How many people are fasting for reasons unrelated to weight?

[ZipIt]

How do you motivate yourselves on a FD when you're not looking to achieve anything measurable? I want to stave off the ill-health that has plagued members of my family, and have decided that fasting may be worth a go (based on the little research which seems to be available so far). But I'm struggling with my fast today, I think due to the fact that I will never really know if it's working or not. Please can someone motivate me?! Thank you

Have a look at the Maintainers threads .... all of us are people who have no more weight to lose. Many of us "hit target" many, many months ago.

How do we stay motivated?
Easy.
Fasting is nice. I look forward to it. Eating on a Monday feels really weird now.
And the long term health benefits are so, so utterly worth it.

"And the long term health benefits are so, so utterly worth it."

Thanks, those were the words I needed to hear to get me over cake-time at work . To be honest, I feel I know very little of the hard science, and began drooling over the flapjacks this morning wondering whether it was worth the effort.

Generally, though, I actually do enjoy the fast now, and really think I feel better for it, but had a hungry moment (now passed). I'll join you on the maintainers - I did find that thread a while back but somehow lost it... now refound, thanks. So now your fasting is not even to maintain a specific weight? It's become for other reasons? This is very reassuring, thanks again

Me! Have spoken about it before on the threads. I have a difficult genetic inheritance (and both my parents died during my childhood). I have never used 5:2 for weightloss, only for the health benefits. It can be a challenge when your aims are different to other 5:2ers I think.
I am currently looking into exercise techniques for similar (more MM research!).

Hello scripsi, thank you for your response.
Have you found evidence of immediate health benefits, or do you find the thought of possible long term gains enough to motivate you long-term?
I'm planning to go up to 5:2 this week (have been doing 6:1, with a 24 hour-ish fast built in, at the moment, as I was concerned I'd lose weight on 5:2). Did you find that a problem?

Hi ZipIt my DH fasts for future health benefits plus the feeling of cleansing and lightness it gives him. He has never been overweight. He's a scientist by training (a lawyer now) so has read alot of the scientific data and is convinced by that (well, as much as we can be convinced considering most of the human data is on ADF and the other IF data on rats).

The way he prevents losing weight is simply eating nornally on FDs - ie much more than 500 cals! But he doesn't eat all day.

*normally

Hi BsshBossh, that's very interesting about your DH. Always nice to know about trained scientists being convinced. One of the things that made me start fasting was a newspaper article in which all the people researching physiological effects of fasting also fast themselves. I've been a bit lazy about looking into the hard evidence myself, so am really taking Michael Moseley's and the researchers' word for it. Can't quite face ADF, so will probably stick with this and hope positive evidence for humans emerges over time...

You're probably already aware of this but the 5:2 Fast Diet Forum has a good, regularly updated science section:
www.52fastdiet.co.uk/the-5-2-lab-f10/

scripsi
do feel welcome to come and join the maintainers threads - as none us on there are losing weight but we still like to natter among ourselves

zipit
DH is a trained Chemist and Science teacher. He's convinced, as are many of our geeky science friends

Bssh, I didn't know that website - thank you.

Talkinpeace, that is interesting. It does seem to be something which scientists are increasingly convinced by (or convinced enough to do it, which is enough to convince me!).

I am about to restart and would like to loose some weight, but the main reason is health / illness prevention. So I'll have a move a few photographs of family and friends I have lost to certain illnesses (Alzheimer's, Diabetes and Cancer) around, and especially pinned to my fridge to help remind me of the potential benefits.

DH and I are doing this for health reasons. We found the Mosley documentary compelling and the science behind it convincing. We are doing 6:1 though, because we are both healthy weight.

Another motivation is to stop any potential age-related weight gain. Neither of us can eat quite as mindlessly as we used to without our jeans getting tight!

DH's family has various health problems but there are none in mine.

Hi howmany and naturelover. It's good to hear from others doing this for similar reasons. Whilst obviously many of the issues are the same whatever people's reasons for fasting, I think there are some different issues when your reasons have nothing to do with weight. There obviously aren't the same measurable victories, for a start, so no clear indications that "it's working". I personally have noticed some possible mood effects (good ones), and I generally feel quite well since starting this at the end of the summer, but sometimes I crave confirmation (which I know is impossible) that I'm not doing this for no reason! I sometimes wonder whether I'm too ready to be convinced by Michael Moseley given that I've only done minimal reading of the scientific research (abstracts only). However, now that it's part of my routine, I'm pretty sure I'll continue with it. Also, it helps that many people with scientific training and knowledge of the literature are convinced enough to fast themselves.

So how do you keep the motivation up? (Howmany, the health reminders sound a good idea).