The FastDay Forum

There is the first of 3 articles about trialling fasting featured on the BBC News website, I can't work out how to link to it but it may be of some interest.

I think this may be the link

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25498742

Why do they keep on getting the 5 and the 2 the wrong way around. I gave up reading as soon as I realised they were talking about restricting for 5 days not 2. Anyone who follows that regime for any length of time is either bonkers or a saint.

I think this may be the trials that @carorees has referred to recently.

[carorees]

I think this may be the trials that @carorees has referred to recently.

Fairly sure it's not actually! As Julie says, 5 days fasting (or rather very low calorie intake) could be dangerous for some due to re-feeding syndrome. Good thing the trial is taking place under medical supervision.

Thanks for that! It's different to 5:2 as it's fasting for 5 consecutive days, then eating normally for the rest of the month, but I'm interested in seeing what the results are on Friday.

Hello
I noticed the BBC's Peter Bowes is doing a three part series on intermittent fasting (in print). I just wondered if the USC researchers ever contacted you about the wealth of data you have collected on this forum? Their approach is not 5:2, but with all the data & information you have here, I think they could learn a lot, especially since you're over a year in...
Thanks for all the work & maintenance you all put into this forum, I think ts the best support resource I've ever found. Happy New Year, all!

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-25549805

Just noticed this on the BBC website, haven't managed to read it yet, but looks interesting.

[Debs]

I read the other parts and certainly couldn't manage five consecutive days a month and it sounds as though a lot of the benefits were quickly negated through returning to normal eating the rest of the time.
I wonder whether 5:2 or 4:3 is better as the appetite falls permanently and the benefits are more spread out and therefore better in the long term. I know science is still going on but I still reckon this is the way to go!!

Morning!

Interesting, but appears that he fasted 5 days in a month, not sure why, but his results were very good for someone not interested in weight loss! worth a read.

I am always happy to read the research on any kind of fasting (5:2, 4:3, 5 day etc) but from one users point of view (mine) I don't know if I could do a five day fast and be expected to function well within society.

Today (Friday) I am fasting and tonight I am quite hungry. If I had four more days ahead of me (i.e. if this was my first day of the five) I don't think I could get through four more days especially at TOTM where I am mindful that TOTM and fasting can = a snappy/grumpy/leave me alone Frog.

So keep the research coming but it would be very hard for me to do five consecutive days.

[carorees]

This research is being done by Valter Longo who helped Michael Mosley to do a 4 day fast in his Horizon programme that started off the whole 5:2 thing. Dr M felt he couldn't cope with 4 days of no food every month so he went on to try ADF with Krista Varady. He didn't like that much either so settled on 2 days per week. I think most of us would agree with his viewpoint about the sustainability of longer or more frequent fasts! And in the end, however good other fasting methods might be for health benefits, they have to be sustainable or there's no point in trying to "sell" them to the public!

I agree though, that any research on fasting is of interest.

Another thing to think about is that the ADF studies done in rats and mice are probably more equivalent to humans fasting for 5 days per month than to humans doing ADF or 5:2 (due to the relative metabolic rate of rodents v humans) and so it is interesting to see if this fasting method gives similar results to the rodent studies.

Meantime, I'm sticking to what works for me!

I recently (over christmas) tried to do a 5 day consecutive juice fast. I wasn't working so I didn't have to function normally and could spend all day in bed if I needed/wanted to

I must admit, it has to be the hardest thing I've done in a very long time and I'm sad to say that I only made it to day 3. I was angry, irritable and ready to bite everyone's head off - I felt deprived and kept asking myself "why am I doing this". And I BINGED when it was over ...

... I'm still suffering the after effects of the fast with not being able to control my binging - (I'm hoping my fast today will rectify that). Before I attempted the 5 day fast I had a really good routine going doing 5:2 and any extreme eating that I experienced at the beginning following a fast day had calmed down - Im glad I tried it but I will stick with what works for me

Having said that, has anyone's seen "Fat, Sick and Nearly Dead"? Joe Cross does a juice fast for 60 days and he shifts weight, plus he gets the other medical benefits. It's worth watching and take what's relevant to you from it (http://www.rebootwithjoe.com/watch-fat- ... arly-dead/)

So for me 5:2 is definitely more sustainable WOL

Very interesting piece from today's BBC News Magazine section on their reporter's experience of intermittent fasting.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-2554 ... wsmagazine

This article does not describe 5:2, it is 55:5 in a 60 day cycle, ie 5 contiguous days of 25% TDEE followed by 55 days of normality, then repeat. Interesting, nevertheless!