The FastDay Forum

Ditto! I'm a shortie and 1200 to 1400 is a normal day!

Hasn't there been plenty of studies indicating how severe daily calorie restriction delays the ageing process? From memory it would mean something like living on 1200-1500 kcal/day, near starvation, clearly not something most people would be willing to tolerate for the rest of their life.

The studies in flies, nematodes, and mice showed that CR extended lifespan. The study in primates showed that CR had no significant effect on lifespan.

Personally I don't consider 500 cals as fasting - I just use that term because Mosley does. Fasting for me is no food - I used to do this annually for years for several days. I see 5:2 and 4:3 as dieting 2 or 3 days a week

I agree. i remember back when i started in this forum and coming to grips with 5-2 i said the term "fast" is just wrong. As a fast is what it says it is .. no food. not just Calorie restriction.

Having said that, i over a period of 5 months evolved my new eating program and try to do just that, fast (only coffee) from say 11pm the previous night to about 7pm the next day) with just 500 calories on that day. so i guess im "fasting" in the true sense of the word for 17 hours, though to be honest at about 4pm i often reach for something like a piece of chicken or a kiwi fruit or a banana. very small but enough to get me through to 7pm. Partly its because i have to work at computer for my day job and the fasting can affect my concentration a bit

Haven't posted for ages but couldn't help joining in this fascinating topic - I hasten to add from a very unscientific angle.
First, absolutely agree obesity is unhealthy. Second, different ways of losing weight suit different people. Re word "fasting", I recently met a lovely Ethiopian Orthodox Christian who "fasted", in her words, Wednesday and Friday. But for her that meant vegan.
I really want to talk about the health angle. I lost some weight fairly easily using 5:2, but waist measurement which worried me, at 38" didn't change much.
But I am 77 - and have increasingly felt that as appetite diminishes as one gets older it is what one eats, the quality, rather than the calories that matters. We all know that one could eat absolute rubbish and do 5:2. I have no obvious health problems but I found that 5:2 effected my energy levels particularly. I wish I had some health checks to back up my vague feeling of not not doing quite as well whilst doing 5:2. Sorry, my GP only tests for poor health not good.
So I am settling for about 10st. BMI in lowish 20s. And really looking at the nutritional value of my food.Weight seems stable, just going for quality and not thinking too much about calories. That means going low carb amongst other things.
Which brings me to another thought. BMI seems widely used but how good is that as a measure of our health?
Finally, eating disorders are not mentioned on this forum. Is it possible that fasting, in whatever form is actually disguising anorexia? I do worry about some of the very low BMIs!
People's input is great - from all angles!

Wow Pammy 77! great to see the seniors are just as enthused about this new way of eating. You ask great questions. Over to the scientists and researchers in the room!

[Moogie]

I don't think fasting is disguising anorexia - the two are quite different things. On 5:2 we eat normally on our feed days, to a maintenance level of calories for our bodies, not undereating. I think most of the users here with low range healthy BMIs are using the method to maintain or for the health benefits, rather than to lose. In some cases BMI isn't even really relevant due to being shorter than average for example. Some people have a more sturdy build than others as well, so BMI isn't the only thing to judge on. Certainly when we have new members with a low BMI we try to ask a bit about why they want to follow 5:2 and if we feel there may be an eating disorder we try to raise the issue carefully. While it's not something we can control - everyone is free to do as they wish in life, diet-wise - we do try to be mindful of it and advise where we can.

The studies in flies, nematodes, and mice showed that CR extended lifespan. The study in primates showed that CR had no significant effect on lifespan.

Hmm.., how dissappointing, why couldn't those damned Rhesus monkeys just hang on?

Strange with these research results. Rats live longer on CR, mice don't. Some spiders do, some don't. Nematodes and other various species respond well, others just die like their control groups. It's probably a lot more complicated than we might think with many details regarding food composition, protein content etc. Confusing, and difficult as well as expensive to test on animals with a long lifespan.

The CR rhesus monkeys didn't live longer, but they were healthier than controls, so there is that...

Yep, I also read they were really good looking for their age too!

Re. the rhesus monkeys having better health isn't that what most of us want? My dread, which I am sure is shared by many of us, is to be old and incapacitated. much prefer to get old and stay reasonably healthy and mobile, in body and mind. Who wants to live forever with poor health and all the awful stuff that goes hand in hand with that?
Also, I thought strict calorie restriction as a lifestyle (although not one I would ever choose) had been shown conclusively to extend human life span?
I thought the idea or should I say hope with 5.2 is that it will bring similar benefits to CR but in a much more palatable form.

I am not aware of any study in humans showing that CR definitely extends lifespan.

MaryAnn,
You are probably correct - the literature I have read suggests this is so, but I guess they have to wait a while longer to draw scientific conclusions. One thing's for sure though, it probably FEELS like a very long life with that amount of daily calorie restriction! I for one could never do it.

Hi Pammy, I'm 72 and it's nice to meet someone here who's in my age range. I lost the 10 pounds to go from size 14 (US) to size 12 quite easily, but am now struggling with the willpower to go the next 4 pounds just for vanity--maybe I don't really care that much about a super flat tummy.

dhana, I agree--quality of life first over longevity.