The FastDay Forum

I see Michael Mosley has a new book. I think the new bit is about a more generous allowance for Fastdays?

Hi@AOB117 i dont know about a new book,but i heard a while back that MM had said he just chose 500/600 cals at random,and now he states that 800 cals is ok? Not sure how true this is,if i misheard,misunderstood,or possibly just dreamt it coz i wanted it to be 800 cals ! x

New book published this month called "Fast 800". He was to be interviewed on a radio station today but his phone signal too poor so abandoned it. I see article in yesterday;s Telegraph.....

I think the 5/600 calorie is relative to the actual startweight of person and good enough as a rough guide. An exact figure would probably take into account body type, start weight and goal and also include some data on energy expenditure over a normal day.

I think to maintain progress as weight drops, the allowance has to be reduced.

I understood that 500 cals was roughly a quarter of the average TDEE. As mine is only just over 1600 cals I have stuck to 400 cals on fasting days for the last 2 or 3 years. 800 would be a feast! If I ever get to a weight where I don't want to lose any more I will up mine to 500 cals.

As a recent publication, he seems to be promoting the book actively. I must read some of reviews and see if I can work out his new approach.

Lil wrote: I understood that 500 cals was roughly a quarter of the average TDEE. As mine is only just over 1600 cals I have stuck to 400 cals on fasting days for the last 2 or 3 years. 800 would be a feast! If I ever get to a weight where I don't want to lose any more I will up mine to 500 cals.

Yes I can confirm the idea that was presented to MM by one of the scientists was roughly a quarter of TDEE. I would suggest something in that order: low enough to be substantially less than halve of TDEE, but high enough to be able to do it comfortably for all these years to come.

So the 800 refers to a different approach and the 5:2 diet is still there as was. A new regime for rapid weight loss is one based on 800 calories per day to be maintained for 12 weeks! every day folks! A third option is one to adopt when ideal weight achieved and this is a Mediterranean diet so lots of veggies etc

The original 500 limit was, in retrospect, a psychologically astute accommodation targeting beginners who feared the very idea of not eating anything for nearly an entire day. The "two days a week" and "you can eat it tomorrow" also relieved culturally-induced hyper-concerns of starving. These subtle changes made the 5:2 approach palatable to a very large audience.

In the original video, if the good doctor would've extended his multi-day fast for only a day or two longer, he would have experienced what many others have since discovered - the point where hunger "just disappears". The original book would likely have been very different.

The new book:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Fast-800-combi ... el+Moseley

Also:
https://thefast800.com/

From the interesting kindle excerpt at Amazon.uk, the 800 is an adjustment with the idea that it could also be used as an every day limit for months at a time. But that requires calorie counting, doesn't it? Granted there are a fair number of useful things every faster should know before they start, but consider that an every other day full fast - that's zero calories - might accomplish the same thing. The devil's in the details.

The Kindle sample contains ample evidence of useful and necessary updates, so I'll look for the book when it becomes available in the US.

Thks for links. Yes more than one way to skin a cat as we say but the original 5 2 is very doable and socially acceptable so I will stick with it.