Alternate day fasting

[mumofjust1]

Is anyone watching BBC2?

There's a programme on with Michael Molesley about the benefits of it - it's very interesting and seems to have lots of health benefits.

Has anyone tried it?

doh missing words!
I think what he found though was that long term fasts are unacceptable

I'm going to try as well, so is DH. We going to do Mon / Weds, cannot do weekends, light breakfast and then a light supper. It'll be interesting to see how everyone does, I know I'm going to find the "fasting" days difficult, I tend to graze and eat when bored.

I'll be interested in what everyone else comes up with foodwise, was thinking fish & salad, soup and veg & couscous.

Skeptic here again. Just looked up Dr Michael Mosley on twitter, some interesting comments there. He said he had to change 6 to 1 days fast as losing too much weight. I see what he means as he managed to lose a stone in 5 weeks in the programme. It also mentions the type of food he usually eats-typical western diet.

When I fast I tend to make up a very bland veggie soup and live on that for 3 days with copious amounts of water and green tea. I probably have around 250 calories per day. I don't really dread it and its only day 2 that is a struggle.

When I've done other low calories type things (pre bikini/wedding/shoot diets) I've had 500 calories and its actually quite manageable.

I would have the following:

Breakfast- Yogurt and fruit (berries, melon or kiwi) total 150 calories
Lunch- Massive salad: large tin of tuna, broccoli, cabbage, rocket, basil, red onions, peppers, grated carrot, cucumber and celery. This would total max 250 calories and be enough to serve 2 people at least.
Dinner- Left over salad & steamed veggies with garlic and balsamic/ soup.

Would feel really full at the end of the day, sometimes these were larger portions but actually less calories than I would normally eat.

I haven't watched this program yet, it is on my planner so will hopefully watch later.
I already eat low carb/paleo and regularly fast. I usually fast 3 times a week from after I've finished my evening meal (usually around 6 or 7) until lunch time the next day. Sometimes it is 1 or 2 in the afternoon before i eat. I also go to the gym for a weights session and some cardio sprints in the mornings that I am fasting so I am working out fasted. I eat nothing, only drink water or no carb electrolyte drink.

i have occasionally fasted until 5pm as I have just not been hungry.

I will sometimes fast on non gym days if for instance we are going out for the day I will just fast rather than pack a lunch or try to find something low carb to eat when out and about. It is just easier and because I am low carbing anyway I just don't get hungry or blood sugar swings on fasting days.

I haven't noticed any dramatic weight loss on the scales from doing this but I do look leaner and my clothes are looser which indicates I am losing fat but retaining my muscle which is what I want.

I also found the programme very interesting, just watched it from the link, thanks Felix, and think I will discuss this with dh and get him to watch it too.

I bought the alternate day book last month - same principle but alternate days fasting/eating. The book suggests Until u get into the swing of it you have slim fast type shakes to make sure u have the 500 calories ..... I am going to start fasting tomorrow

Can anyone recommend a calorie counting website or good book for me?
Keen to start but want to work out my foods first :)

www.myfitnesspal.com

I have fasted for 16 hours and now had two small meals. To be honest I don't feel any different to when I diet, the feelings of hunger are at a low level but not unbearable.

I can see that occasional fasting would be a good and natural thing. I expext in cave man days there were periods of time when food was not available and that our bodies are made to be calorie restricted for short periods of time. I think if it became too regular the would't your body go into starvation mode and weight loss would slow down?

I remember ages ago reading about the Japanese fasting I think one day a week. Can't remember the details. It's supposed to be very good for the mind. One thing the program made clear is that sugar is v bad for you.

Have been discussing this and someone mentioned surely its a bit like when you sleep. You don't eat then, your body goes into a sort of repair mode doesn't it?

Maybe its just like recreating the positive effects of rest and sleep?

I don't actually know am just musing on something DH said.

Am still thinking about this programme. Rather than totally fasting it is the equivalent of having just one meal a day. Maybe a less drastic thing is as silver73 has done is to reduce to just two meals a day.

On the program he had two small meals. Eggs in the morning and steamed fish in the evening. The point is to keep it to 500 calories for a woman, 600 for man.

.... or have three small meals a day.

I think the possible advantage of being a low carber is that, being in ketosis, you are less likely to be hungry anyway.

I quite often have only 1 boiled egg for breakfast, which would be around 90 calories, and can go quite happily till around 2 pm before I even think about eating again.

A small portion of full fat yoghurt for lunch/daytime snack, and then something like chicken and salad for dinner.

That sounds like it could be done within the 500 calories, and would also be low carb.

(For all those that are low carbers, that is)

someone mentioned starvation mode. There's an awful lot of myths out there about that. Google it and you will see that it simply won't be an issue when doing either alternate days or 2 days out of 7.

The easiest way to stick to the calories allowed is going low fat, so fill up on salads, veg and some fruits, then add other foods you like. soups will be good.

i'm a real porridge lover and worked out that 30g oats is 107 calories, i mix it with half milk/ half water. So if use 100ml unsweetened sainsburys soya thats another 20 calories. or if i use semi skim milk its 49 calories. so thats either 127 or 156 calories. I'd probably sprinkle with cinnamon to sweeten but could use artifical sweetener . I'd eat that as late as i could so probably for lunch. I might save 50 calories for a late afternoon boost, then dinner big salad and probably lean chicken or fish. I'll have either 323 calories or 294 calories left for dinner. Oh i will have to have my normal cuppa first thing so need to allow for milk. The hardest thing will be not drinking so much tea and coffee- i don't do black so it will have to be water instead! some herbal teas are ok.

Im thinking about trying this tomorrow.

Boiled egg for breakfast (80ish cals)

Cupa soup (73 cals) and an oatcake (54 cals) for lunch

Salad and maybe some chicken for dinner.

Blueberry or mango green tea to drink all day.

BIWI, would you stay low carb for your up days too?

hmm very low carbing worries me. I suppose if it was just twice a week it would be ok, as it is what he did but all the time i don't like the idea of it. In the program it said that protein causes our cells to work hard, they never get a rest so never have time to repair, which is a risk factor for diabetes, strokes, heart disease and cancers.
He said he chose to eat eggs and ham for breakfast as they left him feeling full the longest but the rest of the time (the other 5 days) he ate a normal diet didn't he?

I completely agree though that bad carbs are unnecessary in our diet and almost certainly contribute towards obesity.

I have no idea, ILoveStripeySocks! But, as a convert to low carb eating (based on all the reading I've been doing on the subject recently) I can't see myself jettisoning it - I'm doing it now for my health not just for weight loss.

I think the issue would more be how to make the two low calorie days sufficiently low carb without, as blackcats says, making them too heavy in protein - although they didn't really talk about how his 600 calories were worked out - just said it was what he liked/made him feel full (which, of course, is what low carb will do)

And whilst I thought it was interesting, and I'll definitely be finding out more, I have to say that my heart sank at the idea of having to count calories again.

"The IGF-1 hormone (insulin-like growth factor) is one of the drivers which keep our bodies in go-go mode, with cells driven to reproduce. This is fine when you are growing, but not so good later in life.
As well as cutting calories you have to cut your protein intake. Not entirely - that would be a very bad idea. It's about sticking to recommended guidelines, something most of us fail to do.
The reason seems to be that when our bodies no longer have access to food they switch from "growth mode" to "repair mode".
As levels of the IGF-1 hormone drop, a number of repair genes appear to get switched on according to ongoing research by Professor Valter Longo of the University of Southern California."
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19112549

i'm guessing his 2 fasting days were low carb as that's what suited him and the rest of the time he ate a normal diet. unless someone can tell me otherwise??
the female scientist who showed the food you can eat on the alternate day diet had quite a mixed platter for the fast day meal, it actually looked quite healthy. it was a small bowl of fresh fruit salad, some carrots (raw), and i think either a burrito or omelet filled with a little cheese and veg, some unidentified pale things on the side.

It would be really helpful to have guidelines about exactly how much protein is advisable, along with their view about fat/carbs and relative proportions.

He's on Twitter:

twitter.com/DrMichaelMosley

And seems to be answering lots of questions from people