The FastDay Forum

She wrote the book with Dr Michael Mosley. I was a bit surprised to read her statistics. She is five feet seven and a half inches and started the diet at 10 stone 2 and a size 12.

Perfect, I'd have said. I'm 5 feet 4 and 10 stone and a size 12 too and have never felt better, plus my weight is described as "healthy".

Now she is a size 8 (!!!!!!!) and 8 stone 7 lbs.

Hmm. Am I alone in thinking that this is a bit ???? I know that if I was 8 stone 7 lbs I would look emaciated. I can't go under 9 st 4 lbs otherwise I look like a shrivelled peach.

I guess she's in the fashion and beauty business so that may explain why she has striven to achieve this weight but I do wonder if it's a healthy aspiration for the rest of us.

What does everyone else think?

I thought her part of the book was much weaker than MM's.

Judging from the photo's of her she looks perfect. I suppose we all get used to how we would look at a certain weight. I'm curvy and even at 8 stone I would look curvy. She looks athletic.

She was the one who made me think I needed to diet - I was 9 stone 10 at 5'8 and a size 10, not fat, just a few wobbly bits I wanted to get rid off. I want to get to 9 stone, but I couldn't imagine going another half a stone down after that.

So her BMI is now 18.4 - bottom of the healthy range.

[wildmissus]

Couldn't agree more Jem.....way too low. I'm 5"8" and in my early 20's when I was poorly my weight dropped to below 10 stone and I looked skeletal - not nice. Now that I am 45 I think 10 and a half stone would be low enough.

Does it matter? This is a nice forum, can't we just accept that each of us decides what's good for us. We're all grown ups.

Yes, Monty - I was aware when I posted how it might come across. I didn't want to bitch about her but it does make it hard when people set standards that are at odds with medical acceptance and then those standards become the ones that we all aspire to.

I agree and one of the worries about this way of eating is the possibility of eating disorders.
Just saying.....I read it somewhere along the line.
No offence meant and am not bitching!

I still feel as an adult she's well aware of her own needs. Over the last few months we've all changed our life long held views, "always eating breakfast" etc. Just because the experts have touted views for so many years, does not make each viewpoint necessarily valid. I think she looks beautiful. She's in close collaboration with Dr Michael Mosely - if he had a problem or thought she had, he wouldn't have written a book with her.

Yes, she does look beautiful. That's rather my point.

Well I have that picture printed off and pinned to the fridge door....at 57 and over weight I know I wont get close....but I am going to try to be the best and healthiest I can be and I think she is beautiful!!!!....wonder was she wearing big knickers for that photo shoot...no VPL !!!!! lol

Ha ha Virginia, she must have some secret. You're the same age as me. Hope you are enjoying this as much as me!

I thought my ideal weight was about 11 stone only a few years ago, and was only ever a few pounds over. I'm 5ft 10in and not over-endowed with muscles. Over the last year or two I slowly lost weight by careful eating and exercise and was 10 stone 4lbs last August and pretty fit. I doubt anyone noticed the difference who did not have access to grabbing odd bits of skin and pinching, but I could tell that only fat had been lost and that I never needed it. Overeating in the runup to Xmas put back most of this fat, 5:2 has got rid of it again in only 25 days and 8 fasts but it is difficult to know where to call a halt. I have reset my target to 10 stone as an experiment and will monitor my performances carefully (running & climbing) for adverse effects of being under-fat but I suspect there will be no downside. My wife was horrified at the thought of heading towards 9 stone (she's 5ft 6in) but is pleased at how she looks and feels as she gets close. Other than the loss of insulation I can see no downside to being towards the minimum BMI rather than the ideal. Mimi looks gorgeous!

Update 4/5/13: Self now 9-12, wife 8-9 and both loving it - running better, feeling better, looking better and both stopping at these weights by modified 5:2 or 6:1
Both need new wardrobes...