I agree with most if not all of the points made.
In my view, it's essential that you are able to easily cope with only one meal before trying a 36 liquid fast.
Let yourself be guided by your body as to when (IF) you are ready. I've found it very easy to only have one meal in the evenings on fast days, so I felt ready to try the 36 early on. The first time was a breeze, the second time I didn't feel up to it and ended up doing a normal 500 calorie evening meal fast day instead. The third time was easy again. I don't feel any compulsion to do a 36er every fast; I'm just taking a view each time As I have a young family and a husband to feed, I never have a situation where there isn't healthy food available for me to eat on a fast day, so I don't generally feel the need to plan what I'm eating, and that probably helps. I like how someone put it about having a 500 calorie buffer. The food is there if I need or want it.
The feeling of lightness after a 36er is wonderful, and I really feel like I have rested my system those days.
I haven't found I've lost more after a 36er than a normal fast, but I do feel strongly that the mixing it up calorie and meal wise that is working, and overall I'm very happy with my loss to date.
For me, I started this 5:2 plan hoping that I never needed to feel miserable about food choices again. If I started a fast day and halfway through seriously deprived of something, I would quite that fast there and then, knowing I can pick it up tomorrow. Doing the odd 36er makes me feel psychologically that anything is possible