AMA with Dr Michael Mosley, television presenter and bestselling author

[NicolaDMumsnet]

Hi everyone,

We're pleased to announce that journalist and television presenter Dr Michael Mosley will be doing an AMA this evening. Michael is the bestselling author of The Fast Diet, The 8-Week Blood Sugar Diet, The Clever Guts Diet and The Fast 800. His most recent book, Just One Thing, is based on his popular BBC podcast of the same name.

Just One Thing
‘The book brings to life Dr Mosley’s mission to find things you can introduce into your daily routine which will have a big impact on your mental and physical health. He unearths a range of Just One Things whose impacts are so surprising and intriguing you will be desperate to try them out. He chats to experts, road tests all his tips and enlists some special guests to help you find that one small thing that could really make a difference to how you feel.’

Michael is also doing a live UK tour with his wife Claire, starting in February. Find out more here.

Please post your questions below. Michael will be answering questions this evening.

As always, please remember our guidelines - one question per user, follow-ups only if there’s time and most questions have been answered, and please keep it civil.

Thanks,
MNHQ

Michael, do you still stand behind the advice you gave around the fasting / 800 a day diets?

Hi Michael, I love your "Just one thing" programmes. With regarding losing weight, would you say it's more important to greatly reduce carbs, while eating fats and protein, or just to reduce calories, even if that means increasing sugar?

I listened to the Just One Thing podcast- but once you start adding it up, it's quite a lot of things! (Especially on top of general healthy eating, exercise, work, etc) - if you had to pick, what would be your absolute 3 top things to do? You can include stuff from your other books too if you think they would be more impactful overall!

I've really enjoyed listening to your podcasts, thank you.

The hot topic in the Western World has got to be UPF. Although many of us are aware of the consequences of eating UPF, just how do we communicate this to the teens + twenties?

Any tips on how to get through to the generation who actually grow up around this stuff & see no problem with it?

Hi Michael. I lost 6.5 stone using the Fast 800 recipes and 16:8 fasting. It was life-changing got me and taught me a much better way of eating which I hope I’ll follow for the rest of my life. However, I do believe it — like any programme which involves calorie counting or restriction of food types — is a form of disordered eating, albeit a “healthy” one. Disordered eating is something I’ve struggled with all my life and I don’t want the same for my daughter (5). How do you recommend balancing following the programme with teaching my daughter how to eat mindfully and without any level of obsession/disorder?

I would like to know what would be your TOP one thing to recommend to people wanting to improve their health?

Hi everyone, thanks for your questions. I will be here for the next couple of hours. Sleep, gut health, dieting, whatever you are curious about.

Hi Wenfy, if you have raised blood sugars, blood pressure or just want to lose weight fast, then yes, sticking to between 800-900 calories a day for a few weeks can be very beneficial. The NHS has embraced this approach for people with type 2 diabetes and a study from Oxford university has also shown the benefits of this approach for peopel who don't have diabetes. Do check out if you are suitable at thefast800.com where you can also find the latest research

Hi @OhComeOnFFS glad you enjoy the Just One Thing programmes. The whole series is available at BBC Sounds and I have also written a book (the paperback version is just out). I think the most important thing, when losing weight, is to make sure you are getting enough good quality protein, ideally around 20g with every meal. It could be eggs, fish, meat, beans, tofu

@Tanaqui Yes, there are quite a few "things" you can try, and i certainly don't expect you to do them all. My top 3, in no particular order, would be:
Practicing breathing exercises. There is one called 4.2.4 where you breathe in through your nose to a count of 4, hold for 2, breathe out through mouth to a count of 4. Do this for a minute or so and really calming. I do it when i am stressed or awake in the middle of the night
Press ups and squats, which i do first thing, would be another. Good for muscles, but also for your brain.
Eating more oily fish. I used to hate fish but my wife, Clare, created delicious recipes and i am a convert. Omega 3 very good for heart and brain

Thank you! I've tried the breathing but sometimes I overdo it and get dizzy, I'll practice!

@MysteryPlants As you say, there is increasing awareness of the dangers of ultra processed foods, which are linked to obesity and depression, but they are all around us. With teenagers it is really tough, because there is so much peer pressure. Best thing to do is start early, before the teenage years, when you have some control over what they eat. Try to include healthy and filling foods in their school packed lunches and encourage them to sit with you and eat in the evening and at weekends. If they are curious then there are some good books out there, like Ultraprocessed People, that give lots of facts about the dangers.

I was on a low carb diet which reversed my pre diabetes - I lost weight and felt really healthy.
I was diagnosed with gallstones a few weeks ago after I developed a gallbladder infection. I was advised to eat a very low fat diet. I now don’t have the energy I did when eating low carb.

Can you recommend a diet which suits a pre diabetic who needs to avoid triggering a gallbladder attack and will get me feeling healthy again. Thanks

@peachgreen I'm delighted to hear you did so well on Fast 800 programme but i do understand your dilemma. I can only suggest that you explain to her, as i am sure you have already done, that what you are doing is temporary and you are doing it for health reasons, not because you think that being slim is something she should aspire to. I always recommend that once people have reached their goals they try to stick to a healthy Mediterranean style diet, without calorie counting. Perhaps you could do some cooking with her, if you don't already do so, to encourage a love of food, something to be cherished and not feared

A quick question from me: Is there a need to take supplements, or is it possible to get all necessary vitamins and minerals from one's diet, and still keep a healthy weight?

Also, to what extent is the need for supplements dependent on age, being vegetarian or vegan, or other factors?

I am late 60 and take a multi-vitamin, calcium, Vitamin D most days, plus zinc, magnesium, Vitamin B12 when I remember. (I eat mostly vegetables and protein, plus healthy fats and complex carbs.) Am I doing the right thing?

Thank you!

Have you got a degree in Nutrition and / or dietetics? What are your nutrition credentials apart from once being a medical doctor?

@dahliadays Hi, i'm sorry to hear about your infected gallbladder, it can be very painful. You also need to be very careful so i would stick to whatever your GP/consultant is advising. Once things clear up you can probably start to introduce some healthy fats, like olive oil, into your diet

Hi. I’m beside myself with worry I can’t lose weight because of the menopause. I have done your 16/8 for a while now and it doesn’t seem hugely impactful for me. I’ve heard from other people it works better for men. Is that right? I have drastically cut down carbs in the past few weeks and I think there has been some weight loss (I don’t do scales). Will this work for menopausal women like me?

Another question: A friend of mine recently had 3 pre-cancerous polyps removed during a colonoscopy. I think the largest was about 18mm. What advice would you give her regarding diet, alcohol, anything else?

Apparently she'll have another colonoscopy in 3 years but she is worried about leaving it this long. Should she be screened again sooner?

@Tulpenkavalier It is an interesting question. Although, at the moment, you will be topping up your vitamin D levels every time you go outside, the NHS recommends that almost everyone in the UK should be taking vitamin D between October and March, and those with a darker skin should be taking it year round. Vegans need to take B12 because they may not be getting it from their diet, but people over the age of 50 can also become deficient because we get worse at absorbing it. Milk, eggs and salmon are good source. Calcium is another mineral you need to be sure you are getting enough of because osteoporosis (thinning bones) becomes much more common as we get older. But if you supplement, don't overdo it as can cause stomach pain

The 800cal diet is a thousand calorie or more deficit. Fine for a few weeks, but how long is it safe to eat that below maintenance level?

If trying to do it for a long period of time, should people seek medical advice?

@LaDeeDa123 I'm sorry to hear about your struggles, which are very common amongst women women going through the menopause. You mention 16/8, a form of time restricted eating, where you only eat within an 8 hour window. Although time restricted eating has health benefits, it normally only leads to very modest weight loss. Professor Satchin Panda, from the Salk Institute in the US, who is a world expert on time restricted eating, practices 14/10. He stops eating around 7pm and doesn't eat again till 9am, which he thinks is more sustainable. You might consider increasing your protein intake as there is evidence that women going through the menopause are less good at absorbing protein and this is big driver of hunger. Try to eat around 20 grams of protein with every meal. That might mean a couple of eggs for breakfast, some fish or tofu for lunch, and meat with veg in the evening. Lots of recipes at thefast800.com

Hi, I'm just below pre diabetes levels as my hb1ac is normally 41. If I last eat at 9pm when I wake my blood sugar is around 6. If I then don't eat until midday it's still around 5.5.

I also have high blood pressure and have fluid on my macular and odema which my gp says is just one of those things. I can't get to the bottom of the excess fluid build up but I suspect my hb1ac is way to high. Anything in range is fine with the gp

I’ve read your books, a lot of great advice. However I’m a recovered anorexic, but now genuinely need to loose a lot of weight. What approach do you advise for someone like myself?

Hello!
I'm interested on your views on protein. I do weight training and the current recommendations are to eat 1g of protein per lb of bodyweight to build muscle. Do you think it's a fad, or if you eat a balanced healthy diet you get enough protein anyway? Also do you have an opinion on créatine? Thankyou!