Customer Reviews

The Fast Diet: The secret of intermittent fasting - lose weight, stay healthy, live longer

I just wanted to share my experience with anyone thinking about starting on this diet.

I consider myself a yo-yo dieter. Once committed to a diet I do stick to it. The trouble for me arises at Christmas, birthdays and other special occasions. I think to myself, for the next week I will treat myself, it's only Christmas or my birthday once a year right? Wrong.

This is a trigger for me. Once I have fallen off the wagon I am in big trouble and usually put the majority of the weight back on. Kidding myself that I will start again on Monday, but never following through. Only being jolted back into action when I approach my heaviest weight. The trouble is I have been "dieting", trying to control my daily calorie intake, essentially denying myself food. What I really needed was to establish a new relationship with my food. A relationship where there is no proverbial wagon to fall off... This is exactly what the Fast Diet is.

The principle is simple: two days a week you fast, sticking to 500 calories for women or 600 calories for men, and for the other five days you eat what you like. I eat breakfast (toast and two poached eggs) and dinner (fish/chicken with plenty vegetables) on my fast days, and pretty much what I like on feed days. Initially I thought I would be tempted to over eat on feed days - but I found the opposite is true. Once you have had the determination to fast for a day, the next day you feel satisfied with smaller portions. You also don't want to undo all the effort from your fast days and that adds another motivating factor to the mix. I found myself averaging around 1,900 calories on feed days and feeling perfectly well fed.

The first few days of fasting were really tough, but I stuck with it. For me it took about six fasting days before I began to consider it easy to do. I found sipping water throughout the day, around 4-5 litres, really helped keep the hunger at bay during this settling in phase. I cannot drink black coffee or tea, so I added a little milk and tracked that in my daily calorie intake (around 15 cals per cup). I didn't experience any headaches or tiredness and I am able to walk for 1 hour on fast days no problem at all. I don't feel like I am living on the bare minimum amount of energy to stay alive.

I don't consider this method a diet. You can look at your working week and choose what days you are going to fast. I personally always fast on Mondays, and I am flexible with my second fast day depending on what is happening during that particular week. While on the diet I have woken up on what was supposed to be a fast day only to decide that I need to eat something more that 600 calories. On previous diets I would feel terrible about it, triggering a spiral of eating that gets out of control. On this diet all I do is start the fast again the next day. There is no reason to beat yourself up if you slip up on this diet.

So now - the important part, how much have I lost? Well following this diet since the Horizon programme in September I have lost well over two stone, and feel a hell of a lot better inside as well as outside.

Best �3 you will spend this year.

The best review on here is that of Mike C from 31/12/12. So good, in fact, that I haven't bothered to buy the book! Why? Well, I saw the original Horizon, back in August, so I know the how & why of the diet; I'm a perfectly competent cook, so I don't need the recipes; the rest of it is padding to me as much as it is to Mike. Why am I here, then? Well, just in case you need any further persuasion to invest in this, I thought I'd add my two penn'orth, plus I'd like to mention a a few points that I think are particularly worth considering.

I experimented with the diet after the programme was shown, then had a very dissolute December, knowing full well that I was going to go at it full tilt in the New Year. I started on the 2nd, 19 days later, I've dropped 10 lbs with no problems, no loss of energy (I play squash vigorously, and 5-a-side when I can get a game), and no trouble sticking with the plan. So, yes it works. Absolutely.

However, the most important point to emphasise is that this not a weight loss diet. Weight loss is entirely a side effect of the real purpose of the diet, which is to prolong life. It's a milder version of Alternate Day Fasting. This is scientifically unproven as yet, but is said to reduce the chance of developing various cancers, and to help manage a variety of conditions / illnesses wide enough to include diabetes & arthritis. What tends to get the headlines is the fact that on your Fast days, you cut your calories to a quarter of the recommended. What is more significant is reducing your protein intake. This is said to force your body from "growth mode" into "repair mode" where, instead of creating new cells, the body attempts to repair damaged ones. Since cancers are essentially uncontrolled cell growth, it's obvious how this diet could help; equally, repairing damaged cells will presumably help with any number of ailments, aches & pains.

Personally, I'm no fan of calorie counting. The vast majority of people have no idea what a calorie really is or how it's measured. Therefore, my advice is don't fuss too much about the limits. For a man, you're supposed to keep the protein under 35g & the calories to no more than 600. If you stick to the protein limit & bust the calorie limit by a couple of hundred, it's not going to hurt you. It's the protein limit, I think, that is more significant in switching to repair mode. I've been varying between a 4:3 & 5:2 version of the diet, and I've probably hit 8-900 calories on half the Fast days & still shed pounds plenty quick.

Key psychological point: you don't actually feel like you're on a diet. There is no constant struggle to discipline yourself day after day after day. Five days a week, you eat normally; two days you fast. You can do two days consecutively (I was doing Sun & Mon last year), you can split them, it really doesn't matter. But it isn't difficult, on a single day, to adjust your diet, knowing full well you can eat what the heck you like the next!

As far as food goes, it's quite simple. On Fast days, cut your protein down, cut out the standard starchy staples (spuds, pasta, rice, bread). Eat plenty of non-root vegetables, along with some chicken or fish & you're pretty much there. Even if you're not much of a cook, or short on time, it doesn't take much to grab some mixed frozen veg from the freezer (beans, sprouts, casserole veg, broccoli, cauliflower, that sort of thing) & flash it in the microwave. Fresh or frozen, you can always pep things up with herbs, a sprinkling of seeds (fennel, caraway, etc), or a few splashes of soy / oyster / Worcester / Tabasco sauce. Plenty of variety there, so it doesn't get boring either.

Final trick: drink plenty; sip, sip, sip throughout the day. Now, you are allowed black coffee / tea on the diet, but I don't drink either, so I just drink water. The important thing is sip, sip, sip, though. On a fast day, I'm typically drinking 3-4 litres, which gives the system a good flush, as well! But it's not a huge glug followed by nothing for hours. Sipping throught the day keeps the hunger pangs at bay and makes it easy to stick to. And it's only for one day, remember!

For me, the diet isn't much of an adjustment. I don't east fast food or much by way of sweets / dessert, most supermarket ready meals tend to be fairly healthy anyway, and I cook a lot, freezing & re-heating a good deal of it, so there's always plenty of quick food for office days, when I'm out very early & back late. For you, it might be more of a change. If it is, though, you're likely to see even more of a benefit. Being down so many pounds already, I'm dropping the 4:3 version of the diet this week. Once I'm in the shape I want to be in, 5:2 will probably become 6:1, as Michael Mosley has done. But it's an effective diet, an easy one to follow, and one that I will probably follow for the rest of my life. Try it & see for yourself!

Easy to read
Easy to remember
Easy to put into practice
Easy to lose weight
Easy to adopt as a life syle.

The first, and probably last, diet book I'll ever read. Most diets don't work, or when they do the loss is only temporary. We all know that. So why did I bother to read this? And why am I persuaded that it might be a different and important new approach to health and well-being?

I was given this book by my parents-in-law who had found it very helpful. Another friend has also successfully followed the 5:2 approach for about six months. I was curious because, as a man in his early fifties who eats healthily and is fairly active, for the first time in my life I am finding it harder to shift the post-Christmas paunch. Usually upping the running and exercise has resulted in fairly easily weight loss. Not any more it seems.

What is most startling about this book is that weight loss is only a part of the story. The real dividends are around longer term health and which include a reduced risk of heat disease, dementia, cancer and diabetes. The evidence is compelling and persuasive. The other attractive aspect is that the 5:2 approach means that the participant only has to exercise will power for two days out of five and can eat normally on the other days.

Basically, the theory goes that our bodies are designed to adapt to periods without food and, during periods when the body receives fewer calories, it goes into repair mode resulting in various beneficial changes. The authors advocate eating normally for five days a week, and cutting calories for two days a week (500 for women, and 600 for men). The book explores all the current scientific evidence, busting a few myths in the process, and also recognises that everyone is different and therefore suggests various strategies.

The book is short and very readable and it has inspired me to try it out. Many people have made this a permanent change. The book concludes with twenty pages of short testimonials from people who have found it helpful, including some medical practitioners reporting on their patients. The book is well worth reading if only to inform yourself about some fascinating science that appears to have significant and important health benefits.

EDIT (written on 7 March 2014):

Following my review above I started the 5:2 diet on 13th January 2014. One of the most instructive things about restricting calories for two days per week is the realisation that hunger pangs do not necessarily signal an essential need to eat. Far from it. By resisting the pangs and enduring the minor discomfort, I discover that they go away. That's not to say it is easy but having got into a routine I now know it just requires a bit of will power. The knowledge that the following day will be unrestricted is also very helpful. I also abstain from alcohol on the restricted calorie days and, since starting the diet, I have stopped eating between meals, except for fruit if I feel peckish, and I am generally eating more vegetables.

Here's my results...

Monday 6th Jan 80.4 kg (12.7 stone)
Monday 13th Jan 80.1 kg (12.6 stone) (BMI 22.67)
Monday 20th Jan 78.1 kg (12.3 stone) (BMI 22.11)
Monday 27th Jan 77 kg (12.1 stone) (BMI 21.8)
Monday 3rd Feb 76 kg (11.9 stone) (BMI 21.51)
Monday 10th Feb 75 kg (11.8 stone) (BMI 21.23)
Monday 24th Feb 75 kg (11.8 stone) (BMI 21.23)
Monday 3rd Mar 72.5 kg (11.4 stone) (BMI 20.52)

(BMI: 18.5-24.9 = healthy weight)

I am amazed at the success of this diet and will probably move to just one restricted calorie day a week having got to my target weight. Michael Mosley suggests this is the best way to maintain a healthy weight rather than to continue to lose weight. I will probably continue to abstain from alcohol for two days per week.

After trying different permutations I discovered that not eating breakfast and going without any food for as long as possible works best for me. Some days I have some porridge for lunch with blueberries -other days I last until the evening without evening. Dinner is usually a bowl of steamed or roasted vegetables and some tofu (usually with a bit of Balsamic vinegar). I now find it relatively simple to stay under 600 calories on the two restricted calorie days - with plenty of water and hot drinks to ward off any hunger pangs. Miso Soup at 18 calories is a good tip too.

Excellent way to lose weight. Been doing this for 6 weeks and regularly lose 2lb a week. find it easy to do.

I am (or was) a typical 43 year old bloke, I like a pint or 6 on a Friday night and the odd bottle of wine in the evening. I love food, travel and socialising. Inevitably this lead to middle age spread, as it has with all my friends of a similar age. 5"11 and 13.5 stone.

So of course I've tried diets, and stick to them quite well in the typical yo-yo fashion, only to end up even bigger 6 months later.

So 7 months ago a friend mentioned he had seen the Horizon TV program and was going on the 5:2 Fasting Diet. He said it was for the health benefits and not to lose weight (think he felt it wasn't a blokey thing to do, to go on a diet). So I watched the program and decided to join him on it.

I changed nothing else in my life, still binge drinking more than I mean to and eating out etc (some things are much harder to change in life, but I'm only human:)

To my surprise I found it very easy to stick to. I had a headache a couple of times on the first few weeks so had my doubts, but after a few months, because you feel so much better, it becomes a joy to be on. Of course there are "fast" days when your tummy rumbles in the evening after you have used your 500/600 calories, but it's not going to kill you and it's only until breakfast next day, which tastes so much better.

7 months in and I've lost just short of 2 stone. The weight loss has slowed to a almost a stop which is a relief as I was going to have to alter the diet some how as I had reached my target weight and didn't want to get too skinny (a nice problem to have). My resting heart rate has dropped considerably which is probably why the weight loss has almost stopped (my metabolism seems to have slowed). I don't get out of breath and I'm much fitter.

I can't see myself ever coming off this diet as my relationship with food is at an all time high. No guilty feeling when you have enjoyed a nice meal. Everything just tastes so much better. You know how towards the end of Christmas or Easter you just stop enjoying food because your so fed up of binging, well reverse that feeling and times it by 10. Even Bran Flakes after a fasting day tastes good. Even beer tastes better :)

There have been some poor reviews of this diet, but I think they just miss the point. The government and doctors are very good at telling us what we should be doing, but we already know what we should be doing, we just can't stick to it. We are genetically programmed to eat food when it's available. Years of natural selection have meant "survival of the fattest" during times of famine. It's not our fault, but to me this way of eating is how our bodies are designed to live. We were never designed to graze continuously very palatable and calorie dense food that is available 24/7, 365 days a year.

Well that's my rant over, to the book. It's �4 and I enjoyed reading it, it filled in some gaps. It's written by the guy who started it all for me and not one of the copy cat books. Good science in it. Buy it.

Just one more thing. Thank you Dr. Mosley. You have improved my life, and probably my life expectancy. I've two teenage daughters and I'm sure they will appreciate having me around in good health for longer. I've started walking now as I can now get up the hills, so if I see you on one of your walks, and it's not a fast day, I'll buy you a pint :)

Sean (Marske-by-the-Sea)

My husband has lost 1 and a half stone and I`ve lost 10 pounds.
Its a great diet because on the off days you don`t feel at all restricted.
Works well for us.

My weight can go up and down and over the last 18 months I managed to put on 2 stone, despite exercising regularly during term time, sometimes running up to 33k a week. Though I know it's what I eat that has got me this way.

I have also been sluggish and my skin (and scalp) has broken out in spots and I have tried every lotions and potions (even changing my contraception). Feeling that I needed to do more, I deep down knew it was what I was eating and a proper diet would help.

Having allergies to Wheat and not eating meat, I deluded myself that I was eating was healthy combined with exercise i thought i was invinsible that I can still eat junk food and quick fixes and I was eating whenever I thought I was hungry and not surprising, I put on weight and started getting problems.

I changed my exercise in January and I have been doing the 30 Day shred most mornings and wanted a good diet to go with it (and not wanting to pay out on expensive diets or clubs).

I found this book in Tesco, not seeing the Horizon programme; I went on it solely because it sounds manageable.

2 days out of 7, you cut down your calorie intake to 500 for women and 600 for men. Every other day, you can eat what you like. I started doing this a few weeks ago and though I don't have scales, I measured my waist and I have already lost 2 inches off my waist.

The way I have done this is; I cut my calories on Mon and Thursday, though I can be flexible, if I know I'm meeting friends, I will change the day. I usually have my entire calorie intake in one go as my evening meal with the family. I found that by splitting the meals in the morning and dinner, I was starving by lunch time and having them just a dinner time was a lot better managed! I also keep a note book to record what i eat/drink and my calories consumed!

The book contains meal ideas and a calorie table at the back. It is measuring and weighing you calories, but it's for only two days!

The idea is to give your liver a break to detox; if we keep eating, the liver is constantly working and not getting a break, hence health problems and obesity!

Since starting I have noticed that my skin is getting better, I feel more energetic and I am in control. I even find that on my normal eating days, I am aware of what I eat and have started to be quiet sensible.

Sometimes I have had a can of soup and a bowl of salad of my choice (and even under the 500 cals, I can struggle to eat this in one sitting) and through the days I also drink lots too, keep me ticking over. I drink nettle, herbal and fruit tea and water (hot and cold), which is also good, as I didn't always remember to drink plenty before this book!

The longer I continue to do this diet the easier it seems to be, as at first it can be a battle of wills! Just keep busy and plan your day wisely!

If I am offered naughty treats or a slice of cake, I can happily put it away and enjoy it the next day when I am not fasting.

This is a great lifestyle change and I can see myself doing this for the rest of my life and I would recommend anyone (who can) to give it a try!

Saw the documentary but didn't think I'd be able to do it, but met a friend who was following the diet and found it doable. So bought it on my Kindle (not a good idea, much better to buy the book as it has illustrations of the menus which are just, well, grey on a Kindle). Have completed 2 fast days and found it easy and empowering however, as much as I appreciate that Dr Mosley has done all the work and needs to make a living out of it, you just don't need the book which is hardly any theory and mostly calorie charts and recipes which can all be found elsewhere (the myfitnesspal ap is excellent for calorie counting and you can Google 200 and 300 calorie recipes and find plenty, there are some good ones under the healthy section of the BBC Good Food website). The Fast Diet Forum is very good too for ideas and inspiration. Very impressed with the plan but as I say earlier, you really don't need the book/Kindle download to do it.

Now on week 4 of this diet, so far have lost almost 4kgs. so it really works. Finding it not too difficult as it has results and is worth persevering.Enjoyed Michael Mosley's TV programe, very interesting.