed by the body (some drugs are absorbed faster, some slower when taken without food)

  • Changes in how the medicine is tolerated by the body (such as an increased risk of stomach irritation with aspirin-like drugs)

  • Changes in blood glucose levels (some medicines that tend to lower blood glucose may cause symptoms of low blood sugar when fasting).

 

Medicines that might be affected by fasting

Anti-inflammatory medicines and pain killers

Aspirin (acetylsalicylic acid) and similar drugs, such as ibuprofen, which are prescribed to control pain and inflammation, have a tendency to irritate the stomach lining and so are best taken with food. By contrast, paracetamol (acetominophen) is best taken on an empty stomach as it is better absorbed.

Corticosteroid/glucocorticoid drugs, such as prednisolone, budesonide, dexamethasone, fludrocortisone, hydrocortisone or prednisone, are powerful anti-inflammatory agents. They should be taken with food as they may irritate the stomach.

Corticosteroids also increase appetite and encourage fat storage while preventing the body from burning fat. Losing or even controlling your weight when taking these drugs can be very problematic. You may find fasting particularly hard to do. In these circumstances, daily shorter fasting combined with low carbohydrate eating may help. However, tempting it may be to reduce your dose, remember that it is very important not to stop or even skip a single dose of corticosteroids. Consult your doctor about changing the dose of your medication.

There are several members of the FastDay community who have managed to lose weight while taking corticosteroids. Please do join our FastDay forum to connect with people who can support you while you are taking corticosteroid drugs.

Diabetes drugs and other drugs that lower blood glucose

Because fasting lowers blood glucose levels, diabetes medications and any drugs that lower blood glucose levels might have a greater effect than expected on blood glucose. If you have diabetes treated by blood glucose lowering agents be aware that you may experience symptoms of hypoglycaemia (such as dizziness, shakiness, sweating, fatigue, going pale, fast pulse or palpitations, tingling lips, blurred vision and confusion). If you do have a such hypoglycaemic event, treat it by eating some carbohydrate, but in future, consider lowering the amount of diabetes drugs you are taking on a fast day. However, you do not need to consider changing the dose of metformin as this medicine does not cause hypoglycaemia.

Learn more about fasting with diabetes

Heart and circulatory system medicines

Warfarin: if you are taking warfarin, you will know that its effects are influenced by many foods and so, while fasting itself may not affect your INR, the lack of foods that you normally eat might do. Please consult with your doctor before starting intermittent fasting if you are taking warfarin, and monitor your INR carefully.

Digoxin is best taken on an empty stomach, as when taken with food it not absorbed so well. If you generally take your digoxin with food, it may be worth changing your routine so that your daily dose is always taken at least an hour before eating.

Blood pressure tablets do not need to be taken with food, however fasting may lower your blood pressure and so, if you are taking antihypertensives, you may experience periods of low blood pressure. You may find you will be able to reduce the dose of your medications with time. Regular monitoring of blood pressure is advisable.

Statins do not need to be taken with food.

Read how fasting can help your heart and circulation

Thyroid medications

Thyroxine is best taken on an empty stomach, as when taken with food it not absorbed so well. If you generally take your thyroxine with food, it may be worth changing your routine so that your daily dose is always taken at least an hour before eating.

Learn about fasting with thyroid disorders

 

Medications which should be taken with food

Note: this is not a complete list. Please consult with your doctor or pharmacist if you are taking any medicines not in this list or if you have any doubts about taking your medications whilst fasting.

A. acitretin (Neotigason), allopurinol (Zyloprim), atovaquone (Mepron/Malarone, Wellvone), acetylsalicylic acid (Aspirin), amoxicillin

B. baclofen (Lioresal), betametasone, bezafibrate (Bezalip), bromocriptine (Parlodel)

C. cabergoline (Dostinex), clofazimine (Lamprene), carvedilol (Coreg), carbamazepine (Tegretol), chloroquine (Avloclor), cimetidine (Tagamet), cefaclor (Distaclor), cefpodoxime (Orelox, Vantin), cefuroxime (Zinnat), cinnarizine (Arlevert), clarithromycin, colesevelam (Cholestagel), co-amoxiclav (Augmentin)

D. deflazacort (Calcort), dexamethasone, diclofenac (Arthrotec, Dicloflex, Diclomax, Motifene, Voltaren, Voltarol), divalproex sodium (Depakote), domperidone (Motilium)

F. felbamate (Felbatol), fenofibrate (Tricor), ferrous sulphate, fiorinal, fludrocortisone, flurbiprofen, fenoprofen, fexofenadine (Telfast)

G. griseofulvin, glyburide (take with breakfast)

H. hydrocortisone, hydroxychloroquine (Plaquenil)

I. ibuprofen (Brufen), indomethacin, itraconazole (Sporanox), isotretinoin (Roaccutane)

K. ketorolac, ketoprofen, ketotifen (Zaditen)

L. lithium, labetalol (Trandate)

M. mefenamic acid (Ponstan), meloxicam, metronidazole (Flagyl), misoprostol (Cytotec), methanamine, mebendazole, mesalazine, methylprednisolone, metyrapone (Metopirone), montelukast (Singulair)

N. naltrexone, naproxen (Naprosyn), nelfinavir (Viracept), nitrofurantoin (Macrobid), niacin

O. olsalazine

P. paroxetine (Seroxat), perphenazine, pentoxifylline, pergolide, piroxicam (Brexidol, Feldene), pivmecillinam (Selexid), potassium salts (Sando-K), prednisolone, prednisone, procainamide, pyridoxine

R. ritonavir (Norvir), rivaroxaban (Xarelto), ropinrole (Adartrel, Requip)

S. salsalate, saquinavir, sevelamer (Renagel), sodium valproate (Epilim), spironolactone, sulfasalazine, sulfinpyrazone, sulindac

T. ticlopidine, tinidazole (Fasigyn), tolmetin, trazodone, troglitazone

U. ursodeoxycholic acid (Ursofalk)

V. valproic acid (Convulex)

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Fasting for people managing medical conditions

Thursday 8th May 2014

Consult your doctor

Fasting can be beneficial for your health, but what if you have an existing medical condition such as diabetes?

Learn more about fasting with medical conditions

Intermittent fasting is not suitable for everyone. For example, you should not be fasting if you are underweight, or if you are pregnant, breast feeding (yes, we know those are not medical conditions but we need to say it…). Learn more about who should not fast.

 

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Fasting for people seeking long term health benefits

Fasting may have REAL health benefits, even beyond the weight loss. Diabetes, Heart disease and stroke, Alzheimer. The evidence is mostly in animals. This needs more research.

Fasting can help you lose weight, which for many people will improve your health.

But the health benefits of fasting go further than this. The latest research suggests that fasting might prove to have additional health benefits – over and above weight loss –  for  diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, cancer and many other conditions.

Learn more about the potential health benefits of fasting.

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Fasting for people who are sized XXL

FastDay can help you if you are XXL – what doctors call Obese or Morbidly Obese. We have great, practical and permanently sustainable ways of helping you lose weight.

Here is why using FastDay, and becoming part of our community,  might work better than the ‘diets’ you have tried before:

1. FastDay really works.

Following a simple regime like 5:2 fasting, you will see steady weight loss. On average people lose about 0.5 kg (1lb) per week.

There are faster ways to lose weight – but FastDay is all about sustaining it permanently.

You will get into habits that stick. This means you have a great chance of sticking with your new Way of Eating  – and ensuring you do not regain your lost weight.

Our goal is to be 10 times as successful as the diet industry. We want 50% of us to succeed permanently. FastDay is all about finding a long term Way of Eating instead of a string of temporary diets.  We want to help our members achieve permanent and sustainable success.

2. FastDay is easy to do.

Using FastDay doesn’t take over your life. You are not constantly calculating points or counting calories. If you use 5:2 fasting, you focus on following the plan two days a week  – and you are free to eat normally and enjoy your food for the other five days.

3. Fasting is healthy, especially if you have prediabetes.

Fasting has health benefits you don’t get with conventional diets like Weight Watchers. The latest research suggests fasting may help reduce the risks of diabetes, and reduce the need for diabetes medication.

4. Fast Day is cheaper (free!)

Losing a large amount of weight takes time, and can be very expensive with commercial diets.  It is so depressing if you put the weight back on again!

With FastDay, you can succeed for free. That’s how we want it to be.

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Combining Fasting with Low carb and Paleo

It's about health not getting into a smaller pair of jeans

Here at FastDay, we have a lot of respect for people following low carb or Paleo Ways of Eating.  We share a similar philosophy:

  • An emphasis on permanent, sustainable, healthy ways of eating rather than quick fixes that do not work;

  • A belief than natural ‘real food’ is generally healthier than processed food made in factories

  • An understanding that the diet industry is broken – and is part of the problem rather than the solution.

Many of our members started with low carb eating or Paleo and now use a combination of low carb eating and fasting. Why is this?

  • Fasting has some additional health benefits that do not come with low carb alone. The latest research suggests that intermittent fasting may help reduce the risks of diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and some cancers.

  • Many people find that a combination of fasting and low-carbing is the most do-able Way of Eating for them. You dont want to give up carbs completely, so choose to combine a reduction in carbs with intermittent fasting. We at FastDay love the flexibility of finding a Way of Eating that works for you….and then go for it.

Learn about Intermittent Fasting.

Learn more about Fast Day and what we believe.

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Meal replacement diets

Come and join us!

Nutrisystem, Medifast, Jenny Craig, New Lifestyle Diet, Slimfast

Many FastDayers have used meal replacements in the past as a way of dieting.  They are popular because they can help you lose weight, and they are easier than doing Weight Watchers or calorie counting.

The problems with meal replacement products are:

  • They only work for a short time. Soon, you will have put the weight back on again. These products do not ofier a long term solution or a new Way of Eating.

  • They are not healthy.  Take a look at the ingredients on the packaging! These are not healthy, natural, nutritious products.

  • They are expensive. You can spend a lot of money to lose some weight, and then a few weeks or months later you are back to where you started.

We can understand that meal replacements are a big business – but we think there is a better way.

Losing weight with FastDay is just as easy as using a meal replacement – fasting doesn’t take over your life or require permanent willpower like calorie counting does.

But FastDay gives you a permanent and healthy Way of Eating – not just a temporary fix. If that is what you are looking for, come and join us.

Learn more about intermittent fasting

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Weight watchers

A huge number of FastDay’s members have previously tried Weight Watchers as a way of losing weight. They have almost always put the weight back on again.

There are four reasons why FastDay is proving to be so popular with ex-members of Weight Watchers.

1. FastDay works better.

You might already know the results of research on Weight Watchers, and the diet industry more generally: for every 100 people dieting today, in two years time less than five people will have kept the weight off. A 5% success rate! It’s incredibly bad.

Our goal is to be 10 times as successful as the diet industry. We want 50% of us to succeed permanently. FastDay is all about finding a long term Way of Eating instead of a string of temporary diets.  We want to help our members achieve permanent and sustainable success.

2. FastDay is easier to do.

Using FastDay doesn’t take over your life. You are not constantly calculating points or counting calories. If you use 5:2 fasting, you focus on following the plan two days a week – and you are free to eat normally and enjoy your food for the other five days.

3. Fasting is healthier.

Fasting has health benefits you don’t get with Weight Watchers or other forms of calorie restriction. The latest research suggests fasting may help reduce the risks of diabetes, heart disease, Alzheimer’s and some cancers.

FastDay encourages you to eat real, natural, healthy food.  We think the unhealthy low calorie ready meals that Weight Watchers sells often make things worse not better. These branded foods might be a temporary solution, but they are not a permanent or healthy one.

4. Fast Day is cheaper (free!)

Weight Watchers can be expensive. There is a membership fee, then people are encouraged to buy all kinds of branded food products, spending even more.

With FastDay, you can succeed for free. That’s how we want it to be.

Learn about Intermittent Fasting.

Learn more about Fast Day and what we believe.

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Fasting for people aged 40+

When we are over 40, we care more about health than we used to – and we can’t take our bodies for granted any more.

FastDay’s goal is to help you achieve a permanently more healthy lifestyle. Going on a diet once in a while isn’t the answer at our age!

More of our members are aged 40–50 than any other decade. Here is why they love FastDay:

  • FastDay works.  We help our members lose some weight – and that’s the initial goal for many of us.

  • It is easy and flexible. Many 40-somethings have busy lives with kids, demanding jobs, or both. We need solutions that just work and don’t need too much effort.

  • Fasting has long term health benefits. Losing some weight will usually improve your health in the long term. Over and above this, the latest research suggests that fasting might prove to have additional health benefits for diabetes, heart disease and cancer. We are watching this research closely!

Learn more about the health benefits of fasting.

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