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

@CerberusWoof It is tricky to get enough healthy protein in your diet and as you say, there are also environmental and ethical questions to consider. I aim to eat oily fish at least 3 times a week, try to limit my meat intake to less than 100g a day (a peice the size of your palm, which would give you around 30g of protein) and i also use tofu as a meat substitute. I am a big fan of lentils, which are cheap, full of fibre and protein, and there are lots of delicius recipes out there. Full fat Greek yoghurt is also a great breakfast, or dessert (with nuts and berries), and because its strained contains far more protein than normal yoghurt

Hello, thanks for all the advice. 5:2 has really worked for me until recently when my weight loss has plateaued. My question really is about exercising when fasting. I tend to up my calories in the form of protein when I am doing tough running or strength sessions. It’s best for me to exercise and fast on the same days but I wonder if that’s why I’m not losing weight any more. Thanks in advance, looking forward to reading all the answers to everyone’s questions :-)

Sorry, did you see my post on page 1 about pre diabetes? Thanks!

@Whattotrynow There are a number of different forms of dementia, but broadly what is good for your heart is also going to be good for your brain. That means not smoking, oily fish and plenty of exercise. Not just a brisk walk or cycle, but resistance exercises like press ups and squats. The other really important thing is to keep challenging yourself, mentally. Not crosswords and suduku, but learning a new language, taking up dancing, or perhaps painting.

Hi Dr Mosley I'm 50 years old, on HRT, and run 5k 3x a week (after doing couch to 5k in October). But also lately I've gained weight due to coming off keto - I'm about 175 pounds and only 5'4". My VO2 max is excellent though (my garmin says my fitness age is 31 😀). So could I ask you, for health/longevity purposes and considering I only have so much willpower, what are the main other things I should focus on - either related to exercise or weight/diet please?

Sorry I should have mentioned I also do 16:8 and find it quite easy but it hasn't helped with my weight!

Can I ask a follow up? On the issue of how hard it is to lose weight during the menopause and how ineffective 16/8 has been for me and other women, how much of your research was done on menopausal women?

@Manicpanicatthedisco Congratulations on doing couch to 5k and sticking to it! i've done it a few times but always managed to injure myself. when it comes to long term health, the best predictors are VO2 max (your aerobic fitness), your blood pressure and your blood sugar levels. The fact that you can run 5k 3x a week suggests your VO2max is good. I don't know if you have checked your blood sugars or blood pressure recently, but if not you can buy cheap and reliable kits at your chemist or online. If you are fit and metabolically healthy then i wouldn't worry too much about weight gain...

Hello Michael,

I have a question for you in two parts.

My teenage son has become quite into weightlifting. He is now lifting heavier weights and I am concerned that as he is still growing that this could be damaging him in some way. Is my fear unfounded - should I be happy he is trying to get stronger (he takes it seriously and practices and perfects his form to prevent injury)
the second part linked to this - he wants to intake more protein via a shake. I have read conflicting info about this. Is this a good thing for him to do after a workout or should he continue to eat a regular diet (he’s pescatarian).

if you manage to answer my question then many thanks in advance.

My daughter had been diagnosed with epilepsy caused by a build up of GAD antibodies in her brain. Do you have any nutritional advice?

@LaDeeDa123 Most of the people who have so far done thefast800 programme have been menopausal or post menopausal women. We recently asked a research group, set up by Public Health England, to do an audit of the first 24,000 people who had done the programme. They found average loss at 12 weeks of 8kg, with significant improvements in blood pressure and blood sugars. Those who continued with the programme continued to lose weight and managed to maintain an average weight loss of 10kg at a year. This is in line with other rapid weight loss programmes, like Droplet, carried out by researchers from Oxford University, which also started with 800-900 calories a day, for up to 12 weeks, before resuming more normal eating. 60% of the people who took part in that trial were women, with an average age of 48

@Blogblogblogblog really sorry to hear that but well outside my area of expertise...

Hi there, what would you suggest for someone (me) who is so disciplined during the week (fast between 8pm and 12pm next day and no snacking throughout the day) and then every weekend it just all goes out of the window and then I feel like I'm back to square one. Have massive sugar cravings too (which I control really well in the week).

I'm vegan and have been for years and would love some less carby suggestions.

Thank you

@phunny sadly plateaus are really common. You could try moving from 5:2 to something a little bit more intense for a while, like 4;3, where you cut your calories for 3 days a week and see if that helps. You might also try reducing carbs for a while as that can also kick start change

Thank you for your reply @DrMikeMosley I will persevere!

Hi everyone, thanks very much for you questions and been fun answering them. I am closing down for the night because one of my sons has just returned from Austalia , so I am taking him out to dinner. I am doing a talking tour of the UK in Feb, so if you want to ask me questions in the flesh do come along. You can find out more by googling "Michael Mosley Tour" or going to eatsleeplivetour.co.uk

Everyone I lose a bit of weight, my immune system seems to go hay wire and I get every little illness going. Why? I'm eating really healthily, fats, protein, fruit and veg. Just cut the sugar, gluten and alcohol but seems to have this effect. Grrrr... It's so demotivating.

Hello, I have done 5:2/OMAD with great results in the past but stopped when I became pregnant. My baby is now 6 months and just started the weaning process. Do you think it would be ok to go back to intermittent fasting whilst breastfeeding? Do you know others who have done this? Thanks

Thank you. This has been a really interesting and helpful discussion.

Hi, I am in the process of losing a large amount of weight both pre and post weight loss surgery, overall in the end I hope to have lost 10 stone when Im finished

Given that I have spent a large amount of time being overweight and obese at various times, is it possible that I can undo damage from losing weight. Are there long term risks that I will continue to have from years of being overweight or will I lower all of these to normal levels once I get to a healthy weight?

Also I know its one question per person but I also want to ask about protein as well! At 88kg I tend to currently eat between 60 and 70g of protein a day and wonder sometimes if that is viewed as enough to promote good health

Thank you

As Dr Mike has left the chat, can I perhaps suggest looking at The 10-Day Sugar Detox Diet, a book by Dr Mark Hyman. Dr Becky Gillaspy also has some useful advice - you can find her on YouTube.

Thank you Dr Michael for answering my question & to everyone else for their questions too.

Some food for thought here

Would have liked to have seen an answer to this one as I am in a similar boat.

I didnt realise he had finished, Im always late to the party!!

I am too @WanderingWitches @Twilight7777

Are you on the Thyroid UK forum Health Unlocked? They advise a gluten free trial, then introduce a dairy free trial.

I'm doing both & finding that, plus 18:6 fasting & low carb is helping a bit. Keto took 7lbs off too, but I'm not sure I want to follow that long-term.

You probably know all that anyway