The FastDay Forum

Hi all,

I have a friend whose husband was a veterinarian, then went back to med school to be a ob-gyn. After he partially retired, he completely re-educated himself to be an expert in nutrition. He would be the first to tell you that there was almost zero nutritional education in med school. So, with the exception of people on medication for medical issues (and of course, excepting pregnant and breastfeeding mothers), there isn't a whole lot most doctors could tell you about nutritional issues. They just go with what has been said before.

I don't think that skipping 1 or, possibly, 2 meals in a given day, once or twice or even 3 times a week would be a problem for most otherwise healthy people. My daughter and I did this by accident two years ago (I was 63 yrs. old) when we were traveling on trains in Europe (5 countries), carrying backpacks and staying in hostels for 5 weeks. Meals were "catch as catch can," and we both felt great and lost weigh without trying.

Now, I'm trying to break the last barrier and improve my cholesterol and blood sugar numbers, thus avoiding any future need to take medication.

Today is my 3rd fast day (5-2) and less easy than the first 2, but, really, no big deal.

I have also met with some negativity. A friend called it another fad diet & that she knows I get "enthusiasms" about things, & she reckons I will not be doing this in six months time! She has had two knee ops & is overweight with other health problems & says she could never do 5:2 because she lives alone ( she is widowed ) & likes snacking in the evening to give it up. But just a load of old excuses I think.
For the first time I feel as though I have a food control system that I can use for the rest of my life. I have lost weight many times on other diets but never been able to make the transition into maintaining that weight loss. Because of the many helpful nerdy posts on here I have a better understanding of the complex physiological processes affecting weight loss & maintenance. So once I am over my ongoing Egyptian Dysentery I will be back on 5:2 for the long haul because of the health benefits ( body heal thyself! ) & for when I achieve a reasonable weight & BMI again & to most importantly maintain that normal weight. I never ever in my future want to have to lose weight again or to have a recurrence of breast cancer.

Somebody commented, maybe in another thread, that a lot of people have addiction problems with food. Any time you accidentally confront an addict with his/her addiction, you get an explosion! I just didn't realize, I think, that food could be an addiction until recently.

You're taking their sugar fix away.

My friend and I were discussing crisps (chips) last year and we concluded the language used was that of drug use.

You get a sugar hit, a salt hit and the need to have more...

When I started there were many people telling me it's (fasting) not safe, I'll get anorexia, anemia, bulemia or i won't be able to resist chocolates etc.

I have been doing IF now for over 6 months and have lost 2 stone and kept it off. I'm as happy as i've ever been with how i look and feel and I know this eating pattern works for me. I also had hypnotherapy for motivation and I feel that really helped me to shut out critism and keep me focussed.

Negative people tend to have their own agenda and own interests at heart and i'm fine with that because i'm slim...ha ha ha.

I always get the "it'll slow your metabolism" comment. *yawn*

I find it quite amusing; those who called it a fad diet originally are now saying to me "wow you have lost a lot of weigtht" and when I explain that I am on 5:2 still and well into my 4th month I think they get that it has become a sustainable part of my life

Well done Superfluity on your success!

Another fantastic book is Slim For Life by Jason Vale
Puts you right off sugar and bad fats and exposes the food and advertising industries for what they really are i.e., cynical manipulators set only on making profits
I read this book in 2010 and lost over3 stone effortlessly in six months..coz I just didnt want bad fats or sugar any more..
Sadly the effects of the book wore off and i put some of that weight back on
Time for a re read i think

I agree that people resist change in so many areas. They just keep repeating the same old opinions that are not based in fact without any effort to investigate the truth of the matter. I put a lot of it down to intellectual laziness.