The Fast Diet Update #1

I have just completed my third week on the Fast Diet.

Instead of doing the 5:2 fast, I jumped straight to the maintenance phase of 6:1 as I only need to lose a few kilos and 1.5cm from around my waist.

I found fasting from breakfast to breakfast very difficult. The 4pm hunger pangs were simply too much!

So I followed Mimi's advice the following week and went from 3pm to 3pm - much easier!

But the best thing about the Fast Diet is my husband.

I left the book lying around the house in the hope he might be inspired by it.

By the time I had finished my first fast he was asking me questions about it. I then showed him the Easy Diet Diary - Australian Calorie Counter app that I had downloaded for our phones...and he was hooked!

He started scanning items and working out how many calories he consumed in a normal day. He was surprised to see how quickly things added up. And before I knew it, he was declaring that Tuesday would be his fast day!

He booked a doctors appointment, he walked to the local chemist to weigh himself and we spent an evening measuring ourselves according to 'the book'! His results showed that he could lose about 5-6 kilos and 10cm from around his waist to be safely back in the 'normal' range.

We have had discussions about white bread, sugar and exercise for quite some time, the boys have commented (i.e. teased) him about the 'softer' cuddles, but it took the Fast Diet to finally bring about some changes.

And I believe it was the "stay healthy, live longer" sections of the book that proved to be the most motivating.

My husband has now also completed three weeks on the Fast Diet.

We both feel better for it.
Just like Michael & Mimi said, we enjoy seeing how tasty we can make our fast day meals and we are far more conscious on non-fast days of eating well but with smaller portions.

And my husband is now walking instead of driving everywhere.

The Fast Diet by Dr Michael Mosley & Mimi Spencer

The Fast Diet has become a best seller in Australia. Over the past few weeks at work we have been getting calls, requests and orders every day for this book.

The 5:2 Diet has become the rage in the UK - the web is inundated with articles, recipes and journals of people embracing this way of eating (eat regularly anything you like for 5 days, but fast for 2 days each week - 500 calories for women on fast days and 600 calories for men).

I decided I needed to find out what all the fuss was about for myself, and I also wanted to be able to discuss it knowledgably with our customers.

And I have to say, sceptic that I am, that it appealed to me from the very start. I kept trying to pick holes in the theories, the philosophy and the research. But it all sounded on the level, reasonable and balanced.

Where the research was based on animal studies, they told us that. If something was purely anecdotal, they told us that too.

It was on pg 129 I finally realised why the 5:2 diet seemed so right and sensible to me...it was actually the way I've been eating for most of my adult life.

"Interestingly, the Fast Diet's on/off eating scheme looks a lot like the approach of many naturally slim people. Some days they'll pick, other days they'll tuck into treats...As you settle into the routine, you'll naturally moderate your calorie intake on fast days and feed days, until the process is innate."

So yes, I have days where I eat very little followed by days of regular eating or 'treat' days. I also tend to eat a fairly healthy, balanced diet most of the time. Treats are chocolate and ice creams. But my approach is very ad hoc (or perhaps innate?) I've also been a walker all my life and I was delighted to read just how beneficial this has been and will continue to be for me.

As an experiment, I've decide to follow the Fast Diet calorie counting fast days to see how things compare, change or improve with this more conscious approach.

I've downloaded an Australian calorie counting app. I've weighed myself and measured myself and purely, by chance I have recent blood results to use as my base point.

Today, Sunday, was my first official fast day following the guidelines in The Fast Diet.

Watch this space.