The FastDay Forum

Caroline, I too am a little concerned about the slight increase in calories (640 vs. 500 for two days). But I'll be my own guinea pig, do this for a week, and then share any loss with you.

P.S. You look gorgeous! Wow! What a 5:2 success!

[carorees]

How is this vastly different from what most people on the forum are doing already, other than back to back fasts, and maybe slightly more calories on fast days? And I think it's already been established that if you eat "ad libitum", you won't lose much weight!

Maybe I'm just cynical, but is this just someone else jumping on the bandwagon?

Atkins shakes will be low carb! And if they are looking at neurological function, that is interesting indeed! Many people would like to gain health benefits from fasting without losing weight so the even if the participants don't lose much weight, the results should be interesting.

However, my concern is the same as yours, Carolyn--that 8 weeks really isn't long enough to show true results. We really need long-term studies. HOWEVER, that being said, I still think it's great that more studies are forthcoming. In my book, that is excellent news.

P.S. Apologies for spelling your name wrong.

[Betsysgr8]

2 days back-to-back low-carb should allow the participants to go into fat-burning mode. If ketones are being used then, in theory, neurological functions should improve. It will be interesting to find out the results of the study.

izzy, in my opinion, no Mark Mattson is not just another person jumping on the bandwagon. He is a well-known anti-aging researcher written about in The Fast Diet by Michael Mosley. The book said Mark Mattson himself fasts and has done lots of studies on fasting over the years. He is a big believer in fasting, and I'm glad he's finally putting himself out there and conducting a much needed study on 5:2. All I keep reading is "all the research is done only on every other day fasting." Maybe this will silence the naysayers?

Betsygr8, I read with interest your comment that 2 days back to back low carb will put you in fat burning mode. But since the rest of the week you can eat whatever you want, and I'm assuming a lot of folks will eat high carb, maybe some very high carb, would that negate the fat burning benefit? Anyone know? I'm just trying to understand all this. Is it the lowering in calories two days a week, or the low carbs?

[carorees]

I found the nutritional composition of the Atkins shakes: 15 grams of high-quality protein, 9 grams of fat, 1 grams of net carbs for 160 calories.

That would mean 4 shakes per day to make 640 cal so each fast day would give 60g protein (this is the protein target Mattson mentioned in Dr Mosley's Horizon programme), 36g fat and 4g carbs.

Whether a person reaches ketosis in two days on that regimen would depend on, as hymns&faith says, the diet on the 5 feast days, and on the exercise level, the person's size and probably other factors. I think that a high carb diet on the feast days may well negate the fat burning benefit, or at least reduce its benefit. I'm interested to know if the participants will be keeping a food diary on the feast days.

I have read some scientific research that points to the absence of carb intake during fasting as being the key factor in the non-weightloss benefits of fasting.

Our own Dr. Mosley based quite a lot of his own findings/self experiments on the work of Mattson in fact,
"Mattson and his colleagues have shown that periodic fasting protects neurons against various kinds of damaging stress, at least in rodents. One of his earliest studies revealed that alternate-day feeding made the rats' brains resistant to toxins that induce cellular damage akin to the kind cells endure as they age. In follow-up rodent studies, his group found that intermittent fasting protects against stroke damage, suppresses motor deficits in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease and slows cognitive decline in mice genetically engineered to mimic the symptoms of Alzheimer's. A decidedly slender man, Mattson has long skipped breakfast and lunch except on weekends. “It makes me more productive,” he says. The 55-year-old researcher, who has a Ph.D. in biology but not a medical degree, has written or co-authored more than 700 articles."
So I don't think that he's just another person jumping on the bandwagon. I am very interested in this study, short though it will be. At least it's a start.

Quote taken from Scientific American by David Stipp.

Hymn&faith look forward to the attachments being posted as sounds interesting

Snagging!

Snagging!

Say what? Am I obviously missing something obvious?

Sorry, didn't mean to be obtuse - 'snagging' is an old term from another forum. Just marking the thread.

Can't wait to get the links! pretty pleeeeeeease!!!!

[Betsysgr8]

@Iztla read this thread about problems with posting the link 5-2-diet-chat-f6/can-someone-help-us-link-this-29-page-study-help-t9664.html