Tips and links for those practicing Intermittent Fasting (IF). 5:2 or Alternate Day Fasting (ADF)

[Breadandwine]

This is where those posters who have been IFing for a while can pass on any tips they may have on how to get the best out of this new WOE (way of eating).

It's also where you should post any new links on the subject that you come across - and would just get buried in a very long thread.

I just wanted to get this thread underway, so that GreenEggs can link to it in the new 5:2 thread (the 5th in just 2 months!) that's she is currently planning.

B&W have Pm'd you re some videos ive found

MM's book £5.99 Amazon The Fast Diet

Thermos suggested by scripsi and sarahwithafringeontop for taking soup to work thermos flask

welshmill added link to facebook group which MM is on (sorry if alreadfy here)Facebook

BecBro gave this link about skipping breakfast postgame

A link from Laska about artifical sweetners causing weight gain drbriffa

Literary geek reccommended this excersie blog www.blogilates.com/#sthash.yoX8kqzX.dpbs

pookey! Well done - you're a star!

Here's a link to an extremely interesting and informative blog - found by Laska42:

gettingstronger.org/2011/05/intermittent-fasting-for-health-and-longevity/

There's also a lot of info in the comments section below.

Be interested to hear posters' comments - there's such a lot on there that neither myself nor Laska has been able to check it all out.

The link above for Getting Stronger is a series of short films of a lecture from a guy called Todd Becker who is interested in the role of moderate stress as a positive force applied to health, nutrition, rehabilitation and psychology. This is a talk about Intermittent Fasting and you'll see its in 5 short bits .. .

B&W and I thought it was quite informative .. and the second to last two short videos gives a good practical and scientific explanation of the role of fasting on insulin .

OK its not DR MM ( and this guy is not saying he's an expert although you'll see how well its working for him ) but in the absence of the Horizon programme I thought it gave and accessible and pretty good an explanation of why IF works as any i've seen or read so far .. do take a look if you have time ,

I was pretty interested in his confirmation of making sure you have a total fast (he seems to be advocating 19hrs , but if I remember Dr Ms scientists went for 14-16hrs as being optimum ) to ensure that you are getting the greatest benefits from this WOE.

Would be interested to hear what other people think of these (have also posted this on the other board Thread 8 )

I would encourage paying a visit to the Getting Stronger site, for which Laska and B&W have provided links. A few months ago when I was researching fasting in general, I came across that site. Amidst all the rabid paleo eaters I encountered, Todd Becker comes across as level-headed. His interest in IF fits into a coherent WOL that has many facets, some of which he discusses in some depth. The comments on his IF piece and the relevant links are worth reading. He may not be MM, but he and many others have been experimenting with IF since long before MM may have heard of it. In many hours - probably days and days - of reading I never came across any negative comments from people who had been doing IF long term (years) other than sometimes feeling chilled. A few newcomers complained that they weren't losing weight, but that was explained in several places as being due to the fact that for some people it takes several weeks for the metabolic changes to get sorted out.

While Dr. Mosley isn't the first person with respectable credentials to publicize IF, he certainly seems to have generated more interest and excitement than anyone else. Maybe the clamor for more information about important related issues will hasten the necessary research and trials. In the meantime there are lots of real-life anecdotes scattered around the web and plenty of encouragement in these MN threads.

My recollection about the length of total fasting is the same as yours, Laska - 14 hours for women and 16 hours for men. I've read in several places (perhaps derived from the same sources) that that's the minimum amount of time required before the body shifts into "repair" mode.

bordercollielover has also suggested this article from the Getting Stronger site Obesity starts in the brain

Thanks NatashaMousse for your input on the Getting Stronger site.. I agree Todd Becker does seem to know whathe is talking about . His article on Hometism is also interesting (though I'm yet to be convinced on the cold shower issue!

Hello all,

The eat stop eat diet seems amazing but I need some help. I am quite good once in the zone but it's quite hard to go from the 'eating' phase to the fasting phase. If one minute you are able to tuck into cholocate fingers guilt free, I'm finding it hard to switch that happy state off. Any advice would be warmly welcomed. Thanks!

Hi Miriham

The first thing you need to do is get yourself over to this thread:

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/big_slim_whatever_weight_loss_club/a1636695-5-2-Diet-Thread-Number-8-fast-away-fast-away-fast-away-all

This thread is where we collect tips and links which would otherwise get lost in the other threads.

So, if you don't mind, I'll answer your query over there...

catsrus has posted this below on the main thread , and i'm putting it up here also as I think its a really good explanation and advice for this WOE
Thanks cats

.........................................

I'm very relieved to have found this WOE too - its so bloody simple once you get the basic idea.

Those of you new to it, you will find what works for you. It's flexible so you fit fast days around your own life, you can be veggie, vegan or omnivore - your choice. You can eat junk if you want to, drink wine or not, do low carb if it suits you, have restricted eating times or not - But just stick to the basic rules that some days you eat very little compared to your usual WOE and you are likely to lose weight as well as gain other health benefits. The rule of 500 cals for women 600 for men is a good standard to aim for but it's not magic, slightly more or less will still work but slightly differently.

The crucial thing is to find what works for you and stick with it I think. For me that's a primarily plant based, veggie diet (but I do eat some meat and fish ). I now only have breakfast one day a week (sat) and try to do 4:3, eating only in the evening on fast days. This pattern has taken a few months to establish - but now I feel better on fast days with no food at all until the evening.

I really do eat what I want on non fast days - including cake, biscuits etc. but what I WANT to eat has also shifted - so I refused a pudding the other night because they sounded lovely but I knew I was full- by the time I got home a few hour later I did attack the blue cheese in the fridge though - with toast grin and that's fine (I've lost 22lb since starting in August).

I don't expect to lose any more weight in the next week or so, just not gain, until life properly gets back to normal in mid Jan and I get back to 4:3 again. But being able to eat as I have over Xmas and not put weight on is brilliant.

Here's a couple of links to the Horizon programme - the first one has Slovak subtitles, the second is posted in a fitness/weightlifting blog:

vimeo.com/50912488

leangainsguide.com/diet/igf-1-and-fasting/

DR Mosley's and Mimi Spencer's Fast Diet site is now working!

another link to the Horizon programme

disclose tv

There's a new 5:2 forum, which I suspect is linked to The Fast Diet site - it's

www.52Fastdiet.co.uk which looks very interesting.

Just as we have done with this thread, they have set up a thread simply called 'Science watch', where any research can be reported.

I've already spotted a couple of pieces of research I don't recall seeing on here.

Here's a link to the thread so that we can keep an eye on it:

www.52fastdiet.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=3&t=27

I'm awaiting registration on that forum, and, when I'm allowed, I'll place a link back to here on it. Seems only fair!

Well done, Laska!

Lots of calcs on here, from BMR to calories burned for lots of activities.

www.healthstatus.com/calculators.html

Horrifying film here on the dangers of fructose. Called 'Sugar: The bitter truth', it's full of absolutely shocking facts:

This led me to another series of short films 'The Skinny on Obesity' by the same team from UCLA:

I've just watched the first one and it is riveting viewing!

Once gain you've found some very useful stuff, B&W. Entertaining, too. I'm nearly an hour into the Sugar video and hope to finish watching tomorrow. I remember Yudkin's work from ages ago. At the time I believed he was right, but that didn't stop me from indulging in all manner of sweet sins in the intervening decades. Fortunately, I never much enjoyed fizzy drinks (except champagne ) and never patronized fast food outlets. Still, though, I'm sure HFCS made its way into various packaged goods I consumed. These days I'm avoiding processed food. It's not so convenient but I'm having a lot of fun preparing things from scratch ... and enjoying the results. Under no circumstances, however, will I give up my dark chocolate.

Thanks, Natasha - although 'morbidly fascinating' would be nearer the mark, I reckon!

I'm up to the 6th of the short films - and each one is a complete eye-opener. The information on obesity certainly explains a lot!

In this light of all this it is even more important that we all do as much home cooking as possible and avoid processed food.

I agree completely with your last two sentences!

The Nhs take on IF:
www.nhs.uk/news/2013/01January/Pages/Does-the-5-2-intermittent-fasting-diet-work.aspx

This 4 minute film by Dr Lustig (he of 'Sugar: The bitter truth' film and book) gives 4 tips for making your home safe for your children.

In summary, here they are:

Nr.1 ? Get rid of every sugared beverage in the house ? that includes fuit juice.
Nr.2 ? We need to keep insulin down ? by eating fibre. If you eat your carbohydrate with fibre, you will lessen the insulin response. Look at the side of the package, you need 3g of fibre or more
Nr.3 ? Wait 20 minutes for second portions. It takes that long for the body to realise it?s had enough to eat.
Nr.4 ? Buy your screen time with activity ? if you?re outside for half an hour, you can have 30 minutes of TV; if you spend an hour out on your bike, you can have an hour of video games (Good luck with that one - but it can be done!)

The film is here. Well worth watching.

If the Bitter Truth film is too long for you, the following article on Sugar by Gary Taubes in the NYT also makes for interesting reading:
www.nytimes.com/2011/04/17/magazine/mag-17Sugar-t.html?_r=2&pagewanted=all&