The FastDay Forum

simple answer - it's available data that pertains to meal composition and the effect on fasting hunger etc. No such data is available for 5:2 calorie reduction.

If it bothers you, don't read it.

So what does this mean in a nutshell? I should eat pasta and pizzas the night before my fast? I did that last week, and it worked pretty well. No pain on fast day. None at all.

This is a great question. I think I'm going to give it a shot this week and see how it goes

In my view, more moderate protein intake is far safer and healthier. The emphasis on lo Carb , hiprotein for wt loss has real health downsides. Also leaches minerals from bone.Thanks for this thread. Tracy ind a middle ground, pizza and pasta pre fast meal could use an extra veggie.

I like the 8PM to 8PM fast but drinking water or tea. Do get hungry for sugar at break fast but will try a lower protein pre fast supper

Many of us on 5:2 actually do fast until dinner, and our fasts are in some ways more restrictive than a Ramadan fast in that we don't wake up before the sunrise and have a feast before our fast day. So many of us are going 22 hours of fasting on our fast days.

The problem, as I see it, with this approach to 5:2, is that in the Fast diet book, all the recipes are Breakfast/Diner so this seems to be a bit of a 'modification' to the protocol and not really following it as specified. That is, you seem to be ignoring MimiSs half of the book.

Good question -- note also the fasts studied here included water deprivation as well. I can't help but think that has a huge effect. We don't restrict water intake at all -- in fact, we encourage people to drink more water than usual to make up for the water they're not getting in the food they're not eating.

Agreed and Exactly!

[carorees]

Many of us on 5:2 actually do fast until dinner, and our fasts are in some ways more restrictive than a Ramadan fast in that we don't wake up before the sunrise and have a feast before our fast day. So many of us are going 22 hours of fasting on our fast days.

The problem, as I see it, with this approach to 5:2, is that in the Fast diet book, all the recipes are Breakfast/Diner so this seems to be a bit of a 'modification' to the protocol and not really following it as specified. That is, you seem to be ignoring MimiSs half of the book.

Michael's experts actually preferred the single meal form of fasting but Dr M didn't think he could cope with that, so the only reason the book emphasises breakfast and dinner is because that's what suits Dr M. We all have to follow what works for us and for a great many this is the one meal method. The fact that there may be a small advantage to a "proper" 20-24 hour fast is irrelevant in the context of creating a sustainable WOL.

Hi Caroline,

"Michael's experts actually preferred the single meal form of fasting but Dr M didn't think he could cope with that"

Do you mean the 4 days on a cup-a-soup? I couldn't cope with it either
But it was shown to work and work well.

"for a great many this is the one meal method."

For a great many it's also the two meal method. Am I picking up on a bit of a degree of 'religious enthusiasm' for the 1 meal-a-day approach?

A thought: Perhaps for the next monthly weigh-in in April, you could ask for "Breakfast Yes or No" in everyone's data and see how whether there's an advantage to 1 rather than 2 main meals? I'm guessing that most of those on 1 meal a day skip breakfast?. Perhaps not, perhaps ask just for "1 meal or 2"?

It would be interesting to find out whether there's an advantage or not in either approach?

[carorees]

No, not 4 days, one day on 500 cals but with the cals in one meal...that is what happens in Krista Varady's studies; Mark Mattson habitually skips breakfast and lunch and when asked said that he felt a 24 hour fast is best. Valter Longo is the only one to do 4 days once a month but he also regularly skips meals.

See here: http://crabsalloverhealth.blogspot.co.u ... sleys.html

Not religious enthusiasm...I have tried other ways and it just makes me more hungry.

I'm sure that the main advantage of the one meal approach is that it makes fast days easier for those who find they prefer it. The point I was trying to make in my above post was that the must important thing is making the WOL sustainable so the fact that the book seems to suggest that two meals is their recommended format is irrelevant to me. Everyone has to find a way of surviving on the 500 cal allowance days that suits them. For many people who have tried the one meal method they find this the easiest.

I have a question for you clever nerdy folk. Am I right it thinking that 30grams of protien is actually 30grams of say lean meat/cheese ?

[carorees]

No. Most of the meat is water. The actual protein content is probably about a third of its weight. If you use a calorie counting app/website it will also tell you the protein content of your foods.

I tried the carb everning meal last night and I'm pleased to report that todays fast is the easiest I've done

[carorees]

I had a carb heavy meal last night and found no difference in today's fast. Will monitor for future fasts though.

Sorry to be late to jump on this bandwagon, but I wanted to report that the fast days I have had that have followed meals heavy in simple carbs (breads or pastas) have been excruciating. Fast days that have followed lean protein and complex carbs (in the form of leafy greens) have been much easier. Perhaps it doesn't have anything to do with the protein at all, but the fiber might be playing a role (Krista Varady pushes fiber, even fiber gummies, because she says fiber is more naturally filling). The one time I fasted after having eaten pizza the night before was probably the hardest fast day. I was shaky, hungry, dizzy, and out of sorts.