The FastDay Forum

http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-an ... 2gzvm.html

Among the most talked about diets, nutritionists praised two in particular for offering the opportunity for a balanced diet: the 5:2 diet and the Mediterranean diet.

The 5:2 diet is also known as the "fast diet". It involves eating healthily but not restrictively for five days, with two days a week of restricted eating of only 500 calories, or about 2000 kilojoules.

Thanks for sharing that. Its always good to read positive comments about this way of life. I dread to think what the urine diet is

I was pleased to see this as it's based on recommendations from the BDA. I have a chum who is a Fellow of the BDA and I know they were originally a little wary of 5:2/fasting recommendations so this is interesting to see.

ETA: to be clear, I think dieticians fret about how diets are reported and whether people use them as a screen for very restricted eating or ED behaviours. They also wonder about sustainability but as more people report success and go into maintenance that they sustain, the more these notional concerns abate, IYSWIM.

Apparently the urine diet involves injecting with urine (one's own presumably), otherwise known as 'taking the pi**'!

Well, as a very long-term low carb dieter, I have learned to ignore 98% of what dietitians recommend, because the attacks nutritionists made and continue to make on low carb diets are so filled with ignorant misstatements and half-truths. For people with diabetes, nutritionist sanctioned diets are a one way passport to guaranteed complications.

So while I'm glad to see they aren't bashing the 5:2 diet, my guess is that they do this because they see it as a diet that is compatible with the failed low fat/low cholesterol/high carb diet advice they are so wedded to.

I am also very happy to see how many people here on fastday.com have learned that cutting carbs at all times in association with the fasting diet is very helpful and that unlike some other 5:2 sites and books, this site doesn't give recipes full of those wretched low fat ersatz foods that replace healthy fats with additives, starch, sugar.

Yes, I can never trust Rosemary Stanton, who was very scathing of 5:2 initially. She obviously can't continue that position now that it is being so successfully followed by so many Australians.