In honor of resolution season, I’m going to review diets and fitness devices this month to help my fellow sunshine mommies looking to drop a few pounds. This week, I’ll tell you what I think of The Fast Diet (Michael Mosley and Mimi Spencer). It’s a book that came out a few years ago, although an updated version appeared on shelves in 2015. Other terms for the diet include: intermittent fasting or the 5:2 diet.
What You Do
- On two days nonconsecutive days a week, you only eat 500 calories. The other days, you eat normally.
- It’s very simple because you only diet twice a week.
- You don’t have to diet the other five days, but you’re not supposed to go crazy either.
- You eat normally, which ideally is balanced, even if it does include some alcohol or desserts.
- You don’t have to count any carbs or calories or fat.
- You don’t have to exercise if you don’t want to. You only need to eat virtually nothing two days a week.
- You can eat whatever you want to add up to 500 calories, but obviously you’ll be able to consume a great volume of food if you choose mostly veggies.
How It Works
All diets work primarily through calorie restriction, and not eating two days a week definitely restricts calories. The authors also claim other health benefits to fasting, such as a reduction of blood pressure and other risk factors for diabetes.
The idea behind it is that back in our (as in, humanity’s) past hunter-gatherer days, we evolved for feast and famine. We were used to eating what we wanted some days and then very little on others. Our bodies respond well to short periods of fasting and doing so might even bring other health benefits (like cellular anti-aging, so they say).
The Pros
You only have to diet two days a week.
That was the biggest “pro” for me. I did this diet to lose the baby weight. I heard about it before I was pregnant, and I flagged it in my mind as something I’d only try if losing weight was seriously necessary…like I gained a bunch from being pregnant.
In short, it worked like a charm. I continued exercising and I lost about two pounds per week. My results were noticeable, and I loved how “light” I felt after a day of fasting. I dropped eight pounds in four weeks, and I was able to feel pretty good at holiday parties and Christmas, which was my motivation at the time.
The Nursing Factor
However, I was nursing during this diet. My hypothesis was that our nursing ancestors didn’t have the rich, Western diet I enjoy today, and they were able to successfully nurse through light eating days, so why wouldn’t I be able to? Technically I think it was fine. They don’t officially recommend it for nursing women, but they also say you’ll probably be okay. I didn’t notice a lack of milk or W not liking the milk.
Since I was nursing and caring for a three month old, I was exhausted, sleep deprived, and felt like I had no time. I didn’t have the patience to chop vegetables and eat salad all day, as one must on most diets. I needed to grab whatever was expedient and yummy and shove it in my pie hole when I had the opportunity.
That’s what made this a great diet. I only had to think about food two days a week. I enjoyed dessert, wine, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches the rest of the time, and I lost weight!
The last positive effect of this diet was that it did help me get in touch with what “true” hunger is. So often we reach for food when we’re really thirsty or bored or sleepy. I was more mindful of satiety, and I started to eat veggies again since they’re so low in calories.
The Cons
I was hungry all the time on fast days. I had a hard time getting to and staying asleep because my tummy was rumbling. Finally, I felt light-headed and dizzy the next day. It was highly difficult to work out (running is my drug of choice), especially on the second fast day.
In short, for me, this was a temporary diet, not a lifestyle choice.
Once I had my initial success, I wanted to lose about five more pounds, but I got derailed. Christmas came, I got off track, and then I began to really dread Monday and Wednesday. These are the days I chose to fast because I was least likely to have anywhere to be, and I wanted to get it over with earlier in the week. Eventually I found myself “giving in” around 5 pm on Monday. I’d eat and feel bad about myself. I’d swear to be doubly good on Wednesday, but I’d give in that day too.
Fasting isn’t for me.
I was starving and exercise was a struggle. I’d do okay with a light run on Mondays (after four days of eating normally), but I’d feel rough throughout Tuesday, and then few calories on Wednesday would make Thursday morning workouts pretty much impossible. I ended up not feeling up to par until the weekends.
Another problem was that I would dread the feeling of depletion to the point that I would find myself eating extra to bolster myself for fast days. I knew it was wrong to eat peanut butter by the spoonful (!), but I’d promise myself I’d fast even better the next day, only to eventually blow it. At this point, the diet started working against me.
Finally, by late afternoon on fasting days, I’d be totally listless, and then I’d get in a bad mood. This doesn’t bode well if you’re taking care of a baby. Poor little W was only six months old, and he was on my last nerve by 5 pm on Mondays and Wednesdays. This is what finally made me give up the diet. Who wants a mean mama?
Is It Healthy?
If you read The Fast Diet, the authors (one of whom is a trained doctor) argue that this is very healthy. They say the popular notion that a body will go into “starvation mode” from not eating for one day is junk. They say calorie restriction over multiple days and weeks could force the body to hold onto fat, but it won’t happen in a 36-hour period. In fact, they claim health benefits from not over-taxing one’s system.
It’s not for people with certain diseases, those who are pregnant, people under 5-feet tall, and some other restrictions. However, it’s broadly useful. I never found anything to indicate it was unhealthy. I don’t know if it’s actually anti-aging, however. (Some studies with mice hint at such a thing.)
The Bottom Line
As I write this, I realize that trying to do an intermittent fasting diet while nursing was something only a sleep-deprived, desperate woman would try. That was stupid. Nursing and caring for a poorly-sleeping baby as a first-time mom is not the right time to have dips in blood sugar. Wow. That was dumb. No wonder I felt like crap. Huh.
I might try it again, actually. I have it in my head that I just can’t do fasting, but now that I’m sleeping well again (oh, and not nursing!), it could have benefits in my life. However, the low energy reserves and malaise I felt makes me hesitant. I need my brain and body to work to their fullest when I get the chance to use them. Moving *less* when trying to lose weight and be healthy seems counter-productive. I also didn’t like the cravings I got the other days of the week. However, if I need to knock off a few lbs. fast, I might go for this one again (temporarily).
The bottom line: this is for someone who wants to drop weight fast without dieting all week and obsessing about food. It’s good for people who don’t have the time to meal plan or exercise much.
Q: Have you tried intermittent fasting? What was your experience with it? Would you recommend it to other moms?