The FastDay Forum

I started the regime after seeing the programme, mainly for the health benefits with the bonus of losing weight. I had a BMI of 26. It's now 23 and I've lost 8 kilos. My trousers don't fit anymore and my wife says my face looks old and scraggy. Yesterday, I went to the doctor for my annual BP check and blood tests. At the end, the nurse gleefully announced that my risk of stroke and heart attack had increased! You just can't make it up. Why bother?

[Moogie]

Hi Beighton & sorry to hear all that!
I know a lot of people when they lose weight can find they look a bit older if they previously had quite full faces. My mother in law lost a load of weight a couple of years ago and looks older now for having a less full face. But she's certainly healthier for it.

You say your blood tests are annual, although your risk factor seems to have increased, I wonder if it would have increased more without 5:2? I wonder if they could project what it might have been based on past years' tests and the way they were(?) increasing?

I guess all you can go on really is how you feel in yourself. If you're not enjoying it and don't feel better for it then indeed, why bother? Many of us however have experienced great benefits from this way of life - although admittedly many of us haven't had blood tests, there are some who have had tests and these show improvements.

[carorees]

Oh dear Beighton!

It is inconceivable that by losing 8kg you would have increased your risk, so the risk must be coming from somewhere else. If the tests are annual it is just a snapshot. What were your test results? Which tests are worse than last year?

Here are some reasons why your tests might not accurately reflect your risk:
BP varies quite a lot from moment to moment and many nurses and doctors do not take it correctly. You should be in a warm room, rested for at least 5 mins, feet flat on the floor, straight back, arm slightly bent, cuff at heart level, no talking. BP is higher in winter anyway. Had you had coffee beforehand? Did they do the bloods beforehand?

What were your total cholesterol and HDL cholesterol results? The ratio of total:HDL is a better predictor of risk than total cholesterol but many nurses don't seem to know this. Fasting improves HDL.

Did you get the tests done on a fasting day, just after a fasting day and at what time? Fasting increases cholesterol in the blood (as it is needed to provide energy in the absence of food) so your results could look bad but not be representative of your overall health.

Letting your weight increase again would definitely worsen your risk so, that in itself could be reason to continue.

Can't really comment on the medical side of things but with regards to old and scraggy, a lot of people who are overweight (myself included) their faces do look younger than they actually are. Might be because wrinkles are more stretched . I cant wait till my face looks a little bit old and scraggy, i will know something is working.

Thank you all for your replies. My BP was fine. They used last year's cholesterol reading as the bloods won't be back for a couple of weeks. Blood was taken after BP. I drink alcohol within government guidelines and of course have 2 days abstinence. I am year older than last time, which affects the risk, but I am by no means old. I'm not convinced that not following the regime would have increased the risk further, and there isn't really anyway of knowing. Unfortunately, government and medical researchers don't seem to have a very good track record in advising us. If they were why do they recommend basing our diet on grain, high calorie starch? Is it just coincidence that the population is becoming more obese?

[carorees]

So they used last year's cholesterol, your bp was fine and your weight was down and on that basis your risk had increased! Must be the age. If you have lost weight going from overweight to normal as you say then that had lowered your risk even if the age had increased it. So not following the regime would have increased your risk further just because you would not have lost weight. And you haven't had the blood results back yet so in fact it is impossible to comment on your risk.

You are right about misinformation about high carbohydrate and low fat diets. There is a link to the programme "The men who made us fat" in Resources. This programme was shown on the BBC last year and tells how the sugar industry prevented the risks associated with sugar consumption being publicised.

That and advising us to eat several meals a day has contributed to the obesity epidemic IMO. Mind you I am overweight without having eaten low fat high carb foods, or eaten several snacks a day and eating a diet high in veggies, nuts, seeds and whole grains...so I can only blame my appetite and failure to enjoy exercise for being overweight!