Howtocombinerapidweightlossandintermittentfastingforlong-termhealth

DRMICHAELMOSLEY

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Thecontentofthisbookisintendedtoinform,entertainandprovokeyourthinking.Thisisnotintendedasmedicaladvice.Itmay,however,makeyouquestioncurrentmedicalandnutritionaladvice.That’syourchoice.It’syourlifeandhealthinyourhands.Neithertheauthornorthepublishercanbeheldresponsibleorliableforanylossorclaimarisingfromtheuse,ormisuse,of

thecontentofthisbook.

CONTENTS

TitlePage

Copyright

Introduction

1Whyweputonweight

2Intermittentfastingcomesofage

3Thecaseforrapidweightloss

4WhyIlovetheMediterraneandiet

5Gettingactive

6Waystobeatstress

7TheFast800inpractice

8SuperSizeMe

Recipes

Breakfast

Lightmeals

Mainmeals

Vegetablesidesandswaps

Occasionaltreats

Goodhydration

Mealplanners

Somequicknoteson‘thescientificmethod’

Furthermeasurementsandtests

Endnotes

Index

AbouttheAuthor

WhatDoesan800-calorieDayLookLike?

IINTRODUCTION

n2012,IwroteabookwithjournalistMimiSpencer,calledTheFastDiet.Inthatbookwelaidouttheprinciplesandhealthbenefitsofwhatwasthen

averynovelwayofdietingcalled‘intermittentfasting’.

Althoughwementioneddifferentwaysoffasting,wefocusedonsomethingwhichIcalled‘the5:2approach’.Insteadofcuttingyourcalorieseveryday,asyouwouldonastandarddiet,Isuggesteditmightbeeasiertocutdowntoaround600calories,formen,and500calories,forwomen,ontwodaysaweek,andtheneatnormallyontheotherfivedays.

Itwasamessagethatreallyresonated.TheFastDietrapidlybecameaninternationalbestseller,translatedinto40languages,andthedietwasembracedbyawiderangeofpeople,includingdoctors,politicians,celebritiesandNobelPrizewinners.ThecomedianandOscarhost,JimmyKimmel,lost25lbonthe5:2,andhaskeptitoffbycontinuingtocuthiscaloriestwodaysaweek.HerecentlytoldMen’sJournalthatitmakesyouappreciatefoodmore.Theactor,BenedictCumberbatch,saidhedidit‘forSherlock’.

TheNHSwebsite,whichoriginallydescribedthe5:2asa‘faddiet’,nowsaysinits‘TopDietsReview’that‘stickingtoaregimenfortwodaysaweekcanbemoreachievablethansevendays,soyoumaybemorelikelytoperseverewiththiswayofeatingandsuccessfullyloseweight’.

Itgoesontoadd,‘Twodaysaweekonarestricteddietcanleadtogreaterreductionsinbodyfat,insulinresistanceandotherchronicdiseases.’1

Fromthe5:2tothe8-WeekBloodSugarDiet

IfirstbecameinterestedinintermittentfastingwhenIdiscovered,througharandombloodtest,thatIhadtype2diabetes.ThedoctorsaidthatIneededtogoonmedication.Thiswasanastyshockbecausemyoverweightdadhaddevelopeddiabetesinhisfiftiesanddiedofdiabetes-relatedillnessesattherelativelyyoungageof74.Ididn’twanttogodownthesamepath.

SoIsetouttofindoutiftherewasadrug-freewayto‘cure’mydiabetes,andthat’swhenIfirstheardabouttheideaofperiodicallyfastingforbothweightlossandbettergeneralhealth.ItsoundedsointerestingthatIpersuadedtheBBCtoletmemakeasciencedocumentaryaboutitcalledEat,Fast,LiveLonger,withmyselfastheguineapig.

Itestedanumberofdifferentformsofintermittentfastingbeforesettlingonthe5:2.Usingthatapproach,Imanagedtolose9kgandgetmybloodsugarsbacktonormal,withoutmedication.

Then,afewyearslater,IcameacrosssomestartlingnewresearchbeingcarriedoutbyProfessorRoyTaylor,adiabetesspecialistatNewcastleUniversity.HetoldmethemainreasonIhadmanagedtoknockmydiabetesontheheadwasthatIhadlostalotofweight,fast.Hehaddonestudiesshowingthat,ifyouloseover10%ofyourbodyweight(whichIhad),thefatisdrainedfromyourliverandpancreas,andyourbodyisrestoredtoitsformerhealth.

Whenwefirstmet,Royhadjuststartedabigtrial,hopingtoprovethatan800-calorie-a-dayrapidweightlossdietwouldnotonlyleadtomassiveweightlossbutalsohelpmostpatientswithtype2diabetescomeoffallmedicationandrestoretheirbloodsugarstonormal.

Thiswasrevolutionarystuff,asmostdoctorsbelievethattype2diabetesisincurableandtheonlywaytotreatitiswithdrugs.

IbecamesoconvincedbyRoy’sresearchthat,withhishelp,Iwroteasecondbook,The8-WeekBloodSugarDiet.Inthisbook,whichisaimedatpeoplewithtype2diabetesandpre-diabetes(thosewhosebloodsugarsareraisedbutnotyetinthediabeticrange),Idescribedhowtofollowarapid

weightlossprogramme,cuttingyourcalorieintaketo800aday.Thisbookalsobecameaninternationalbestseller,andthousandsofpeoplewhofollowedtheprogrammehavemanagedtogettheirbloodsugarsbackundercontrolwithoutmedication.Doctors,nursesanddiabetesspecialistsnowrecommendthebookinclinicalpractice.Mywife,Clare,isaGPandhasbeenusingthisapproachtotransformthelivesofhundredsofherpatients.OnepatientlostsomuchweightClaredidn’trecognisehim!Sheispassionateaboutthepoweroffoodtochangelivesandcreatedtherecipesforthisbook.

Sowhat’snew?

Well,firstandforemost,there’ssomestartlingnewscience.IntheyearssincewritingTheFastDietandThe8-WeekBloodSugarDiet,Ihavecollectedlotsofresearchanddataoneveryaspectofintermittentfasting.

Scientificstudiestakealongtime.TheresultsofProfTaylor’sbigdiabetestrial–startedin2014–werefinallypublishedin2018andI’mdelightedtosaythattheywereevenbetterthanhoped(seeChapter4).Morerecently,twootherbigstudieshaveshownthebenefitsoffollowingarapidweightlossdietbasedon800caloriesaday,evenifyoudon’thavediabetes.Anumberofnewstudieshavealsobeendoneonthewiderhealthbenefitsofthe5:2.

Whichiswhy,sixyearson,Ihavedecidedtocompletelyupdatemyfirsttwobooksandtocombinethebestelementsofthelatestresearchinoneeasy-to-followprogramme.I’vecalledthisnewprogrammetheFast800.Itstillincorporatesthe5:2,butisbasedon,amongotherthings,moremanageable800-caloriefastdays.Itisdesignedtoprovideasimple,effectivewaytoshedfatandsetyourselfupforahealthierfuture.

TheFast800

TherearevariouswaysyoucandotheFast800,andinChapter7I’mgoingtogiveyouanumberofoptionssothatyoucantailortheprogrammetoyourneeds,goalsandmotivation.

Whatalltheseoptionshaveincommonisthattheyarebasedon800-caloriefastdays.That’sbecause800isthemagicnumberwhenitcomestosuccessfuldieting–it’shighenoughtobemanageableandsustainablebutlowenoughtotriggerarangeofdesirablemetabolicchanges.

Thechoiceyouhavetomake,afterreadingthefirstpartofthisbook,ishowintensivelyyouwanttodotheprogramme–i.e.howmany800-caloriedaystoincludeeachweekfromthestart,andhowtoadjusttheseasyouprogress.

Forrapidweightloss,aslongasitissafeforyoutodoit(seepage85),800caloriesaday,everyday,iswhatyoushouldbeaimingat.Thisisaregimenthathasbeenshowntobesafelysustainableforweeksandmonths.Youmightwanttotakethisapproachifyouhavealotofweighttolose;ifyouareinahurry;ifyouhavepre-diabetesortype2diabetes;ifyouhaveafattyliver;ifyouwanttokickyourweightlossjourneyoffwithabang;orperhapsbecauseyouhavehitaweightlossplateau.

On800caloriesadayyoucanexpecttoloseupto5kgaftertwoweeks,9kgafterfourweeksand14kgaftereightweeks,mostofwhichwillbefat.Rapidweightlossisoftendescribedas‘crashdieting’butIwanttoshowyouhow,doneproperly,itcanbesafelyused.

However,noteveryonecanorwillwanttostickto800caloriesadayforlong.Soafterafewweeksofrapidweightloss,IsuggestyouconsiderswitchingtowhatI’mcallingthe‘New5:2’.ThecalorieamountsIcameupwithfortheoriginalFastDiet–500-600caloriestwiceaweek–werebasedonhumanstudies,butmainlyonanimalresearch.Effectivethoughitis,somepeoplefoundthisapproachabittootough.SoInowrecommendcuttingto800caloriestwiceaweek.Willyoustillloseweight,fast?Yes,particularlyifyoustartwiththerapidweightlossapproach,andthenmovetotheNew5:2.

Alow-carbohydrateMediterraneandiet

Themenusatthebackofthisbookofferplentyoffillingandtastyrecipesformakingup800-caloriedays.Theyareallbasedonalow-carb,high-proteinMediterranean-styleapproach.

ThereasonIamsokeenonthiswayofeatingisthatitwillhelpyoumaintainyourmusclemassandstopyourmetabolicratefromcrashingasyouloseweight.Thismeansyouwillfinditmucheasiertokeeptheweightoff,longterm.Itisalsoawayofeatingthatdoesn’tdemandyoucutoutwholefoodgroups,soIbelieveitisfarmoresustainable.

Aboveall,withtheFast800,Iwantyoutofeelfreetoexperiment.Weallhavedifferentneedsanddifferentdemandsinourlives.Myapproachisbasedonthelatestsciencebutisalsoaverypragmaticone.Intheend,thebestdietistheoneyoucansticktoandwhichfitsbestinyourlife.

OtherelementsoftheFast800programme

Besidesbustingalotofcommonlyheldmythsaboutdietingandweightgain,andbringingyouuptodatewiththelatestresearch,IwanttointroduceyoutoarelativelynewformofintermittentfastingcalledTimeRestrictedEating(TRE).

TREhastakentheinternetbystorm,particularlyamongthebody-consciousunder-30s.Itinvolveseatingallyourcalorieswithinarelativelynarrowtimewindoweachday,usually8to12hours.Thisextendsthelengthofyournormalovernightfast(thetimewhenyouareasleepandnoteating)andgivesyourbodyanopportunitytoburnfatanddoessentialrepairs.

TREisnotanalternativetothe5:2;rather,itcomplementsit.IwillbegoingintoTREinsomedetailinChapter2.

Iamalsogoingtobewritingabouttheimportanceofketosis–thatis,persuadingyourbodytoswitchfromusingsugarstoburningfatsintheformofketonebodiestoobtainfuel.Thisiskeytothesuccessofintermittentfasting.Italsoturnsouttobesurprisinglygoodforthebodyandthebrain.Butithastobedonetherightway.

Whylosingweightisaboutmorethanvanity

Therearegoodreasonsfordoingintermittentfastingwhichgobeyondweightloss(andIcoverthemlaterinthebook),butthepeoplewhowillbenefitmostarelikelytobethosewhoarecurrentlyoverweight,particularlythosewhoarecarryingtoomuchweightaroundthemiddle(i.e.internal,visceralfat).

Thereis,understandably,alotofscepticismaboutdietingonthegroundsthattheyneverworkand,anyway,isn’tlosingweightjustaboutvanity?

Therearecertainlyplentyofineffectivedietsoutthere–Ihopetopersuadeyouthatthisoneisdifferent.Asforvanity,well,thereisnothingwrongwithwantingtolookbetter,buttherealpurposeoftheFast800istomakeyouhealthier.Evenrelativelymodestchangescanmakeabigdifference.

Studieshaveshownthatifyouareoverweightorobese,losing5%ofyourbodyweightwill:

Reduceyourbloodpressureandlevelsofbloodfats(triglycerides),whichinturnwillsignificantlycutyourriskofhavingaheartattackorstroke.Loweryourriskofgettingcancer.Carryingtoomuchfatinthebodyleadstothereleaseofhormonesandinflammatoryagentswhichboostcancer.AccordingtoCancerUK,manycancersarelinkedtobeingoverweightorobese,includingtwoofthecommonest:breastandbowelcancer.Sleepbetter.Ifyouareanythinglikeme,whenyouputonweightitnotonlygoesaroundyourbelly,butalsoaroundyourneck.Afatneckmeansyouaremorelikelytosnore(whichwillkeepyourpartnerawake),andalsofarmorelikelytodevelopobstructivesleepapnea,adisorderwhichcausespeopletostopbreathingwhilesleeping.A2014studyfoundthatpeoplewholost5%ormoreoftheirbodyweightgotabout20minutesmoresleep,anditwasbetter-qualitysleep.Cutyourriskofdevelopingtype2diabetes.Inonebigstudy,peoplewithpre-diabetes(raisedbloodsugars,notyetinthediabeticrange)wholostover5%oftheirbodyweightwere58%lesslikelytodeveloptype2diabetesthanthosewhodidn’t.

Boostyoursexdrive.Notjustbecauseyoumayfeelmoredesirablebutalsobecauseofhormonalchangesandimprovedbloodflowtothesexorgans.

SuperSizeMe

InormallyonlyrecommendthingsthatIhavetriedmyself,becausethatwayIdiscoverjusthowpractical(ornot)mysuggestionsreallyare.

WhenIbeganresearchingthisbook,IwonderedwhatwouldhappenifIletmyselfgo,putonweight,thentriedtotakeitoffagain,usingtheFast800approach.

So,that’swhatIdid.Ididn’tgocrazy,butIdidbegintoeatmoretoastandpasta,andhavemoresnacks.Initially,itdidn’tmakemuchdifference.Mybodywasclearlyhappywithmynew,lowerweightanditwasn’tkeentoletmeballoon.But,afteramonthorso,theweightbegantocreepupwards.Ittookmenearlyfourmonthstoputon14lb(over6kg)andbythenmybloodsugarswerealmostbackinthediabeticrange,mybloodpressurehadgoneupintotheredzone,mysleepwasterribleandIfeltsluggishandmoody.IfyouwanttoseewhatIlookedlike,visitthefast800.com.

Mywife,Clare,toldmeitwastimetostop.SoIputmyselfontheFast800–withdramaticresults(seepage162).

Mybackground

ItrainedasamedicaldoctorinLondonbutIhavespentmanyyearsasasciencejournalist,workingfornewspapersandontelevision.Ispendmyprofessionallifetryingtomakesenseofcomplexandoftenconflictinghealthclaims.

Asaresult,Iaminregularcontactwithleadingdoctors,weightlossspecialistsandnutritionalresearchersfromallaroundtheworld.Ihavecollaboratedwithsomeofthesescientiststoproduceoriginalresearch,particularlyintheareaoffoodandhealth.

EverythingIwriteisbasedoncutting-edgescience–indeedthisbookisonlypossiblebecausesomanyhard-workingscientistshavebeenwillingtogivemethetimetosharetheirlatestfindings–andasyouwillseeatthebackofthebooktherearelotsofreferencestoscientificstudies.Youdon’thavetoreadthem,buttheyarethereifyouwanttoseeforyourselfthebasisofmyclaims.

Forthoseofyouwhoareconfusedastowhytherearesomanyconflictinghealthclaimsinthemedia,Ihavealsoincluded,attheback,asectionon‘levelsofevidence’(seepage264).Iexplainwhatarandomisedcontrolledstudyisandwhyitisamorereliableformofevidencethangovernmentadvice,animalstudiesorcase-controlledstudies.

Inaddition,youwillfind,pepperedthroughthisbook,casestudiesandstoriesfrompeoplewhohavecontactedmetosharetipsandsayhowtheyaregettingon.Ihavefounditincrediblyhelpfultohaveawebsitewithanactivecommunitywhonotonlysupporteachother,butalsogiveregularfeedbackonhowtheyaredoing.

Wearesocialanimalsandthebestwaytoloseweightanddevelopbetterhabitsisbyengagingwithothers.Theevidenceisstrongthatthemoresupportyouhave,themorelikelyyouaretosucceed,sowealsorunaninteractiveonlineprogrammeatthefast800.com,providingadvice,recipes,mealplansandtrackingoptions.Docomeandjoinin.

I1WHYWEPUTONWEIGHT

fyouwanttoslimdownitisworthunderstandingwhywegetfatinthefirstplace.Theobviousanswer,‘becauseweeattoomuchanddon’tdo

enoughexercise’,istoosimplistic.It’slikegoingtoatenniscoachtoimproveyourgameandbeingtoldthatallyouneedtodois‘winmorepointsthanyouropponent’.True,butnotuseful.

Sowhyhastherebeensuchanexplosioninobesity,worldwide,overthelast40years?

Thereareplentyofplausibleexplanations,includingincreasedanxiety,stress,poorsleepandbecominglessactive,buttopofmylistismoresnackingandthefactthatweareeatinglotsmorejunkfood–notjustmorecola,cakeandcandy,butrefinedcarbs,upbyawhopping20%since1980.2Thesefoodsarepackedwithcaloriesandarehighlyaddictive(seepage29).Burstingwithsugarandprocessedfats,theyplayhavocwithourhormones,andonehormoneinparticular:insulin.

Carbsandinsulin

Thethingaboutcarbs,particularlytherapidlydigestiblecarbsyoufindinjunkfood,butalsoinwhitericeandmostbreads,isthattheyareswiftlybrokendowninyourguttoreleaseafloodofsugarintoyourblood.Theresultisinstantenergyandabrieffeel-goodsugar‘high’.Buthavinglotsofsugarinyourbloodisbadforyourbodybecauseitdamagesbloodvesselsandnerves.

Soyourpancreasrespondsbyreleasingahormonecalledinsulin.Insulin’smainjobistoquicklybringhighblood-sugarlevelsbackdowntonormal,anditdoesthisbyhelpingenergy-hungrycells,suchasthoseinyourmusclesandyourbrain,totakeupthesugar.

Butifyou’reconstantlysnackinganddoingverylittletoburnthecaloriesoff,yourbodywillbecomelessandlesssensitivetoinsulin.So,yourpancreashastoworkhardertoproducemoreandmoreinsulin.It’slikeshoutingatkids.Themoreyoushout,thelessattentiontheypay.

Twobadthingsnowhappen:

1. Yourfatcellsbecomelargeandinflamed,asyourbodytriestocrammoreandmoreenergyintothem.Atsomepointyouexceedyour‘personalfatthreshold’.Thereisnospacelefttostorefatsafely,soitbeginstooverflowintoyourinternalorgans,suchasyourliver.ThisishowtheFrenchmakefoiegras,theirfamousliverpâté.Theyfeedgeesesomuchstarchymaizethattheirliversaresoonburstingwithfat.This‘visceral’fat–whichalsoinfiltratesyourpancreasandwrapsitselfaroundyourheart–ismuchmoredangerousthanfatonyourbuttocksorthighs.Itleadstosomethingknownasmetabolicsyndrome,whichinturnleadstoheartdisease,diabetesanddementia.Ifyouwanttoseewhatitlookslike,visitthefast800.comwherethereisanimageofwhatmyinsideslookedlikebeforeIlostweight.Notforthesqueamish.

2. Despitecarryingaroundtoomuchfat,youstillfeelhungryallthetime.That’sbecauseyounowhavehighinsulinlevels,whichencouragecontinuousfatstorage.Whichmeansthere’slessfuelaroundtokeeptherestofyourbodygoing.

It’sasifyou’reconstantlypouringmoneyintoyourbankaccount,andthenfindingitincrediblyhardtogetitoutagain.Youhavemoney,butyoujustcan’tgetatit.Highlevelsofinsulinpreventyourbodyfromaccessingandburningitsownenergysupply.

So,despitethefactthatyouarecarryingaroundlotsofenergyintheformoffat,yourmusclesandyourbraincan’teasilyaccessit.Deprivedoffuel,yourbraintellsyoutoeatmore.Soyoudo.Butbecauseyourhighinsulinlevelsareencouragingfatstorage,yougetfatterwhilestayinghungry.

Inotherwords,ifyouhaveaweightproblemitmaynotbebecauseyoulackwillpoweroryou’regreedy.Itismorelikelythat,likeoneinthreeAmericans,youareinsulin-resistantandthereforehavetoomuchinsulinwashingaroundinyourblood.

Doesthissoundcrazy?WhatI’mdescribingisbasedontheworkofsomeoftheworld’sleadingmetabolicspecialists.

DrRobertLustig,arenownedpaediatricendocrinologistwhohastreatedthousandsofoverweightchildren,pointsoutinhisexcellentbook,FatChance,thatunderstandinginsuliniscrucialtounderstandingobesity.‘Insulinshuntssugartofat.Itmakesyourfatcellsgrow.Themoreinsulinthemorefat.’

DrLustigblamesthemoderndiet,richinsugarandrefinedcarbs,forpumpingupourinsulinlevels,aclaimsupportedbymanyotherleadingobesityexperts,includingDrDavidLudwig,apaediatricianfromHarvardMedicalSchool,andDrMarkFriedman,headoftheNutritionScienceInitiativeinSanDiego.

AsLudwigandFriedmanhaveputit:‘TheincreasingamountandprocessingofcarbohydratesintheAmericandiethasincreasedinsulinlevels,putfatcellsintostorageoverdriveandelicitedobesity-promotingbiologicalresponsesinalargenumberofpeople.Highconsumptionofrefinedcarbohydrates–chips,crackers,cakes,softdrinks,sugarybreakfastcerealsandevenwhitericeandbread–hasincreasedbodyweightsthroughoutthepopulation.’3

Otherdamagingeffectsofraisedinsulin

Ifyouareinsulin-resistantandyourbodyisforcedtogoonproducinglotsofinsulin,thiswillnotonlykeepyouhungry,itwillcontributetomanyotherdiseases.Itwillincreaseyourriskofdevelopingdementia,breastandbowelcancer,contributetohighbloodpressureandraiseyourcholesterollevels.Inwomen,raisedinsulinlevelsleadtoacne,moodswings,excesshairgrowth,irregularperiods(polycysticovaries)andinfertility.

Thegoodnewsisthat,ifyouchangewhatyoueatandloseweight,yourinsulinlevelswillcomedown.Cassie,anursewithtype2diabeteswholost20kgdoingthe8-WeekBloodSugarDiet–thekeytenetsofwhichareincorporatedintotheFast800approach–wasnotonlyabletocomeoffallmedicationbutsoonbecamepregnant,aftermanyyearsoftrying,withtwins!

‘Youhavenotonlyfreedmefromfoodandputmebackinchargeofmylife,buthelpedmemakeamiraclepossible–whichIthoughtwouldneverhappen.’

Theriseandriseofjunkfood

Thefactthatwenoweatsomanyrefinedandsugarycarbs,andeatthemsooften,isn’tanaccident.Itwasanunintendedconsequenceofthelow-fatcampaign,thebiggestandarguablythemostdisastrouspublichealthexperimentinhistory.

Itallbeganin1957,theyearIwasborn,whenthehugelyinfluentialAmericanHeartAssociationdecidedtomountacampaignaimedatreducingfatconsumption.Theyweren’t,initially,targetingbellies;theyweremoreconcernedabouthearts.Theybelievedthatsaturatedfatcausedheartdisease,soitwasoutwiththesteak,butterandcheese;inwiththepasta,rice,potatoesandveg.

Oratleastthatwastheplan.

Backedbymillionsofdollarsofgovernmentmoney,thelow-fatcampaigncertainlyhadaneffect.Overthenextfewdecades,Americanscuttheirconsumptionofanimalfats,suchasmilk,butterandcream,byasmuchas20%.4Theydidn’t,however,replacethosefatswithhealthyfruitsandvegetables.Instead,peopleatemoreandmoreprocessedfoods,whichwerebeingheavilypromotedbythefoodindustryas‘low-fat’or‘fat-free’.Underthepretenceofmakingfood‘healthier’,themanufacturersstuffedtheirproductswithprocessedvegetableoils(suchasmargarine)andcheap,sugarycarbs.And,asconsumptionofdairyfatswentdownandthatofsugarycarbswentup,obesityratesbegantosoar.

Bythe1980s,whenIwenttomedicalschool,fatwasfirmlyestablishedassomethingyouhadtoavoid.Eatingfatmadeyoufat.Eatingfat,particularlysaturatedfat,wouldclogyourarteriesassurelyaspouringfatdownadrainwillblockit.

AlthoughIwasslimandIdidalotofexercise,Ialsoatequitealotofsaturatedfat,intheformofmilk,meatandbutter.Ihaveafamilyhistoryofheartdiseaseandstrokesandmyfatherwasarecentlydiagnoseddiabetic.Itwasplainlytimetoact.

Zealously,Ipersuadedmyoverweightfathertogoonalow-fatdiet(it

didn’twork)andharanguedmymotheruntilsheswitchedfrombuttertomargarine.Eggswerereplacedbycerealforbreakfast.Coffeecamewithadashofskimmedmilk.Yoghurtwasalwayslow-fat.

SodidIbecomehealthier?Well,no.OverthenextfewdecadesIputonabouttwostone,mybodyfatwentuptoapaunchy28%,mycholesterolsoaredandIbecameatype2diabetic.

Thetroublewasthat,althoughIwaseatinglessfat,Iwasnoweatingfarmorecarbs.IfIhadswitchedtoeatinglotsofhealthy,complexcarbswhicharerichinfibre,suchasvegetablesandwholegrains,thenIwouldprobablyhavebeenfine.InsteadIwasdoingwhatIwastold,whichwastopilemyplatewithlotofstarchycarbssuchasbread,riceandpotatoes.

WhatIdidn’tunderstand–becausetheydon’tteachyoumuch,ifanything,aboutnutritionatmedicalschool–wastheeffectthesefoodswerehavingonmybody.Eatingaboiledpotatowillpushyourbloodsugarsupasquicklyaseatingatablespoonofsugar(I’vetriedit!).Ironically,ifyoueatthepotatowithfat,suchascheeseorbutter,thefatwillslowabsorptionandthebloodsugarpeakwillbeslowerandlessextreme.

NorhadIappreciatedthatcarbs,particularlyrefinedcarbs,aresomuchlesssatiatingthanfatorprotein.Youhaveabowlofcerealforbreakfastandafewhourslateryouarehungry.Soyouhaveasnack.Onmyhigh-carbdiet,Iwasconstantlyhungry,soIwassnackingallthetime.Andthatwaskeepingmyoverworkedpancreasbusypumpingoutinsulin–which,aswehaveseenabove,wasmakingmefatterandfatter.

Whysnackingmakesusfat

Peopleusedtobelieveinthequaintideaof‘noteatingbetweenmeals’.Inthe1970s,beforethemodernobesitycrisis,adultswouldaveragefourandahalfhoursbetweenmeals,whilechildrenwouldbeexpectedtolastaboutfourhours.Likeflaredtrousers,thosetimesarelonggone.Nowtheaveragewindowbetweenmealsisdowntothreeandahalfhoursforadultsandthreehoursforchildren,andthatdoesn’tincludeallthedrinksandnibbles.

Theidea,whichhascometodominate,isthat‘eatinglittleandoften’isagoodthing.Thisideawasdrivenbysnackmanufacturersanditwasand,incredibly,stillissupportedbysomedieticians.Theargumentgoesthatitisbettertoeatlotsofsmallmeals–anythinguptosixaday(i.e.breakfast,lunchandsupperalongwithmid-morning,afternoonandbedtimesnacks)–becausethatwaywearelesslikelytogethungryandgorgeonhigh-fatjunk.That’sthetheory.Intherealworld,peopledotheopposite.

Comparedto30yearsago,notonlydoweeataround180caloriesadaymoreinsnacks–muchofitintheformofmilky,sweeteneddrinksandsmoothies–butalsomorewhenitcomestoourregularmeals,anaverageof120extracaloriesaday.Inotherwords,themorewesnackthemoreweeatoverall.

Eatingthroughouttheday,fromwhenwefirstwaketothatlittletreatlastthingatnight,isnowsonormalthatitisalmostshockingtosuggestdoingtheabsoluteopposite.Inotherwords,fasting.Moreonthatinthenextchapter.

Foodaddiction

Themodernobesityepidemicwasn’ttriggeredbyacollectivebreakdowninwillpowerinthelate1970s.Ithappenedbecausefoodmanufacturershavefoundmoreandmoreingeniouswaystomakeusbuytheirproducts.Likethetobaccoindustry,theyknowhowtohookandholdtheircustomers.

Junkfoodisclearlynotaddictiveinthesamewaythatcocaineis,butitsharessomeofitsqualities.Thepleasureyougetfromitisnormallyveryshort-lived.Itisaboutcompulsion.Weeatjunkfoodknowingitisbadforus.Wedoitbecausewecan’tstopourselves.Thepurveyorsofjunkfoodliketoclaimthatit’soktohave‘alittlebitofeverything’or‘everythinginmoderation’.Youwouldn’tsaythataboutarsenic.

Ilovechocolate,particularlymilkchocolate.Mycravingsforchocolatehavenothingtodowithhunger.TherearetimeswhenIcanberavenouslyhungry,beinasupermarket,andfinditeasytowalkpasttheprominentlydisplayedracksofchocolate.Thereareothertimes,particularlylateatnight,whenIfindmyselfprowlingaroundourkitchen,lookingincupboardsforthestashofchocolatethatIthinkClaremayhaveleftsomewhere.

Ihaveboughtabarofchocolateinamotorwayservicestation,thrownitintothebackseattostopmyselfwolfingitdown,thenpulledintothenextservicestationtoeatit.Ihavebrokenupachocolatebarandthrownitinabinandthen,minuteslater,startedtorootaroundinthatbin.AparticularlylowpointwaswhenIatemysix-year-olddaughter’sEasteregg.

Don’ttellmethisbehaviourisnormal.

Thesecravingsarestrongestlateatnight,whenIamtired,butalsowhenIamstressed,upsetorsimplybored.Ihavetriedtoweanmyselfontodarkchocolate,butthatdoesn’tfulfilthesameemotionalneeds.IamachocaholicandsuspectIwillalwaysbe.

Whicharethemostaddictivefoodsandwhy?

Somepeopleclaimthatsugarisaddictive,butevenamoment’sthoughtwillshowyouthatcan’tbetrue.IlovesweettreatsbutevenIdon’troutinelybury

myfaceinabowlofsugar.

Irecentlytriedeatingasmallbowlofsugarandbegantogaghalfwaythroughthefirsttablespoon.ItisnotanexperienceIwanttorepeat.

Sowhatisitthatsomanyaddictivefoodshaveincommon?

In2015,researchersfromtheUniversityofMichegandecidedtofindout.5Theygot120students,offeredthemachoiceof35differentfoods,andaskedthemtofillintheYaleFoodAddictionScale,ameasureofhowaddictiveyoufindaparticularfood.Thefoodswerethenrankedfrom1to35bythestudents.

Notsurprisingly,topofthelistof‘mostaddictivefoods’waschocolate,followedbyicecream,Frenchfries,pizza,biscuits,chips(i.e.crisps),cake,butteredpopcornandcheeseburgers.

Somewhereinthemiddlewerecheese,baconandnuts,whileatthebottomweresalmon,brownrice,cucumberandbroccoli.

Whenyoulookatthelistbelow,whatstrikesyou?Thefirstthingisthatthehighlyaddictivefoodsarealsohighlyprocessedfoods,designedtobeabsorbedveryrapidlyandgiveyourbrainanalmostimmediatedopamine(therewardhormone)rush.Inaddition,theyarethesortoffoodsthatareheavilyadvertised,particularlytochildren.

Butthethingthatreallysetsthemapartisthattheyareamixtureoffatsandcarbs.Andnotanyoldmixture.Broadlyspeaking,whetheritischocolateorcrisps,cakeorcheeseburger,theyareallmadeupofroughly1gfatto2gcarbs.Itisaratiothatweseemtofindparticularlyirresistible.

The2:1ratio

Milkchocolate,per100g–30gfat,58gcarbs,534calories

Icecream,per100g–12gfat,24gcarbs,200calories

Frenchfries,per100g–15gfat,32gcarbs,270calories

Pepperonipizza,per100g–10gfat,30gcarbs,266calories

Crisps,per100g–30gfat,50gcarbs,536calories

Spongecake–26gfat,52gcarbs,460calories

Butteredpopcorn–30gfat,56gcarbs,546calories

Cheeseburger–14gfat,30gcarbs,303calories

Asyoucansee,itisnotanexact2:1ratioforallthesefoods,butitisprettyclose.Whyshouldthatbe?Well,onereasonwefindthisparticularratiosoappealingmaybethatwefounditinthefirstfoodweeverconsumed,breastmilk.A100mlservingofhumanbreastmilkcontainsaround4gfatand8gcarbs,makingitsurprisinglysweet.

Infact,milkisoneoftheveryfewnaturalfoodsthatcontainshighamountsoffatandcarbsallmixedtogether.Meatishighinfatandprotein,butverylowincarbs,whilevegetablescancontainlotsofcarbsbutnotmuchfat.

Wearen’ttheonlyanimalwhojustcan’tsay‘no’tothiskillercombination.Labrats,givenaccesstolotsoffataloneorcarbsalone,willeatjustenoughtomaintainasteadybodyweight.Butifyougivethemunrestrictedaccesstofoodsrichinbothfatsandcarbohydrates,theywillgorgeandgorgeuntiltheyarealmostspherical.

Foodmanufacturers,ofcourse,arewellawareofourvulnerabilitiesandexploitthemtosellustheirproducts.Knowingthismaynotchangeyourfoodcompulsions,butatleastitwillhelpyouunderstandwhyyougooncravingfoodwhichisbadforyouandmayhelpyoufightback.EversinceItoldmykidssomeofthethingsthat‘BigFood’hasdonetogetushooked,theyhavebeenlessenthusiasticaboutgoingtoplaceslikeMcDonald’s.

Areyouaddictedtoaparticularfood?

Trythisshortquiztoseehowaddictedyouaretoaparticularfood.Morethanthree‘yes’answersandyoumaybeintrouble.ItrytoavoidicecreamandcrispsbecauseIknowthatwhenIstartIfindithardtostop,buttheonlyfoodonthe‘addictive’listIhaverealproblemswithischocolate.

Thinkingaboutchocolate,Isaid‘yes’toquestions1,2,3,4,7,9and10.Whichgivesmeascoreof7.ThereisnootherfoodIcanthinkofwhereIwouldscoremorethan2.

1. WhenIstarteatingthisfood,Ican’tstopandendupeatingmuchmore

thanIintended.2. IkeeponeatingthisfoodevenwhenIamnolongerhungry.3. IeattothepointwhereIfeelphysicallyill.4. IfindmyselfcravingthisfoodwhenI’mstressed.5. Ifitisn’tinthehouse,Iwillgetinthecaranddrivetothenearestshop

thatsellsit.6. Iusethisfoodtomakemyselffeelbetter.7. Ihidethisfoodsoeventhoseclosetomedon’tknowhowmuchofitI

eat.8. Eatingitcausesanxietyandfeelingsofself-loathingandguilt.9. AlthoughInolongergetmuchpleasurefromeatingit,Ikeepondoing

so.10. Ihavetriedtogivethisfoodupbutfailed.

Addupyour‘yes’answers.Themoreyougavetheansweryes,themorehookedoncarbsyouare.

IwillbewritingmoreaboutfoodcravingsandhowtobeattheminChapter7.

Insummary:

Thereasonwearesnackingmoreandeatingmorejunkfoodsisnoaccident:junkfoodispackedwithfat,sugarandsalt.Ithasbeendesignedtomakeuscraveit.Eatinglotsofrefinedcarbs–intheformofwhitebread,riceandpasta,aswellasjunkfood–willkeepyourpancreaspumpingoutinsulin.Highinsulinlevelskeepushungry,whichinturnmakesussnackmore.Ifyoufollowmyprogramme,youwillnotonlyloseweightbutalsobringyourinsulinlevelsdown.Youwon’tfeelashungryandyouwillseelotsofotherimprovements.

T2INTERMITTENTFASTINGCOMESOFAGE

heprogrammeIamrecommendinginthisbookisbasedonnumerousscientificstudies,feedbackfromhundredsofsuccessfulintermittent

fastersandfromtalkingtolotsofweightlossspecialists.Itisdesignedtoachievethemaximumbenefitinthemostachievableway.Buteveryoneisdifferent,soIwantyoutofeelfreetoexperimentwiththeapproachorapproachesthatworkbestforyou.

Beforeyoustart,Ialsowantyoutounderstandwhatintermittentfastinghastooffer,notjustforweightlossbutforhealthissuessuchasreducinginflammation,riskofheartdisease,improvingguthealthandmuchmore.So,inthischapterIamgoingtodoadeepdiveintothesciencebehindthedifferentformsofintermittentfasting,assessingtheirstrengthsandweaknesses.

MeettheCRONies

AsImentionedintheintroduction,intermittentfastingisnowverypopular.ButwhenIsetouttoexplorethisapproachtoeatingbackin2012,itwasseenasbotheccentricanddangerous.Publicinteresthadyettotakeoffandtherewererelativelyfewhumanstudies.Notmanycelebswereintoit.Infact,mostofthosewhopractisedfasting,intermittentorotherwise,wereeitherdoingitforreligiousreasons,orwerebodybuildersorNewAgers.OrCRONies(CalorieRestrictorsonOptimalNutrition).

CRONies–thereareanestimated100,000ofthemworldwide–practisesomethingcalledlong-termcalorierestriction(CR).Thisinvolvesdrasticallycuttingbackyourcalorieseveryday–forever–inthehopethatthiswillextendyourlife.

Itdoesn’tsoundmuchfun;infact,itsoundsalotlikechronicstarvationoraneatingdisorder.Butanimportantdifferenceisthat,althoughCRONiesareonalow-caloriediet,theyarecarefultogetalltheessentialvitamins,mineralsandnutrients.Theyareeatinghealthily,justnotverymuch.

CRONies,whoaremainlymen,typicallyliveonadietofaround1600caloriesaday,everyday.Thatisabouttwothirdsoftheamountthatanormalmanwouldeat.

Curiousastowhyanyonewouldwanttodothat,Imanaged,viatheCRsocietywebsite6totrackdownaCRONiecalledDave.Dave,whohadbeencalorierestrictingformorethantwodecades,alsolivesconvenientlyclosetomeinsouthernEngland.Evenbetter,he’sthesameageasIam,towithinafewweeks.

Davebegancalorierestrictingwhenhewasinhisearlythirties.Why?‘Ididn’tpaymuchattentiontomydietordrinkingwhenIwasastudent,’hetoldme.‘I’deatanddrinkanythingandeverything.Butinabout1988therewasalotofpublicityaboutheartdiseaseandhowitcouldbeakillerinyourfortiesandfiftiesandIstartedtoseriouslyadjustmydiet.’

Hebeganbycuttingoutchocolateandwheat,whichmadehimfeelbetter.‘I’dsufferedfrommigrainesandsuddenlytheystopped.ThenIreadthe120-

YearDietBookbyRoyWalford,thefoundingfatherofthecalorierestrictiondiet,andIdecidedtocutmycaloriesdownto1600.’

DrRoyWalfordwasoneoftheearlychampionsofcalorierestriction.Asaresearchscientisthehadshownthatyoucanreallyextendamouse’slifebykeepingitonalow-caloriediet.HehadalsotakenpartinaslightlycrazyhumanexperimentcalledBiosphere2,whichinvolvedlivingwithagroupofothervolunteersinasealedbuildingintheArizonadesert.Thepointofthisexperimentwastopreparehumanstoliveonanotherplanet.Todothis,thevolunteerscutthemselvesofffromtheoutsideworld,livingonlyonthefoodtheycouldgrow,andrecyclingwaterandair.

Walfordpersuadedeveryonetoliveonalow-caloriedietformostofthetwoyearstheywereinside.Notsurprisingly,theylostalotofweight,andWalforddeclareditahugesuccess.However,despiteclaimingthatfollowingaCRlifestylewouldhelpyoulivehealthilyto120,Walfordwentontodieattheunremarkableageof79.WillDaveandhisfellowCRONiesfarebetter?

Thebattleofthebodies

ToseeiftheCRlifestylewasdoingDaveanygood,weagreedtocomparebodies.Sowehadafullmedical.Dave,whoisaninchshorterthanme,wasthreestone(nearly20kg)lighter.Hehadabodyfatofjust8%(mine,atthetime,was26%)andhehadthebloodpressureofa20-year-old.Hisarterieswereclearandhishearing,balanceandsenseoftouchwerefarbetterthanmine.

Butthemostrevealingmomentcamewhenwevisitedaleadingplasticsurgeonandwithouttellinghimwhy,askedhimtoestimateourages.ThesurgeonaccuratelyandbrutallyguessedthatIwasinmyfifties,‘becauseofyourjowlybits’.HedecidedthatDavewas20yearsyoungerthanme,‘becausehisskinisalmostwrinkle-freeandhasfarmoreelasticitythanyours’.

SoDaveislookingremarkablygoodforhisage,albeitabitskinny,andhisbodyseemstobeinfineshape.Wewillhavetowaitanotherfewdecadestoknowwhetherhewillreallylivelongerthantherestofus.Butthelatestevidencefromanimalssuggeststheyjustmight.

Fastinglemurslivelonger

We’veknownsincethe1930sthatyoucanextendthelifeofamousebyrestrictingwhatiteats,butitwasn’tuntilrecentlythatwecouldbesureitwouldworkwithananimalthatwasmorelikeus.

InJune2018scientistspublishedtheresultsofareallylong-termstudyonthemouselemur.7Despitethename,mouselemursarenothingtodowithmice.Theyareprimates,whichmeanstheyarepartofthesameextendedfamilyasmonkeysandhumans.Theyarerelativelyshort-lived(whichisconvenientifyouarestudyingageing)andtheirbodychemistryissimilartoours.

Todotheirexperiment,researchersfromtheNationalInstituteofAgingtookalargegroupofmouselemursanddividedthemintotwogroups.Thegroupswerebroughtupinsimilarconditionsandonthesamehealthyfoods.Theonlydifferencewasthatonegroup,fromearlyadulthood,wasmadetoliveon30%fewercaloriesthantheothergroup(thecontrolgroup).

Sowhathappened?Well,astheyearswentbythedifferencesbecamemoreandmoreobvious.Thecalorie-restrictedlemursstayedyoung-lookingandglossy.Theyhadmuchlowerratesofcanceranddiabetes,andtestsontheirmentalabilitiesshowedtheyremainedontheball.Brainscansalsorevealedthattheyhadpreservedalotmorewhitematter,theneuronalfibresthatconnectdifferentareasofthebrain,thanthelemursonanormaldiet.

Mostimpressiveofall,theylivedonaverage50%longerthantheirbetter-fedcousins.Thisisreasonablyconvincingevidencethatcalorierestrictionreallycanextendthelifeofananimallikeus.Almostathirdofthecalorie-restrictedanimalswerestillalivewhenthelastanimalinthecontrolgroupdied.

Moremanageableformsoffasting

Itmayextendyourlife,butbecomingaCRONieisnotsomethingmostofusaspireto.Iwantthebenefitsofcalorierestrictionwithoutthedrawbacks.Andthat’swhyIamsoexcitedaboutintermittentfasting.Cuttingyourcaloriesforshortperiodsoftime,orrestrictingwhenyoueatyourcalories,seemstooffermanyofthebenefitsoflong-termcalorierestriction.Anditisanawfulloteasierandfarmoreconvenient.

InthischapterIamgoingtobringyouuptodatewiththelatestsciencebehindthreeofthemostpopularformsofintermittentfasting,whichare:

Periodicfasting(where,onceeveryfewmonths,youcutyourfooddownforfivedaysinarow).The5:2approach(whereyourestrictyourcaloriesfortwodaysaweek).TimeRestrictedEating(whereyourestrictyoureatingtoanarrowtimewindow).

Eachoftheseformsofintermittentfastingprovidesdifferenthealthbenefits.Andthegreatthingistheyarenotmutuallyexclusive.Let’slookateachoftheminturn.

1.PERIODICFASTING

ProfessorValterLongo,directoroftheUniversityofSouthernCalifornia’sLongevityInstitute,isoneoftheworld’sleadingexpertsonthescienceofhumanageing.Therefore,hewasalsooneofthefirstscientistsIwenttoinsearchofanswersastowhatexactlyfastingis,howitworksandwhyitissoimportantforhumanhealth.

Valter,tall,slimandageingwell,isagreatadvertforhisownresearch.BorninItalyin1967,helooksagood10yearsyoungerthanhisrealage.

Valterbelievespassionatelyinusingthepoweroffastingtodelayageingandpreventtheonsetofchronicdiseaseslikecancer,heartdiseaseanddiabetes.Hehasdedicatedhislifetounderstandingthemechanismsbywhichthathappens.Andthegoodnewsishethinkswenowhaveaprettygoodunderstandingofwhyageinghappensandhowtodelayit.Evenbetter,youdon’thavetogiveupeatingwellorbecomeaskinnyCRONietolivealongandhealthylife.Sowhyisfasting,asValteroncesaidtome,oneofthemostpowerfulthingsyoucando?

Autophagy

Thelistofthingsthatfastingdoestoyourbodyislongandcomplex,butoneofthemorestrikingbenefitscomesfromactivatingaprocesswithinthebodycalled‘autophagy’,whichliterallymeans‘self-eat’.Autophagyisanentirelynaturalprocesswheredead,diseasedorworn-outcellsarebrokendownandgobbledup.

Thinkofyourbodyasabitlikeacar.Whenit’snew,it’sbrightandshinyandeverythingworks.Butastimegoesby,bitsgetwornoutandsomepartsstarttorust.Ifyouinsistondrivingitaroundcontinuouslyathighspeed,thenitwill,eventually,fallapart.

Tokeepyourcargoingforaslongaspossibleyouneedtotakeittoagaragesothatmechanicscanremoveandreplaceworn-outpartsandspruceitup.Anobvioustruthisyoucan’trepairyourcaranddriveithard,allatthesametime.

Thesameistrueofus.Justasweneedsleep,soweneedtimeofffromconstanteatingifwearetoturnontherepairgenesthatkeepusingoodshape.Itisonlywhenwearenoteatingordrinkinganythingwithcaloriesinitthatourbodiescanbeginthisprocessofrepair.

Autophagyistriggeredbyfasting,andbecomesmoreintenseastimegoesby.Itstopsonceyoueat.

Regeneration

Fastingtriggersautophagy,whichmeansyourbodyisabletoclearawaythejunkandthedebris,i.e.oldcells.Butwhathappenswhenyoustarttoeat?Isallthegoodyou’vedonethenundone?

In2014,Valterandhiscolleaguesdidanexperimenttofindout.8Theytookagroupofmiceandmadethemfastfortwodaysatatime,overaperiodofseveralmonths.Oneofthefirstthingsthathappenedwasthattheirwhitebloodcellcountstartedtofall.This,asValterexplained,wasanexpectedandhealthyresponse.‘Whenyoufast,yoursystemtriestosaveenergy,andoneofthethingsitdoesisrecyclealotoftheimmunecellsthatarenotneeded,especiallythosethatareoldordamaged.’

Butwhathappenedwhenthemicewereallowedtofeedaftertheirfast?Theirbodiesimmediatelyrespondedwiththecreationofnew,moreactivewhitecells.

‘Wecouldnothavepredicted,’Valtersaid,‘thatfastingwouldhavesucharemarkableeffect.’

Itseemsthatfasting,bytriggeringautophagy,alsocreatesspacefornewcellstogrow.It’slikeaforestfirethatburnsawaytheoldundergrowth,makingspacefornewplantsandtrees.

Fasting,followedbyfeeding,givesthe‘okay’forthebodytogoaheadandbegincreatingnewcells.Soifyourimmunesystemisnotaseffectiveasitoncewas(eitherbecauseyouareolderorbecauseyouhavehadamedicaltreatment,suchaschemotherapy),thenshortperiodsoffastingmayhelpregenerateit.

Jenni’sstory

JenniRussell,aBritishjournalist,readValter’sresearchwithgreatinterest.Formorethan20yearsshehadsufferedfromaseriousauto-immuneconditionwhichwaswreckingherlife.

‘Itoftenleftmesleepingfor12hoursaday,’shewroteinhercolumninTheTimes,‘andsometimeskeptmeinbedformonthsatatime.’9

Shewaskeptgoingbypowerfulandexpensiveimmune-suppressingdrugs,butthesemadeherfeeldreadful,andshewaswarnedshewouldneverbeabletolivewithoutthem.

SowhenshecameacrossValter’sresearchshowingthatshort-termfastingcouldreprogrammeafaultyimmunesystem,shedecidedshewouldgiveitago.

‘Ihadnothingtolosebytryingit,exceptmytemperandalittleweight.Istartedthefirstfastonaboatjourneyonastormysea.ItwasmadealoteasierbythefactthatI’dlostmyappetiteanyway,andthatIwasn’trequiredtodoanythingexceptlieinabunkandread.’

ShedecidedtodoherfasttheCossackway.Justwaterandtea(black,greenormint).‘Igotcross,hungryanddespondent,andgaveupjustbeforetheendofDay3.Wasteoftime,Ithought.’

Butthen,onthefourthday,shewokeupfeelingbetterthanshehadforyears.

Stillsceptical,butcurious,shetrieddoinganothershortfastafewweekslater.‘Thistime,’shewrote,‘everysymptomvanished.Icouldnotbelievewhathadhappened.Iwentonfastingeveryfewweeks,justtobesure,butthreeandahalfyearslater,notoneofmysymptomshasreoccurred.Itakenodrugs.Ihavemylifeback.’

Flippingthemetabolicswitch

UnderValter’sguidance,andaspartofaBBCscienceprogrammeImadebackin2012(Eat,Fast,LiveLonger),Ididafairlydraconianfour-dayfastmyself.Aswellasunlimitedwaterandblacktea,Idecidedtoallowmyselfasmalldailysnack,intheshapeof25caloriesofmisosoup.Icametolovethatmisosoup.

I’dbeenwarnedthatthefirstfewdaysmightbetough,butafterthatIwouldstartfeelingtheeffectsofarushofwhatValtertermed‘wellbeingchemicals’.

Igotmyselfweighed,hadsomebloodstaken,andthen,onawarmMondayevening,Ihadalastsupperofsteak,chipsandsaladwasheddownwithbeer.

Duringthefirst24hoursofafast,bigchangesgooninsideyourbody.Withinafewhours,thesugar(glucose)circulatinginyourbloodbeginstofall.Ifit’snotreplacedbyfoodthebodyturnsforenergytoastableformofglucosethatisstoredinyourmusclesandliver:glycogen.

Oncestoresofglycogenbegintorunlow(around10-12hoursafteryourlastmeal),yourbodygoesthrougharemarkablechange.Itswitchesoverintofat-burningmode.It’scalled‘flippingthemetabolicswitch’.Abitlikeahybridcarflippingfromusingelectricitytousingpetrolwhenthebatteriesbegintorunlow.

Whenthishappens,fatisreleasedfromyourfatstoresandconvertedbyyourbodyintofattyacidsandsubstancescalledketonebodies.Likemostofyourbody,yourbrainwillhappilyusetheseketonebodiesasasourceofenergy.Inmanywaysyourbrainrunsbetteronketonesthanonglucose(seepage56).

Thefirsttwodaysofafastcanbeuncomfortable,particularlyifyouhaveneverdoneanythinglikeitbefore.That’sbecauseyourbodyandbrainarehavingtocopewithmanagingthisswitchfromusingglucosetousingketones.Ifyouarenotaccustomedtoit(whichmostpeoplearen’t)youcangetheadaches,feelexhaustedandmayfindithardtosleep.

ThebiggestproblemIhadwithfastingishardtoputintowords;itwassometimesjustfeeling‘uncomfortable’.Ican’treallydescribeitmoreaccuratelythanthat.Ididn’tfeelfaint;Ijustfeltoutofplace.

Idid,occasionally,feelhungry,butmostofthetimeIwassurprisinglycheerful.ByDay3,thefeel-goodhormoneshadcometomyrescue.

ByFriday,Day4,itwasover.ThatafternoonIhadmyselftestedanddiscoveredIhadlost3lbofbodyweight,mostofwhichwasfat.IwasalsodelightedtodiscoverthatmybloodlevelsofIGF-1(insulin-likegrowthfactor1),whichareameasureofcancerrisk,hadalmosthalved.

Periodicfastingandcancer

Iwasexpectingtoloseweightonafour-day,liquid-onlyfast,butIwassurprisedtoseesuchadramaticfallinmyIGF-1levelsinsuchashorttime.

Butthisdidn’tsurpriseValter.Hehasevidencethatregularboutsofshort-termfastingcannotonlyreduceyourriskofgettingavarietyofcancers,butmayalsobeusedtoenhancetheeffectsofchemotherapyshouldyouneedtreatmentforcancer.

How?ThethingaboutnormalhumancellsisthatwhenyoucutofftheirfoodsupplytheygointowhatValtercalls‘ahighlyprotectednon-growthmode’.Inotherwords,theyhunkerdownandwaitforbettertimes.

Cancercellsaredifferent.Evenwhenyouarefasting,theykeepgrowingoutofcontrol.Andthismakesthemvulnerabletochemo.

Imagineyouhavecancerandareabouttohaveacourseofchemotherapy,whichworksbykillingrapidlydividingcells.Thesideeffectsofchemo(likenauseaandhairloss)arisefromthefactthatchemokillsnotonlycancercellsbutalsoanyothercellsthathappentobedividingrapidlyatthetime,suchashairfolliclesorcellsliningthegut.

Ifyoucouldslowdownthegrowthofnormalcellsbyfasting,thatwouldhelpprotectyourhealthycellsfromthechemowhileleavingthecancercellsvulnerabletoattack.Butcouldyouimaginedoingafastwhilegoingthroughchemo?Andwoulditbesafe?

NoraQuinn

AfewyearsagoImetNoraQuinn,aformerjudgewho,likeJenniRussell,haddecidedtogiveperiodicfastingago.

Norahadinvasivebreastcancerandshehadalreadybeenthroughseveralcoursesofchemotherapyandradiotherapy,whichhadmadeherfeelterrible.

WhenshereadaboutValter’sworkshedecidedtodoaseven-day,water-onlyfast,before,duringandafterhernextcourseofchemotherapy.Itwastough.ButNorafeltitwasworthitbecauseshehadfarfewersideeffectsfromthechemoandmadeamuchmorerapidrecovery.

Morerecently,shehadascarewhenroutinemammographyrevealedwhatlookedlikeacyst,orpossiblyanewcancer,inheruntreatedbreast.Whilewaitingforfurthertests,shedidaseven-daywaterfast‘…anditdisappeared.Allgone.Stillgone.’

‘Iamsopleasedthatdoctorsarenowtakingfastingseriously,’shetoldme.‘Butmedicineissoslowtochange.Whichisfrustrating.’

TheFastMimickingDiet

WhileheisdelightedthatperiodicfastingworkedsowellforNora,Valterknowsthattherearenotmanycancerpatientswhoarepreparedtodoawater-onlyfast–orforwhomitissuitable.So,withfundingfromtheNationalCancerInstituteandotherorganisations,Valterandhisteamhavecreatedwhathenowcallsa‘FastMimickingDiet’(FMD).Thisisnotafull-onfast,butafive-daydietwhereyouliveonabout800caloriesaday.Itisamoderatelylow-proteindietmadeupofacarefullybalancedmixofvegetables,oliveoilandnuts.

IfyouwanttofindoutmoreabouttheFMDthenIrecommendyougetValter’srecentbook,TheLongevityDiet,wherehegoesintotheprosandconsindepth.Youcanalsogetmoreinformationfromhiswebsite,www.valterlongo.com.

TheFMDiscurrentlythesubjectofatleastadozendifferentclinicaltrialsbeingcarriedoutinmedicalcentresinItaly,theNetherlands,GermanyandtheUS.Oneisatrialof250womenwithbreastcancer,halfofwhomwillberandomisedtoFMD,toseeifitreallydoesimprovetoleranceandsurvivalafterchemocomparedtostandardtreatment.Resultsfromsomeofthesetrialsareexpectedinlate2019.

2.THE5:2APPROACH

PeriodicfastingcouldbeagreatwaytoresetyourimmunesystemifyouhaveaproblemlikeJenniRussell,andmayturnouttobereallyhelpfulforpeopleundergoingchemotherapy,butIwaslookingforsomethingdifferent:aneasywaytoloseweightandreversemydiabetes.

Sobackin2012,aftertalkingtolotsofotherscientists,IcameupwithmyownformofintermittentfastingwhichIthoughtwouldbesafeandmoredoable.Icalleditthe‘5:2diet’.IdecidedthatforfivedaysaweekIwouldeathealthilyand,onmytwofastingdays,Iwouldcutdowntoroughly25%ofmynormalintake,whichwouldmeanIwouldbeeatingaround600caloriesaday.

Ididn’tthinkitwouldmakeanydifferencewhichdaysIfasted,soIoptedforTuesdaysandThursdays.Thiswasmainlyaprocessofelimination.Ididn’twanttodoFridaysortheweekends,forobvioussocialreasons.FastingonaMondayalsostruckmeasanunappealingwaytostarttheweek.Itrieddoingmyfastsbacktoback(TuesdaysandWednesdays),butIfoundthatinconvenient.

GiventheslightlyhaphazardwayinwhichIcameupwiththe5:2regime,Iwasamazedanddelightedbyhowpopularandeffectiveithasprovedtobe,notjustformebutforsomanyotherpeople,too.PeoplelikeDenise.

Denise,whois51,realisedshehadtodosomethingwhen,afewyearsago,shenoticedthatshewasshortofbreathjustwalkingupthestairs.Shewenttoherdoctorandwastoldthatshewasborderlinediabetic.Thatreallyworriedher,ashermumhastype2diabetes.

‘IsawyourbookandIfollowedittotheletter.Ilost16kginthefirsteightweeksandI’velostanother6kgsincethen.Iamnotborderlinediabeticanymore,infactI’mhealthierthanIhaveeverbeen.IsawmydoctoryesterdayandhesaidIamamodelpatient.’

Onceshestartedtoloseweight,sheadoptedotherhealthyhabits.Thisisoftenwhathappens.Frombeingcaughtupinaviciouscycleofanxietyandcomforteating,youswitchovertoavirtuouscyclewhereyoufeelsomuch

betterthatyouwanttomakechangestoyourlife.AsDenisetoldme,‘Mysleepimproved.Ifeltmoreenergetic.Ibegandoingmindfulness.Ijoinedawalkinggroup.Thewalkinggroupgotmeintoswimming.’

Sowhatkeptherontrack?‘KnowingthatI’vekepttheweightoffandknowingthatitcangobackonunlessI’mcareful.Myhusbandisoneofthosepeoplewhoistallandthinandcaneatlotsofpizza.IknowIcan’t.I’veacceptedthat.It’saccepting,inyourhead,thatyoucanliveyourlifedifferentlythatissoimportant.’

Weretheretrickymoments?‘Lots.IremembervividlyoneeveningwhenIwaswanderingroundthehouselookingforaboxofchocolateswhichwasleftoverfromChristmas.Fortunately,itwaswellhiddensoeventuallyIgaveupandreadabookinstead…Myhusbandandkidsareverysupportive.Theycanseewhatabigdifferenceithasmadetomyhealthandmyconfidence.’

Newstudies

TerrificasitistoreceivefeedbackfromsuccessfuldieterslikeDenise,ultimatelyadietprogrammehastobebackedupbyscientificstudies.Sowhatstudieshavebeendoneandwhatdotheyshow?

The5:2andraisedbloodsugar

InJuly2018anAustraliangroup,basedattheSansomInstituteofHealthResearch,publishedtheresultsofalong-termstudytestingtheeffectsofthe5:2onpeoplewithraisedbloodsugarlevels.10

Togiveyousomeideaofjusthowlongthesesortsofstudiestake:theAustraliansstartedplanningthisonein2014,completeditbytheendof2017andpublishedtheresultsinJuly2018.

Forthestudy,137overweightorobesepeoplewithraisedbloodsugarlevelswererandomlyallocatedtoeitherthe5:2approachorastandardweightlossdietforayear.Afterbeingcarefullyweighedandmeasured,bothgroupsweregiveninformationbookletsabouttheirrespectivediets,withsamplemenus,andsentawaytogetonwithit.

What’ssogreataboutthisparticularstudyisthatthevolunteersweren’tgivenspecialfoodsormealreplacementsorlotsofprofessionalsupport,ascommonlyhappensindietstudies.Theyjustgotadviceand,forthefirstfewmonths,wereofferedregularmeetingswithatraineddietician.

Thepointwastotryandreplicatereal-worldexperience,ratherthansomethingthatcouldonlybedonewithlotsofexpensiveprofessionalhelp.

So,whathappened?Forthefirstthreemonthsofthestudybothgroupswerereallygoodatstickingtotheirdiets,with97%ofthe5:2ersstayingontrack,comparedto90%ofthoseonastandarddiet.

Bytheendoftheyearaboutathirdofthevolunteershadstoppeddoingtheirallocateddiet,eitherbecausetheyhadhittheirgoalsorbecausetheyweretiredofdieting.Thedrop-outratewashigheramongthestandarddietersthanthe5:2ers.Infact,the5:2ersfoundthat,iftheydidstopthediet,forwhateverreason,itwaseasytopickitupagain–whereasthepeopledoing

thestandarddiettendedtogiveupforgood.

Andweightloss?Thepeoplewhohadbeenallocatedtothe5:2diethadlost,andkeptoff,anaverageof7.1kg.Whichwas2.1kgmorethanthestandarddieters.Theyalsolostmorefatandsawsignificantimprovementsintheirbloodsugarlevels.

Somedidbetterthanothers.Thetop20%inthe5:2ersgroupmanagedtoloseandkeepoffanaverageof12.5kg,whichwas4kgmorethanthetop20%inthestandarddietinggroup.

Theresearchersconcludedthatthe5:2dietissafeandeffective,eveninpeoplewithtype2diabetes,aslongasitiswellmonitored.

The5:2andbreastcancer

In2013,soonafterTheFastDietwaspublished,DrMichelleHarvieandProfessorTonyHowellfromManchesterUniversitypublishedtheresultsofastudylookingattheeffectsoftwodaysofcalorierestrictionon115middle-agedwomen.11

Thewomenweredividedintothreegroups.Onegroupwasaskedtosticktoa1500-calorieMediterraneandiet,whileasecondgroup(whotheycalled‘two-daydieters’)wasaskedtogoonaMediterraneandietfivedaysaweek,buttoeata650-calorie,low-carbohydrateversionontheothertwodays.Athirdgroupwasaskedtoavoidcarbohydratesfortwodaysaweek,butwasotherwisenotcalorie-restricted.

Afterthreemonths,thetwo-daydietershadlostanaverageof6kg,almosttwiceasmuchasthedailydieters,andtheyhadalsolostfarmorebellyfat.Unliketheregulardieters,thetwo-daydieterssawasignificantimprovementintheirinsulinresistance.Thosewhostuckwiththetwo-daydietformorethanthreemonthslostanaverageof6kg;somelostover14kg.So,anotherhugelyencouragingstudyforanyonewhowantstogive5:2ago.

Inanothermorerecentstudy,12DrHarvieasked23overweight,pre-menopausalwomenathighriskofbreastcancertocutbacktheircalories,twodaysaweek,foronemenstrualcycle.Aswellasstandardteststheyagreedtohavebreastbiopsies.

Overthecourseofamonth,thewomennotonlylostanaverageof3kg,

mostofitbodyfat,butinmostofthewomenthereweresignificantchangesintheactivityofgenesassociatedwithbreastcancer.

Thefirsthumantrialontheimpactofthe5:2onthebrain

AnotherreasonwhyIamsoenthusiasticaboutspreadingtheintermittent-fastingmessageisitspotentialimpactonpreventingdementia.DementiaisnowtheleadingcauseofdeathintheUK.Worldwide,therearemorethan50millionpeoplewithit,andthisnumberisexpectedtotripleby2050.

Newapproachesaredesperatelyneededbecausethetragedyofdementiaisthatonceyouhavesymptomsnothingcanstopit.Despitebillionsspentonresearch,drugsarelargelyineffective.

Andthat’swhereMarkMattson,professorofneuroscienceattheNationalInstituteonAging,comesin.Hehasspentdecadesresearchingtheimpactofintermittentfastingonthebrain,showinghowitcanhelpcombatdiseaseslikedementia,Parkinson’sandmemoryloss.

MuchofMark’sworkinthepasthasbeenwithanimals,tryingtounderstandexactlywhyintermittentfastingissogoodforbrainhealth.Afewyearsago,heshowedmeanexperimenthewasdoingwithmicethathadbeenspeciallybredtodevelopAlzheimer’s.ThesemicenormallydevelopAlzheimer’swhentheyareabout12monthsold,theequivalenttobeingamiddle-agedhuman.Themiceheputonanintermittent-fastingdietdidn’tdevelopdementiauntiltheywerewellintooldage.

Whentheydied,heexaminedtheirbrainsandhefoundthatthoseputonanintermittent-fastingdiethadgrownnewbraincells,particularlyinthehippocampusarea,whichisessentialforlearningandmemory

Whydoesthishappen?Well,Mark’steamhasrecentlyshowntheimportanceofketonesinthisprocess.Ketones,asImentionedearlier,areproducedbyyourliverwhenyou‘flipthemetabolicswitch’,andyourbodygoesfromburningsugartoburningfatforfuel.Despitewhatsome‘healthexperts’claim,yourbrainwillrunperfectlywellonketones.Infact,inmanywaysitseemstopreferketonesasafuelsource.

AstheGreeksdiscovered,morethan2000yearsago,makingpeoplefastandgointoaketoticstateisaneffectivewaytotreatandpreventepilepsy.

Thefirstlow-carb,ketogenicdietwasdevelopedinthe1930sasatreatmentforepilepsyinchildrenandisstillusedtoday.

Sowhyareketonessogoodforthebrain?‘BecauseketonesactdirectlyonnervecellstostimulateproductionofaproteincalledBDNF,’Marktoldme.

BDNF,BrainDerivedNeurotrophicFactor,isaproteinthatinturnstimulatesthecreationofnewbraincellsandnewbraincellconnections.BDNFisalsoanaturalanti-depressant,whichmightexplainwhysomanypeoplefindthe5:2surprisinglyeasytostickto.

Mark’sanimalresearchshowingthatintermittentfastingcanimprovememoryanddelaydementiaisfascinating.But,forme,thereallyexcitingnewsisthatheisjustcomingtotheendofthefirsthumantrialtoseeifthe5:2dietcanprotectandboostthehumanbrain.

Forthisstudy,herecruited40people(betweentheagesof55and70),allwithproveninsulinresistance,whichputsthematincreasedriskofdevelopingdementiaandothermemoryproblems.Thevolunteerswerethenrandomlyallocatedtoeithera5:2diet,oracontrolgroup,whowereoffered‘healthyliving’counsellinginstead.

Atthestartofthestudythevolunteersunderwentextensivetests,whichincludedmeasuringtheirweight,insulinresistanceandthelevelofketonesintheirblood.Theyalsodidlotsofcognitivetests(toassessmemoryandhowontheballtheywere,mentally),andhadbrainscansandlumbarpunctures(aprocedureinwhichaneedleisinsertedintothespinalcordtomeasurebiomarkersforAlzheimer’s).

Thevolunteershadtogobacktotheclinicforrepeattestseverytwoweeksuntiltheendoftheexperiment,whichranfor12weeks.

Sowhathappened?

Frustratingly,Ican’ttellyoubecausethestudyisnotyetcomplete.WhenIaskedMark,allhecouldsaywasthat‘theinterimdataisencouraging’.He’sexpectingtopublishtheresultssometimein2019.Ifyousignupforournewsletteratthefast800.com,Iwillletyouknowwhathappens.

Inthemeantime,ifyouareconsideringintermittentfastingasawayofdelayingtheonsetofdementia,Marksaysyoushouldgetgoingsoonerratherthanlater.

‘Thechangeswhichleadtodementiaoccurveryearly,probablydecadesbeforeyoustarttohavelearningandmemoryproblems.That’swhyit’scriticaltostartdietaryregimensearlyon,whenyouareyoungormiddle-aged,sothatyoucanslowdownthedevelopmentofthesedamagingprocessesinthebrainandlivetobe90withyourbrainfunctioningperfectlywell.’

Ashepointsout,therearealotofpressuresnottochange.‘Thefoodindustryisnotgoingtomakemoneyifpeoplestartskippingmeals,’hetoldme.‘Noristhepharmaceuticalindustry.Ourchallengeistocommunicatethesciencesothatpeopleunderstandwhattheycandoandthentakeaction.’

LikeMark,I’mconvincedthatourbrainsbenefitfromshortfasts,whichiswhyIstilldothem.ButI’malsoconvincedthatintermittentfastinghasothermeasurablehealthbenefits,includingitseffectsontheheart.Sothat’swherewe’llturntonext.

The5:2andtheheart

‘Haveaheartthatneverhardens,’saidCharlesDickens.Althoughhedidn’tmeanitinamedicalsense,itisexcellentadvice.Afterdementia,heartdiseaseisthenextbiggestkillerintheUK.Evenifyousurviveaheartattack,itcanleaveadevastatinglegacy.

Despiteitbeingauniversalsymboloflove,theheartisactuallyjustanextraordinarilygoodpump.Nobiggerthanafist,itpushesfivelitresofbloodthroughthe96,500kilometresofbloodvesselsinyourbody70timesaminute.That’s100,000timesadayand,ifyoukeepitingoodshape,itshouldgoondoingsoaboutthreebilliontimesduringyourlifetime.

Thetroubleis,manyofushaveheartsthatareageingfasterthantheyshould,whichcouldbewhytheyareoftenthefirstbitofthehumanmachinetogoseriouslywrong.Ifyou’dliketofindouthow‘old’yourheartreallyis,thengototheNHSwebsiteandfillinthequestionnaire(www.nhs.uk/conditions/nhs-health-check/check-your-heart-age-tool).

Sohowcanyoukeepyourheartyoung?ByeatingaMediterranean-stylediet(seeChapter4),keepingactive(seeChapter5)andreducingstress(seeChapter6)youwilltakeyearsoffyourheartageandcutyourriskofhavingaheartattackorstroke.

Goingonthe5:2willalsoimproveyourhearthealth,byhelpingyouloseweightandloweryourbloodsugarlevels.Inarecentstudy,1327overweightmenandwomenwererandomlyputoneithera5:2dietorastandarddietandaskedtolose5%oftheirbodyweight.Thoseallocatedtothe5:2dietmanagedtodoitin59days,whilethoseonthestandarddiettook73days.

Therewasamuchbiggerfallinbloodpressureamongthe5:2ers(downby9%comparedto3%)andtheresearchersalsofoundthatwhentheygavethedietersafattymealthe5:2erswereabletoclearthefatfromtheirbloodmuchfaster.Soitwasanotherveryencouraging5:2result.

Asyou’llseeonpage127,gettingyourbloodpressureandbloodsugarlevelsmeasuredaresomeofthetestsIrecommendyouhavedonebeforestartingtheFast800.Thatway,youcanseewhatshapeyourheartisinandiftheansweris‘notgreat’,itwillgiveyouevenmoreincentivetosticktothediet.Actingbeforeyouhaveaheartattackisfar,farbetterthanwaitingandhoping.

3.TIMERESTRICTEDEATING

ThefinalformofintermittentfastingIwanttotellyouaboutiscalledTimeRestrictedEating(TRE).Ithasrecentlybecomepopular,particularlyamongmillennials,bodybuildersandcelebrities.TheactorHughJackmansayshisWolverinephysiquewasmadepossiblebydoingaformofTREcalled16:8.WhenIhavemyhaircut,Iliketochattothepersontrimmingmylocks.ThesedaystheyallseemtobedoingTRE.

TherulesofTREareverysimple:youtrytoeatmostofyourcalorieswithinanarrowtimewindow,suchas12hours(alsoknownas12:12).Onceyouhavedecidedonyourtimewindow(perhaps9amto9pm),youdon’teatordrinkanythingthatcontainscaloriesoutsidethatperiod.

YoucanstartdoingTREbysimplyhavingyoureveningmealabitearlierandyourbreakfastabitlater(12:12).Thatwayyouextendyournormalovernightfast(thetimewhenyouareasleepandnoteating)byafewhours.Onceyouhavegotusedtothisyoucanmovetothe14:10oreven,likeHughJackman,tothe16:8(whereyoueatallyourcaloriesinaneight-hourwindow,suchasbetweenmiddayand8pm,andfastfor16hours).

HowdoesTREwork?

Theideaof‘time-restrictedeating’isnotnew;morethan2500yearsagoBuddhatoldhisfollowersthat,iftheymadeittheirpracticetostopeatingaftertheirmiddaymealandfastuntilthefollowingmorning,theywouldachieveenhancedmentalclarityandasenseofwellbeing.ButthepersonwhoreallyputthescienceintoTREisDrSatchinPanda,aprofessorattheSalkInstituteinSanDiego,oneoftheworld’sleadingresearchcentresforbiomedicineandlifesciences.

Ifirstcameacrosshisworkin2012whenIwasresearchingintermittentfastingforTheFastDiet.AsIwastrawlingtheinternet,Ifoundastudythatheandhiscolleagueshadjustpublished,called‘Time-restrictedfeedingwithoutreducingcaloricintakepreventsmetabolicdiseasesinmicefedahigh-fatdiet’.14Itblewmeaway.

Forthisstudytheytooktwogroupsofgeneticallyidenticalmiceandfedthemahigh-fat,high-sugardiet.Allthemicegotexactlythesameamountoffoodtoeat,theonlydifferencebeingthatthemiceinonegroupwereallowedtoeatwhenevertheywanted,whilethemiceintheothergrouphadtoeattheirfoodwithinaneight-hourtimewindow.Thismeantthattherewere16hoursofthedayinwhichtheywere,involuntarily,fasting.

After100daysthereweresomeremarkabledifferencesbetweenthetwogroups.Themicewhohadnotimerestrictionsoneatingtheirsugaryfattyfeasthad,asexpected,putonhugeamountsofweight,particularlyinvisceralfat.Asaresulttheyhaddevelopedhighcholesterolandhighbloodsugars,andwerealreadyshowingsignsofliverdamage.

Whatwasastonishingwasthatthegeneticallyidenticalmice,whohadbeeneatingthesamefood,exceptinaneight-hourwindow,wereprotectedfromthesechanges.Theyputonfarlessweightandsufferedmuchlessliverdamage.

TREtrialswithhumans

AfterreadingDrPanda’sstudyIwasbeenkeentoseeifTREworksjustaswellwithpeople.SoIwasdelightedwhenin2017,IwasaskedtogetinvolvedinoneofthefirstrandomisedhumantrialsofTRE.ThestudywasdesignedandcarriedoutbyDrJonathanJohnstonattheUniversityofSurrey.15

Forthestudy,herecruited16healthyvolunteers.Afterthey’dhadtheirbodyfat,bloodsugarlevels,bloodfats(triglycerides)andcholesterollevelsmeasured,theywererandomlyassignedtooneoftwogroups,thebluesorthereds.

Theblues,whowerethecontrolgroup,wereaskedtocarryonasnormal.Theredswereaskedtosticktotheirnormaldietbuteattheirbreakfast90minuteslater,andtheirdinner90minutesearlier.Thismeantthatforanthreeextrahourseachdaytheyweregoingwithoutfood(fasting).Theexperimentranfor10weeksandeveryonekeptafoodandsleepdiarytoensurethattheywereeatingthesameamountasnormal.

Attheendofthe10weeks,wegatheredallthevolunteerstogetherandrepeatedthetests.Thegroupwhohadeatenbreakfastlateranddinnerearlierhadlostmorebodyfat,anaverageofaround1.6kg.Theyalsosawbiggerfallsinbloodsugarlevelsandcholesterolthanthecontrolgroup.Thedifferencesweren’thugebuttheyweresignificantandmostofthevolunteerssaidtheyhadfounditrelativelyeasytodo.

Inanothersmallstudy,16DrPandateamedupwithDrKristaVaradyoftheUniversityofChicago.Theyrecruited23obesemenandwomenandaskedthemtoeatonlybetween10amand6pm.Theywereallowedtoeatanddrinkwhatevertheywantedwithinthosehours.Outsidethosehourstheywereallowednothingbutwater,blacktea,blackcoffeeordietsoda.

Thesubjectsstucktoit(mostly)andlostanaverage2kgoffatoverthenext12weeks.Again,notahugeweightloss,buttherewasabigfallintheirinsulinresistanceandtheyalsoreportedsleepingbetter,hadlesshungeratbedtimeandfeelingmoreenergetic.

I’vegivenTREago(seepage66)andIdothinkitisworthtrying.Ithinkitisparticularlyhelpfulwhenyouareconfiningyourselfto800caloriesaday,whichiswhyIhaveincludeditaspartofmyprogramme.

Theoptimumfastingwindow

Theresearchdoneonanimalssuggeststhatfastingforatleast16hoursensuresthegreatestbenefit,butformanypeoplethatmaybeimpractical.Sowhatistheleastyoucangetawaywith?

DrPandasays,‘Mostofyourbodyfatburninghappenssixtoeighthoursafterfinishingyourlastmealandincreasesalmostexponentiallyafterafull12hours,whichmeansthatgoinglongerthan12hoursislikelytobeparticularlybeneficial.Onceyou’veachievedyourdesiredweightlossyoucangobacktoan11-or12-hourwindowandmaintainbodyweight.’

Herecommendsthatyoudon’tjumpstraightintodoingsomethinglike16:8(fastingfor16hoursandeatingfor8),butinsteadeaseintoit.Startwithtryingtoeatwithina12-hourwindow,thenafteracoupleofweeksreduceitto10hours,andifyouarestillfeelinggood,cutdowntoeighthours.It’sabitlikeexercise.Itwouldn’tbeagoodideatotryrunningamarathonwithoutatleastabitoftraining.

Anddoesitmatterwhenyoudoyourfasting/eating?

Althoughmanyofusliketounwindwithabigmealattheendoftheday,itisbettertoeatmostofyourcaloriesearlier,ifyoucan.That’sbecauseyourbodyismuchbetterathandlingsugarandfatinthemorningorafternoon,ratherthanintheevening.Byeveningyourbodyisgettingreadytoclosedownforthenightandwillnotappreciatebeingforcedtorestartthecomplexprocessofdigestion.

Totestthisclaim,Idecidedtodoalittleexperimentonmyself.Afteranovernightfast(12hourswithoutanythingtoeatordrink)Ihadsomebloodstakenbyafriendlydoctor.Then,atprecisely10am,IhadaclassicBritishfry-up,withlotsofbacon,eggsandsausage.

StraightafterthemealIhadmorebloodstaken,andthenagaineveryhalf-hourforthenextfewhours.Afterthat,Ihadnothingbutwateruntilthelateevening.

Twelvehoursaftereatingbreakfast,at10pm,Ihadmysecondmealoftheday.ItwasexactlythesameasIhadhadforbreakfast.Bacon,eggsandsausage.Again,mybloodsweretakenregularlyoverthenextfewhoursbeforeIeventuallydecidedIhadhadenoughandcrawledintobed.

Whentheresultsofthebloodtestscamebacktheywereprettyshocking.TheyshowedthataftereatingafullEnglishfry-upinthemorningmybloodsugarlevelsrosequickly,butreturnedtonormalwithinacoupleofhours.Thelevelsoffatinmybloodalsorosefast,thenbegantodropafteraboutthreehours.

Whathappenedintheevening,however,wasverydifferent.Despiteeatingexactlythesamemeal,mybloodsugarlevelswentupandstayedhighforseveralhours.Thefatlevelsinmybloodwereevenworse,stillrisingattwointhemorning,fourhoursafterIhadfinishedeating.Idon’tknowwhentheystoppedrisingbecauseafterthatIwenttobed.

Whatisclearfrommanystudiesisthatourbodiesdon’tlikehavingtodealwithlotsoffoodlateatnight.Amidnightsnackwillhaveamuchworseimpactonyouthanthesamefoodeatenearlierintheday.

TREandacidreflux

Ifyousufferfromacidreflux(heartburn)Iwouldstronglyrecommendfinishingeatingwellbeforebedtime.Ifyoueatwithinthreehoursofgoingtobed,thereisariskthatpartiallydigested,acid-drenchedfoodwillstartcomingbackupyouroesophagus.Tryingtoeaseheartburnbyhavingamilkydrink,orabowlofcereallastthingatnight,asmanydo,willmakethisworse.

TREandcancer

Aswe’veseen,goingona5:2dietreducesinsulinlevels,whichareanimportantdriverofcancer.CanTREalsohelpreducecancerrisk?

Noonehasyetcarriedoutatrialbutresearchersdidmakeuseofabigstudydesignedforacompletelydifferentpurposetofindout.

TheWomen’sHealthyEatingandLiving(WHEL)trial17washugelyexpensive.Some2400Americanwomenwithbreastcancerwererandomlyallocatedtoeitheralow-fatdietorgivenapamphletonthebenefitsof‘5aday’.Theywerethenfollowedforoversevenyearstoseeifgoinglow-fatmadeanydifference.

Theanswerwasaresounding‘no’.Despitereducingtheirfatintakeby19%,thelow-fatdieterswerenobetteroffthanthecontrolgroup.

Butthegreatthingaboutthisstudy,fromthepointofviewofresearchersinvestigatingTRE,isthatthewomenwereaskedtokeepdetailedrecordsofnotonlywhattheyatebutwhentheyate.

Thewomenwhosediariesshowedthattheyhadfastedformorethan13hoursanighthad36%lesschanceofabreastcancerrecurrencethanthosewhohadbeenfastingforlessthan13hours.Theresearchersalsofoundthatwomenwhotypicallyateafter8pmweresignificantlyfatter.Anothergoodreasontoskipthelate-nightsnack.

TREaspartoftheFast800

TREworksextremelywellwithotherdietsandthat’swhyIrecommendgivingitagoaspartofmynewFast800programme.Inmanywaysitmakesintermittentfastingeasier(afterarelativelybriefadjustmentperiodyoudon’tfeelhungryandthereforetemptedtocheatlateatnight)anditcanbeaneffectivetoolforkeepingtheweightoff.

MeriFatinisawell-knownAustralianbroadcaster.She’s46yearsold,slim,youthful,themotheroffivechildren.Yetacoupleofyearsagoshewasover100kg.Herweightproblemsstartedwiththebirthofherfirstchild.

‘Iputonnearly30kgwithmyfirstpregnancy,’shetoldme,‘andthenIrealisedIhadnoideahowtogetitoff.Idideverysortofdiet,fromWeightWatcherstoJenniCohen,buttheweightkeptcomingback.Iwasupanddown,upanddownfor22years.’

EventuallyMeridecidedshereallyhadtodosomethingaboutit.Soshewentonarapidweightlossdiet.

‘IknewifIcouldseeresultsquicklyIwouldstickwithit,andthat’sbeensupportedbyalotofthestuffIhaveread.Itwasdifficultattimes,makingfoodfortherestofthefamilyandnoteatingitmyself.ButIwasn’treallydistractedbyfood.Infact,themorethatIcouldseethesuccess,themoremotivatedIwasandtheeasieritbecame.Ibecamesurprisinglyeuphoric.’

Shelost30kginfourmonths.‘Ididn’treallyhaveagoal.TheweightkeptfallingoffsoIjustkeptongoing.Ithinkyouhavetoreadjustyoureyeballsatfirst.Youbecomesomuchslimmerthanyouthoughtwaspossible.I’mthesamesizenowasIwaswhenIwas20.’

Twoyearsafterlosingallthatweightsheremainsslimandhealthy.Iaskedherhowshedoesit.‘Ieatmainlyvegetables,ButI’mnotrigid.I’mavegetarianwhosometimeseatsmeatandateetotallerwhodrinksalcohol.IdotrytostayawayfromsugarbecauseI’materriblesugaraddict.’

Shehasoneruleshesticksby.‘Itrytoeatwithinaneight-hourperiodeachday,soIdon’teatafter4o’clockintheafternoon.Everyoneinmyfamilyisusedtothatnow.Istillsitwiththemfordinner,Ijustdon’teat.Myfamily

realisethatwhatI’vedoneformyhealthandthereforeforthemissomuchmoreimportantthanbreakingthatrule.’

Insummary:

Therearedifferentwaystodointermittentfasting.Afive-dayfastcanhelpresetyourimmunesystemandmayalsoenhancetheeffectsofchemotherapy.Intermittentfastingactivatesaprocesscalled‘autophagy’,whichliterallymeans‘self-eat’,andputsyourbodyintorepairmode.Studiesshowthatthe5:2isnotonlygoodforweightlossandimprovingyourinsulinsensitivity,butmayalsohelpboostyourbrain,reduceyourriskofheartdiseaseandloweryourbloodsugars.TREcomplimentsintermittentfastingandcanbeaneffectivetooltohelpyouloseweightandkeepitoff.

O3THECASEFORRAPIDWEIGHTLOSS

neoftheothermajorrevolutionsintheweight-lossworld,alongsideintermittentfasting,hasbeenthereturnofveryrapidweightlossdiets.

Dietsinwhichyoureduceyourintaketo800calorieseachday,everyday,forupto20weeks.Dietsonwhichyoucanexpecttolosearound14kginthreemonths.

We’vebeenrepeatedlytoldthatrapidweightlossisineffectiveandfutile:thatifyouloseweightfastyouwillputitbackonevenfaster.Butthisisnotborneoutbythelatestresearch.HereareafewthingsthatIlearnedfromweightlossexpertsinthecourseofresearchingthisbook:

1. Rapidweightlossisnomorelikelytoleadtorapidweightregainthanslowandsteadydieting.

2. Peoplewholoseweightfastaremorelikelytohittheirtargetsthanthosewhodoitslowly.

3. Theamountofweightyouloseinthefirstfewweeksofadietpredictshowmuchyouwillloseandkeepoffinthelongrun.

I’mgoingtoshowyouhowyoucansafelyandeffectivelyincorporateveryrapidweightlossintomyFast800programme.Butfirst,let’slookatthreenewresearchstudies,showinghowsuccessfulandeffectivearapidweightlossdietcanbe.

TheDIRECTstudy

AsImentionedintheintroductiontothisbook,inearly2014Icameacrosswhatseemedlikeacrazyclaim:thatpeoplewhofollowarapidweightlossdietnotonlylosealotofweight,fast,butbydoingsoalsocleanfatoutoftheirliversandreversetheirtype2diabetes.

ThisaudaciousclaimwasbeingmadebyDrRoyTaylor,professorofMedicineandMetabolismatNewcastleUniversityandoneofEurope’sleadingdiabetesexperts.Whenwefirstmetheshowedmesomeofthestudieshe’ddoneshowingthattype2diabetes(thesortofdiabetesyougetwhenyouareolder)canbeputintoremission,perhapseven‘cured’,byarapidweightlossdiet.

Asheexplained,thereasonmostpeoplegettype2diabetesisthattheyhavetoomuchfataroundthetummy.Unlikethefatonyourbottomorthighs,thefatonyourtummy,visceralfat,infiltratesyourliverandpancreas,andstopsthem‘talkingtoeachother’.Thiscan,intime,leadtotype2diabetes.

Justbecauseyourpancreashasgonequiet,however,doesn’tmeanitcan’tberevived.Andthebestwaytodothat?Losealotofweight.Fast.

RoytoldmethatI’dmanagedtogetmybloodsugarsbacktonormalbydoingthe5:2becauseIhadlostover10%ofmybodyweight,drainingfatfrommyliverandpancreas.

TheimplicationsofwhatRoywassayingwerehuge.Type2diabetesisthefastest-growingchronicdisease,worldwide.Theyaremorethan400millionpeoplewiththeconditionandthoughdrugshelpcontrolsymptoms,theyhavelimitedimpactontheunderlyingdisease.

IfRoywasrightandpeoplewithtype2diabetesreallycanrestoretheirbloodsugarstonormalwithoutdrugs,thenthiswasamassivebreakthrough.But,thoughRoyhaddonehumantrialsshowingitcouldbedonesafelythroughdiet,mostdoctorsremainedsceptical.

‘Theydon’tbelievepatientswilldoit,’hetoldme,‘andtheydon’tbelieveitwillwork.’

Royknewheneededtorunareallybigtrialtoconvincethesceptics.

Togetherwithafriendandcolleague,ProfessorMikeLeanofGlasgowUniversity,hepersuadedthecharityDiabetesUKtodonate£1.6mtorunastudywhichtheycalledDIRECT(DIabetesREmissionClinicalTrial).18

RoyandMikestartedbyrecruiting298patientsfromGPpracticesinScotlandandthenorth-east.Thepatientswerethenrandomlyallocatedtoeitheran800-calorie-a-daydiet,madeuplargelyofmealreplacementshakes,withbehaviouralsupport,ortofollowingthebestconventionaladviceandsupport.Thepatientswerethenfollowedforatleastayear.Thewholestudytookmorethanfouryears.

WhentheresultswerepublishedinTheLancet,inFebruary2018,theywereastonishing:

Thoseonthe800-caloriediethadlostanaverageof10kg,comparedto1kginthecontrolgroup.Aquarterofthoseonthe800-caloriediethadlostmorethan15kg.Noneofthoseinthecontrolgroupmanagedthis.Nearlyhalfofthe800-caloriegroupmanagedtobringtheirbloodsugarsbackdowntonormal,despitecomingoffalltheirdiabetesdrugs.Themoreweighttheylost,thehighertheirchanceofbringingtheirpancreasbacktolife:86%ofthosewholostmorethan15kgwentintoremission(i.e.theirbloodsugarsreturnedtonormaldespitethefacttheyhadcomeoffallmedication).

Mikewasdelightedwiththefindingsandtoldme,‘Givenourresults,itshouldbeconsideredunethicalnottogivepeoplewithtype2diabetesaccesstothenecessarysupportforatleastagoodtryataremission.Mostpatientswanttotry,anditwouldsavetheNHSalotofmoney.’

Roywasalsothrilledbyjusthowcleartheirfindingswere.Hethinksthisstudywillreallychangethetreatmentofdiabetesbutacknowledgesthattherearestillimportantquestionsthatneedtobeanswered.Thescientistswillcontinuetotrackpatientstoseehowmanykeeptheweightoffanddiabetesatbay.

Mike’sstory

AsIhaveexplained,soonafterImetRoy,Iwrote,withhissupport,The8-WeekBloodSugarDiet,outliningasimilarregimenof800caloriesadayforrapidweightloss.SincethenIhaveheardfromthousandsofpeoplewhohavefollowedthedietandreversedtheirdiabetes.

PeoplelikeMikeCunningham,who’dhadtype2diabetesformanyyearsbeforereadingmybookanddecidedtotryan800-calorieapproach.Hewasmotivatedtochangebywhathappenedtohisyoungersister,Angela.

‘MybeautifulsisterAngela’,hewrote,‘firstdevelopeddiabeteswhenshewaspregnant.’

Nearlyonein10womendevelopsgestationaldiabetes–highbloodsugarlevels–whentheyarepregnant.Mostfindthattheirbloodsugarsreturntonormalaftertheyhavegivenbirth.Angela’sdidn’t.Althoughshewasonmedication,shelaterdevelopedoneofthecommoncomplicationsofdiabetes,aninfectioninherleg.

Theinfectionturnedseptic.Despiteantibiotics,itgotsobadshehadtohavepartofherlegamputated.Shespentafurther16weeksinintensivecareasherdoctorsbattledtosaveherlife.Theyfailed.Shedied,agedjust45.

‘ThememoryofAngieandherlifesupportbeingswitchedoffhelpedmestartonthedietandkeptmegoing,’Mikewrote.‘Iwasdeterminednevertogiveintodiabetesorsimplyrelyonmedication.’

Whenhestartedhewas97kg.Inacoupleofmonthshehadgotdownto69kg.Asthefatmeltedaway,hiswaistalsoshrunk,fromanunhealthy95cm(37.5inches)toaveryhealthy83cm(32.5inches).

Hisbloodsugarlevelsfelldramatically,asdidhischolesterol.Hewasabletocomeoffallmedicationincludinginsulin,metforminandgliclazide.

‘Therewerehurdles,’hesaid,‘suchasfamilycelebrations.MyworktakesmeawayfromhomeandIfinditdifficultfindingrestaurantsorhotelswithhealthyoptions.’

Butwithtimeitgoteasier,becauseheandhispartnerdiscoveredthepleasuresofeatingrealfood.

‘Iwanttothankeveryoneinvolvedinthisworkfromthebottomofmyheart.IhavelearnedsomuchaboutgoodfoodsandIhaveamuchgreater

awarenessofwhichfoodsaregoodformepersonally.Inowavoidprocessedfoodstotally.Mylifehasbeentransformed.’

ThePREVIEWstudy

Goingonan800-calorierapidweightlossdietischallenging,butpeoplewithtype2diabeteshavealotofmotivationtodoit.Sowouldtherapidweightlossapproachworkforpeoplewhodon’thavetype2diabetes?Wouldtheysticktoit?

Twootherbigstudies,whichpublishedresultsin2018,suggestthatitwould.

ThePREVIEWstudy19wassetuptopreventpeoplewithpre-diabetesfromdevelopingdiabetes.Pre-diabetes,whereyouhaveraisedbloodsugars,notyetinthediabeticrange,isincrediblycommon.Aroundathirdoftheadultpopulationhaveit,butunlessyou’vebeentestedyouwon’tknowbecausethereareusuallynosymptoms.

Whenthestudystarted,thevolunteers–2326middle-agedmenandwomenfromeightcountries(Britain,Denmark,Finland,Holland,Bulgaria,Spain,NewZealandandAustralia)–allhadpre-diabetes.Oncethey’dhadtheusualtestsdone,theywereaskedtogoonan800-caloriedietforeightweeks.

Resultsofthismassivestudy,publishedinAugust2018,showthattheylostanaverageof11kg(24lb)injusteightweeks.Mostofthiswasfat,withtheirwaistsshrinkingbyanaverageof10cm.

Manyoftheparticipantsmanagedtogettheirbloodsugarlevelsbacktonormalandtherewerefewsideeffects,apartfromconstipation(7%)andheadaches(3%).Thebestwaytocounterbothoftheseistodrinkmorewater.

Theplanistofollowthesepeopleformanymoreyearstoseeiftheymanagetokeepweightoffanddiabetesatbay.

TheDROPLETtrial

HotontheheelsofDIRECTandPREVIEWcameanother800-calorieadayrapidweightlosstrial,thistimecarriedoutbyresearchersatOxfordUniversity.Forthistrial,calledDROPLET,20278obeseadultswereeitherassignedtoaregimenwheretheygot800caloriesadayintheformofmealreplacementsoupsandshakes,orputonastandardslowandsteadydietprogramme.

Thoseonthemealreplacementregimenwereaskedtosticktoitforeightweeks,beforegraduallyswitchingtoeatingrealfood.Theyalsogotbehaviouralsupportthroughout.

Attheendofayearthegroupontherapidweightlossdiethadlostanaverageof10.7kg,whilethoseinthestandarddietinggrouphadlost3kg.

SusanJebb,professorofdietandpopulationhealthatOxfordUniversityandtheleadresearcher,wasdelightedbytheresults.‘It’sphenomenal–extraordinary–likenothingwe’veseeninprimarycarebefore.’

Shethinksoneofthereasonsthattherapidweightlossgroupdidsowellisbecauserapidweightlossisverymotivating:‘Theexcitementgetsthemthroughthefirstfewdifficultweeks…Weneedtocapitaliseonallthatenthusiasmthatpeoplehaveatthebeginningtoreallyloseweightandgetoffasmuchweightastheypossiblycan.’

LikeotherweightlossspecialistsIspoketo,shesaidthatsciencedidnotsupporttheoften-repeatedclaimsthatpeople’smetabolicrateswillcrash,nevertorecover,orthatpeoplewholoseweightfastputitonevenfaster.Insteadshesaidstudiesconsistentlyshowthatearlyweightlosspredictslong-termweightloss.

‘Weightlossatfourweeks,certainlyat12weeks,isareallygoodpredictorofwhatwillhappenlater.Inapreviousstudyweshowedthatweightlossat12weekspredictedweightlossattwoyears.’

Aboveall,ProfessorJebbisfrustratedbyhowslowlythingsarechanging.‘Thisisanareaofmedicinewhereourunderstandinghascomeoninleapsandboundsbutpracticehasnotchanged.Ifwehadanewdrugwhichhad

achievedwhatDIRECT(RoyTaylor’sdiabetesstudy)hadachieveditwouldbescreamedfromtherooftops…Wehavesomethingwhichiseffectiveandwhichisreallycheap.Andwearenotdoingit.Ifindthatunbelievable.’

Q&A

IfIdoarapidweightlossdiet,won’tIputtheweightstraightbackon?

NotaccordingtotheexpertsI’vespokento.ThestudiesI’vejustquotedranforoverayearandweightregainwasnomoreaproblemforthosewholostweightrapidlythanthosewholostitgradually.Infact,rapidweightlossdieterslostandkeptofffarmoreweight.

AsProfessorMikeLean,headofnutritionatGlasgowUniversity,toldme,‘Losingweightslowlyistorture.Thepeoplewhodoitrapidlyseebetterresultsinthelongrun.Contrarytothebeliefofdieticians,peoplewholoseweightmorequickly,moreemphatically,aremorelikelytokeepitoffinthelongterm.’

It’saviewthatSusie,aGP,wouldagreewith.Shelost34lb(15.5kg)injusteightweeksusingmyBloodSugarDietapproachandhaskeptitoffformorethanthreeyears.‘Ifeelfullofenergy.Happier.Ifeelincontrolofmyhungerforthefirsttime.’

AnAustralianstudywhichinvolved200obesevolunteersbeingputonan800-calorierapidweightlossdietfor12weeksfoundthatnotonlydidtheylosemoreweightthansteadydieters,butfouryearslatertheywerestillleaner.21Astwoleadingweightlossexperts,DrCorbyMartinandProfessorKishoreGaddefromPenningtonBiomedicalResearchCenter,BatonRouge,putit,‘ThemyththatrapidweightlossisassociatedwithrapidweightgainisnomoretruethanAesop’sfables.’

Thatsaid,itisimportantthatifyougoonarapidweightlossdietyoudoitproperly.Ifyouareonmedication,youmusttalktoyourdoctorbeforestarting.

Whateverdietyoudecidetofollow,itisvitalthatyouaregettingenoughdailyprotein(atleast50-60gaday),otherwiseyouwilllosemuscle.Youalsoneedtobesureyouaregettingenoughofalltheotheressentialnutrients–youshouldavoidgoingononeofthosecrazycabbagesouporgreenjuicediets,forexample.Themenusinthisbookwerecreatedtobesafeandsustainable.

Won’tmymetabolismcrashifIgoonarapidweightlossdiet?

Fearofgoinginto‘starvationmode’isoneofthereasonssomanypeoplethinkdiets,particularlyrapidweightlossdiets,don’twork.

ThisbeliefisbasedontheMinnesotaStarvationExperiment,22astudycarriedoutduringWorldWarTwoinwhichslimyoungvolunteerslivedonalow-caloriediet(around1500caloriesaday)madeuplargelyofturnipsandpotatoes.

Aftersixmonthsonthisverylow-proteindiet,whentheirbodyfathadfallentolessthan10%,theirmetabolicrate(theenergythebodyusestokeepitselfgoing)crashed.Thiswasanextremesituation.

Amorerecentexperimentontheeffectsofshort-termcalorierestriction,23producedverydifferentresults.Inthisexperiment11healthyvolunteerswereaskedtofastfor84hours(justunderfourdays).

Theresearchersfoundthatthevolunteers’metabolicratewentupwhiletheywerefasting.Bydaythreeithadrisen,onaverage,by14%.

Whicheverwayyouloseweight,fastorslow,yourmetabolismwillslowdownsimplybecauseyouarenowcarryinglessweightaround.That’swhyitissoimportant,asyouloseweight,toremainactive.Whatyoueatasyouloseweightisalsocriticallyimportant(seebelow).

Butwhataboutthelongerterm?

Oneofthebestwaystopreserveyourmuscleandyourmetabolicrateistonotonlystickto800caloriesbutgolow-carbfortheinitialstageofthediet.InarecentSpanishstudy,2420obesepeoplewereputonan800-calorieverylow-carbdiet.Theparticipantslostanaverageof20kginfourmonths(ofwhich80%wasfat)buttheirmetabolicrateonlydroppedby8%.

Theresearcherssaidthiswasbecausethecombinationoflow-carbandlow-calorieputthemintoastateofmildketosis,whichnotonlyhelpedtopreservemusclebutalsomeanttheywerelesshungry.

TheFast800isamildlyketogenicdiet,whereyouareeatingamuchhigherratiooffatandproteintocarbsthanyounormallywould,especiallyduringtherapidweightlossphase.Moreonthatlater.

IfIdoputtheweightbackon,willIbeworseoffthanIwasbefore?

Nobodywhogoesonadietintendstoputtheweightbackon,butithappens.WhenIaskedProfessorJebbifthatmatteredshesaid,emphatically,no.‘Theharmfuleffectsofobesitycomefromhowbigyouareandfromhowlongyou’vecarriedthatextraweight.Evenifyouhaveafewyearswhereyouarelighterthanyouwouldhavebeen,thatbringsverysubstantialhealthbenefits.’

Shesaysthatyoushouldweighyourselfregularlyand,ifyoufindyouareputtingweightbackon,youshouldactasquicklyaspossibletostopitprogressing.Afewkiloscansoonturnintoalotofkilos.

Whataboutexercisingonarapidweightlossdiet?

Thereisnoreasontostopexercisingbecauseitwill,ifanything,helpputyouintoketosisfasterandpreservemusclemass.Thatsaid,Iwouldn’trecommendtryingsomethingthatrequiresburningalotofcalories,suchasrunningamarathon.Ifindthatdoingpress-upsandgoingforrunsisbothpossibleandusefullydistractingwhenIamfasting.Infact,Ifindthatmyrightknee,whichhasatouchofosteoarthritis(thankstoanoldsportsinjury)getsmuchbetterwhenIamfasting.Whichmakestherunningeasier.

Whoshouldn’tembarkonarapidweightlossdiet?

Aswithanyweightlossdiet,ifyouhaveanyreasonforconcernyoushouldalwayscheckwithyourdoctorfirst.BecausetheFast800isapowerfultherapeutictool,itisimportantthatyoucheckwhetheranyofthefollowingapplytoyoubeforestarting.

Don’tdothedietifyou:

Areunder18yearsofage.Arebreastfeeding,pregnantorundergoingfertilitytreatment.However,ifyouarepregnantandthereisariskof(orprevioushistoryof)gestationaldiabetes,youmightconsidertheMed-stylediet.Areunderweightand/orhaveahistoryorsuspicionofaneatingdisorder.Haveasignificantpsychiatricdisorderorahistoryofsubstanceabuse.Areunderactivemedicalinvestigationortreatment,orhaveasignificantmedicalconditionaffectingyourabilitytocomplywithadiet.

Havehadarecentcardiacevent,myocardialinfarctionorcerebrovascularaccident(lessthanthreemonthsago)orotherheartabnormalities.Haveuncontrolledheartdisease,uncontrolledhypertension,orkidneyfailure.Areunwell,haveafever,arefrailorrecoveringfromsignificantsurgery(lessthansixmonthsago).

Cautions–discusswithyourdoctorifanyofthefollowingapply:

Youhaveasignificantunderlyingmedicalcondition.Youareoninsulin–youwillneedadetailedassessmentandeducationbyahealthprofessionaltoplanasuitablereductioninmedication/insulintoavoidapotentiallydangerousdropinbloodsugar(hypo).Youhavetype2diabetesandareonmedication.Yourmedicationmayneedtobereducedorstoppedasbloodsugarsimproveandtoavoidhypos.Youareoncertaindiabeticmedicationandhave‘hypoglycaemiaunawareness’.Youareonbloodpressuremedication.Thismayneedtobereducedorstoppedasbloodpressureimproves.Youaretakingothermedications,e.g.warfarin.Youhavemoderateorsevereretinopathy;youwillneedextrascreeningwithinsixmonthsasretinopathycansometimesgetworsewhenbloodsugarimproves.Youhaveepilepsy(thoughthereissomeevidencethatalow-carbketodietcanimproveepilepsy).Youarepregnant:clearlyavoidingfasting/low-caloriedietsiswise.

Ifyouhavetype2diabetesorpre-diabetesdovisittheDIRECTstudywebsiteformoreinformationanddietaryadvice.25

Rapidweightlossischallenging(whichisalsopartofitsbenefit).So,ifyouarenotsuitedtofasting,youmayprefersimplytofollowtheMed-style,low-carbrecipesinthisbookwithoutsignificantlyreducingcalories.

T4WHYILOVETHEMEDITERRANEANDIET

herecipesinthisbookarebasedonaMediterranean-stylediet,awayofeatingthatisrichinhealthynaturalfats,nutsandfish,aswellasveggies

andlegumes,whicharepackedwithdisease-fightingvitaminsandminerals.

ThereasonIamsuchafanoftheMediterraneandietisnotjustbecauseittastesgreatbutbecausethereissomuchsolidscientificevidencethatadoptingthislifestylewillcutyourriskofheartdisease,cancer,type2diabetes,depressionanddementia.Evenwhentakenuplaterinmiddleage,ithasbeenshowntoincreaselifeexpectancy.

Whatcanbeconfusingabouttheterm‘Mediterraneandiet’isthatitisnotthesortoffoodthatyouwouldtypicallyassociatewithyourholidaysinItalyorGreece.Itdoesnot,forinstance,includelotsofpizzaandpasta,orthesortofstickypuddingsyoumightbeofferedinaGreekrestaurant.

TheMediterraneandietI’mwritingaboutisthetraditionaloneofthepeoplewholivedaroundtheMediterraneanSeabeforethey,likesomuchoftheplanet,adoptedjunkfood.

InmanyMediterraneancountriestoday,vegetables,fishandoliveoilhavebeendisplacedbysweets,fizzydrinksandfastfood.Infact,onlyaround10%ofmodernItalianseatatraditionalMediterraneandiet,withdireconsequencesfortheirwaists.Italianchildren,whoagenerationagowereslimandhealthy,arenowalmostasfatastheirAmericancounterparts.Strangelyenough,ScandinaviansarefarmorelikelytoeataMediterranean-styledietthanthepeoplelivinginMediterraneancountries.

So,whatexactlyisahealthyMediterraneandiet?

TherearelotsofdifferentversionsoftheMediterraneandietoutthere.Myapproachisbasedononeofthebiggestandmostimportantnutritionstudiesevercarriedout:thePREDIMEDstudy.26

Inthis2013study,Spanishresearchersrecruitedover7400overweight,middle-agedSpanishmenandwomenandrandomlyallocatedthemtoeitheraMediterraneanoralow-fatdiet.Bothgroupswereencouragedtoeatlotsoffreshfruit,vegetablesandlegumes(suchasbeans,lentilsandpeas).Theywerediscouragedfromconsumingsugarydrinks,cakes,sweetsorpastriesandfromeatingtoomuchprocessedmeatsuchasbaconorsalami.

ThoseallocatedtotheMediterraneandietwereaskedtoeatplentyofeggs,nutsandoilyfishanduselotsofoliveoil,andencouragedtoeatsomedarkchocolateandenjoytheoccasionalglassofwinewiththeireveningmeal.

Incontrast,thelow-fatdietgroupweretoldtoeatlow-fatdairyproductsandplentyofstarchyfoodssuchasbread,potatoes,pastaandrice.

Theresearchersfollowedthevolunteersforyears,gettingthemtofillinfooddiariesandkeepingacheckontheirhealthviamedicalexaminations,questionnairesandbloodandurinesamples.Allvolunteersweregivenan‘Mscore’,accordingtohowcloselytheystucktotheMediterraneandiet.

Withinthreeyears,dramaticdifferencesbetweenthetwogroupsappeared.NotonlywerethosewhohadahighMscoreslimmer,theywerealsomuchhealthier,slashingtheirriskofamultitudeofdiseases.Thebenefitsincluded:

30%reducedriskofheartattackorstroke58%reducedriskoftype2diabetes51%reducedriskofbreastcancerAreducedriskofcognitivedecline.

HowtoboostyourMscore

AsimplewaytoboostyourMscoreistoadheretothefollowingsimplerules:

1.Reducesugarsandstarchycarbs

Cutrightbackonsugarystarchyfoods,suchascakes,sweets,biscuits,crisps,fruitjuicesandsoftdrinks,astheserapidlyturnintosugarinyourblood,causingsugarspikes,asurgeininsulinandweightgain.Aimtohavethemlessthantwiceaweek.

Youalsoneedtowatchoutforfoodsthatgetrapidlyconvertedtosugarsinyourblood,suchas:

Potatoes,bread,whitericeandwhitepasta.Mostbreakfastcerealsand‘instantoats’(steel-cutorrolledoatsareOK).Sweet,tropicalfruitssuchasmangos,pineapples,grapes,melonsandbananasasthesearehighinsugars(fructose).Instead,optforberries,applesorpears.Aimforamaximumof1-2piecesoffruitaday,ideallyeatenafterameal.Processedfoods.Morethan70%ofprocessedfoodscontainaddedsugars.Youhavetoreadthelabels,thoughtheproblemisthattherearemorethan70differentnamesforsugars.

2.Increaseyourconsumptionofnaturalhealthyfats

Manypeoplestillbelievethateatingfatwillmakethemfatandthatitwillcloguptheirarteries.IhopeIhaveconvincedyouthisisnottrue.Enjoyhealthyfatsinfoodssuchasoliveoil,salmon,tuna,full-fatdairy,avocado,nutsandseeds.Thesenaturalfatsaregoodforthewaistandtheheart,andwillkeepyoufeelingfullforlonger.

3.Eatdecentamountsofprotein

Thismeanseatinggenerousamountsoffoodssuchasoilyfish,seafood,chicken,someredmeat,eggs,tofu,beans,pulses,dairyandnuts.Ifyouareavegetarianorvegantherearealternatives(seepage101).Youneedatleast50-

60gofproteinaday,everyday.Asyougetolder,youneedmore.Thatsaid,youshouldrestrictyourintakeofprocessedmeatssuchassausages,baconandsalami,asthesearenotparticularlyhealthysourcesofprotein.Mostcontainhighlevelsofsalt,nitratesandotherpreservatives.

4.Eatplentyofgreenandcolouredveg

Itisespeciallyimportanttoeatplentyofdark-greenleafyvegetablessuchasspinach,broccoli,cabbage,kaleandsalads,aswellascolouredvegetables–theseareverylowincaloriesandcontainmanyessentialvitaminsandnutrients.Theyalsocontainlotsoffibre,whichthe‘good’microbesinyourgutwillbenefitfrom.

5.Swaptowholegrainsandpulses

Eatmore‘complexcarbohydrates’,whicharerichinfibre.Thismeansswappingwhitepastaandriceforwholegrainsandpulsessuchas:lentils,beans,quinoa,wildriceandbuckwheat.Choosemulti-grain,seededorryebreadoverwhite.Again,thegoodbacteriainyourgutwillthriveonthefibreinthesefoods.Butduringboththerapidweightlossand5:2stagesofthedietyoushouldkeepyourintakeofwholegrainsdown.That’sbecauseyouwanttogointomildketosisandeatinggrainswillstopthathappening.

6.Avoidsnackingbetweenmealsorlate-nightgrazing

Grazingstopsfatburning.Ifyoumust,snackonnon-starchyvegetablessuchasbroccoli,cucumberorcelery,orasmallhandfulofnutsorasmallpieceofcheese.Fruitisnotagoodchoice,particularlywhenyouaretryingtoloseweight.

7.Drinkhealthily

Plentyofblacktea,fruittea,blackcoffee,water.Asforalcohol,anoccasionalglassofredwinewithamealisokayonnon-fastdays.Ifyouaredoingan800-calorieday,it’sbesttoavoidalcoholaltogether.

TheMediterraneandietismorethanjustadiet.It’saboutdevelopingasetof

habitsandmakingpermanentchangestoyourlifestyle.Itinvolvescuttingbackonprocessed,ready-madeandfastfoods,andinsteadoptingforwhole-foodmealscooked,wherepossible,fromscratch.Anditisabouteatingfoodslowlyandenjoyingitwithfamilyandfriends.Toooftenweeatwithouttakingthetimetoappreciatewhatisgoinginourmouths.Sodon’teatyourmealinfrontoftheTV.Maketheefforttosavouritfully.

TheMeddietandthemicrobiome

Alongwiththeabundanceofvitaminsandantioxidants,suchasthosefoundinextra-virginoliveoil,thereisanother,crucialreasonwhythisdietissosuper-healthy.

AsIdiscoveredwhileresearchingapreviousbook,TheCleverGutsDiet,eatingMediterranean-stylefoodshasadramaticandpositiveeffectonyourgutmicrobiome–thetrillionsofmicrobesthatlivethere,whicharesoimportantforyourphysicalandmentalwellbeing.

The‘good’bacteriainyourgut,likeBifidobacteriumandLactobacillus,willturnthefibreyougetfromyourMedmealsintochemicalscalledshort-chainfattyacids(SCFs),whichreduceinflammationinthegutandthroughoutthebody.

TheMeddietoffersalong-termsolution

OneofthebestthingsabouttheMeddietisthatbecauseitistastyandvaried,itisfareasiertosticktothanmorerestrictivediets.

Youdon’teliminatelotsoffoodgroups.It’sveryadaptableandtheprinciplescanbeappliedtoothercuisines.It’sextremelyfilling,thankstohigh-ishlevelsoffat,proteinandfibreinthediet.Itisgoodforbothyourmentalandyourphysicalhealth.

Improvingmentalhealthisimportant,becausemanypeoplegiveuptryingtomanagetheirweightwhentheybecomeanxiousordepressed.

Infact,arecentstudyofmorethan33,000peoplelookedatthelinkbetweendietanddepressionandfoundthatthosewhostuckclosesttoatraditionalMediterraneandiethada33%lowerriskofdevelopingdepressionthanthosewhodidn’t.27

Conversely,thosewhoateatypical‘pro-inflammatory’diet,withlotsofsaturatedfat,sugarandprocessedfood,hadmuchhigherratesofdepression.

IcertainlyfindthatwhenIeatjunkfooditnotonlymakesmemiserable,butalsomakesmecravemore.

Moreonthisonpage140.

HowdoestheMeddietcomparewithverylow-carbdiets,likeKetoandAtkins?

StudieslikePREDIMEDhaveshownthatwhenitcomestoyourhealth,andyourwaist,theMeddiet(whichismoderatelyhighinfatandlowincarbs)isamuchbetteroptionthangoingonatraditionallow-fatdiet.Buthowdoesitcomparetoreallylow-carbdiets?

TheKetodiet,forexample,iscurrentlyveryfashionable.Likethe‘Atkins’diet,itissolowincarbsthatyourbodyisforcedto‘flipthemetabolicswitch’,gointoketosisandstartburningfatforfuel.AsImentionedinChapter2,ketosisisalsoanimportantpartofintermittentfasting.So,youmayask,whywouldonedotheMeddietratherthanoneoftheseverylow-carbdiets?

BeforetryingtoanswerthatIshouldexplainwhataKetodietis.Therearevariants,butastandardketogenicdietis75%fat,20%proteinandjust5%carbs;whichmeansyoushouldaimtolimityourcarbstolessthan20gaday.Togiveyousomecontext,asinglebananahasmorethan20gofcarbs.

FoodsyoucaneatonaKetodiet,oraverylow-carbdiet,likeAtkins,include:

Meat,bacon,sausages,fish,eggs,butter,creamandcheese.Nuts,oliveoil,coconutoilandavocadooil.Fruitsthatareverylowincarbs,suchasberries.Leafygreenslikespinachandbroccoli.

Youhavetoavoid:

Anythingwithsugarinit,suchasfruitjuice,smoothiesorcake.Thisalsoincludesmanyprocessedfoods,takeawaysandsauces.Bread,grains,rice,pasta,oatsandpotatoes.Mostfruits.Starchyvegetablessuchassweetpotatoes,carrotsandparsnips.Beansandlegumes,suchaslentils,chickpeas,kidneybeansandpeas.Wineandbeer.Ifyoudrinkalcohol,itisbesttosticktospirits.

Averylow-carbdietlikeAtkinsorKetocanbeagreatwaytoloseweight,butitisalsoadietwhichishardtostickto,longterm.TheMeddietallowsyoutoeatamuchwiderrangeoffoods,includingfruits,vegetablesandgrainsrichinthesortoffibrethatwillkeepthe‘good’bacteriainyourgutshappy.ItishardtogetthesamevarietyoffibreandotheressentialnutrientsifyouareonanAtkinsorKetodiet.Notimpossible,buthard.

SowhatwouldhappenifyouranascientificstudycomparingtheMeddietwithalow-carbdietlikeAtkins?

Well,aparticularlyimpressivetrialwhichdidjustthatwascarriedoutinDimona,Israel,atabigresearchcentrewithanon-sitemedicalclinic.Unlikemostdietstudies,whichtendtobeshortterm,thisoneranformorethansixyears.

TheDimonatrial

Forthisstudy,28322middle-agedmenandwomenwererandomlyassignedtoalow-fatdiet,averylow-carbdiet(basedonAtkins)oralowish-carbMediterraneandiet.Totakepartyouhadtobe40-65yearsoldandhaveaBMIofatleast27(i.e.overweightorobese).

Oncethey’dbeenrecruitedandallocatedtoaparticulardiet,thevolunteersmetupwithadieticianwhogavethemadviceonhowtofollowit.Theyhadtheusualtestsbeforestartingandatregularintervalsthroughoutthetrial.

Forthefirsttwoyearsallthegroupsweregoodatstickingtotheirdiets.Theywerealsoaskedtokeepdiaries,whichshowedthat:

TheMed-dietgroupatethemostfibreandthemostoliveoil.Thelow-carbers,notsurprisingly,consumedtheleastcarbsandthemostfatandprotein.Thelow-fatgroupcuttheirconsumptionoffatbyanimpressive19%.Theyalsocuttheirdailycaloriesbythegreatestamount.Butdespitethistheylosttheleastweight.

Atthetwo-yearmark,theresultswereanaverageweightlossof:

3.3kgforthelow-fatgroup.4.6kgfortheMed-dietgroup.5kgforthelow-carbgroup.

Soaftertwoyearsitwasthelow-carbers,followedbytheMeddieters,whoweredoingbestintheweightlossstakes,thoughitwastheMed-dietgroupwhosawthebiggestimprovementsintheirinsulinlevels.

Butthestudydidn’tstopthere.Theywentonfollowingthevolunteersforanotherfouryears.

Asyoucanimagine,Iwasagogtoseetheseresultsbecausethekeytoanydietiswhetheryoucankeepituplongterm.Sowhathappened?Well,thelow-fatandthelow-carbdietersbothputbackonmuchoftheweighttheyhadlost.ThoseontheMeddietdidnot.Overtheentiresix-yearperiod,the

averageweightlosswas:

0.6kgforthelow-fatgroup.1.7kgforthelow-carbgroup.3.1kgfortheMed-dietgroup.

Inthelongrun,theclearwinnersweretheMeddieters,wholostandkeptoffalmosttwiceasmuchweightasthelow-carbers.Itisparticularlyimpressivewhenyouconsiderthatoverasix-yearperiodamiddle-agedpersonwouldnormallyexpecttoputonaround3kg.Inotherwords,attheendofsixyears,thegroupallocatedtoaMed-styledietactuallyweighed6kglessthanyou’dexpectiftheyhadn’ttakenpartinthetrial.

Asforhealth,whenitcametocuttingbloodfats,‘bad’cholesterol,insulinandbloodsugarlevels,theundisputedwinnerswereagaintheMeddieters.That’sbecausetheynotonlylostthemostweight,theylostitintherightplaces.

Inarelatedstudy,29involvinglotsofbodyscans,researchersfoundthatitwasMeddieterswholostthemostfataroundthewaist,theheartandinsidetheliver.

AsProfessorIrisShaifromBen-GurionUniversity,whoranbothstudiespointedout:‘Evenifyoudon’tlosealotofweight,goingonalow-carbMediterraneandietcanhavedramaticbeneficialeffectsonfatdepositsrelatedtodiabetesandcardiovasculardiseases.’

Q&A

WhatifIlikeeatingothercuisines,likeIndianorThai?

TheprinciplesoftheMeddietcanbeadaptedtoothercuisines,andyouwillseesomeexamplesintherecipesection.Oliveoil,particularlyextravirgin,doesseemtohaveanedgeonotherfats,butwealsohappilycookwithcoconutoil,andothernutoilslikewalnut.Themainthing,ifyouareeatingIndian,ChineseorThai,istocutbackonthericeandtrytoreplaceitwithmoreveg.IfyouareafanofIndianfood,avoidthechapattis.

AvariantontheMeddietistheNordicdiet,aseatenbySwedes,Danes,etc,inwhicholiveoilisreplacedwithrapeseedoil.I’mnotconvincedthatrapeseedoilisquiteasgood,butit’scertainlybetterthanthesortofjunkfoodtherestoftheworldeats.

WhatifI’mavegetarianorvegan?

TheMeddietincludeslotsofvegandlegumes,soitiswellsuitedtoaveganorvegetarianlifestyle.Someoftherecipesatthebackofthisbookarevegetarianandsomearevegan.Andwherepossiblewesuggesttipsandswapsforvegetarians.

Tomanageyoursubstitutionsitmaybeusefultodownloadacalorie-countingapp,suchasMyFitnessPal.Forexample,coconutyoghurtishigherincaloriesthandairyyoghurt,soyouwillneedtoamendquantities.Itisalsoimportanttoconsiderthatoneofthevaluableaspectsofdairyyoghurtisthevarietyoflivecultures.Ifyouaregoingtochoosesomethingtoreplaceayoghurtrecipethenitisreallyworthfindingasubstitutethathasagoodvarietyoflivebacteria.

Isn’taMediterraneandietexpensive?

Freshfishandextra-virginoliveoilareexpensive,butsoareallthosesugarylittletreatsandsnackswhichyouwillbecuttingbackon.Afriendofminewhoisanaccountant,andwholost30kgonmydiet,didafullspreadsheetandworkedoutthatdoingthedietactuallysavedhimmoney.

Afewmoney-savingtips:

Extra-virginoliveoilfordrizzlingonsaladscanbeexpensive.Butmostsupermarketbrandsarecheaperandvirginoliveoilorlightoliveoilaregoodtoo.Freshvegetablesmaybenicer,butthere’snotalwaysmuchdifference.Frozenortinnedarejustasnutritious.Trytoeatberriessuchasstrawberriesandraspberriesinseason.Frozenberriesaregreatforcooking.Applesandpearsarenormallyquitecheapandlong-lasting.Webuycookingappleswhentheyareinseason,andchopthemandputtheminthefreezer.Weneverbothertopeelthemasthat’swherelotsofthegoodnesslies.Tinnedorfrozenfishismuchcheaperthanfreshfish,andlastsalotlonger.Itisrelativelyeasytomakeyourownliveyoghurt.Allyouneedismilkandadollopoffreshyoghurtfromasupermarket-boughtproduct.Youcanalsouseayoghurt-makingmachine.Fermentedvegetablesareverycheaptomakeandcontainmuchhigherlevelsofprobioticsthantheshop-boughtstuff.YoucanwatchClaremakingdelicioussauerkrautatthefast800.com.Plain,unprocessedporridgeismuchcheaperthantheinstantstuffyoubuyinpacketsandmuchbetterforyou.Makingandtakingyourownlunchtoworkisgoingtobecheaperandhealthierthandroppingintothenearestsandwichbar.

W5GETTINGACTIVE

eallknowhowimportantitistodoexerciseandremainactive,butknowingsomethinganddoingitareverydifferentthings.Idon’t

particularlylikeexercise,andIhatethegym,soIhavefoundwaystomakemyselfdowhatIneedtodotokeepmyselfhealthyandhappy,tosleepbetterandkeepmybrainindecentshape.

Stand

Thefirstandeasiestthingyoucandoisstandevery30minutes.Sittingcontinuallyisalmostasbadassmoking.Sogetanappwithanalarmthatwillremindyoutomove–everyhalfanhour.IfyouwatchalotofTV,goforastrollduringtheadvertbreaks.OrkeepthecontrolbesidetheTV,soyouhavetogetuptochangechannels.

Walk

Walkingisacheapandsafewaytoexerciseandthebesttimetodoit,ifyoucanfititintoyourlife,isfirstthinginthemorning,beforebreakfast.Thatwayyounotonlymanagetorevupyourmetabolismbutyoualsogetexposedtoearly-morninglight.Brightlightinthemorninghelpsresetyourinternalclock,whichinturnwillhelpyousleepbetteratnight.

Asforaccessories,Iwouldstronglyrecommendyoutakeafriendoralovedone(Itakethedog)butIwouldn’tnecessarilybotherwithanactivitymonitor.

Inamyth-bustingstudy,30researchersfromtheUniversityofPittsburghrecruited470overweightpeopleaged18to34andaskedthemtoloseweightonalow-caloriedietoverasix-monthperiod.Whichtheydid.Attheendofsixmonthstheywererandomlyallocatedtoeitherastandardbehaviouralprogrammetohelptokeeptheweightofforthesamebehaviouralprogrammeplusanactivitymonitor.Theywerethenfollowedforanother18months.

Attheendofthistwo-yeartrialtherewasagrandweigh-in.Thegroupwhowereaskedtoweartheactivitymonitorswere3.5kglighterthanatthestart.Whichwasprettygood.Exceptthatthegroupwithouttheactivitymonitorshadmanagedtokeepoff5.9kg,alotmoreweight.

Why?Theresearchersdidn’tsay,butIhaveatheory,basedonmybehaviour,whichisthatactivitymonitorsnotonlyencourageustorewardourselvesforhittingourtargetsbyeatingmore,buttheycanalsobedepressingratherthanmotivating.Youareforevertryingtohitatarget,suchasthefabled‘10,000stepsaday’,whichformanypeopleisunachievable.Soeitheryougiveuporyoucheat.

Toseeifthereisabetterwaytogo,IgottogetherwithProfessorRobCopelandfromSheffieldHallamUniversity.Wecollectedagroupofinactivevolunteersandrandomlyallocatedthemtodoingeither10,000stepsadayorgoingforwhatProfessorCopelandcalledActive10,threebrisk10-minutewalksaday.Thenwesentthemontheirway.

Sowhathappened?Well,thegroupwhowereaskedtodo10,000stepsa

dayreallystruggledtohittheirtarget.Theysaidtheyjustcouldn’tfititintotheirlives.TheActive10group,ontheotherhand,gottogetherinsmallwalkinggroups,hadmorefunandweremuchmorelikelytosticktotheirgoals.AlthoughtheActive10walkersmanagedfarfewerstepsaday,whentheywerewalkingtheywerestridingalongmuchmoreintenselythanthosetryingtohit10,000steps.

Afteranalysingtheirdata,ProfessorCopelandpointedouttomethat:‘TheActive10groupspent30%moretimeinthe“moderatetovigorous”physicalactivityzone,eventhoughtheywereonthemoveformuchlesstime.Andthat’simportantbecauseit’swhenyouaredoing“moderatetovigorous”activitythatyougetthegreatesthealthbenefits.’

YoucanfindafreeappthatwillhelpguideyouthroughActive10atwww.nhs.uk/oneyou/active10/home.

HIIT

Afewshort,sharpburstsofbriskwalkingisagoodwaytostarttheday,butitisn’tenough.Ifyouliketheideaofgettingfitterbutreallydon’tfeelyouhavethetime,thenyoumightwanttotryHIIT.WithHIITitreallyispossibletogetmostofthemajorbenefitsofexerciseinverylittletime.

IfirstcameacrossHIIT–high-intensityintervaltraining–afewyearsagowhilemakingadocumentarycalledTheTruthaboutExercise.

Beforestarting,Iwastoldthatafewminutesaweekofintensecyclingwouldgreatlyimprovemyaerobicfitnessandmybloodsugarcontrol.Which,tomygreatsurprise,itdid.TheregimenIwasaskedtodoconsistedofthree20-secondburstsofvigorousexerciseonanexercisebike,threetimesaweek.Injustsixweeksmyinsulinsensitivityimprovedbyover20%.

SincethenDrNielsVollaard,alecturerinhealthandexercisescienceattheUniversityofStirling,hasshownthatyoucangetbyonevenless.ItturnsoutthataslittleastwominutesofHIITaweekwillgiveyourbodyasignificantboost.

Inarecentexperiment,whichIhelpedNielssetup,weinstalledanexercisebikeintheLondonofficeofBabylon,ahealthcompany,andaskedsomeemployeestotryoutfiveweeksofhisHIITregimen.

Beforestarting,NielsassessedtheirVO2max,ameasureofaerobicfitnesswhichshowshowstrongyourheartandlungsare.Hedidthesemeasurementsinalab,butyoucangetanestimateofyoursbyputtingyourrestingheartrateintoanonlinecalculator,suchasfast-exercises.com/fast-exercise-calculator.

Thiscalculatorwillalsotellyouhowyouaredoingforsomeoneyourage.Forreasonswedon’tfullyunderstand,VO2maxisanincrediblypowerfulpredictorofhowwellyouareageingandyourlifeexpectancy.That’soneofthemainreasonswhyscientistssuchasNielsaresokeentofindthemosteffectivewaystoimproveit.

TheattractionofHIITisthatitcanproducethesamesortofimprovementsinVO2maxthatyouwouldgetfrommuchlongersessionsoflessvigorousactivity.‘ToachievethesameresultswegetwithHIIT,’Nielstoldme,‘you’d

havetorunatadecentpacefor45minutesthreetimesaweek.’

Sowhat’sgoingon?Nielssaysthatwhenyoudoyourfirst20-secondsprintyourbodybreaksdownglycogen,theforminwhichsugarisstoredinyourmuscles.Thissetsoffacascadeofotherreactions,includingthereleaseofsomethinghecalls‘signallingmolecules’.

Whenyoudoyournext20-secondsprint,thesesignallingmoleculesareactivatedandhelptostimulatethegrowthofothermuscle,suchasheartmuscle.This,atleast,iswhathasbeenshowntohappeninthelab.

Butwoulditalsoworkinanofficesetting?Fiveweeksafterthefirstsetoftests,IreturnedwithNielstoseehowtheofficeworkershadgoton.Mosthadmanagedtocompletetheirultra-shortexerciseregimenandmostfeltconsiderablyfitter.

‘We’veanalysedtheresults,’Nielstoldthevolunteers,‘andIampleasedtosaythatallofyouimproved.Ourstarperformer,Charlie,improvedhisVO2maxby14%,whilethegroupasawholesawanimprovementinfitnesslevelsof11%,whichisexcellent.’

AccordingtoNiels,an11%increaseinaerobicfitness,iftheykeptitup,wouldmeanareductionintheriskofdevelopingheartdiseaseofabout20%.

HIITisn’tforeveryone.Ifyou’reunfitthenyoushouldstartslowly,doingjustone10-secondsprintasessionforthefirstweekorso.Ifyouareonmedication,areinjuredorhaveconcernsaboutyourheart,youshouldconsultyourdoctorbeforestartinganyexerciseregimen.

DrVollaard’sHIITworkout

Tofollowthisregimenyouwillneedanexercisebikeonwhichyoucaneasilyvarytheresistance.Dothisthreetimesaweek.

1. Warmupwithsomegentlecycling.2. Afteraminuteorsobeginpedallingfast,thenswiftlycrankupthe

resistance.3. Thelevelofresistanceyouselectwilldependonyourstrengthand

fitness.Itshouldbehighenoughthat,after15secondsofsprinting,yourthighsbegintofeelitandyourmusclesbegintofatigue.

4. If,after15seconds,youcankeepgoingatthesamepace,thentheresistanceyou’vechosenisn’thighenough.Itmustn’t,however,besohighthatyougrindtoahalt.It’samatterofexperimenting.You’llfindthatasyougetfitterthelevelofresistanceyoucancopewithincreases.Each20-secondworkoutshouldinvolvemaximumeffort.

5. Afteryourfirstburstoffastsprinting,droptheresistanceanddothreeminutesofgentlepedalling.

6. Thendothe20-secondsprintagain.7. Finishwithacoupleofminutesofgentlecyclingtoallowyourheartrate

andbloodpressuretoreturntonormalbeforesteppingoffthebike.

IfyouareatotalbeginnertoHIITIwouldstartbydoingjustone20-secondburstandseehowyoufeel.Youcangraduallybuilditupfromthere.

Istilldomy3×20-secondsregime,threetimesaweek.InarecentAmericanstudy,31theygot27sedentaryoverweightmentodo3×20-secondsessionsofHIITthreetimesaweekfor12weeksandfoundthatthisnotonlyimprovedtheirVO2maxby19%,butalsoincreasedtheirinsulinsensitivity.HIITproducedsimilarresultstocyclingbrisklyfor45minutes,threetimesaweek,buttookafractionofthetime.

WithoutabikeitishardertodoaHIITsession,althoughyoucanswapcyclingforrunningupstairsfor20secondsorputtinginshort,flat-outsprintswhenjogging.Youcanalsodoitwhileswimming.Again,itisjusta20-secondburst.

Strengthtraining

Aswellaslookingafteryourheartandlungs,youalsoneedtolookafteryourmuscles.Muscleslookgoodonthebeach,butmoreimportantly,theyburncaloriesevenwhenyouaresleeping.Improvingyourmuscleswillalsoimproveyourinsulinsensitivity.

Ihaveasimpleregime,whichIdomostmornings.Igetoutofbed,puttheradioonanddoaseriesofpush-ups,squats,abdominalcrunches,thebicepcurlandtheplank–inroughlythisorder.Therearelotsofothervariantsyoucantry,butthesearethebasics.Again,ifyouwanttoseehowtheyshouldbedone,visitthefast800.com.

Isuggestyoustartbydoingonesetof10repeatsofeachoftheseinWeek1ofthediet(with20-secondholdsontheplanks).Inotherwords:10press-ups,10crunches,10squats.Dothisthreetimesinthefirstweek.Aimfortwosetsof10repeatsbyWeek2,andthreesetsbyWeek4.

12waystointroducemoreactivityintoyourlife

1. Buyabikeandcyclewhenyoucan.Itsaveslotsoftimeandmoney.2. Ifyourdestinationislessthanamileaway,thenwhynotwalk?Itwill

takeyoulesstimethanwaitingforabusorfindingsomewheretopark.3. Standwhiletalkingonthephone.You’llburncaloriesandsoundmore

assertive.4. Useabasketattheshopsratherthanashoppingtrolley.Thatwayyoudo

abitofresistancetrainingwhileshopping.5. Drinklotsofwater.Thisnotonlykeepsyouhydratedbutalsoincreases

theneedforbathroombreaks,whichmeansinturnmoreshort,briskwalks.

6. Try,wherepossible,totakethestairs.Ialwaysrunupescalators.7. Ifyounormallytakeabusortraintowork,getoffatanearlierstopthan

usualandwalktherestoftheway.8. Ifyoudrivetoworkorthesupermarket,parkatthefarendofthecar

park.9. Keepresistancebands–stretchycordsortubesthatofferresistancewhen

youpullonthem–orsmallhandweightsnearyourdesk.Doarmcurlsbetweenmeetingsortasks.

10. Organisealunchtimewalkinggroup.Youmightbesurroundedbypeoplewhoarejustdyingtolaceuptheirtrainers.Enjoythecamaraderie,andofferencouragementtooneanotherwhenyoufeellikegivingup.

11. IfIamonholidayinaforeigncity,Inormallyjoinatwo-hourguidedwalkingtour.Theyarecheapandagreatintroductiontoacity’shistory.TheoneIwentoninBerlinwasparticularlygood.

12. Gotodancingclasses.Itissociableandifyouhaven’teverlearnedhowtodoclassicsteps,likeLatinorballroom,itwillbementallychallenging.Takingupanewchallengeinmiddleageisaprovenwaytocutyourriskofdementia.

M6WAYSTOBEATSTRESS

anyofusfeelbadaboutputtingonweightbecausewethinkitisentirelyourownfault.Afterall,wehavebeentoldtimeandtimeagain

thattheonlyreasonanyonepacksonthoseextrapoundsisthattheyareeatingtoomuchandnotdoingenoughexercise.Inotherwordsifwegetfatitmustbebecausewearegreedyandidle.

Aswe’vealreadyseen,weightgainisnothinglikeassimpleasthat.Thefoodsweeat(processedandheavilypromotedbythefoodindustry)canhijackourbrainsandourhormones,whiletheworldweliveinhasbeenbuilttodiscourageactivity.Shoppingcentresareincreasinglyoutoftownandonlyaccessiblebycar.Roadsaredangeroustocycleonand,thoughliftsareeasytofind,stairsarenot.

Wearesurroundedbyconstanttemptation,whichishardtoresist.Whatthe‘caloriesin,caloriesout’crowdalsoignoreistheoverwhelmingimportanceofstress.Researchhasshownthatchronicstressleadstoincreasedhunger,comforteating,self-loathinganddisruptedsleep.This,inturn,leadstoevenhigherlevelsofstress,andmorehunger,eating,self-loathing,etc.

Whatisstress?

Youneedsomelevelofstressinyourlife.Itisessentialforsurvival.Ifyouarecrossingtheroadandrealiseyouareinthepathofacar,yourbodywillreleasehugeamountsofstresshormones,suchascortisolandadrenaline,toreadyyouforphysicalaction.Thisisthe‘fightorflight’response,anditevolvedbecauseinthedistantpastitwouldhavehelpedusavoidbeingeatenbypredators.Thisisagoodthing.Theproblemislong-termstress,whenlevelsofthesestresshormonesgoupandstayup.

Howstressandinsomniafuelyourhunger

Therearelotsofthingsthatlifethrowsatusthatwecan’tcontrol:losingajob,gettingdivorced,losingalovedone,havinganaccident.Alloftheseareserioussetbackswhichcancausedeepstressand,inturn,triggercomforteating.ThetechniquesI’mabouttodescribewon’treducetheimmediatepain,buttheymayhelpreducetheimpactoftheselifeevents.

Thatsaid,thereisonemajorstressinducerwhichyoucanandshouldlookatinyourlife–lackofsleep.Insomniaiscommonandoftenself-induced;‘self-induced’inthesensethatwestayuplateonsocialmediaanddon’tprioritisesleep.

Andyetskimpingonsleepisoneoftheworstthingsyoucandoifyouaretryingtoloseweightorkeepitoff.Evenacoupleofnightswhenyoucutbackonsleepcanplayhavocwithyourbloodsugarsandyourhungerhormones.

Totestthisout,IjoinedDrEleanorScott,ofLeedsUniversity,inashort,sharpsleep-deprivationexperiment.Forthisexperiment,DrScottrecruitedagroupofhealthyvolunteersandfittedthemwithglucosemonitors,sothatshecouldseewhatwashappeningtotheirbloodsugarlevels.Sheaskedthevolunteerstogotobedtwohourslaterthannormalfortwonights,thentosleepaslongastheylikedfortwonights.

Naturallyenough,beinganavidself-experimenter,Ijoinedin.Thetwonightswhenwewenttobedtwohourslate,wereprettygrim.IwasalsounpleasantlysurprisedbyjusthowmuchmybloodsugarlevelsroseonthedayswhenIwassleep-deprived,andhowhungryIwas.

Thesamewastrueforallmyfellowvolunteers–everyonecomplainedabouthavinghadthemunchieswhentheyhadlesssleep.Asoneofthemtoldme:‘IwantedlotsofbiscuitsandIdidn’tjusthaveone–Ihad10CustardCreams.’

‘Isthatunusual?’Iaskedhim.

‘Well,itiscertainlyunusualforbreakfast!’hereplied.

Allofus,whetherwehadfeastedonbiscuitsormanagedtosticktoournormaldiet,sawbigincreasesinourbloodsugarlevels,tothepointwhere

previouslyhealthyindividualshadlevelsyouwouldseeintype2diabetics.Fortunately,theseproblemswereresolvedafteracoupleofnightsofgoodsleep.

Soitisnotsurprisingthatbeingsleep-deprivedleadstoovereating.AstudybyresearchersatKing’sCollege,London,32foundthatifyoudeprivepeopleofsleep,theyconsume,onaverage,anextra385caloriesperday,whichistheequivalentofalargemuffin.

Waystobeatstressandanxiety

Losingweightwillmeanthatyousleepbetter,whichmeansyouwillbelesslikelytofeelthosesleep-deprivedbingeingurges.Intermittentfasting,likethe5:2,hasbeenshowntoimprovemood,probablybyboostinglevelsofthehormoneBDNF(seepage57).AmongthemanybenefitsofeatingaMediterranean-styledietaretheeffectsonyourbrain.StudiesbytheFoodandMoodCentreinAustralia33haveshownthatgoingonaMeddietcanhaveabigimpactonanxietyanddepression.Inonestudytheyfoundthat12weeksonaMediterraneandietwasenoughtosignificantlyimprovethemoodofpeoplesufferingfromsevereanxietyordepression.Nooneknowsexactlywhythisis,butsomeofthecomponents(suchasthefishandtheoliveoil)haveawell-establishedanti-inflammatoryeffectandthereismountingevidencethatmanycasesofdepressionmaybelinkedtoinflammationcausedbythebody’simmunesystemreactingtoinfectionorstress.Exerciseisalsoagreatstress-buster.Itpumpsuptheproductionofyourbrain’sfeel-goodneuro-transmitters,includingBDNFandendorphins.Itgetsyououtofyourself–andcanalsoimproveyoursleep,whichaswe’vejustseenhasadirectimpactonmood.

Mindfulness

Aswellasalloftheabove,Iwouldrecommendyoutakeupmindfulness.Therearelotsofdifferentapproaches,includinggoingonacourse,buttheoneIdoisaguidedmeditationviaanapp.Idoitfor5-10minutesmostmornings.Trydoingthefollowingbriefroutine,justtogetaflavour:sitinacomfortablechair,restyourhandsonyourthighs,closeyoureyes,thenforthenextfewminutestrytofocusonyourbreath.

1. Breatheintoacountoffourthroughyournoseandthen,withoutpausingorholdingyourbreath,lettheairflowoutgently,countingfrom1to4.

2. Keepdoingthisfor3to5minutes.

Trytopayattentiontothesensationofyourbreathgoingthroughyournostrils,fillingyourchest,expandingandcontractingyourdiaphragm.Trytostayfocusedonthetask,andwhenyounoticethatyourthoughtshavedrifted,whichtheywill,gentlybringthembacktoyourbreath.Itissurprisinglyhardtodo,butlikeanyformofexerciseitgetseasier.

Itisalsoagoodwayofdriftingofftosleepifyoufeellikeyourthoughtsarekeepingyouawake.

Youmightalsowanttotryafewofthefollowingexercises.Thesearecourtesyofafriendofmine,TimStead,whoteachesattheOxfordMindfulnessCentreandhaswrittenaterrificbookcalledSee,Love,Be.

Theraisinpractice

Thisisaclassic.Itdoesn’thavetobedonewitharaisin;butitseemstoworkparticularlywellwithraisins.

1. Takearaisinandplaceitonthepalmofyourhand.2. Nowjustinspecttheraisin.Studythetexture,thecolours,thewaythat

lightplaysonitssurface.Thenpickitupandrollitaroundbetweenyourfingers.Squishitabit.Smellit.Admireit.

3. Puttheraisinonyourtongueandtasteit.Noticethewaythatyourmouthfillswithsalivainanticipationofthetreattocome.

4. Whenyouareready,biteintoitandnoticehowtheflavoursarereleased.Whereinthemouthcanyoureallytastethatraisin?Howwouldyoudescribeit?

5. Finally,swallowtheraisin.

Youcandothesamesortofthingwithacupofcoffee,abiteofapple…anyfoodordrink.Itisallabouttakingafewmomentstoreallysavourtheexperience.

Thekindnesspractice

Todothis,findsomewherequietandcomfortabletosit,andthensaythisphraseinyourheadseveraltimes:‘MayIbekeptsafeandmayIknowkindness.’

Itcanfeelawkwardtobeginwith,butitisawayofcultivatinganattitudeofkindnesstowardsyourself.Wespendsomuchtimelisteningtothatlittlevoiceinourheadsthatisendlesslycritical.Thisisonewaytostrikeback.

Theprodigalsonpractice

Firstthinginthemorning,setyourmobilephonealarmforsomerandomtimeintheday.Whenitgoesoffstopwhatyouaredoingandlookaround.

Noticewhereyouare,whoelseisaround,whatthoughtsweregoingthroughyourmindwhenthealarmwent.Askyourselfwhatyourmoodislike.Howareyoufeeling?

Checkinwithyourbody.How’stheknee?Haveathinkwhatyouwouldliketodonext–notwhatyoualwaysdo,perhapssomethingdifferent.Thepointofthisexerciseistoshakeupyournormalroutineandmakeyourealiseyouhavechoices.

Mindfulnessinnature

Gardeningisagreatwaytogetsomeexerciseandreducestress,butyoudon’tneedagardentodothisparticularmentalexercise.Justgooutsideortoanearbypark.Findsomeflowersandlookatthem.Reallylookatthem.Youdon’tneedtoknowtheirname;youarejustchoosingamomenttoadmire

theircolours,theirpatterns,thewaytheygrow.

Asyoudothisyourmindwillwander.Youwillstartthinkingaboutwhatyouneedtodonextorwhatyouaregoingtohaveforyournextmeal.Trytokeepcomingbacktotheflower.Justforafewminutes.

Mindfulnessisnotapanaceaanditcertainlydoesn’tworkforeveryone.Vulnerablepeople,suchasthosewithpost-traumaticstressdisorder,shouldbeparticularlycarefulbeforeundertakingmindfulness.Thatsaid,mostpeoplewhostickwithitdobenefit.

T7THEFAST800INPRACTICE

heFast800hasthreestages:RapidWeightLoss,theNew5:2andMaintenance.Iamnotgoingtobeprescriptiveabouthowlongyoustay

inthefirsttwostagesbecausethatdependsentirelyonhowmuchweightyouwanttoloseandwhetheryouarefindingthatparticularstageeasytostickto.

AlthoughIrecommendyoustartwithRapidWeightLoss,itwon’tsuiteveryone.Youcanuseittokick-startthings,andafterafewweeksmoveonto5:2.Oryoumayfindyouaregettingsuchgreatresultsyouwanttogoonforawhile.

OverthepageIofferabriefoutlineofthethreestagesandhowtheywork.Ithengointomoredetailaboutwhattoexpectandhowtofitthedietintoyourlife.

Stage1:TheVeryFast800–rapidweightloss

FortheRapidWeightLossstageofthediet,youeat800caloriesaday.Isuggestyoustayonthisstageforaminimumoftwoweeks,butyoucanstayonitforanythingupto12weeks,dependingonyourcircumstancesandhowmuchweightyouhavetolose.

Tomakeupyour800calories,youcaneitherrelyonthemenusinthisbook,orusemealreplacementshakesifyoufindthemeasier.Iknowthat800caloriesdoesn’tsoundalot,butthemenusaredesignedtobefillingaswellasnutrient-rich.

Becauseitisalow-carbaswellaslow-caloriediet,itshouldinducemildketosis(whichyoucanuseurinestickstocheck).Thiswilltakeafewdaystokickin.

Asyourbodyswitchesfromburningsugartoburningfat,itwillproduceketones,whichwillhelpsuppressyourappetite.Butbecauseyouarenotusedtothisyoumaygetheadachesorbecomelight-headed.Thesesymptomsmaybeduetodehydrationandshouldpass.Moreonsideeffectsandhowtocounterthemlater.

Aswellascuttingdownto800caloriesaday,IrecommendaddinginaTimeRestrictedEating(TRE)programme.Thismeans,fromthestart,aimingfora12-hourovernightfast.Moreonhowtodothisonpage139.

Stage2:TheNew5:2–intermittentfasting

Atsomepoint,itmaybeattheendofthefirsttwoweeksoritmaybelater(dependingonhowyougeton),youaregoingtowanttoswitchfromtheRapidWeightLossphasetosomethingwhichismoregradual.Thismeansswitchingfrom800calorieseverydaytointermittentfasting,whereyouwillbeon800caloriesforafewdaysaweek.

Onthedayswhenyouarenotfasting,youdon’thavetocountcalories,thoughyouwillneedtobecarefulaboutportioncontrolandmaintainasuper-healthyMediterranean-stylediet–forwhich,seetherecipesatthebackofthisbook.

AtthisstageI’dsuggestyoutryextendingyourovernightfastbyreducingyourTREwindowfrom12hoursto10hours.Inotherwords,makingyourovernightfastlast14hours.Thereasonfordoingthisisthatitwillhelpmaintainandenhancethebenefitsofintermittentfasting,inparticularautophagyandketosis.

Stage3.Maintenance–awayoflife

Onceyou’veachievedyourgoalsitwillbetimetogoontotheMaintenancePhase.Thiswillbeanotherhugelyimportantmoment,atimewhenyouconsolidateallthethingsyouhavelearned,butalsoatimewhereyoumightbetemptedtogobacktoyourprevioushabits.Thegoodnewsisthatthelongeryousticktothemaintenanceprogramme,theeasierandmorenaturalitbecomes.

TheFast800ataglance:

Stage1.RapidWeightLoss

Howtofast:800calsadayforupto12weeksWhattoeat:Realfood(seerecipes)ormealreplacementshakesWhentoeat:TRE12:12

Stage2.TheNew5:2

Howtofast:800cals,2daysaweekWhattoeat:On800days:realfood(seerecipes)orshakes.Onnon-fastdays:Med-styledietwithportioncontrolWhentoeat:TRE10:14or16:8

Stage3.Maintenance

Howtofast:Nocaloriecounting,thoughyoumightdoaweeklyfastday–6:1

Whattoeat:HealthyMed-styledietWhentoeat:TRE12:12or10:14

BEFOREYOUSTART

I’vetriedtomakethisdietassimpleanddoableaspossible.Itisbasedonsolidscience.ButbeforeyougetgoingIwantyoutobesurethatthisistherightapproachforyou.GoingontheFast800willhaveapowerfulandbeneficialimpactonyourweightandmetabolism,butitwon’tsuiteveryone.Sodogobackandlookatwhoshouldandshouldn’tdotherapidweightlossstage(seepage85).

Testsandtargets

Gettingtoknowyourbodybeforeyoustartthedietisimportant,notjusttoensurethatitissuitableandsafeforyou,butbecauseitwillhelptokeepyoumotivatedandfocusedonwhatyouarehopingtoachieve.

Ifyouaresignificantlyoverweight,orhaveothermedicalconditions,youmayneedtoenlistyourhealthprofessional’ssupportinmonitoringandmotivatingyoualongtheway.

Basicmeasurementsthatyoucandoathome:

WWR:Weight,WaistandRestingHeartRate.

Steponthescalesandweighyourself,ideallyfirstthinginthemorningbeforeeatingordrinking.Measureyourwaistaroundyourbellybutton.Measureyourrestingheartratefirstthing,beforedoingexercise.Keeparecordofyourresults.

Moresophisticatedhomemeasurements

Abloodsugarmonitorwillshowifyouhavepre-diabetesordiabetes.Itinvolvesprickingyourfingerandmeasuringbloodsugarlevels.Over30%oftheadultpopulationhavepre-diabetes(raisedbloodsugarswhicharenotyetinthediabeticrange)andunlessyouhavebeentesteditisextremelyunlikelythatyouwillknow.Oneinfourpeoplewithtype2diabetesarealsounawarethattheyhaveit.

Youcanbuyabloodsugarmonitorfromachemistoronline.Itisausefuldeviceevenifyoudon’thaveraisedbloodsugarlevelsbecauseitwillshowyouhowyourbodyrespondstodifferentfoods.Whenwetestedourselves,ClareandIbothdiscoveredthatbreadandwhitericesendourbloodsugarssoaring.

Anotherthingyoumightwanttotryareketoneteststrips,whichyoucanalsobuyonline.Theonesthatrelyonbloodpricktestsaremoreaccurate,but

theurinesticksarecheaperandsimpler.

Nutritionalketosisisanaturalanddesirablesideeffectoffasting.NotethatitisverydifferentfromDiabeticKetoAcidosis(DKA),aseriouscomplicationseenindiabeticswithdangerouslyhighlevelsofketones.

Therearealsovariousmedicalteststhatyoumightfinduseful,butthesearenotessential.Forinformationonthese,pleaseseepage269.

BeclearaboutyourGOALS:

Onceyou’vedonethemeasurementsandtestsyouwillhaveabetterideaofwhatitisyouwanttoachieve.Youmaydiscover,forexample,thatyouarepre-diabeticandwanttogetyourbloodsugarsbacktonormal.Maybeyouarefairlyhealthybutwithabittoomuchvisceralfat.Orperhapsyousimplywanttofitintosomefavouriteoldclothes.

Get:Whatdoyouwanttogetoutofthisdiet?Weightloss?Betterbloodsugars?Asmallerwaist?Tocomeoffmedication?Opportunities:Whatresourcesandopportunitiesareavailabletohelpyousucceed?Friendsandfamily?Professionals?Dietbuddy?Anonlineforumliketheoneatwww.thefast800.com?Approach:Howdoyouintendtoapproachthisdiet?Whatstepsdoyouneedtotaketohelpyousucceed?Whathasworkedinthepast?Whatwillhelpkeepyouontrack?Whichcombinationof800-caloriedayscouldworkforyou?Lookforsuccesses:Takeonedayatatime–lookforsmallchangesinyourmeasurements,howyoufeel,yourenergylevels,youractivitylevels.Noticeandcelebratesmallpositivechanges.

Useanotebooktorecordyourgoals.Ithelpstomakealistofwhatyouwanttoachieveandhowyouplantoachieveit–laminateitandstickitonthefridge,orthebathroommirrorordoor.Rememberingwhyyouaredoingthedietwillreallyhelpinthosemomentsofweakness,whenmotivationisfaltering.

Clearoutthecupboards!

Willpowerishugelyoverratedandrelyingonitisoneofthemainreasonswhysomanydietsfail.Oldhabitsarehardtobreak.Thewaytosucceedistocreateanenvironmentinwhichitiseasiertosucceedthantofail.

Sobeforeyoustart,ridyourhouseofjunkfood.Thisislike‘autophagy’,clearingoutthejunkyoldcellstomakespacefornewones.Thereisalotoftruthbehindthesaying‘outofsight,outofmind’.It’sjusttoohardtoresisttreatfoodifit’srightinfrontofyou.

Foodstogiveaway,hideorbininclude:

1. Mostbreakfastcerealsastheyareprocessedandsugary(apartfromplainoats).

2. Sugarycakes,biscuitsandsweets.3. Chocolate(apartfromdarkchocolatewithover70%cocoacontent).4. Snacks,includingbreakfast/snackbars,crispsanddriedfruit.5. Ready-mademealsandtinnedsoups(oftenhighinaddedsugar).6. Breads,flatbreadsandcrackers.7. Sweettropicalfruit.8. Juices,cordials,smoothiesandsugarysoftdrinks.9. Alcohol.

Gettingridofthisfoodiseasierifeveryoneinthehouseishappytohaveitgone.Ifyouhaveyoungkidsorapartnerwhoisn’tdoingthediet,Irecommendthatyougetthemandanyotherhouseholdmemberstohideall‘treat’foodsfromyou.

Youcouldevenaskthemtokeepthetreatsinalockedorhiddencupboardandmakesureyouhavenoaccesstothekey.Crazy,butwhenyouaredesperateyouwillgolooking.Believeme,I’vebeenthere.Youhavetothinkofjunkfoodasbeinglikecrackcocaine.Youwouldn’tkeepitinthehouse.

Tenhealthyfoodstostockyourfridgeandcupboardswith:

Onceyou’vegotridofthejunkit’stimetorestock.Havingnofoodinthehouseisalmostasbadashavinglotsofjunkfood.Youwillendupeatingtakeawaysordroppingintothepetrolstationtobuysnacks.Hereare10essentials,manyofwhichwillbeusefulformakingtherecipesatthebackofthebook.

1. Alargebottleofoliveoil.Begenerouswithit.Useoliveoilorunprocessed/virginrapeseedoilwhencooking.Andgetabottleofextra-virginoliveoiltouseinsalads.

2. Vegetables–lotsofthem,particularlyspinach,broccoli,kale,carrots,bellpeppers,aubergines,tomatoes,cucumbersandcourgettes.Pre-cutsomecarrots,celeryorcucumbertosnackonifyoufeelyoureallyneedsomething.Putthematthetopofthefridgewhereyouwillseethemwhenyouopenthefridgedoor.

3. Fruit.Fruitisagreatalternativetocakesandbiscuitsifyoufeellikesomethingsweet,butlimitittotwopiecesadayandeatitafteramealratherthanasasnackasitstopsketosis–i.e.fatburning.Sticktolower-sugarfruitssuchasberries,applesandpears.

4. Full-fatdairyproducts–suchasfull-fatliveGreekyoghurt,cheeseandbutter.Healthynaturalfatswillkeepyoufullforlonger.WhenIneedasnackitisasmallchunkofcheesewithsomeslicesofpear.

5. Unsaltedandunsweetenednutsandseeds.Aimforavariety,suchasalmonds,cashews,Brazilnuts,walnuts,sunflowerseeds,pinenuts,chiaandsesameseeds.Roastthem,toenhancetheflavour,andstoretheminajar.Nutsarerichinfibretofeedyourmicrobiomeandanexcellentsourceofhealthynaturalfat.Buteatnomorethanasmallhandful.

6. Wholegrains–suchasbrownandwildrice,quinoaorpearlbarley.Smallamountsofthesecanbeaddedtoyourmealsinsteadofwhitericeandpasta.Trytocutoutbreadcompletely.Itishard,but‘goingbrown’isunlikelytoreducethesugarhit.Havetheoccasionalsliceof

seededwholegrainbreadordarkryebreadifyoumust.

7. Eggs.Wealwayshaveeggsonstandbyandhavethemforbreakfastmostdaysoftheweek.Theyareagreatsourceofproteinandwillkeepyoufeelingfullerforlonger.Mykidseatthemraw!(I’mtolditisabody-buildingthing)

8. Oilyfish.Smokedsalmongoeswellwitheggsforbreakfastandcannedtunacanbeagreatsnackorlunchtimealternative.Smokedmackerelissupereasytoprepareandfullofflavour.Aimtoeatoilyfish2-3timesaweek.

9. Beansandlentils.Dried,tinnedorpre-cookedinpackets,legumesarerichinvegetableproteinandnutrients.Theyusuallytastebestwhensprinkledwitholiveoil.Sneakahandfulintostews,saladsandbakes.Theyareanexcellentsourceoffibre,essentialforahealthymicrobiome.

10. Fizzywaterandherbalteas.Sodawatercanhelptoeasehungerpangswithoutaddingcalories.Includeapieceoflemon,limeorcucumberforflavour.Herbalteasareanotherusefulalternativetosugarydrinks.You’llfindawiderangeofflavoursinmostsupermarkets.Keepcoldherbalteainthefridge.

Broadcastthenews

Don’tkeepitasecret.Tellyourfriendsandfamilyyouaregoingonthisdietandthatyouneedthemtobesupportive.Ultimately,youhavecontroloverwhatyoueat,butithelpsifafriendisn’tencouragingyoutohaveapieceofcakewithyourcoffee.Ifpeopleknowyouareonthisdiet,theywillbeconsiderateaboutwhattheyeataroundyouandwon’tofferyou‘treat’foodsorputtemptationyourway.

Itisvitalthatthepeopleclosetoyouunderstandwhyyouaredoingthisdietandwhatyouwanttoachieve.Encouragethemtotryouttherecipeswithyou–theydon’thavetostickto800caloriesperday(manyoftherecipeshavetipsforhowtoadaptthemfornon-fastdays),butthemoreyoucandotogether,thebetter.Talkingaboutnutritionwithotherswillreallycementyourunderstandingofhowdifferentfoodscanaffectyourhealth.

Q&A

ShouldIstartbydoing800calorieseveryday?

ThefirstdecisionyouneedtomakeiswhetheryouwanttostartwiththeVeryFast800ortheNew5:2.Thisdependsonyourmotivationandhowmuchweightyouwanttolose.TheadvantageoftheVeryFast800is,ofcourse,thattheweightlosswillbedramaticandthatcanbeverymotivating,butyouneedtobesureyouarecomfortableabouttrying.Isuggestthatyoucommittothisstagefortwoweeks,thenreassess(seebelow).

ShouldIstartoffwithrealfoodorwithmealreplacementdietshakes?

Somepeoplethinkthatusingmealreplacementdietshakesis‘cheating’,othersfinditreallyhelps,particularlyatthestart,becausethenyoudon’thavetothinkaboutwhattobuyandcookforeverymeal.Italsomeansyoudon’thavetoworryaboutcountingcaloriesorgettinginallyouressentialnutrientsforthosemeals.Plustheycanbeaquickandeasysolutionwhendashingoutfirstthinginthemorningortotaketoworkforlunch.

I’mverypragmaticaboutthis.IfyouwouldprefertotrytodotheVeryFast800withrealfood,that’swhatthemenusinthisbookarefor.If,instead,youwouldliketoreplacesomeofyourmealswithshakesthendovisitourwebsite,thefast800.com,whereIsuggestanumberofdifferentbrandswhicharemoresuitedtoalow-carbMediterraneanstyleofeating.

Unfortunately,alotofmealreplacementshakescontainaddedsugar,tasteartificialandaresurprisinglyhighincarbs.Ifyouwanttogotheshakeroute,youshouldaimforsomethinglowincarbs,andcontainingplentyofprotein,enoughfatanddecentamountsoffibre.

ShouldItakeavitaminsupplement?

Themenusinthisbookaredesignedtoensurethatyougetallthenecessarymineralsandvitamins.Nonetheless,youmay,asaprecaution,wanttotryareputablebrand,particularlyonfastdays,andperhapsalsofishoilsupplements.

STAGE1–WHATTOEXPECT

Justtoremindyou,ifyouhavedecidedtokickoffwiththeVeryFast800,youaregoingtobestickingto800caloriesaday,everyday,foratleastthenexttwoweeks.Thiswillleadtosomeimpressivechanges,whichmanypeoplefindextremelymotivating.Andremember,asI’vementionedbefore,theamountofweightyouloseearlyonisagreatpredictorofhowmuchyouwillloseoverall.

Managingthefirsttwoweeks

Thefirstweekortwoarelikelytobethetoughest,asyourbodyadaptstofewercaloriesandto‘flippingthemetabolicswitch’.Yourbodywillbeburningmorefatandlesssugar,whichisgood,butthiscanproducesideeffects.Duringthistimeyouarealsogettingusedtoeatingandpreparingfooddifferently.Soitislikelytofeellikequiteachallengeonallfronts.

Thatsaid,mostpeoplefindstickingto800caloriesadayeminentlymanageableandareastonishedthatthehungersoonpasses.

Afriendofmine,Dick,whowentonthisdiettoreversehistype2diabetes,lost7kginthefirsttwoweeksand14kginjusteightweeks.Threeyearslater,he’snotonlykepttheweightoffbuthisbloodsugarsremaincompletelynormal,withoutmedication(muchtohisdoctor’ssurprise).

What’shissecret?‘IeatthethingsthatIreallylove,likepasta,butinsmallportions.IkeepaclosetrackofmyweightandIdon’tallowittocreepup.ThemostweightIeverputonis2or3lboverChristmasandImakesureIgetridofitstraightafterwards.’

Sideeffects

WhenyoudotheFast800youwill,likeDick,begintolosealotofweight,fast.Someofitwillbefat,butinitiallyyouwillalsobepassingalotofurine.Unlessyoukeeptoppingyourselfupwithfluidthismayleaveyoufeelinglight-headed,tired,headachy.

ThisiswhyIencouragepeopletodrinklotsoffluid.Tryaddingalittlesalttofood,especiallyifyoudon’tnormallyusesalt.Takingasupplementthatcontainsmagnesium,potassiumandBvitaminscanalsohelp.

Whatyoudrinkisuptoyou,aslongasitdoesn’tcontaincalories.Tapwaterisfine.Ipreferitcooledfromthefridge.Ialsolovefizzywaterwithalittlelemon.Fruitteaisgood,too,andyoucanhavetheoccasionalcoffee(butonlyasplashofmilk,ifany).Somepeoplelikeplainhotwater,andoddlyenoughthereisevidencethatheatalonecansoothehunger.Zero-caloriefizzydrinksifyoumust.Butnofruitjuiceorsmoothies.

HowtointroduceTRE(TimeRestrictedEating)

DogiveTREago.Iwouldstartbytryingtofityour800caloriesintoa12-hourwindow,whichprobablymeanshavingaslightlylaterbreakfastandanearliereveningmealinordertoextendyournormalnight-timefast.IfoundthatwhenIdidthis(seepage66)itactuallymadethewholedieteasier.

Themainproblemwithhavingalaterbreakfastisthatyoumaystruggletofindsuitablelow-calorieeatingoptionsnearyourplaceofwork.Inthatcaseyoumightwanttotakeyourbreakfast(oramealreplacementshake)withyoutoeatatwork.Remember,youcandrinkasmuchwater,blacktea,herbalteaandblackcoffeeasyouwantwhenyouwake.Itisonlyfoodordrinkwhichcontainscaloriesthatyouneedtoavoid.

Spendacoupleofweeksgettingusedtoeatingwithina12-hourperiodbeforetryingtoreduceyoureatingwindowfurther.

Doingexercise

Ifyoualreadyhavearegularexerciseprogramme,justkeepgoing.Ifyoudon’tdoregularexercise,thisisagoodtimetobegin.Startbydoingafewbriskwalks(ideallyinthemorninglight,beforebreakfast)andsomelightresistanceexercises,suchaspush-upsandsquats.Theseshouldincreaseinfrequencyandintensityastheweeksgoby.Doingexercisewillimproveyoursleepandwillhelppushyouintoketosisfaster,whichinturnmeansyouwillbeincreasingtheeffectivenessofthediet.Youshouldn’tuseexerciseasanexcusetoeatmoreandyoushouldn’tusethefactyouareonadietasanexcusetostopexercising.Besensible.Ifyouareplanningonrunningthemarathonsometimeinthenextfewweeks,don’tstartfastingjustbeforehand.

Howtodealwithcravings

Thefirsttwoweeksarewhenyouwillfeelthestrongestcravings.Afterthistheywilldiminish–truly!Here’saquickchecklisttohelpboostyourresolve.

1.Removetemptation–again.Haveyoudefinitelydonethis?Removingtemptingtreatsfromthehousewillmakeresistingcravingssomucheasier(seepage130).

2.Rememberwhyyouaredoingthis.Thiswhyitissoimportantthatyouhavecleargoals(seepage129).OneofthegreatthingsabouttheFast800isthatpeopleseeandfeelbigchangesreallyquickly.Ifyoufeeltemptedtohavethatcakeorthatbitoftoastthenpause,breatheinandoutafewtimes,andthinkofthoseclothesyouwillbeabletowearorthereliefofhearingthatyourbloodsugarshavereturnedtonormal–andgenerallyhowyouaregoingtofeelattheendoftheprogramme.

3.Trytounderstandwhyyouarecravingsomething.Areyoubored?Areyouactuallythirstyratherthanhungry?Perhapsyouarefeelingtiredandjustneedtoputyourfeetupbriefly?IfindthatwhenI’mtiredorstressedmyfirstinstinctistoreachforasnacktoreducethediscomfort.Instead,distractyourself.

4.Saytoyourself‘itwillpass!’Goingforabriskwalkorreadingamagazinewilloftenhelpshiftyourmindontosomethingelse.Sipaherbaltea.Sing.Itwillpass.

5.Usemealreplacementshakes.Ifyouarefindingthewholeprocessoffollowingrecipesandcaloriecountingjusttootoughatfirst,replacesomeofyourmealswithshakeswhileyougetinthegroove.

6.Makethemostofyourback-upsupport.Atsomepointyouareboundto

hearthatsneakyinnervoicethattriestojustifyabreakinyourdiet.‘It’sjustthisonce.’Thisiswhenweareatourmostvulnerable.Andwhenitismostimportanttorelyonyoursupportsystemstohelpyouavoidtemptationandsteerclearof‘saboteurs’.

Ontheotherhand,ifyoudogivein,don’tusethatasanexcusetogiveupaltogether.Justgetbackonthehorseandkeepriding.

Afterthefirsttwoweeks–questionstoaskyourself

Aftertwoweeksisagoodtimetoassesshowthingsaregoing.Isthedietdoingwhatyouhopeditwoulddo?Howyouarefeeling,andareyoucoping?

Ifyouarefeelingfine,thendokeepgoing.IntheDIRECTstudyandtheDROPLETtrial,mostpeoplestuckto800caloriesadayfor8-12weeks,butthisverymuchdependsonhowyoufeel.

1. Areyoulosingweight?BytheendofWeek2therateatwhichyouarelosingweightmayhaveslowedbutitshouldstillberapid.Basedonclinicaltrials,averageweightlossattheendofWeek2shouldbearound4kgifyouaredoingtheVeryFast800,1.5kgifyouaredoing5:2.Ifyouarenotlosingmuchweight,checkyouareactuallystickingtothe800caloriesandthatyou’renotslippingintheoccasionalsnack!Therecipesatthebackofthisbookwillshowyouwhat800calorieslookslike.Bynowyoushouldbeinnutritionalketosis.Itisworthcheckingthatyouareproducingketones(usingketoneteststrips).Ifnot,youmayneedtoreduceyourcarbsmoretoachieveit.Howlowyouneedtogovariesfromonepersontoanother.

2. Isyourappetiteunderbettercontrol?MostpeoplereportfeelinglesshungrybytheendofWeek2andthattheircravingsareweaker.Ifyouarestillfeelinghungrymuchofthetime,checkyouareeatingatleast50-60gofproteinaday.Lackofproteinisoneofthemajordriversofhunger.

3. Areyoufeelinglight-headedorfeeble?Thiscanhappenaspeopleadapttoburningketones.Itissometimescalled‘ketoflu’.Symptomsincludemoodswings,irritabilityanddizziness.Liketheflu,itwillpass.Ifyouarenotalreadytakingasupplement,Iwouldrecommendonecontainingdecentamountsofmagnesium,potassiumandvitaminsBandD.Lowlevelsofanyofthesearelinkedtofatigue.Youmaysimplybedehydrated.Youshouldbedrinkingenoughwater

topassatleast5-6goodvolumesofurineaday.Itgoeswithoutsayingthatifyouareexperiencingmoreseveresymptoms,suchasfever,vomitingorfrequentand/orprolongeddiarrhoea,youshouldstopthedietimmediatelyandcontactyourdoctor.

4. Areyougettingconstipated?IfsoIwouldrecommendnotonlydrinkingextrafluids,butalsoaddingmorefibre-richfood,suchasnon-starchyvegetables–leafygreens,spinach,kale,broccoli,cauliflower–aswellasblackberries,chiaseedsorflaxseeds.YoumayconsidergettingsomethingfromthechemistsuchasFybogel(anaturalsolublefibre)oranosmoticlaxative,suchasMovicolorLactulose,whichdrawsmorefluidintothegut,softeningthefaeces.

5. Areyousleeping?Ifnot,youmaywishtoeatyourmainmealabitlater,increaseyouractivitylevels,getoutsideinthedaylighteveryday,twiceifpossible.Thisresetsyourinternalclockandimprovesyourmood.

6. Areyougettingbadbreath?Somepeoplestartproducingthesweetfruitysmellofketonesontheirbreath.It’sabitlikenailpolishremover.Thisisnormalandshowsthedietisworking.Brushyourteethregularlyandpresson!

7. Howisyourmood?Areyoucoping?Youmaysometimesfeelirritableand‘hangry’butIwouldbeconcernedaboutaprolongeddropinmood.Ifthisisthecase,dotalktosomeoneorseekprofessionaladvice.

Ifyouarefindingthediettootough…

If,forexample,youarehavingfrequentlapses,youmaywanttoconsiderslowingthingsdownabit:

Somepeoplefinditeasiertodo2:5.Youfastduringtheweekandeathealthilyattheweekendwithoutworryingtoomuchaboutthecalories(butstickingtotheprinciplesoftheMeddiet).YoumightwanttoswitchtotheNew5:2approach,fastingtwodaysaweekandeatinghealthilyontheotherdays(seepage125).Oryoumightwanttohaveatotalbreakfromdieting.Counter-intuitivethoughitsounds,havingaregularbreakfromdieting,‘intermittentdieting’,canbemoreeffectivethanjustploughingon,astheMatadorstudyshowed.

Intermittentdieting:theMatadorstudy

Forthisstudy,3447obesemenwererandomlyallocatedtoeitheraconstantlow-caloriedietfor16weeks,orthesamedietdoneinstages.

Thosewhowereallocatedtowhatwascalled‘intermittentdieting’wereaskedtodietfortwoweeks,thenreturntobalancedeatingfortwoweeks,thendietforanothertwoweeks,etc.Theydidthisfor30weeks,sothatintotaltheydid16weeksofactualdieting,thesamenumberastheconstantdieters.

Bothgroupsweremeasuredatthebeginningandendoftheexperiment,thensixmonthslater.

Sowhathappened?Well,attheendofthefirststageoftheexperimenttheregulardietershadlostanaverageof9kg,whiletheintermittentdietershadlostanaverageof14kg.

Whentheyweretestedagain,sixmonthslater,thesteadydietershadputbackonmostoftheweight,whiletheintermittentdietershadnot.

Thefinalfigureswereanaverageweightlossof3kgfortheconstantdietersversus11kgfortheintermittentdieters.Inotherwords,doingintermittentdietingmadeanimpressive8kgdifference.

Why?It’spossiblethatdoingadietinstageshelpsbeatdietingfatigue.Theresearchersalsofoundthatthosewhofolloweda‘twoweekson,twoweeksoff’dietingpatternnotonlylostmoreweight,butlostmorefatandpreservedmoremuscle,too.Whichledtoasmallerdropintheirmetabolicrate.

Bytheendoftheexperimentthemenwhohadbeenaskedtodointermittentdietingwereburninganaverageof390morecaloriesadaythanthosewhohadlostthesameamountofweightthroughconstantdieting.Oneoftheleadresearchers,ProfessorAmandaSainsbury,fromtheUniversityofSydney,toldmethatintermittentdietingwasthewaysheherselfhadlostweight.‘IwouldrestrictforaslongasIcouldhandleit,whichwasusuallyforaroundtwoweeks,sometimes10days,thendietagain.’

Thiswasarelativelysmalltrial,designedtotestoutthisnovelapproach,anditwasonlyconductedwithmen.AteamfromtheUniversityofTasmaniaarecurrentlydoingabiggerstudywithwomen,withresultsexpectedsometimein2019.

STAGE2:SWITCHINGTOTHENEW5:2.

Onceyouhavekick-startedyourweightlosswiththeVeryFast800youareonaroll.ItisentirelyuptoyouwhenyoumoveontoStage2,theNew5:2–someofyouwillfindacoupleofweeks’rapidweightlossenough;otherswillwanttostayonStage1forlonger,dependingonyourgoals.Buteitherwayyourhungerlevelsandyourcravingsshouldbemuchreduced.Youshouldalsofindyouarefeelingmoreenergetic,lighterandbrighter.Peoplewillhavebeguntocommentonhowwellyouarelooking.

Switchingoverisstraightforwardandcanbedoneatanypointthatsuitsyou.Forthe800-caloriefastdays,youcontinuetousethelow-calorierecipesinthisbook(or,ifyouprefer,amixofmealreplacementshakesandrealfood).Ontheotherdays,youcaneatnormally,buthealthily,i.e.stickingtoaMed-stylediet,lowincarbsandrefinedsugars,withoutcountingcalories.

Howtochooseyour800-caloriedays

Iamoftenaskedwhetheritisbetter,whendoingthe5:2,todoyour800-caloriedaysback-to-backorsplit.Intheoryyoumightbebetteroffdoingthemback-to-backbecausethatwayyouwillgetintoketosisonthefirstday,thenstayinketosisforthewholeofthesecondday.Somepeoplealsofinditmoreconvenienttogettheirfastingoveranddonewithinonego.Others,however,prefertodosplitdays.Intheendyouhavetofindwhatworksforyou.Themainthingisthatwhenyouhavechosenyourdays,youshouldtrytostickwiththem.Changingyourfastdaysmeansyouarelesslikelytodothem.

Whentoeatyourcaloriesonan800-calorieday

Wearealldifferent.WhenI’mdoingthe5:2,Iprefereatingmycaloriesinjusttwomeals,whileputtingasidesomecaloriesforasmallsnack.Ihavealatebreakfast,skiplunchandaimtoeatearlyintheevening.Asyoucanseefromourmenus,weofferyouchoices.Youcanhavethreesmallishmeals–breakfast,lunchanddinner,–orspreadyourcaloriesovertwolargermeals.Trythedifferentapproachestillyouthefindonethatworksforyou.

Whattoeatonnon-fastdays

Wehaveincluded‘non-fastday’optionsattheendofmanyofourrecipestomakeiteasierforyoutofollowahealthydietevenonthe‘normal’days.Therearesuggestionsforhowtoincludeextrassuchasaddedprotein(seepage243)ortoaddinwholegrains(suchasbrownriceorquinoa),lentilsandbeans.Youcansometimesincludeasliceofbrownseededorsourdoughbread,andeventheoccasionalpuddingafterameal,oraportionoffruit.Forsomerecipesyoucansimplydoubletheportions.Therearealsosuggestionsastohowtomaketherecipeabitmoresubstantial,perhapsbyaddingextranon-starchyvegoradressedsalad.

HowtocombinetheNew5:2withTRE

IfyouhavebeenfollowingaTimeRestrictedEatingplanyoucaneithersticktoyourcurrentregime(whichwilleitherbe12:12or14:10)oryoucanmoveontosomethingalittlebittougher,whichis16:8.Justtoremindyou,thismeansnoteatingordrinkinganythingwhichcontainscaloriesfor16hours,overnight.

AswesawinChapter3,fastingforlongerwilldelivermorepowerfulbenefits,butitcanbehardertostickto.

Oneofthecommonestwaysthatpeopledothe16:8isbyskippingbreakfastandnoteatinguntilatleast12pm.Beforethattimeyoucanhaveblacktea,blackcoffee,plentyofwater,butnoactualcalories.IfyouareseriousaboutdoingTREthendotrytoeatyourlastcaloriesatleastthreehoursbeforegoingtobed.

Again,intheevenings,whenyouhavestoppedeating,youcanhaveasmanycalorie-freedrinksasyouwant–water,herbalteas,andsoon–but,obviously,noalcohol!

Infact,myadviceisthatyoutrytolowerorevencutoutalcoholaltogetherwhiletryingtoloseweight.Alcoholisbadfordietersforarangeofreasons:

Itweakensyourwillpower–IfindthatonceI’vehadadrink,mywillpower,alwaysweaktobeginwith,almostentirelydisappears.Alcoholgivesyouthemunchies.WhenIamdrinkingIcannotresistcrisps.Alcoholisextremelycalorific.Hereareafewfigurestobearinmind:alargeglassofwine(250ml)orapintofbeercomestoaround230calories,whichissimilartoeatingasmallbarofchocolateoranicecream.

Q&A

WhatifI’mnotlosingweight?

WhenyouswitchtotheNew5:2youshouldcontinuetoloseweightatarateof1-2kgaweek.Ifthisdoesn’thappenstraightaway,bepatient.Ifitreallydoesn’thappenandyoustillhaveweighttolose,thenIwouldsuggestyoulookseriouslyatwhatyouareeatingonyournon-fastdays.Takephotos.Keeparecord.Includeabsolutelyeverything.Comeandtalktopeopleonthewebsite.

Thealternative,ofcourse,isthatyouincreaseyournumberof800-caloriedays:afriendofminestartedon5:2,foundhewasn’tlosingweightasfastashewanted,sohemovedonto2:5,eatinghis800caloriesacrosstheweekthenhavingabitofasplurgeattheweekend.OryoucouldgobacktotheVeryFast800forawhile,justtokick-startyoursystem.

Isitsafetofastonmyperiod?

Youshouldn’tbefastingifyouarepregnantorbreastfeeding.Butthereisnoreasonwhyyoushouldn’tdo800-caloriedayswhileonyourperiod,unlessyourperiodsareparticularlyheavyorpainful.Ifthisisthecase,itisworthhavingyourironlevelstestedandtakingasupplementiftheyarelow.

Willfastingaffectmysleep?

Somepeoplestrugglewithhunger,particularlyduringthefirsttwoweeks,andthatcandisturbyoursleep.IfoundthataddinginTREimprovedmysleep.Why?DrPandathinksthismaybebecauseshortlybeforeyoufallasleepyourcoretemperaturestartstofall.Itisacuetoyourbrainthatitistimeforabitofshut-eye.Ifyourbodyisstilltryingtodigestfoodwhenyougotobed(anddigestingabigmealcantakemanyhours),thiswillnothappen.

Whataboutexercise?

AswiththeVeryFast800,youshouldstickwithyourexistingregime,andtrytoaddinsomeoftheexercisesthatIrecommendedinChapter5.Beingactive

isagreatwayofdistractingyourselfandwillboostyourmood.

ThereisincreasingevidencethatexercisingintandemwithTREcanenhanceitseffectiveness.TREispopularwithathletesandbodybuildersbecausetheyfindthatitenablesthemtolosefatbutpreservemuscle.Inarecentrandomisedstudy35offityoungmen,thoseputona16:8dietforeightweekslostsignificantamountsoffatbutremainedasmuscly,andasstrong,asacontrolgroupwhowerenotfasting.Thiscouldbebecausenoteatingfor16hoursadaygivesthebodytimetorepairthemitochondria,thetinystructuresthatactlikebatteriestopowerourmuscles.Anextendedovernightfastalsoensuresthatold,damagedmusclecellsarebrokendownandreplacedwithnewones.

STAGE3:KEEPINGTHEWEIGHTOFFASAWAYOFLIFE

Onceyouhavehityourtargets,celebrate.Tellyourfriends.Youhavedonesomethingthatisreallytoughandyoudon’twanttogobacktoyouroldways.Ifyouhavefollowedthisprogrammeyouwillalreadyhavemadechangesthatwillsetyouupforlong-termsuccess:

1. Youwillbefeelingbetter,withmoreenergy,–happier,brighterandlighter,evenmoreconfidentandbackincontrol.

2. Youwillhavelostalotofweight,fast.Largeandrapidweightloss,asI’vesaidalready,isagreatpredictoroflong-termsuccess.

3. Youwillhavepreservedyourmusclemassandthereforeyourmetabolicratebydoingalow-carb,Mediterraneandietandmaintaininganexerciseregime.

4. Havingembracedthelow-carbMediterranean-stylediet,youcannowfitinsome‘treatdays’,butgocarefully.Occasionallapsesarefine,butifyoureturntoyouroldways,youwillreturntoyouroldpre-dietbody.

5. YouhavemanagedtheNew5:2,sothereisnoreasonwhyyoushouldn’tsticktodoing5:2or6:1longterm.Doingthe6:1(whereyoufastonedayaweek)isanexcellentoptionforkeepingyourbodyingoodshape,particularlyifyouarehappywithyourcurrentweightandhaven’tfoundintermittentfastingtoostressful.

6. YouwillhopefullyhavefoundthatTREsuitsyou,andifyouwanttocontinue,longterm,thereisnoreasonwhyyoushouldn’tjustkeepgoing.Mostpeoplefind10:14or12:12isdoable,albeitwithoccasionallapses.Ifyoufindyourselfhavingalate-nightmeal/snack/drink,thenaimforalaterbreakfast.

7. Youhavegainedfuturehealthbenefits,whichisverymotivating.By

losingvisceralfatandchangingwhatyoueat,youwillhavereducedyourriskofmanychronicdiseases.Peoplewithhighbloodpressurereportsignificantimprovements.Manypeoplewithtype2diabetesorpre-diabetestellmetheirbloodsugarlevelshavereturnedtonormal,withoutmedication.Peoplewithafattylivershouldhaveseentheirliverhealthtransformed(rapidweightlossiscurrentlytheonlyeffectivetreatmentforNon-AlcoholicFattyLiverDisease,alsoknownasNAFLD).Intermittentfastinghasbeenshowntoreduceinflammation,improvingconditionssuchasarthritis,eczema,psoriasisandasthma.Andhopefullyyourcholesterolprofilewillbelookingbettertoo.

8. Youhaveembracedanewwayoflife–forlife.Formanypeople,simplystickingtoarelativelylow-carb,Med-stylediet,whilemanagingportioncontrolisenough.Andifthingsslip,youknowexactlywhattodo…

Sowhatelsecanyoudotoensurelong-termsuccess?There’snodoubtthatoverthenextfewmonthsyouwillfacechallenges,whetherathomeoratwork,buttrynottolettheseknockyouoffcourse.Thelongeryoukeeptheweightoff,theeasieritwillbecome.

ThisisalistofsomeofthemostsuccessfulstrategiesthatI,andothers,haveadoptedtostayontrack:

Keepjunkfoodoutofthehouse.Thisisthenumberonestrategyusedbysuccessfuldieters.Howeverstrong-willedyouare,howeverlongithasbeensinceyouateatuboficecreamonyourown,thereisalwaystheriskthatifthefoodiscloseathandyouwilleatit.AdistinguishedsurgeonrecentlytoldmehedidtheFastDietandlostfourstoneafterbeingcalleda‘fatbastard’byafellowsurgeon.Nowhe’slostallthatweight,hehasanumberofsimplerulesthatkeephimslim.Theseincludeneverkeepingsugarytreatsinthehouseandonlyeatingicecreamwhenhegoestothecinema.Sincehehardlyevergoestothecinemathisisnotaproblem.Weighyourselfregularly.Surprisinglyenough,lotsofstudieshaveshownthatregularself-weighingisoneofthebestwaystomaintainweightloss.Dailyisbetterthanweekly,andweeklyisbetterthanmonthly.Arecentlargestudy36ofover1700peoplefollowedformore

thantwoyearsfoundthatthosewhoweighedthemselvesdailywere,onaverage,6.5kglighterattheendofthetrialthanthosewhoweighedthemselvesmonthly.Iweighmyselfmostdaysfirstthinginthemorning,soonafterIgetup.Iknowthatmyweightcanfluctuate,dependingonhowdehydratedIam,butifmyweightstartstocreepupIrespond.Buyyourselfasetofnewclotheswhenyoufinishthediet.Youdeservearewardforallyourhardwork,butanewwardrobewillalsohelpkeepyouonyourtoes.Dave,wholostover20kgin12weeksandreversedhisdiabetes,nowhasafavouriteshirtwhichheusesasameasureofhowwellheisstickingtohisnewhabits.Hetoldmethatwhentheshirtstartsgettingtight,heknowsitistimetodoabitmorefasting.Ifyoudostarttoputonweightyoumusttakeactionasquicklyaspossible.Aweightgainofmorethanafewkilosislikelytoleadtodespairandextensiveweightregain.Insteadofblamingyourself,act.Gobackonto800calories.Usethosemealreplacementshakesthatarestillinthecupboard.Knocktheweightregainontheheadbeforeitreallysetsin.Keepactive.Alongwithregularself-weighing,increasedactivityissomethingthatmostsuccessfullong-termdietersmention.Thegoodnewsisthatwhenpeopleloseweighttheyfindthatactivitieslikewalkingorcyclingbecomeeasierandmuchmoreenjoyable.Self-monitoring.Ifoneofthereasonsyoudecidedtogoonthedietwasbecauseyourbloodsugarsweretoohigh,thenregularself-testingwithafinger-prickmonitorisausefulthingtodo.Manypeople,havingreversedtheirtype2diabetesbyrapidweightloss,usethefearofdevelopingtype2diabetesagainasapowerfulmotivator.Ikeepacloseeyeonmybloodsugarlevelsandmybloodpressure,aswellasmyweight.Joinanonlinecommunityandshareyourdata.AstudybyNorthwesternUniversity37foundthatonlinedieterswithhigh‘socialembeddedness’–theoneswhologgedonregularly,recordedtheirweighinsand‘friended’othermembers–werethosewholostthemostweightandkeptitoff,longterm.Asoneoftheresearchersonthestudy,DrLouisAmaralpointedout,‘Ifyoumonitoryourweight,youare

engaged.Ifyoucommunicateonlinewithotherpeopleyouareevenmoreengaged.Andwhenyouneedsupportyouwillgetit.’Ifyourfriends,colleaguesoryourpartnerareoverweightorobese,trytopersuadethemtogivethisdietago.Wearesocialcreaturesandwetendtomimicthepeoplearoundus.Onestudy38foundthatwhenpeopleloseweightwithapartnertheyarefarmorelikelytokeepitoffthanwhentheydoitalone.Yourpartnercanbeyourgreatestally(mineis),ortheycansometimesundermineyourefforts.Ifyourpartnerisn’tsupportive,thenitisevenmoreimportantthatyoufindfriendsoranonlinecommunitytohelpyouthroughthehardtimes.Alwaystrytositdownformealsandnevereatonthemove.Thiscountswhetheryouaregettingsomethingoutofthefridge,cookingthekids’tea,clearinguptheirplates,walkingaroundasupermarketorbeingofferedapieceofobscureposhcheese.Allofthesegrazingmomentsaddup,andnotinagoodway.Findhealthyfoodstoeatduringthedayatwork,andwhenoutandabout–anddon’tbeembarrassedtopreparesomethinginadvance.Packedlunchesaregoingtobehealthierthansomethingfromasnackbar,andwillsaveyoumoney.Putlessfoodonyourplatethanyouthinkyoumightactuallyeatandonlyhelpyourselftosecondsafterapause,ifyou’restillhungry.Ifyoudowantmore,trytomakeitmainlynon-starchyveg.Ittakestimeforthefoodyoueattogettothereceptorsinyoursmallintestinethatsignal‘enough’,sothefasteryoueatthemoreyoueat.Pilingupyourplatewillencourageyoutoovereat.Bemindful.Iwroteaboutmindfulnessinthepreviouschapterandaboutdifferentwaysyoucanremain‘mindful’throughouttheday.Arecentanalysisof19studies39foundthatmindfulness-basedinterventionsincreasedweightlossandreduced‘obesity-relatedeatingbehaviours’.Dogiveitago.Writethingsdown.AstudybyKaiserPermanente’sCenterforHealthResearch,40oneofthelargestandlongestweight-lossmaintenancetrialseverconducted,foundthatthosewhokeptdailyfoodrecordslosttwiceasmuchweightasthosewhodidn’t.Itseemsthatthesimpleactofwritingdownwhatyoueatencouragespeopletoconsumefewercalories.

Itdoesn’thavetobethatcomplicated.Justscribbleitdowninanotebookoronyourmobile.Sendyourselfe-mailstallyingeachmeal,orsendyourselfatextmessage.Itistheprocessofreflectingonwhatyouareeatingthatmakesyouawareofthebadhabitsyoumightbeslippinginto.Prioritisesleep.Mostpeopleneedatleastseventoeighthourssleepanight,andifyoutrytogetbyonlessthanthatyouarelikelytoexperienceincreasedhungerandcravings,particularlyforhigh-carb,high-caloriefoods.Gettingagoodnight’ssleepisallaboutestablishingaregularschedule,inwhichyougotobedandgetupatmuchthesametimeeveryday,whetheritisduringtheweekortheweekend.Toolittlesleepwillincreaseyourstresshormones,makingyouhungrierandmorelikelytoovereat,whichinturnwillmakeyousleepless.It’saviciouscycle.Aboveall,remindyourselfwhyyouaredoingthis.Iwanttolivetoahealthyoldage,enjoyinglifewithfriendsandfamily.That’swhykeepingmyweightdownissoimportanttome.Whateveryourmotives,remindyourselfofthemfromtimetotime.Revisityouoriginalgoals.LosingweightandkeepingitoffisoneofthehardestthingsI’vedone.ButI’vesucceededandsocanyou.Andaswithadoptinganynewhabit–itreallydoesgeteasierwithtime.Goodluckandletusknowhowyougetonatthefast800.com.

A8SUPERSIZEME

sImentionedintheintroduction,whenIwasresearchingthisbook–andfollowingmyownpersonalrationalethatIshouldtrythe

programmesIrecommend–ItestedouttheFast800,byputtingonweightandthenseeinghowquicklyIcouldloseitagain.

Beforestarting,Ididarangeoftests,includingmeasuringmyfastingglucose,mybloodpressure,myweightandmywaist.

ThetestsshowedIwasbasicallyhealthy.Icameinat172lb(78kg),withawaistof32inches(81cm),bloodsugarsandbloodpressurebothexcellent.Timetoundoallthat.

Toputonweight,Istucktoarelativelyhealthydietbutincreasedmyconsumptionofstarches.Iatemorebread,potatoes,riceandpasta,plustheoccasionalbiscuit.

Here’sanentryfrommydiary:‘It’snowacoupleofweekssinceIstarteddoingmyexperimentandthebiggestsurprisehasbeenthat,sofar,Ihaveputonremarkablylittleweight.Ithinkmybodyhasjustgotusedtomycurrentweightandisresistingmyattempttopilethefaton.Insomewaysthatisimmenselyreassuring.Icouldgetusedtothisnewlifestyle.’

Itdidn’tlast.

‘It’snowamonthintomyexperimentandthescalesarebeginningtomove.Mybloodsugarlevelsarealsostartingtorise.ThestrangestandmostunsettlingthingisthatIamnowreallybeginningtocravesweetthingsagain.Ifinditalmostimpossibletopassashopandnotbuyasmallbarofchocolate.ClaresaysthatIambeginningtosnoreagainandsheisanxiousthatIstopsoon.’

Intheend,ittookmenearlyfourmonthstoputon14lb(justover6kg)andbythentherothadreallysetin.Mybloodsugarswerealmostbackinthediabeticrange.Mywaisthadballoonedto37inches(94cm)andmybloodpressurewastheredzone.Ifelthungrymuchofthetime.

IwasdoingalotoffilmingduringthatperiodandIworriedthatpeoplewouldnoticethatI’dputonlotsofweightandaskwhyIhadallowedmyself

togotoseed,butnoonedid.IthelpsthatwhenIputonfatitismainlyinternal.Wearingbaggyshirtsalsohelps.

MywifetoldmeIwasbeginningtolookolder.Iwassleepingbadlyandfeelingincreasinglymoody.

So,afterafinal,indulgentsummerholidayinGreece,Iknuckleddowntolosingweight.IstartedbydoingtheVeryFast800programme,stickingto800caloriesaday,andusingmenusfromthisbook.

IincludedTRE,doinga12:12programme.Myplanwastofinisheatingby8pmandthennoteatanythingtillatleast8amthenextmorning.

SohowdidIgeton?

Well,itwaseasierthanIfeared.PerhapsbecauseIamusedtooccasionalfasting,stickingto800caloriesadaywasnotaschallengingasIthoughtitwouldbe.Iknewwhattoexpect,whichhelps,andIimaginethatmybodyismoreusedto‘flippingthemetabolicswitch’.Iwascertainlyhungryandabitgrumpytobeginwith,butafterafewdaysthecravingsandtheburstsofhungrinesspassed.Mostly.

SinceIwastryingtofitthisrapidweightlossdietaroundabusyfilmingschedule,IhadtocombineusingmealreplacementshakeswhenIwasontheroadwithrecipesfromthisbookwhenIwasathome.OnacoupleofoccasionsIhadtogoforbusiness-relatedmeals,butImanagedtosticktofishandvegetables.

Theweightlosswasfastandthemetabolicchangesimpressive.InthefirstfourdaysIlost6lb(2.7kg),someofitwater.Mybloodsugarsandmybloodpressurealsofell.Optimistically,Itriedtotightenmybeltbyanotch.Notthereyet.

Ikeptupmyexerciseregimen,butIdidnoticethatgoingforlongwalksorrunswastougherthanithadbeen.AlthoughIwasinmildketosis(Iusedmyketonestickstocheck),myenergylevelsweredefinitelylower.

Iwasgluggingbacklotsofwaterandblacktea,soneitherheadachesnorconstipationwereaproblem.

Ihadsomebadmoments,includingoneoccasionwhenIwasstrandedonarailwayplatformat10pm,nothavingeatenthatday,withnothingfor

companybutachocolatemachine.FortunatelyIdidn’thaveanychange,orIwouldprobablyhavecracked.

Therewerelapses.TherewasaneveningwhenIgavemyselfanightoffanddrankseveralglassesofwine,followedbywaytoomuchcheese.AndanotheroccasionwhenIgaveintoonesliceofhotbutteredtoast,thenanother.ButonthewholeIstayedontrack.

AftertwoweeksIhadmanagedtolose11lbandgetmybloodsugarsandbloodpressurebacktonormal.IcouldhavecontinuedontherapidweightlossprogrammebutIthoughtthiswouldbeagoodmomenttoswitchtothe5:2.

Asanexperiment,Ididmyfastdaysback-to-back(MondaysandTuesdays)andnoticed,thankstomyketomeasuringsticks,thatIwasinmildketosisforsomeofthefirstandmostofthesecondday.

Doingexercisebecameeasier.Icouldpushmyselfharderwithoutfeelingdrained.

IcontinuedtoeattheMed-stylemenusfromthebookonmyfastdaysandeatmorefreelyonthenon-fastdays.Ialsoreturnedtodrinkingwineonmynon-fastdays.Itwas,dareIsayit,easy.

ThreeweeksandfivedaysafterIstarted,Iwasbacktomyprevioushealthyweightandeverythingelsehadreturnedtonormal.

WhathadIlearned?

Thatthisdietisverydoable.ThatifIletmyselfgo,thenthediabetesandotherhealthissueswillreturn.ThatwhatIeatreallydoesaffectmymood.ThatTREhelps,butitistrickytosticktorigidlyifyouhaveasociallife.Thatsaid,Iwillpersistwithtryingtodoitonasmanyoccasionsaspossible,asIthinkthescienceisconvincing.

Wheredowegofromhere?

ItissixyearssinceIfirstsuggestedthatintermittentfastingmightofferanewandexcitingalternativetothestandard‘slow,steady,eatlow-fat’message.TodayIammoreconfidentthaneverthatitdoes.

Iamstoppedonthestreetsalmosteverydaybypeoplewhowanttotellmeabouttheirweightlosssuccess.DoImind?Notatall.IlovefeedbackandevenifwenevercrosspathsyoucanalwaysgetincontactwithmeortheFast800teamviathewebsite.

Justasimportantly,Ifeelthatthescienceiscomingalonginleapsandbounds.Althoughtherearestillsomeveryimportantquestionsthatremainunresolved,answersareontheirway.

SowillProfessorValterLongo’sFastMimickingDietturnouttobeasrevolutionaryashisearlystudiessuggestitmightbe?

WillProfessorMarkMattson’s5:2studyonthebrainopenthedoortoanewwayofcombatingdementia?

Willdoctorsandotherhealthprofessionalsrespondpositivelytothelatestresearchshowingjusthoweffectivearapidweightlossdietcanbe?

I’mobviouslyhopingtheanswerstoallthesequestionswillbe‘yes’.

Intermittentfastinghaschangedmylife.Ihopeitchangesyours.

RECIPES

byDrClareBaileyandnutritionaltherapistJoySkipper

Thissectioncontainslotsofideasforhowtomakeupyour800caloriesonfastdays–whetheryouwanttohavethreesmallmeals

ortwolargerones.

Therearealsooptionsformakingadishabit‘moresubstantial’withminimaladdedcalories,andformakinglargerportionsfor

non-fastdays.Allcaloriecountsareperportion.

BREAKFAST

Theseeasysuggestionsforfillingbreakfastswillneithersignificantlyincreaseyourbloodsugars,norleadtoweightgain.Andbecausetheykeepyoufullforlonger,youarelesslikelytobeovercomebytheurgetosnack.

It’sfineifyoudon’teatbreakfast–infact,itextendsyourfastingwindow;butitisimportanttoincreaseyourfluidintakeifyouskipameal,orareonan800-calorieday(seepage252fordrinkssuggestions).Someoftherecipesareportable,soyoucantakethemwithyouandeatthemlaterinthemorning,orevenforlunch.

BoiledEggswithSpicedAsparagusSoldiers230calsServes2

Afabulouslightbreakfastthatisfullofflavour.

250gasparagusspears

4eggs

½tbspoliveoil

largepinchofgroundcuminorsmokedpaprika

1. Cutorbreakoffthewoodyendsoftheasparagusandblanchthespearsinapanofboilingwaterfor3minutes.Drainthemandsetthemaside.

2. Heatapanofwatertoarollingboil.Addtheeggsandcookthemfor6-7minutesforasoftyolk.

3. Meanwhile,heatagriddlepanonthehob.Tosstheasparagusspearsintheoliveoilandsprinklethemwiththecuminorpaprikaandsomesaltandblackpepper.Cookthemonthegriddlefor3-4minutes,turningthemafewtimes,untiltheyaretenderandslightlycharred.

4. Servetheeggsineggcups,withthegriddledasparagusfordunking!

MORESUBSTANTIAL:(additionsshowcaloriesperportion):addalargehandfulofspinach,tossedfor1-2minutesinanon-stickpanuntilitwilts(insignificantcals;add37calsifyouuse1tspbutter,or27calsfor1tspoliveoil).

BakedEggs2ways:These‘muffins’tasteequallydelicioushotfromtheovenorpoppedinalunchboxtoeatlater.

EasyBaconandEggMuffins280calsServes2

4rashersofstreakybacon

4eggs

10gParmesan,grated

1. Preheattheovento200°C/180°Cfan/gasmark6.Lightlygrease4holesofametalorsiliconemuffintray.Oruseoven-saferamekins,lightlygreased.

2. Cutthebaconrashersinhalfthenlaythem,criss-crossed,inthemuffinholes.

3. Crack1eggintoeachhole.4. SprinkletheParmesanontop,alongwithsomefreshlygroundblack

pepper.Bakethemfor15minutesforasoftyolkor20forahardyolk.

MOREOPTIONS:add2-3tbspslicedcookedgreensor3largechestnutmushroomsdicedanddry-friedinanon-stickpan(insignificantcals),orfriedin½tbspoliveoil(add30calsperperson).

BakedSalmonandEggswithChives300calsServes2

Salmonprovidesahealthyomega-3boostforyourbrainandcirculation,andhelpsreduceinflammation.

150gsmokedsalmon

handfulofbabyspinachorleftovergreens,chopped

4eggs

1tbspchives,chopped(optional)20gParmesan,grated

1. Preheattheovento200°C/180°Cfan/gasmark6.Lightlygrease4holesofametalorsiliconemuffintray.Alternatively,useoven-saferamekins,lightlygreased.

2. Linethe4holeswiththesmokedsalmon.3. Placethespinachinabowl.Usingafork,lightlywhiskintheeggs,

chivesandsomegroundblackpepper.4. Dividethemixturebetweenthe4holes.Sprinkleoverthegrated

Parmesanandsomemoreblackpepperandbakefor15minutes,oruntiltheeggslookset.

MORESUBSTANTIAL:servethemwithextraleafygreenssuchasrocketorbabysaladleavesontheside(insignificantcals).

PorridgewithPistachiosandChia370calsServes2

Creamyporridgewithahintofexoticcardamom,andtheaddedbenefitofchia,asuperfoodhighinnutrients,fibreandprotein.

4tbsprolledoats

300mlmilk

1tbspchiaseeds

½tspcardamomseeds

handfulofchoppedpistachios

1. Placealltheingredientsinapanandbringittotheboil.Reducetheheatandletitsimmerfor6-8minutes,stirringoccasionally,untiltheporridgeisthickandcreamy.

MORESUBSTANTIAL:serveittoppedwithahandfulofraspberries,blueberriesorthepulpofapassionfruit(add15calsfor40g).

SpeedyEggsandAvocado290calsServes1

Thisisoneforpeoplewhosaytheydon’thavetimetocookeggsforbreakfast–preparethemthedaybefore,thenassemblethedishinthemorning.

2eggs

½avocado

squeezeoflemon

1. Cooktheeggsfor6-7minutesinapanofboilingwater,thenplacethemundercoldrunningwater.Peelthemandputtheminthefridge(ifyou’repreparingtheminadvance).

2. Inthemorning,peel,stoneandslicetheavocado.Placeitonaplateandsqueezethelemonjuiceoverit.

3. Cuttheeggsintoquarters.Mixthemwiththeavocadoslicesandsomeseasoning.

MORESUBSTANTIAL:servethemixtureonasliceofryebread(add55cals)orwholemealsourdoughtoast(add72cals).

TomatoandBasilOmelette240calsServes1

GetthedayofftoahealthystartwiththisclassicMediterranean-styleomelette.

2largeeggs

½tbspoliveoil

3cherrytomatoes,halved4-5basilleaves,shredded

1. Beattheeggsinabowlwithafork.Addalittleseasoning.2. Heattheoilinasmallfryingpanandcookthecherrytomatohalvesfor2

minutes.3. Addthebasil,cookforafurther20seconds,thenpourintheeggs,

swirlingthemaroundthepanwithawoodenspatula.4. Oncetheomelettestartstoset,loosentheedgesandfolditover.Whenit

islightlygolden,slideitontoawarmplatetoserve.

MORESUBSTANTIAL:serveitwithalargehandfulofbabysaladleavesorrocket(insignificantcals,unlessyouuseadressing,suchastheoliveoilandcidervinegardressingonp244–add100cals).

CreamyGreenSmoothie165calsServes2

½cucumber,chopped

2celerystalks,chopped1kiwifruit,chopped

1egg

2tbspextra-virginoliveoil

Blitzalltheingredientstogetherinablenderwithsomeseasoningand150mlwater.Pouritinto2glassesandserveimmediately.

SpicedMangoSmoothie190calsServes2

1largemango,stoned,peeledandcutintochunks

1tbspfull-fatGreekyoghurt

300mlalmondmilk

zestandjuiceof½orange2cmrootginger,peeledandgrated¼tspgroundcinnamon,plusextratoservelargepinchofgroundturmeric

Blitzalltheingredientstogetherinablender.Pouritinto2glassesandserveitwithsomegroundcinnamonsprinkledontop.

LIGHTMEALS

Inanidealworld,followingthetraditional‘Mediterranean’wayofeating,wewouldalleatourmainmealearlyintheday,becausethatwayitislesslikelytobestoredasfat.However,clearly,thisdoesn’tworkforeveryone,andsointhissectiondisheshavebeendividedinto‘light’and‘main’meals,ratherthan‘lunch’or‘dinner’,soyoucanbeflexibleaboutwhenyoueatthem.

Thelightmealsaregenerallysimpleandquicktomake,andusuallylowerincaloriesthanthemains.Someworkwellasabrunch.

Ourrecommendationisthatyoudon’tsnackbetweenmeals,asthisstopsfatburning.

HummusinaHurry205calsProvides4portions

Analmostinstantmealwhichfillsthegapandtastesgreatservedwithsomecrunchyvegetables.Don’tworryaboutthegenerousamountofoliveoil–itaddstoboththetasteandthehealthbenefits.

200gtinnedchickpeas

2tbsplemonjuice(ormoretotaste)2½tbspextra-virginoliveoil½tbsptahini

2garliccloves,chopped

1. Drainthechickpeas,reservingthewater.2. Blendalltheingredientstogether,exceptfor½tbspoliveoil.3. Addalittleofthereservedchickpeawaterifneededtogetthedesired

consistency.Seasonthehummuswithsaltandgroundblackpeppertotaste.

4. Drizzletheremainingoliveoilontop,alongwithsomecuminseedsorpaprika,ifyouwish.Servewithcrispyvegetablecrudités,suchassticksofcelery,cucumberandcourgette,babyasparagus,andcauliflowerorbroccoliflorets,allofwhichcontainveryfewcaloriesandareagoodsourceoffibre,socanbeeatenalmostfreely.

TIP:don’tover-squeezethelemonwhenyoujuiceit,asthewhitepithcanmakeitbitter.

TapenadewithFeta138calsServes2

Olivepastecanhaveanoverwhelminglyintenseandsharptaste,butcombinedherewithfeta,itmakesadelicatelytangy,creamyspread.Deliciousoncoin-shapedslicesofcourgetteascanapés,orspreadonseededcrackers–orsimplyservedasadip.

50gfeta50gpittedolives,fromajarortin,drained

1tbspoliveoil

Blitztheingredientstogetherwithahand-heldblenderinasmallbowl,leavingsomechunkybitsofolive.

NON-FASTDAYS:justeatmoreofit!

CrunchyCourgetteCanapés3waysThenewblini.Soeasyandsohealthytoo.Youdon’thavetocountthecaloriesinthecourgette,astheyaresolowastobeinsignificant.Topthesliceswithflavouredcreamcheese,pickledfish,chives,QuickPickledFennelandRadishes(seepage237)orwhateverhealthyleftoversyoucanassemblefromthefridge.Finishthemoffwithaspoonfulofhome-madesauerkrautorkimchi(seepage240-41).

½mediumcourgette,slicedapprox.½cmthick

Toppings:

1tbsp(25g)TapenadewithFeta(seepage180)62cals1tbsp(25g)HummusinaHurry(seepage179)46cals1tbspSmashedAvocado(seepage182)103cals

DarkRyeBread2ways:Mostbreads,includingmany‘brown’varieties,aremadewithhighlyprocessedflour,fromwhichthemajorityofthebeneficialnutrientsandfibrehavebeenremoved.Although‘brown’breadmaycontainhealthywholegrainsorseeds,theseareoftentokeninquantity.Wholegraindarkryeisusuallyhigherinfibre.Ifyoufindthetasteofdarkryebreadtoostrong,lookforthelighterversions.Alternatively,useseededwholemealorbrownsourdoughbread.

SmashedAvocadoonDarkRyeBread290calsServes2

1largeavocado,peeledandstonedjuiceof½smalllemon

1tbspextra-virginoliveoil

2thinslicesofryebread

2tbsppumpkinorsunflowerseeds,toasted

1. Roughlymashtheavocadoinabowlwiththelemonjuiceandoil,leavingsomechunkybits.

2. Seasonitwithsaltandblackpepperandspoonitontotheslicesofryebread.

3. Sprinklethetoastedseedsoverthetopbeforeserving.

DarkRyeBreadwithEggandSpinach240calsServes1

2eggs

1tspbutteroroliveoil

2handfulsofspinach

1sliceofryebread,toasted

1. Eitherpoachtheeggsinboilingwaterfor4minutesorscramblethem.2. Meanwhile,meltthebutteroroilinanon-stickfryingpanovera

mediumheatandaddthespinach.Cookitbriefly,justuntilitwilts,thenspoonitontothetoast.

3. Placetheeggontop.Seasontotastewithalittlesaltandplentyofgroundblackpepper.

TIP:forextraflavouraddafewdropsofTabascosauceorapinchofcayennepepper.

TurmericSpicedMushroomOmelette210calsServes1

Enjoythislightlyspiced,super-healthyomeletteforbreakfast,lunchorsupper.

1tspcoconutoilorbutter

2chestnutmushrooms,diced1springonion,diced

½tspgroundturmeric

¼tspchilliflakes,totaste2largeeggs,lightlywhiskedsmallhandfuloffreshcoriander,chopped

1. Placetheoilorbutterinasmallfryingpanoveramediumheatandcookthemushroomsandspringonionfor3-4minutes.

2. Stirintheturmericandchilli,thenafteranotherminute,pourintheeggsalongwithsomeseasoning.

3. Stirtheeggslightly.Leavethemtocookgentlyforafewminutes,untiltheybegintosetbuttheyarestillslightlysoftandrunnyonthesurface.

4. Scatterthecorianderontop,thenfoldtheomeletteinhalfandslideitontoaplate.

TIP:Michaellovestoeatthisomelettewith1tbspfermentedcabbagetoaddsomecontrastingtangandcrunch(seepage240).Ifyouareevenmoreadventurous,trytoppingitwith½tbspkimchi,foratsunamiofexoticflavour.MORESUBSTANTIAL:serveitwithhalfaplatefulofsteamedgreensorcolouredleafyveg(nocaloriecountingneeded)orsaladleaves(addcaloriesifyouuseadressing,suchasoliveoilandcidervinegardressing,seepage244).

SlicedHam,orHalloumi,withPurpleSlaw200calsServes2

Thisversatilecrunchyslawgoeswellwithanycoldmeatorcheese.Ifmadeinadvance,itmakesaneasy,almostinstantlunchwhichispackedwithprotein,fibreandhealthyfats.

Fortheslaw:

¼smallredcabbage,finelysliced(seeTips)(175g)¼smallgreencabbage,finelysliced(175g)1springonion,finelysliced

120gcookedham(or50ghalloumi,seeTips)Forthedressing:

2tbspfull-fatGreekyoghurt

1tspDijonmustard

1tbspextra-virginoliveoil

1. Tomakethedressing,whiskalltheingredientstogetherwithsomeseasoning.

2. Mixtheslicedcabbageandspringonioninabowl.3. Addtheyoghurtdressingandmixeverythingtogetherwell.4. Servetheslawwiththehamorhalloumi.

TIPS:ifusinghalloumi,sliceitandfryitwithatinydrizzleofoliveoilinanon-stickfryingpanuntilitisgoldenonbothsides.Ifcookingforone,thesecondportionofslawwillkeepforadayortwo.Ifyoudon’thavebothredandwhitecabbage,justdoublethequantityoftheoneyouhave.MORESUBSTANTIAL:serveitwithapileofgreenandcolouredleavesandfreshherbs(nocaloriecountingrequired).Vegetarianscanincreasetheproteinbyadding2tbspnutritionalyeastandanextraspoonfulofyoghurttothedressing.NON-FASTDAYS:serveitwithanextrasliceofham.Youcouldalsoaddhalfapacket(125g)ofcookedpuylentilsperpersonforextraproteinor2-3heapedtbspcookedbrownriceorquinoa.

LemonandThymeChickenKebabs220calsServes2

Notonlydochickenthighscontainmorenutrientsthanbreastmeat,theyarealsomoresucculentandflavourful.Kebabsarewelldesignedforeatingonthehoof–takethemtoworkinalunchboxwithageneroussaladandadressinginasmalljar.

4small,boneless,skinlesschickenthighs,diced(about250g)juiceandzestof½lemon½tspdriedthyme

1garlicclove,crushed

1tbspoliveoil

1mediumonion,cutinto8pieces

1. Mixthedicedchickeninabowlwiththelemon,thyme,garlicandoilandseasonwellwithsaltandfreshlygroundblackpepper.Leaveittomarinatefor2hours,iftimepermits.

2. Heatthegrilltomaximum.Dividethechickenandonionpiecesbetween4skewers.

3. Placetheskewersonagrillpanunderthegrillforabout15minutes,turningthemfrequently,untilthechickeniscookedthroughandgoldenbrown.

TIP:ifusingwoodenskewersremembertosoaktheminwaterfor10minutesbeforegrillingsotheydon’tburn.MORESUBSTANTIAL:servethekebabswithahandfulofgreenandcolouredleafysalad(nocaloriecountingrequired).Addadressingsuchastheoliveoilandcidervinegaronp244(add100cals).NON-FASTDAY:doubletheportionandadd2-3tbspcookedbrownrice.

MincedPorkandMangeToutStir-FrywithNoodles320calsServes2

Fastcomfortfood–hot,fillingandburstingwithflavour.

200gporkmince

1½tbspsoysauce

1tspcornflour

300mlchickenorvegetablestock(½stockcube)100gZeronoodles,rinsed(orsobanoodles,seeTips)1½tbspcoconutorrapeseedoil2cmrootginger,peeledanddiced1onion,chopped

200gmangetout(orthingreenbeans)

1. Placetheporkinanon-metallicbowlwith½tbspsoysauce,agenerousamountoffreshlygroundblackpepperandthecornflour.Mixeverythingtogetherwellandleaveittomarinatefor30minutesifyouhavetime.

2. Addtheremainingsoysaucetothestockinajug.3. Cookthenoodlesaccordingtothepacketinstructions,thendrainand

refreshthemundercoldwater.4. Placeawokoverahighheatuntilitstartstosmoke,beforeaddingthe

oil.Stir-frythemincefor3-4minutesoruntilitislightlybrowned.5. Reducetheheattomediumandtossinthegingerandonion.Stir-fryfora

fewmoreminutes,thenaddthemangetout.Afteranotherminute,pourinthestockandthenoodlesandbringthewokbacktoasimmer,stirringfrequently,for1minute.

TIPS:serveitsprinkledwith½-1tspchilliflakesifyoulikeabitofextraheat.YoucaneasilysubstituteQuornforthepork.Zeronoodlesaremadeofkonjac,aplant-basedcomplexcarbohydratethatprovidesgut-friendlyfibrewhilereleasingverylittlestarchycarbohydrate(availableinbigsupermarketsandonline).Ifusingsobanoodles,cookthemaldenteandrefreshthemincoldwaterbeforeuse(add176cals).NON-FASTDAY:useamedium-sizedportionofwholemealnoodlesorsobanoodlesandadd1tspsesameoilalongwithsomeextraslicedcrispyvegetablesatstep5.

InstantMisoSoupwithMushroomsandGreens23calsServes1

Asimplemisosoupthatisverylowincalories,yetsurprisinglysatisfying.Taketheingredientstoworkinajar–andsimplytopupwithboilingwater.

1misosoupsachet

1mediummushroom,finelysliced

smallhandfulofbabyspinach(orcookedgreens),shreddedfewsprigsoffreshparsleyorcoriander(optional)

1. Pourthemisosachetintoagood-sizedbowlormug.2. Stirin250mlboilingwater,thenaddthemushroomandthegreens.

Leaveitfor3-5minutestoallowthemushroomtosoften.

MORESUBSTANTIAL:add1tbspheateddicedcookedchickenorsomeprawnsortofu(see‘Extras’onpages243-5forotheroptionstoadd).

Quick’n’EasyPeaandSpinachSoup130calsServes2

Agloriousgreenandfillingsouptokeepyougoingduringtheday.

200gfrozenpeas

100gfrozenspinach1garlicclove,chopped½chickenorvegetablestockcube

2tbspfull-fatGreekyoghurt

1. Placealltheingredients,apartfromtheyoghurt,inamedium-sizedsaucepanoveramediumheat.Add500mlwaterandbringittotheboil.

2. Seasonthesoupgenerouslywithfreshlygroundblackpepper,andallowittosimmerforabout5minutes.Thenremoveitfromtheheatandblitzitwithahand-heldblenderorinafoodprocessor,leavingsometexture.

3. Sharethesoupbetween2bowlsanddollopatbspofyoghurtineach.

MORESUBSTANTIAL:addanothertbspyoghurttoeachbowl(37cals)ordrizzleover½tbspoliveoil(49cals).NON-FASTDAY:addyoghurtoroliveoilasabove.Eatwithasliceofwholegrainsourdoughbread.

RootVegandTurmericSoup170calsServes4

Forthiscomfortingsoup,therootvegetablesarecookedwiththeirskinsontoretainalltheirexcellentnutrients.Theturmericgivesanextrahealthboost,withitswell-provenanti-inflammatoryproperties,whichareenhancedbytheadditionofblackpepper.

3tbspoliveoil

1onion,peeledanddiced1tspgroundcumin2tspgroundturmeric400gceleriac,scrubbedandchopped325gparsnips,scrubbedandchopped

1.2litresvegetableorchickenstock

1. Heattheoilinalargepanandsautétheonionuntilitissoftbutnotbrowned.Addthespices,andafterabout1minute,stirinthevegetables.

2. Pourinthestockandbringittotheboil.Coverthepanandletitsimmerforabout20minutes,oruntilthevegetablesaresoft.

3. Removethepanfromtheheatandblendthesoupwithahand-heldblenderuntilsmooth.

4. Seasonittotastewithsaltandfreshlygroundpepper.

TIP:foraddedflavourscatterahandfulofchoppedparsleyorcoriander,orapinchofchilliflakesontop.

RedLentilandCoconutSoup280calsServes4

Atasty,aromaticsouppackedwithfibreandprotein.

3tspcorianderseeds,lightlycrushed2tspcuminseeds

1tbspoliveoil

2leeks,trimmedandthinlysliced3garliccloves,crushed140gredlentils

400mltinlightcoconutmilkjuiceof½lime

600mlvegetablestock2tbspflakedalmonds,toasted

1. Toastthecorianderandcuminseedsinalargesaucepanoveralowheatfor2-3minutes,untiltheybecomefragrant.Removethemfromthepan.

2. Heattheoilinthesamepanandsautétheleeksandgarlicwithplentyoffreshlygroundblackpepperfor4-5minutes.

3. Stirinthetoastedseedsandlentilsandcookfor1minutebeforepouringinthecoconutmilk,limejuiceandstock.Addapinchofsaltandbringthepantotheboil.Thenreducetheheatandletitsimmerfor25minutes,oruntilthelentilsaretender.

4. Servethesoupinwarmedbowls,sprinkledwiththetoastedflakedalmonds.

NON-FASTDAY:addasmallpieceofwholegrainpitta.

GutHealingChickenBrothMakesapprox2litresApopulardishfromTheCleverGutsRecipeBook,thisnourishingbrothcontainsveryfewcaloriesandwillkeepyougoingonan800-calorieday.Slow-cookingreleasesthemineralsandnutrientsfromthebones.

3tbspoliveoil

4celerystalks,roughlychopped2smallonions,peeledandchopped2leeks,trimmed

1largegarlicclove,halved2carrots,chopped

approx1kgoutdoorrearedchickenwingsand/orchickencarcasses1tbspcidervinegar2bayleaves

1bouquetgarni

handfulofparsleystalks

6-8blackpeppercorns

1. Heattheoilinalargepanwithalidandsautéthecelery,onionsandleeksfor5-7minutes.

2. Addthegarlic,carrots,chicken,cidervinegar,bayleavesandbouquetgarni.

3. Add2litresofwaterandbringittoagentlesimmer.Coverandcookgentlyfor3-4hours,orideallyfor5-6hours,toextractallthenutrientsfromthebones.Checkoccasionallythatithasnotdriedoutandtopupwithwaterifneeded,skimminganygreyscumfromthesurface.

4. Pourthestockthroughasieveintoabowlandallowittodripfor15minutes.Forathickertastierbroth,gentlypressthesoftvegetablesthroughthesievewithaspoon.

5. Useitimmediatelyorletitcool,thenladleitintocontainerstostoreinthefridgeforupto5days,orinthefreezer.

GarlicPrawnswithMixedCourgettiandSpaghetti290calsServes2

Thecombinationofcourgettiandspaghettiworksreallywellhere–givingthedishmorebody,whilekeepingthecalorieslow.

50gwholewheatspaghetti

2tbspoliveoil

1smallgarlicclove,crushed200glargerawfrozenprawns,defrosted2mediumcourgettes,spiralisedorveryfinelysliced(about300g)½smalllemon

generoushandfuloffreshparsleyorcoriander,chopped

1. Cookthespaghettiaccordingtothepacketinstructions,ensuringitremainsaldente.Drainit,reservingthewater.

2. Meanwhile,placetheoilinamedium-sizedfryingpanoveramediumheat.Sweatthegarlicinitfor30seconds,thenstirintheprawnsandcookthemforabout3minutes,beforeaddingthecourgetti.

3. Keepstirringfor2-3minutes,andoncethecourgettistarttosoften,addthespaghettitothepanwithageneroussqueezeoflemonjuiceand1-2tbspofthereservedpastawater(orhotwater)toloosenthemixture.Bringthepantoagentlesimmer,thenimmediatelyremoveitfromtheheat.

4. Seasonitwithsomesaltandplentyoffreshlygroundblackpepper.Stirinthechoppedparsleyanddividethemixturebetween2bowls.

LOWERCAL:foralower-calversion,skipthespaghettianduselargercourgettes(thisreducesthecalsbyabout100perperson).NON-FASTDAY:doubletheportionandaddalargehandfulofsaladleaveswithadressingsuchasMintedMustardandLimeDressing,seepage201.

SardinesRoastedinRedandYellowPeppers220calsServes2

Tinnedsardines,whilefantasticallyhealthy,arenottoeveryone’staste.Thisisadeliciouswayofservingthem,withthepeppersprovidingasweetandsucculentfoiltothesaltyfish.

2redoryellowpeppers,halvedanddeseeded95gtinsardinesinoliveoil6cherrytomatoes,halved

1tbspcapers

2garliccloves,sliced

1tbspextra-virginoliveoil

2slicesofwholemealsourdough,toasted(optional,add144cals)

1. Preheattheovento180°C/160°Cfan/gasmark4.2. Placethepepperhalvesonasmallbakingtrayanddividethesardines

betweenthem.Drizzletheoilfromthesardinetinoverthepeppers.3. Sprinkleoverthecherrytomatoes,capersandgarlicandsomeseasoning.4. Placethetrayintheovenfor15-20minutesoruntilthepeppersstartto

brownaroundtheedges.5. Servetwopepperhalvesontopofeachsliceofsourdoughtoast(if

using).

TIP:tinsofsardinesdon’talwayscontainthesameamountofoliveoil.Youneedatotalofabout2tbsptodrizzleintothepeppers.

MintedAvocadoandChickpeaSalad350calsServes4

Chickpeasareagreatsourceofcomplexcarbohydrate(aswellasprotein),releasingslow-burnenergywithoutspikingsugars.

Forthesalad:

2avocados,peeled,stonedandsliced400gtinchickpeas,drained,3tbspwaterreserved½redonion,finelysliced

4pakchoi,trimmedandchopped16cherrytomatoes,halved

8Brazilnuts,chopped

FortheMintedMustardandLimeDressing:

gratedzestof1limeandjuiceof2limes4tbspextra-virginoliveoil

1tspDijonmustard

2tbspmint,finelychopped

1. Tomakethedressing,whisktogetherthereservedchickpeawater,limezestandjuice,oliveoil,mustardandchoppedmint.Seasonwell.

2. Placeallthesaladingredientsexceptthenutsinalargebowl,pouroverthedressingandtosseverythingtogether.

3. SprinklethechoppedBrazilnutsontopandserve.

NON-FASTDAY:doubletheportionsize.

MisoAubergine‘Steaks’withRoastedCarrotsandCashews315calsServes2

Pleasedon’tbetemptedtoreducetheamountofoliveoilinthisrecipe–thiswonderfulhealthyfatgivesthisdishitsrichtasteandtextureandwillhelpkeepyousatiatedforlonger.

200gyellowandorangecarrots,cutintobatons

3tbspoliveoil

30gcashews

1aubergine,trimmedandslicedinto‘steaks’,1cmthick

2tspmisopaste

juiceof½lime

100gbabyspinach

1. Preheattheovento200°C/180°Cfan/gasmark6.Placethecarrotsinabakingtrayanddrizzle1tbspoftheoliveoiloverthem.Roastthemfor15-20minutesoruntiltheystarttoturngoldenbrown.Addthecashewsforthelast5minutes.

2. Meanwhile,spreadbothsidesoftheauberginesteakswithmisopaste.Placetheremainingoliveoilinalargenon-stickfryingpanoveramediumheatandgentlyfrythesteaksonbothsidesuntiltheyarelightlybrowned.

3. Inthelastfewminutesofcooking,drizzlethelimejuiceovertheaubergine.Thenstirinthespinach,allowingit1-2minutestowiltinthepan.

4. Finallyaddtheroastedcarrotsandsomesaltandblackpepper.

TIP:theseaubergine‘steaks’,withtheirfabulous‘umami’flavourcanbeeatenwithsaladsoranycombinationofcookedveg(32caloriesontheirown).MORESUBSTANTIAL:addagreenorcolouredleafsidesalad(insignificantcaloriesunlessyouadd

adressing).NON-FASTDAYS:addanextraaubergine‘steak’.Servewithboiledpeasandadollopofbutteroradrizzleofoliveoil.Youmightadd3heapedtbspcookedwholegrainssuchasbrownrice,orsomepulses,suchaspuylentils,fromapacket.

Mackerel,BeetrootandRedOnionSalad349calsServes4

Enjoyanomega-3boostfromthisstaroftheoilyfishgroup.We’vemadeiteveneasierforyoubyusingfishthathasalreadybeencookedandfilleted.

500gbeetroot,trimmed,peeledandcutintowedges2tbspoliveoil

1tspcuminseeds

2redonions,cutintowedges

2garliccloves,finelychopped

3smokedmackerelfillets,skinnedandbrokenintolargeflakes(about250g)1tbspcapers,roughlychopped(optional)

1tbspcidervinegar

3-4sprigsoffreshdillormint,choppedhandfuloffreshparsley,chopped150grocket(ormixtureorrocketandwatercress)

1. Preheattheovento200°C/180°Cfan/gasmark6.2. Placethebeetrootinaroastingtin,drizzle1tbspoliveoiloveritand

scatterthecuminseedsontop.Coveritwithfoilandroastitfor45minutes.Thendiscardthefoilandstirintheonionsandgarlic.Cookthevegetablesforafurther15-20minutes,oruntiltheyaretender.

3. Removethemfromtheovenandspoonthemintoalargebowlwiththeremainingingredients.Tosseverythingtogethergentlybeforeserving.

MORESUBSTANTIAL:add2tbsproughlychoppedtoastedwalnuts(80cals).NON-FASTDAY:add2-3heapedtbspcookedbrownriceorbulgarwheat.

Lentil,PomegranateandFetaSalad395calsServes2

Thiscolourful,flavoursomesaladwillkeepyougoingthroughtheday.

Forthesalad:

250gpacketofcookedpuylentils

2tbsppomegranateseeds

½cucumber,halved,deseededanddiced100gfeta,diced

1garlicclove,finelydiced6-8freshmintleaves,tornForthedressing:

2tbspextra-virginoliveoil

juiceof½lemon

1tspwholegrainmustard

1. Whiskthedressingingredientstogetherwithsomesaltandblackpepper.2. Placethelentilsinalargebowlwiththepomegranateseedsand

cucumber,andcrumbleinthefeta.3. Stirinthedicedgarlicandtornmintleaves.4. Pourthedressingoverthelentilsaladandtosseverythingtogetherbefore

serving.

MORESUBSTANTIAL:scatter1tbsptoastedflakedalmondsortoastedhazelnutsontop(addabout100cals).Youmightliketoaddaportionofslicedcoldmeatsorsmokedfish(seeExtrasonpages243-5).

PastaandPestoSaladJar495calsServes1

Thisistheperfectwaytoenjoyafresh,healthy,home-madesaladwhenatwork.Allyouneedisajarorlunchboxwithatight-fittinglid.

1½tbsppesto

2tbspcooled,cookedwholemealpasta(peaorlentilpastacanbeusedasagluten-freealternative)50gfennel,finelysliced

75gcherrytomatoes,halved

40gfeta,cutintocubes

smallhandfulofrocketorbabyspinach

1tbsppumpkinseeds,toasted

1. Spoonthepestoandcookedpastaintoalunchboxorthebottomofalargeglassjarandmixwell.

2. Addthefennelandtomatoes.3. Stirinthefeta,followedbytherocketorspinachandpumpkinseeds.Put

thelidonandkeepitinthefridgeuntilitisneeded(upto24hours).

TIP:preferablyuseajarwithawidemouthsoitiseasytofillandtoeatfrom,ifyouaren’ttransferringittoaplate.MORESUBSTANTIAL:forothertastyingredientstoaddseeExtrasonpages243-5.

PearlBarleyandPumpkinSeedSalad340calsServes2

Pearlbarleyisalovelywholegrainwithasmoothsurfaceandslightlynuttyflavour.Itisgreatformoppingupsaucesordressing.Andyourmicrobiomewillloveittoo.

Forthedressing:

1tbspfull-fatGreekyoghurt

1tbspoliveoil

juiceof1smalllemonandzestof½

1smallgarlicclove,crushed

½tbspfreshdillormint,choppedForthesalad:

100gpearlbarley(orpearledspelt)½smallredonion,finelychopped(orahandfulofchives)

1tbsptoastedpumpkinseeds

1tspnigellaorblacksesameseeds½smallapple,coredanddiced

1. Mixthedressingingredientstogetherinaservingbowlwithsomesaltandfreshlygroundblackpepper.

2. Boilthepearlbarleyinplentyofwateraccordingtothepacketinstructions(usuallyabout40minutes).

3. Whenthepearlbarleyiscookedaldente,drainitandrefreshitbrieflyundercoldwater.Stiritintothedressinginthebowl,alongwiththeonion,pumpkinseeds,nigellaseedsandapple.

NON-FASTDAY:addextraprotein(seepage243)andadoubleportionofsalad.

SpeedyChineseSalmonStir-Fry360calsServes2

Thisreallyisacaseofheatupthewok,throwintheingredients,stir-fryandserve.

1tbspcoconutorrapeseedoil

1cmrootginger,peeledandfinelychoppedorgrated250gpacketofpreparedChinesestir-fryvegetables2sweetchillicookedsalmonfillets,flaked(about180g),seeTip

1tbspdarksoysauce

½tbspmirin(orChinesewineorsherry)

1. Placeawokoverahighheatuntilitstartstosmoke.Addtheoil,immediatelyfollowedbytheginger,thevegandagenerousgrindingofblackpepper.

2. Stir-fryvigorouslyforacoupleofminutes,thenaddthesalmon.3. Turntheheatdownandadd1tbspwater,thesoysauceandthemirin.

Keepstirringforacouplemoreminutes,untilthevegarecookedbutstillcrispandthesalmonwarmedthrough.

4. Removethepanfromtheheatandserve.

TIP:ifnosweetchillisalmonisavailable,usecookedsalmonfilletsandsprinklethemwithapinchofchilliflakesbeforeaddingthemtothepan.Foraddedflavourscatterahandfulofchoppedcorianderleavesandanextra½tspchilliflakesontop.NON-FASTDAY:doublethesalmonportion,addamediumportionofwholemealorsobanoodlesandscatterover1tbsptoastedsesameseedsandahandfulofcashewnuts.

MAINMEALS

Onthewhole,theserecipesaremoresubstantialandsomemaytakeabitlongertopreparethanthelightmeals.It’suptoyouwhetheryouhavethemainmealatlunchtimeorintheevening.Butingeneral,theearlieryoueatyourmainmealthebetterforyourweightandmetabolism.

SpanishAubergineStewwithChorizo390calsServes2

Arichandnourishingstew,fullofMediterraneanflavours.

3tbspoliveoil

1onion,diced

120gchestnutmushrooms,sliced1aubergine,diced

1tspmixedherbs

100gchorizo,diced2garliccloves,sliced400gtinchoppedtomatoes

1. Sweattheonionintheoilinacasseroledishorsaucepanwithalidoveramediumheatfor4-5minutes,thenaddthemushrooms,aubergine,herbsandchorizo.

2. Cookthemixturefor5minutes,oruntilitstartstobrownslightly,stirringfrequentlyandaddingthegarlicforthelastminute.

3. Pourinthechoppedtomatoesandhalfacupofwater(enoughtoloosenthemixture)andletitsimmerforabout40minutes,stirringoccasionally.

4. Serveitwithsomesteamedgreens.

NON-FASTDAY:doublethequantities,andservewith2-3heapedtbspcookedbrownriceorquinoaorthrowin2handfulsofdicedbutternutsquashalongwiththetinnedtomatoes.

BalsamicFriedPorkSteakwithGarlickyWhiteBeanMash470calsServes2

Ajuicyporksteakandmashwithatwist.

Forthemash(230cals):

2tbspoliveoil

1smallonion,diced

2garliccloves,diced400gtincannellinibeans(orotherwhitebean),waterreserved2-3cmsprigoffreshrosemary,leavesonly,finelychoppedForthesteak(240cals):

½tbspoliveoil

2×175gporksteaks

1tbspbalsamicvinegar

1. Tomakethemash,heattheoliveoilinasaucepanandsautétheonionuntilitistranslucent–about5minutes.Addthegarlicandcookforanotherminute,thenstirinthebeanswiththeirwaterandcookthemgentlyfor10minutes,stirringoccasionally.

2. Addtherosemary,agenerouspinchofMaldonsaltandsomefreshlygroundblackpeppertothebeanmixtureandmashitvigorously.

3. Meanwhile,placeanon-stickfryingpanoveramediumheat,addtheoliveoilandgentlyfrytheporkfor10-12minutes,turningitonce,untilitisbrownonbothsidesandthejuicesrunclear.

4. DrizzlethebalsamicvinegaroverthesteaksandservethemwiththemashandagenerousportionofSuperSimpleGreens(seepage235).

NON-FASTDAY:addanothervegetablesidedishsuchasRoastedChicorywithMustardandWalnuts(seepage238).

SteakwithPorciniMushrooms240calsServes2

Steakisanexcellentsourceofproteinandiron,whileporcinimushroomsarehighinfibreandverylowincalories.Heretheyaddaslightlysweet‘foresty’tastetothesauce.Adeliciouscombination.

15gdriedporcinimushrooms

1tbspoliveoil

1largeredonion,sliced

150gchestnutmushrooms,sliced

2tspcornflour

2×100gsirloinsteaks(seeTip)

1. Placetheporcinimushroomsinasmallbowlwithjustenoughboilingwatertocoverthem,andleavethemtosoakfor10minutes.

2. Heattheoliveoilinafryingpanandsautétheonionfor3minutes,thenaddtheslicedmushrooms.Letthemcookoveramediumheatforafurther4-5minutes.

3. Stirinthecornflour,followedbytheporcinimushroomsandtheirsoakingwater.Continuetocook,stirringfrequently,untilthesaucethickens.Ifitlookstoothick,addalittlemorewater.

4. Meanwhile,cookthesteakstoyourliking,eitheronagriddleorinafryingpan.

5. Servethesteakswiththemushroomsaucepouredoverthemandsomesteamedgreenvegontheside.

TIP:weusuallysharea225gpacketofsteak(anddon’tworryaboutthefewextracals).MORESUBSTANTIAL:addCreamyCauliandWhiteBeanMash(seepage239).NON-FASTDAY:addsomeboiledorroastedcarrots,andsomeoliveoilonthesteamedveg.

Low-CarbStir-FriedPepperedChicken460calsServes2

Aperfectlightmealwhenyouareinahurry.

200gboneless,skinlesschickenthighs,diced

2tbspsoysauce

1cmrootginger,peeledandgrated

2tspcornflour

½tspChinese5-spice

2tbspcoconutorvirginrapeseedoil250gpacketofpreparedChinesestir-fryvegetables50gcashewnuts,toasted

1. Placethedicedchickeninanon-metallicbowlandadd½tbspofthesoysauce,alongwiththeginger,cornflour,5-spiceandagenerousgrindingofblackpepper.Mixeverythingtogetherandleaveittomarinatefor10minutes.

2. Inajug,mixtheremaining1½tbspsoysaucewith100mlhotwater.3. Heattheoilinahotsmokingwokoralargefryingpan,thenaddthe

chicken.Stir-fryitfor3-4minutes,untilitstartstobrownandbecomeopaque.

4. Reducetheheattomediumandmixinthevegetables,followedbythewaterandsoysaucemixture,andcookforanother2minutes.Serveitwiththecashewsscatteredontop.

MORESUBSTANTIAL:serveitwithCoconutCauliRice(seepage228,add105cals)orkonjac‘Zero’noodles(seepage190-1).

SausageandMushroomswithSpringGreens545calsServes2

Welovethisone-pandish,cookedwithgood-quality,high-meat-contentsausages.Yes,itcontainsquitealotofcalories,buttherearestillenoughinhandforabreakfastoralightmeal.

2tbspoliveoil

4high-meatsausages

1onion,sliced

200gmushrooms,sliced1garlicclove,diced200gspringgreens,finelysliced

1tbspcidervinegar

1. Frythesausagesintheoilinalargefryingpanoveramediumheat,turningthemfrequentlyuntiltheystarttobrown.

2. Addtheonionandmushroomsandcontinuetocookfor2-3minutes,stillstirringfrequently.

3. Next,addthegarlic,springgreensandvinegar,alongwith1-2tbspwater.

4. Coverthepanandletitsimmerforafurther4-5minutes,stirringoccasionally.

5. Addsomeseasoningandserveitwithmustardontheside.

NON-FASTDAY:add2-3tbspcookedpuylentils,quinoaorpearlbarley.

Chicken,CoconutandLentilCurry360calsServes4

Aneasygo-tochickencurry,withlovelylentilstokeepyouandyourmicrobiomeingoodnick.

2tbspcoconutorvirginrapeseedoil1largeonion,diced

1tbspcurrypowder

2cmrootginger,peeledandfinelydiced4boneless,skinlesschickenthighs,choppedintobite-sizepieces100gdriedgreenlentils400mltincoconutmilk

juiceof2limes

1redorgreenpepper,deseededandsliced

1. Heattheoilinamedium-sizedsaucepanandsautétheonionfor4-5minutes.

2. Stirinthecurrypowderandgingerandcookfor1-2moreminutes,thenaddthechicken.Stir-fryitfor2-3minutesbeforepouringinthelentils,alongwiththecoconutmilkandlimejuice.

3. Bringthemixturetoagentleboil,thenreducetheheat,coverthepanandletitsimmerfor10minutes,stirringoccasionallyandaddingextrawaterifnecessary.

4. Stirintheslicedpepperandletthecurrycook,withthelidon,foranother20minutes.

MORESUBSTANTIAL:serveitwithsteamedmangetoutorgreenbeans(nosignificantcalories)andCoconutCauliRice(page228,add105cals).NON-FASTDAY:serveitwith2-3heapedtbspcookedbrownrice,someRaitha(seepage244)andachoppedhard-boiledegg.

ChilliLimeTunawithBeansandDicedMango490calsServes2

Cannellinibeansareahealthycomplexcarbohydrate,notonlygoodforreducingyourbloodsugarsbutalsofornourishingyourgutmicrobiome.Oliveoil–whichalsohasmanyhealthbenefits–enhancesthetasteofallpulsesandisfineonthecaloriefrontwhenenjoyedaspartofarelativelylow-carbdiet.

3tbspoliveoil

1garlicclove,diced

½redchilli,deseededanddiced(or½tspchilliflakes)400gtincannellinibeans,drained,2tbspwaterreservedlargebunchoffreshparsley,chopped½smallredonion,veryfinelysliced160gtintunainoil,drainedjuiceof1lime

½smallmango,peeledandfinelydiced

2handfulsofbabyspinach

1. Heattheoilinafryingpanandgentlyfrythegarlicandchillifor1minute.Addthebeansandletthemsimmerfor2-3minutes,stirringfrequently.

2. Next,addtheparsley,redonion,tunaandlimejuice,alongwith1-2tbspofthereservedcannelliniwatertoloosenthemixture.Continuetocookitgentlyforafewmoreminutesuntileverythingisheatedthrough.

3. Stirinthedicedmango.4. Placeahandfulofspinachoneachplateandservethehottunaandbeans

ontoptowiltthespinach.Orwiltthespinachfor1-2minutesinthemicrowavebeforeaddingthetunamixture.

TIPS:althoughmangoisafairlyhigh-sugarfruit,ithaslotsoffibreandeatingitwithamealreducesanysugarspike.InsomepeoplewithIBS,pulsessuchasbeanscanmakesymptomsworse–inwhichcaseitmaybebesttointroducethemgradually.MORESUBSTANTIAL:serveitwithacrispgreensalad,orsteamedgreenvegetables(noextracals

unlessyouaddadressing).

PepperedRoastedCodwithNuttyBroccoli430calsServes2

Fullofnutrients,crunchandfibre–andutterlydelicious.

250gbroccoli,cutintolongflorets(includingthestalk)

30ghazelnuts,chopped

2×150gcodloinoranywhitefishfillets½tbspgroundalmonds

1½tbspoliveoil

squeezeoflemonjuicetoserve

1. Preheattheovento180°C/160°Cfan/gasmark4.2. Placethebroccoliinaroastingtin,coveritwithfoilandroastitfor5

minutes.3. Removethetinfromtheoven,discardthefoilandnestlethefishamong

thebroccoliflorets.Scatterthenutsoverthebroccoli.Thensprinkle1tspoffreshlygroundblackpepperandsomeMaldonsaltoverthefish.Drizzlewiththeoliveoil.

4. Returnthetintotheovenfor10-12minutes,oruntilthefishiscookedthrough,thebroccoliisslightlycharredandthenutsaregolden.

5. Serveitwithageneroussqueezeoflemonjuice.

MORESUBSTANTIAL:add80-100gspinach,wilted,oragreenandcolouredleafsalad(onlyaddextracalsifyouuseadressing–seepage244).NON-FASTDAY:addsomespinachsteamedwith1tspbutteror½tbspextra-virginoliveoil,and2-3heapedtbspcookedquinoaorbrownrice.

HaddockSteamedwithThaiSpices300calsServes1

Pakchoiisanexcellentprobioticthatpromotesahealthymicrobiome.

2pakchoi,chopped

½redpepper,deseededandchopped2springonions,trimmed

1lemongrassstalk,halvedandbruised(optional)1cmrootginger,peeledandsliced1garlicclove,sliced

150ghaddockfillet(orotherwhitefish)2-3sprigsoffreshcoriander2tspricewine(ormirinorsherry)1tspsoysauce

1tbspoliveoil

1. Placethepakchoi,redpepperandspringonionsinasteamer.2. Laythelemongrass(ifusing),gingerandgarliconalargesquareof

bakingpaperandplacethehaddockontop.Scatterthecoriander,ricewineandsomeseasoningoverthesurface.

3. Looselyfoldthepapertoencasethefishandherbsandlayitontopofthevegetablesinthesteamer.

4. Steamitfor5-6minutes,oruntilthefishiscookedthrough.5. Servethefishontopofthevegetables,withthejuicesfromthecooking

paper,andtheoliveoilandsoysaucedrizzledover.

TIP:ifyoudon’thaveapanwithasteamertray,placethewrappedfishandveginabakingdish.Pour2-3tbspwaterinthebaseofthedish,coveritwithalidorfoil,thensteamitinapreheatedovenat180°Cfor8-10minutesoruntilthevegetablesaretenderandthefishcookedthrough.NON-FASTDAY:doubletheportionandserveitwithsomewholemealorsobanoodles.

PrawnKormawithCoconutCauliRice320calsServes4

Apopular,creamycurrywithadelicateflavourandrichinhealthyfats.

Fortherice:

1largecauliflower,brokenintoflorets1tbspcoconutoil

1tbspdesiccatedcoconut

1. Blitzthecauliflowerinafoodprocessoruntilithasarice-likeconsistency.

2. Heatthecoconutoilinawokorfryingpanandaddthecaulifloweranddesiccatedcoconut.

3. Frythemixtureoveralowheat,stirringoccasionally,for10-12minutes,oruntilthecaulifloweristenderbutstillaldente.

Forthekorma:

1tbspcoconutoil

2largeonions,diced

4garliccloves,sliced

2cmrootginger,peeledanddiced

3tbspkormapaste

400mlcoconutmilk

400gfrozentigerprawns,defrostedlargehandfulofspinachleaves

2tbspfull-fatGreekyoghurt

2tbspfreshcoriander,chopped

1. Heatthecoconutoilinasaucepanandsautétheonions,garlicandgingerfor8-10minutesoruntiltheyarelightlygolden.

2. Addthekormapasteandafteraminute,pourinthecoconutmilk.Bringittotheboil,thenreducetheheatandletitsimmerfor8-10minutes,bywhichtimethesauceshouldhavereducedandthickened.

3. Removethepanfromtheheatand,usingahand-heldblender,blitzthesauceuntilitissmooth.

4. Returnittotheheatandaddtheprawns.Letthemsimmergentlyinthesaucefor3-4minutes,thenstirinthespinach,yoghurtandsomeseasoning.

5. ScatterthechoppedcorianderontopofthecurryandserveitwiththeCoconutCauliRice.

TIP:youcanswaptheprawnsforcookeddicedchicken(seeExtrasonpages243-5forswaps)MORESUBSTANTIAL:serveitwithmangetoutorthingreenbeansand2tbspRaitha(seepage244).

VeganRoganJosh310calsServes4

Yes,youcanstillenjoyeatingcurry…justskipthepotato,whiterice,naanandchapattis!

3tbspoliveoil

2onions,1chopped,theotherslicedinrings300gbutternutsquash,peeledandchopped3garliccloves,sliced

½redpepper,deseededandsliced200gportobellomushrooms,chopped400gtinchickpeas,drained

2tbsproganjoshpaste

400gtinchoppedtomatoes

handfulofkale

2tbspfreshcoriander,chopped

1. Heattheoilinasaucepanandsautétheonionringsforabout8-10minutesoruntiltheyaregoldenandslightlycrispy.Removethemfromthepanandsetthemaside.

2. Usingthesamepanandoil,sautéthechoppedonionsfor2-3minutes.Addthebutternutsquash,garlic,redpepperandmushroomsandcookforafurther3-4minutes.

3. Stirinthechickpeaswiththeroganjoshpaste,followedbythetomatoes.4. Coverthepanandletitsimmerfor15minutes,oruntilthevegetables

aretender.Addwaterifnecessarytoloosenthesauce.5. Stirinthekaleandletitcookfor2minutes,thenaddthecorianderand

someseasoning.GarnishthecurrywiththeonionringsandserveitwithCoconutCauliflowerRice(seepage228–add105cals).

MORESUBSTANTIAL:add1tbsptoastedcashewnuts(20g–115cals).NON-FASTDAY:doubletheportion.Youcouldhave2-3heapedtbspcookedbrownriceinsteadofthe

CoconutCauliRice.

TurmericRoastedCauliflowerwithDhal414calsServes4

Satisfyinglyfillinganddeliveringarichburstofflavour.Don’tbeputoffbythelonglistofingredients–theyarealllikelytobeinyourstorecupboard.It’ssuchaneasydishtopreparetoo.

Forthecauliflower:

1largecauliflower,slicedinto1cmthick‘steaks’

1tbspoliveoil

1tspgroundturmeric

1garlicclove,thinlyslicedForthedhal:

½tbspcoconutoil

1onion,diced

½-1redchilli,deseededandfinelydiced

1tspcuminseeds

2garliccloves,crushed

1tbspmediumcurrypowder

250gredlentils

400mltinlightcoconutmilk400mlvegetablestock

generoushandfulofspinachleaves2tbspfreshcoriander,chopped(optional)juiceof½lemon

2tbspflakedalmonds,toasted

1. Preheattheovento200°C/180°Cfan/gasmark6.Placethecauliflowersteaksandanyremainingfloretsinalargeroastingtinandsprinklethe

oliveoiloverthem.2. Roastthemfor15minutes,thenremovethemfromtheovenandscatter

overtheturmericandgarlic.Returnthemtotheovenforafurther10-15minutes,oruntiltheystarttobrown.

3. Meanwhile,heatthecoconutoilinaliddedsaucepanandgentlyfrytheonionandchillifor3-4minutes.

4. Addthecumin,garlicandcurrypowderandcookforafurther1-2minutesbeforestirringinthelentils,followedbythecoconutmilkandstock.Coverthepanandletitsimmerfor15minutesoruntilthelentilsaresoft.

5. Addthespinachandonceithaswilted,stirinthecoriander(ifusing)andsomeseasoning.

6. Squeezethelemonoverthecauliflower.Serveittoppedwiththedhalandthetoastedflakedalmonds.

TIP:makedoublethequantityofdhalandfreezetheextraportions.NON-FASTDAY:serveitwithsomeRaitha(seepage244)andaportionofVeganRoganJosh(seepage230).

VEGETABLESIDESANDSWAPS

Webelievethatmostpeoplewouldbenefitsignificantlyfromincreasingtheirintakeofnon-starchyvegetables,withallthehealth-promotingphytonutrientsandgut-friendlyroughagetheycontain.Feelfreetoaddsteamedleafygreenswheneveryouwant–evenwithateaspoonfulofbutter,coconutoroliveoil(seepageopposite),whichenhancethetasteconsiderably,whileincreasingthecaloriecountbyonlyasmallamount.

Withstarchyvegetables,youneedtobemorecautious,inparticularwithpotatoesandsweetpotatoes.Thesearecarbstoragedevices,andshouldbeeatenonlyinsmallquantities,ifatall,whileyouareonthisdiet.Seepage239foradeliciousmashsubstitute.

Super-SimpleGreens2waysServes1,andNOcaloriecounting

SimpleSteamedCabbage:

100gfinelyslicedcabbage

½tspbutteroroliveoil

¼tspnigellaseedsorblacksesameseeds(optional)

Steamthecabbagebrieflyfor3-4minutesoruntilitstartstosoften.Placeitinadish,stirinthebutterandseasonitwellwithsaltandfreshlygroundblackpepper.Addtheseedsifusing.

SizzlingStir-FriedSpringGreens:

1tsprapeseedorcoconutoil

1tspgratedordicedginger

100gspringgreens,finelysliceddashofsoysauce

Placetheoilinawokorlargefryingpanoveramediumtohighheatandstirintheginger.Addthegreensandsautéthemuntiltheystarttosoften(2-3minutes).Seasonthemwellwithsaltandplentyofgroundblackpepper.

InstantVegetableStir-Fry210calsServes1

Thisisanexcellent,no-fusswaytogetyourveg,eitherasalightmealonitsownorasasidedish.

1tbsprapeseedorcoconutoil

150gpacketofpreparedChinesestir-fryvegetables1smallgarlicclove,crushed½cmrootginger,dicedorgrated½tbspsoysauce

1. Heatthewokonhighuntilitstartstosmoke,drizzleintheoilandaddthevegetables.

2. Reducetheheattomediumandstirinthegarlicandginger.Stir-frythevegetablesfornomorethan2-3minutestoensuretheyretaintheircrunch.

3. Stir1tbspwaterandthesoysauceintothevegetablesandtossthemfor30seconds.Serveimmediately.

TIP:don’tworryaboutvariationsinthecaloriecountsofdifferentvegetablestir-frypackets.Theyarehealthycalories,manyofwhichwon’tevenbebrokendownforenergybutwillfeedthemicrobiomefurtherdowninthegut.MORESUBSTANTIAL:add1ormoreofthefollowingalongwiththevegetables:30gcashewnuts(172cals),2tspsesameseeds(60cals),100gtofu(73cals),100gcookedchicken(153cals),100gfrozenprawns,defrosted(79cals).FormoreExtras,seepages243-5.

QuickPickledFennelandRadishesSuperfastandeasytomake,andverylowincalories.Pileitontopoffishoruseittopepupasalad.

½fennelbulb,trimmed4radishes,trimmed

2tspliveorganiccidervinegar

1tspmirin,Chinesewineorsherry(optional)

1. Placethefennelandradishescutsidedownandslicethemveryfinely,ifpossiblewithamandolin.Ifyoudon’thaveamandolin,cuttheradishesinhalflengthwaysfirsttomakethemeasiertosliceintohalf-moonshapes.

2. Placethefennelandradishesinabowlwiththecidervinegarandmirin,ifusing.AddagenerouspinchofMaldonsaltorgroundseasaltandmassageitintothevegetablesforafewminutes.Leavethemtomarinateforupto30minutesforthebestflavour.

3. Draintheliquidoffbeforeeating.

TIP:thispicklecanbekeptinthefridgeforupto24hours.Pleasenotethatitdoesnotboostthegut-friendlybacteriainthesamewayasthesauerkrautdishesonpages240-41.Toobtainthisbenefit,thevegetablesneedtofermentforlonger.

RoastedChicorywithMustardandWalnuts290calsServes2(or4asaside)

Withthesmokybitternessofscorchedchicory,thetangofmustardandthecrunchofwalnuts,thisdishisamouth-wateringcombinationoftexturesandflavours.Andyourmicrobiomewillloveitaschicoryisfulloftheprebioticinulin.

4mediumchicorybulbs(redifavailable),halvedlengthways2tbspoliveoil

2tspwholegrainmustard

30gwalnuts,roughlychopped30gParmesan,grated

1. Preheattheovento190°C/170°C/gasmark5.Placethechicoryinamedium-sizedovenproofbakingdishcutsideup.

2. Combinetheoliveoilandmustardinasmallbowl,thenspreaditoverthechicory.

3. Coverthedishwithfoilandplaceitintheovenfor15-20minutes.4. Removeitfromtheovenandsprinkleoverthewalnuts,Parmesananda

generousgrindingofblackpepper.5. Bakeitforanother10minutesoruntilthechicorystartstobrownaround

theedges.

MORESUBSTANTIAL:addalargehandfulofbabyspinachtoeachplateandplacetheroastedchicorybulbsontoptowiltthem,orwiltthemforafewminutesinanon-stickpanfirst.NON-FASTDAY:add2-3heapedtbspcookedbrownriceorquinoa.Orservethechicoryasasidewithanotherdish,suchasSteakwithPorciniMushrooms(page216),orPepperedRoastedCodwithNuttyBroccoli(page224).

CreamyCauliandWhiteBeanMash160calsServes4

Thisdeliciousmashmakesagreatsubstituteforstarchypotatoes.Notonlywillitkeepyoufullforlongerbutitwillproducelessofasugarspike–bothimportantfactorsinweightloss.

1smallcauliflower,cutintosmallflorets½400gtinharicotbeans,drained,2

tbspwaterreserved50gCheddar

2tbspoliveoil

1. Steamthecauliflowerandbeansfor10-12minutes,oruntilthecaulifloweristender.

2. Transferthemtoafoodprocessorwiththeremainingingredientsandblendthemuntilyouhaveasmoothmixture,adding1-2tbspofthewaterfromthebeanstoloosenthemashifnecessary.Seasonitwellwithsaltandblackpepper.

WhiteCabbageandRedOnionSauerkraut2waysHomefermentingisquick,easy,funandcheap,andyourgutmicrobiomewillloveit!Hereare2versionsoffermentedcabbage,whichbothofferdelicioussweet,saltyandtangyflavourswithaslightcrunch.Theygowellwithalmostanysavouryfood.

SauerkrautwithCarawaySeeds180cals(wholerecipe)Thisisaclassicsauerkrautwhichprovidesplentyofflavourbutaddsminimalcalories.Welovethehintofcaraway,butfeelfreetoexperimentwithotherseedssuchascumin,toastedcorianderormustard.Addittodishesforextraflavour,asyouwouldapickle.

½mediumwhitecabbage,quarteredlengthwise,hardcoreremoved,finelysliced1½redonions,halvedandsliced

½tbspseasaltorkoshersalt

1tspcarawayseeds

2×250mlcleanjamjarswithtight-fittinglids

1. Mixthecabbage,onionandcarawayseedstogetherinalargebowl,sprinklingthesaltbetweenthelayersasyoufillit.Massagethesaltintotheveg.Leaveitfor1-2hours.

2. Spoonthecabbagemixtureandthejuicesintothejars.3. Packthemixturedowninthejars,pressingitintothemixture.Leave1.5-

2cmspaceatthetop.Ifthereisnotenoughliquidtocoverthemixtureyoucantopupeitherwithafewteaspoonfulsoffilteredwaterorbrine(madewith1tspseasaltdissolvedin200mlfilteredwater).

4. Youcanuseastoneorpieceofceramictokeepthevegsubmerged.Placethesealedjarsonaplatetocatchanyoverflow.Keepthematroomtemperature,outofdirectsunlight.Forthefirstfewdays,openthejarsdailyandpressdownthecontents,toreleasethebubblesformedbythesauerkraut.Thenrepeatthisprocesseveryfewdaysfor1-2weeks(usuallyabout1willdo)untilitisfermentedtoyourtaste.

5. Thenstorethejarsinthefridgefor2-3months.

MildKimchi-StyleSauerkraut220cals(wholerecipe)OtherwiseknownasAsiansauerkraut,thisspicy,exotic,stronglyflavouredfermentedvegetabledishisthecoreofKoreancuisine.Thisrecipeisamilderversion.

½mediumwhitecabbage,quarteredlengthwise,hardcoreremoved,slicedinto1½-2cmribbons1½redonions,halvedandsliced

½tbspseasaltorkoshersalt

2tspgratedgarlic

1tspgratedginger

1tspsugar

1tbspfishorsoysauce

2-4tspchilliflakes,accordingtotaste

1tspsweetpaprika

2×250mlcleanjamjarswithtight-fittinglids

1. Mixthecabbagewiththeonioninalargebowl,sprinklingthesaltbetweenthelayersasyoufillit.Massagethesaltintotheveg.Leaveitforabout2hours.

2. Stirinthegarlicandgingerandmixwell.3. Followsteps2-5ofthesauerkrautrecipeaboveandaddtheextrastep

below.4. After3-4days,gentlymixintherestoftheingredients(thecabbage

doesn’tfermentsoeffectivelywiththespices,sothesecanbeaddedabitlaterintheprocess).

TIP:eatitwithanomeletteorcoldmeat,scatteritonfish,salads,steworsoups.

Andforthoselittleextras…Manyoftherecipesincludesuggestionsforhowtoadaptadishforanonfastdayortomakeitmoresubstantial.Herearesomefurthersuggestionsforhowtoincreaseproteincontentormakeamealmoresatiating.

1tbspchoppedfriedbacon(about7g,23cals)1tbspchorizo(10g,29cals)40gmushrooms,friedin1tspoliveoilfor4-5minutes(63cals)1tbspgratedcheese(about10g,41cals)30ghalloumi,slicedandlightlyfriedin1tspoliveoil(145cals)45gtuna,cannedinoil(85cals)Handfulofnuts(10geachofwalnuts,almonds,hazelnuts,195cals)75gcookedchickenbreast(115cals)75gfrozenprawns,defrosted(59cals)100gtofu(73cals)2tspsesameseeds(about10g,60cals)1tbspfull-fatGreekyoghurt–it’sworththeextracals!(40g,37cals)30gCheddarcheese(matchbox-sizedpiece–124cals)Crispyfriedonionringsfor2people:heat1tbspoliveoilandsauté1smallonionslicedintorings,turningthemfrequentlyuntiltheyaregoldenandslightlycrispy(60calsperserving)Raithafor2people:mix4tbspfull-fatGreekyoghurtwith¼smallcucumber,grated,andapinchofcuminseedsinasmallbowl(97calsperserving)Oliveoilandcidervinegardressingfor2people:whisk2tbspextra-virginoliveoilwith1tbsplivecidervinegarandsomesaltandfreshlygroundblackpepper(100calsperserving).Dressingsarenotjustforsalads;theyareagreatwaytolivenupbroccoliandleafygreens.Drizzleofoliveoil.Usegood-qualityextra-virginoliveoilifyoucananddon’tworryaboutcountingthecaloriesintheoddteaspoonfulhereorthere–oilmakesfoodtastegreatandyourbodyneedsitforvitaminsandenergy.Remember,fatdoesnotmakeyoufat!

Wholegrainsandpulses

Althoughmoderatelyhighincalories,wholegrainsandpulses,suchasbrownriceandlentils,arecomplexcarbsandcontainbeneficialquantitiesoffibrewhichfeedthemicrobiomeinyourgut,leadingtotheproductionofsubstancesthatreduceinflammation,lowerbloodsugarsandimprovehealth.Werecommendcookinggrainsandpulsesinlargerbatchestobefrozeninportions.Crumbleinhalfastockcubeduringcookingforaddedflavour.

Pulsesarealsoaparticularlygoodsourceofproteinforvegetarians.Add2heapedtbsponafastday,andupto3onanon-fastday.

Cookedbrownrice(21calsper15gtbsp)Cookedquinoa(18calsper15gtbsp)Cookedbulgarwheat(13calsper15gtbsp)Cookedpuylentils(18calsper15gtbsp)Cookedpearlbarley(19calsper15gtbsp)

OCCASIONALTREATS

Fastdaysarenotallaboutdeprivation,sowe’veincludedsome(modest)treats,ideallytobeenjoyedimmediatelyafteramealwhentheywillcauselessofabloodsugarspikeandbelesslikelytobestoredasfat.Eatingthesetreatsbetweenmealswillraiseyourbloodsugars,whichwillinturnincreaseinsulinproductionandstopyourbodyburningfats.

StewedRhubarbandGinger40calsServes4

Juicy,pleasantlytart,withburstsofsweetgingerandpositivelyoverflowingwithvitaminsCandK.

400grhubarb,trimmedanddicedinto1-2cmpiecesjuiceof½orange

3knobsofstemgingerinsyrup,drainedanddiced

1. Placealltheingredientsinasmallpanandbringittotheboil.Coveritandletitsimmerfor2-3minutestosoftentherhubarb.

2. Serveithot,coldorinbetween,with1tbspfull-fatGreekyoghurt(add37cals)oradairy-freeequivalentsuchascoconutyoghurt.

TIP:if,likeMichael,youoranyoneinyourhouseholdisaddictedtostemginger,keepit,preferablyoutofsight,atthebackofthefridge!Fillthefreezerwithuncookeddicedrhubarbwhenit’sinseasonasitstoreswell.MORESUBSTANTIAL:addasmallhandfulofnuts(about15g,100cals).

BananaandCranberryLunchboxBars195calsperbarMakes12

Perfecttotaketoworkforlunchorgrabasanoccasionalbreakfastsubstituteifyou’rerunninglate.

50gsoftdates

2unripebananas

75gcoconutoil,melted100grolledoats

100ggroundalmonds50gdriedcranberries30gpecannuts,chopped

1. Preheattheovento200°C/180°Cfan/gasmark6.Greaseandlinea20cmsquarebakingtinwithbakingpaper.

2. Simmerthedatesin100mlwaterinasmallpanforaround10minutes,oruntiltheyhavesoftenedandmostofthewaterhasevaporated.

3. Blitzthemwiththebananasinafoodprocessororwithahand-heldblenderuntilyouhaveasmoothishpaste.Transferittoabowlandstirinthemeltedcoconutoil.Addtheoats,almonds,cranberriesandpecansandmixwell.

4. Pourthemixtureintothepreparedtin,pressingitdownintothecornersandlevellingthetopwiththebackofaspoon.

5. Bakeitfor20-22minutes,oruntilthetopislightlygolden.Cutitintobarswhileitisstillwarmandleaveittocoolfor10minutes.Removethebarsfromthetinandstoretheminanairtightcontainerforupto5days,orinthefreezer.

TIP:anydriedfruitworkswellinthisrecipe.Youcansubstitutethealmondswithchoppedhazelnutsorwalnuts.

MangoChiaRicePud149calsServes4

Comfortfoodwithahealthytwist–andagreatwaytouseupleftoverbrownrice.

3tbspcookedbrownrice

1tspvanillaextract

seedsof3cardamompods

400mltincoconutmilk

½tbspmaplesyrup(optional)

1tbspchiaseeds

1ripemango,peeledandfinelydiced

1. Putalltheingredientsexceptthemangoinasmallsaucepanoveralowheat.

2. Bringthemixturetoasimmer,andletitcookfor18-20minutes,oruntilitisthickandcreamy.Stirfrequentlyandaddalittlewatertoloosenit,ifnecessary.

3. Stirinmostofthemango,leavingafewpiecestoscatterontop.Serveitwarm,orleaveitinthefridgetoenjoycold.

TIP:deliciouswithblackorredricebutneedscookingfor5-10minuteslonger.NON-FASTDAY:scatterahandfulofchoppedtoastedwalnuts,almondsorhazelnutsontopbeforeserving.

ChilliChocolateThinswithPistachioCrunch75calsServes6-8

Thesechocolatetreatshaveathrillingchillikick.They’reidealtonibbleafteramealortoscatteroverstrawberriesorraspberries.

75gdarkchocolate,atleast70%cocoasolids,chopped

2tbsptoastedpistachionuts,chopped

pinchofchillipowder

1. Spreada20-30cmpieceofbakingpaper(orapieceofnon-PVCclingfilm)onthebaseofabakingtray,orasiliconebakingsheet.

2. Meltthechocolateinabowloverapanofgentlysimmeringwater,stirringfrequently.Oruseamicrowave:pulseonhigh,stoppingandstirringevery30secondsorsoforabout2minutes.

3. Stirinthechilli,thenpourthechocolateoverthebakingpaper.Tipthetraysoitspreadsouttoforma1-2mm-thicksheet–oruseapaletteknifetoevenitout.

4. Scatterthechoppedpistachionutsoverthechocolateandleaveittocool,ideallyinthefridge.

5. Onceitiscompletelyset,breakitintopieces.

GOODHYDRATION

Thesedrinkscontaininsignificantcaloriesandanyway,let’sfaceit,youcan’tcounteverything…

Keepingwellhydratedisvitalformaintainingenergylevelsandhelpingtoreducehungerpangs.Oddasitmightsound,peoplecommonlyconfusemildthirstwithhunger.Andbythetimeyouarethirsty,youarealreadyslightlydehydrated.Soit’simportanttokeepaheadofthegame.

Mostpeopleneedanextra½-1litreofwateron800days,whentheyarenotonlymissingoutonthefluidtheywouldusuallygetintheirmeals,butalsolosingwaterintheprocessofburningfat–evenmoresoinhotweatherorwithvigorousexercise.

Thesedrinksalsogiveyousomethinginterestingtosipwhenyouareekingoutthetimebeforethenextmeal.

FlavouredorcarbonatedwaterAddverythinslicesofcucumber,mint,quarteredstrawberries,lemon,lime…oranycombinationofthese.Thelongeryoucanleavethewatertosteepinthefridge,themoreflavouritwillacquire.

Herbal/fruitteas–canbedrunkhotorcoldServes1

Greentea:justplaceateabaginamugandpoursomehotwateroverit.Addextraflavourwithasqueezeoflemon.

Gingerteawithturmeric:placeateabaginamugwith½cmfinelyslicedgingerand1cmfinelyslicedturmeric(noneedtopeelthem).Youcanalsotry2dropsofvanillaextractforsomeaddedflavour.Topitupwithboilingwaterandallowittobrewforatleast5minutes.Thisteaisbesttakenafterameal,asfattyfoodmassivelyincreasesabsorptionofcurcumin,theactiveingredientinturmericwhichcontributestotheanti-inflammatoryandimmunity-boostingproperties.

Mintedlemontea:placeahandfuloffreshmintleaves(oramintteabag)inamugwithageneroussqueezeoflemonjuice.Pouroversomeboilingwaterandallowittobrewforatleast5minutes.

Freshherbinfusion:addasmallhandfulofanyfreshherbssuchasthyme,basil,rosemary,sageororeganotoamug,orusedriedherbaltea.Pouroversomeboilingwaterandallowittobrewforatleast5minutes.Tryoutvariouscombinationstofindyourperfectblend.

Herbalteas:Keepafewtypesofherbalteasinyourcupboard,suchasmint,peppermint,chamomile,rooibos,jasmineoranyofthewildandwonderfulvariationsavailabletokeepyourtastebudsfiring.

FAST800MENUS

Allthesesuggestedmenusadduptoaround800caloriesaday.Don’tobsesstoomuchabouttheexactcaloriesastherealityisthattheamountweabsorbvariesfrompersontopersonanddependsonthenatureofthefoodweareeating.Pickandchoosefromtheplanners,whetheryouaredoingtheVeryFast800ortheNew5:2,andfeelfreetoswapmealsaroundandhaveyourmainmealforlunchandviceversa.Calories,ifyouneedthem,areontherecipepages.

Mealplannerfor3mealsaday–week1

Day1

Breakfast:EasyBaconandEggMuffins(p172)

Lunch:HummusinaHurry(p179)

Dinner:ChickenCoconutandLentilCurry(p220)

Day2

Breakfast:SpeedyEggsandAvocado(p175)

Lunch:SlicedHamwithPurpleSlaw(p186)

Dinner:PrawnKormawithCoconutCauliRice(p228)

Day3

Breakfast:CreamyGreenSmoothie(p177)

Lunch:DarkRyeBreadwithEggandSpinach(p183)

Dinner:SteakwithPorciniMushrooms(p216)

Day4

Breakfast:PorridgewithPistachioandChia(p174)

Lunch:SardinesRoastedinRedandYellowPeppers(p200)

Dinner:VeganRoganJosh(p230)

Day5

Breakfast:BoiledEggswithSpicedAsparagusSoldiers(p171)

Lunch:RootVegandTurmericSoup(p194)

Dinner:SpanishAubergineStewwithChorizo(p213)

Day6

Breakfast:TurmericSpicedMushroomOmelette(p184)

Lunch:Quick‘n’EasyPeaandSpinachSoup(p193)

Dinner:Low-carbStir-friedPepperedChicken(p218)

Day7

Breakfast:BakedSalmonandEggswithChives(p173)

Lunch:InstantMisoSoupwithMushroomsandGreens(p192)

Dinner:SausagewithMushroomsandSpringGreens(p219)

Mealplannerfor3mealsaday–week2

Day8

Breakfast:SpicedMangoSmoothie(p177)

Lunch:MincedPorkandMangeToutStir-frywithNoodles(p190)

Dinner:HaddockSteamedwithThaiSpices(p226)

Day9

Breakfast:PorridgewithPistachiosandChia(p174)

Lunch:TapenadewithFeta(p180)

Dinner:SpeedyChineseSalmonStir-fry(p210)

Day10

Breakfast:BoiledEggwithSpicedAsparagusSoldiers(p171)

Lunch:RedLentilandCoconutSoup(p195)

Dinner:PrawnKormawithCoconutCauliRice(p228)

Day11

Breakfast:TurmericSpicedMushroomOmelette(p184)

Lunch:PastaandPestoSaladJar(p207)

Dinner:TapenadewithFeta(p180)

Day12

Breakfast:BakedSalmonandEggswithChives(p173)

Lunch:CrunchyCourgetteCanapés3Ways(p181)

Dinner:GarlicPrawnswithMixedCourgettiandSpaghetti(p198)

Day13

Breakfast:TomatoandBasilOmelette(p176)

Lunch:RoastedChicorywithMustardandWalnuts(p238)

Dinner:MackerelBeetrootandRedOnionSalad(p204)

Day14

Breakfast:SpeedyEggsandAvocado(p175)

Lunch:MisoAubergine‘Steaks’withCarrotsandCashews(p202)

Dinner:LemonandThymeChickenKebabs(p188)

Mealplannerfor2mealsaday–week1

Day1

Breakfast:SmashedAvocadoonDarkRyeBread(p182)

Lunch:–

Dinner:SausageandMushroomswithSpringGreens(p219)

Day2

Breakfast:–

Lunch:ChilliLimeTunawithBeansandDicedMango(p222)

Dinner:PrawnKormawithCoconutCauliRice(p228)

Day3

Breakfast:BakedSalmonandEggswithChives(p173)

Lunch:–

Dinner:Low-CarbStir-FriedPepperedChicken(p218)

Day4

Breakfast:–

Lunch:LentilPomegranateandFetaSalad(p206)

Dinner:BalsamicFriedPorkSteakwithGarlickyWhiteBeanMash(p214)

Day5

Breakfast:SpeedyEggsandAvocado(p175)&1BananaandCranberryLunchboxBar(p248)

Lunch:–

Dinner:SpanishAubergineStewwithChorizo(p213)

Day6

Breakfast:–

Lunch:MackerelBeetrootandRedOnionSalad(p204)

Dinner:PepperedRoastCodandNuttyBroccoli(p224)

Day7

Breakfast:PorridgewithPistachiosandChia(p174)

Lunch:–

Dinner:TurmericRoastedCauliflowerwithDhal(p232)

Mealplannerfor2mealsaday–week2

Day8

Breakfast:–

Lunch:PearlBarleyandPumpkinSeedSalad(p208)

Dinner:PepperedRoastCodwithNuttyBroccoli(p224)

Day9

Breakfast:PorridgewithPistachiosandChia(p174)

Lunch:–

Dinner:SpeedyChineseSalmonStir-Fry(p210)

Day10

Breakfast:–

Lunch:PastaandPestoSaladJar(p207)

Dinner:PrawnKormawithCoconutCauliRice(p228)

Day11

Breakfast:BakedSalmonandEggswithChives(p173)

Lunch:–

Dinner:Low-CarbStir-FriedPepperedChicken(p218)

Day12

Breakfast:–

Lunch:MintedAvocadoandChickpeaSalad(p201)

Dinner:SausageandMushroomswithSpringGreens(p219)

Day13

Breakfast:PorridgewithPistachiosandChia(p174)

Lunch:–

Dinner:ChickenCoconutandLentilCurry(p220)

Day14

Breakfast:–

Lunch:EasyBaconandEggMuffins(p172)withRedLentilandCoconutSoup(p195)

Dinner:MincedPorkandMangeToutStir-FrywithNoodles(p190)

Somequicknoteson‘thescientificmethod’

Oneofthethingspeoplefindsoconfusingabouthealthadviceisthatitseemstokeeponchanging.Onemomentfatisbadforus,thenextit’sgood.Notsolongagoweweretoldthatbecauseeggsarerichincholesterolweshouldavoidthem.Nowwe’retoldeggsarefullofhighqualityproteinandareagreatwaytostarttheday.

Whydoesthishappen?Andhowcanyoudecidewherethetruthlies?

Nutritionalscience,likeanyformofscience,changesinresponsetonewstudies.Buttherearelevelsof‘proof’,withsomesortsofevidencebeingmorereliablethanothers.Here’saquickrun-down,fromtheweakesttothestrongestsourcesofevidence(with1beingweakand4beingstrong).

1.Animalstudies(weakevidence)

Animals,likeratsandmice,areoftenusedtotestnewdietsandnewideas.Usingsmallanimalsinexperimentsischeapanditisoftenagoodstartingpointfortryingtounderstandhowaparticularfoodorchemicalmightaffecthumans.Butanimalstudiescanalsobemisleading,andthisisoneofthereasonswhytherearesomanyconflictingclaimsinthemedia.Justbecausesomethingisgoodorbadforarat,doesn’tautomaticallymeanforthesameforahuman.

Irememberreadingclaimsthatdrinkingcoffeecausescancer.Thatbeliefwasbasedalmostentirelyonanimalstudieswhereratsweregivenhugeandunrealisticdosesofsomeofthechemicalsyoufindinroastedcoffee,likeacrylamide.TheWorldHealthOrganisationsaysacrylamide‘probablycausescancer’.

Soshouldyoubeputtingdownthatcupofcoffee?Absolutelynot.Multiplehumanstudieshaveshownthatyougetawiderangeofbenefitsfromdrinkingcoffee.Arecentreview41foundthatregularcoffeedrinkershavealowerriskofdevelopingliver,prostateandcoloncancer,aswellastype2diabetes,Parkinson’sandheartdisease.Themorecoffeeyoudrink–uptothreeorfourcupsaday–thegreaterthebenefits.

Roastedcoffeecancontaintinyamountsofacrylamide,butitalsocontains

over1000othernaturalchemicals,manyofwhichhaveantioxidant,anti-inflammatory,oranti-cancerproperties.Theonlypeoplewhoreallyneedtobecarefulabouttheamountofcoffeetheydrinkarepregnantwomen,asthereissomeevidencethatdrinkingalotofcoffeeislinkedtotheriskofasmallbaby,earlybirthorevenmiscarriage.

InthisbookIhavebeenquotinganimalstudies,butIhavetried,wherepossible,tobackthemupwithhumanstudies.

2.Governmentguidelines(somewhatweak)

Governmentguidelinesarethenextweakestformofevidence,becausetheyareoftenoutofdateandbasedonincompletescience.

Thecurrentepidemicofpeanutallergy,aseriousandsometimefatalcondition,ispartlytheresultofwell-meaninggovernmentadviceissueddecadesago.WhenClarewaspregnantwithourfirstsonshewastoldtoavoidpeanutsandtoavoidgivinghimpeanutswhenhewasyoung.Itseemedtomakesensethatifkidsaren’texposedtopeanutstheywon’tbecomesensitised.

Thatadviceturnedouttobecompletelywrong,whichiswhycurrentadviceisnowexactlytheopposite.

Studiesdoneoverthelast10yearshaveshownthatwhetherapregnantwomaneatspeanutsornotmakesnodifferencetothechild’sriskdevelopinganallergy.

Infact,wenowknowthatgivingveryyoungchildrenfoodtoeatcontainingpeanuts(fromtheageoffourmonthsonwards)willactuallycuttheirriskofdevelopingapeanutallergylaterinlife.Ironically,givingyoungchildrenpeanutsisparticularlyimportantiftheyhaveageneticrisk,i.e.iftheirparentshaveapeanutallergy.

Anotherexampleofwell-meaninggovernmentadvicewhichturnedouttohaveterribleconsequencesisthelow-fatmessage,heavilypromotedbygovernmentsaroundtheworldsincetheearly1980s.Well,itseemedobvious,eatingfatmakesyoufat,andlikepouringfatdownthedrainitblocksit,sothefatmustbeblockingpeoplesarteriestoo…

Thelow-fatmessagewasalwaysabitmorecomplexthan‘fatisbadand

carbsaregood’,butthatishowitwaswidelyinterpreted–healthyfats,likemilk,yoghurt,eggs,oilyfishandnuts,weredemonised.Instead,foodmanufacturersseizedthechancetocramtheirproductswithstarchyfoodsandsugar,thensellthemas‘healthy’becausetheywere‘fat-free’or‘cholesterol-free’.

Despitebeingbasedonweakscienceanddecadesofevidencetothecontrary,thelow-fatmessageisstillconstantlyregurgitated.

3.Cohortstudies(moderatelystrong)

Muchofwhatwenowbelieveabout‘healthyeating’isbasedoncohortstudies.Thisiswhereyoutakeagroupofpeoplewithsomethingincommon(likebeinghealthprofessionals),getthemtodolotsoftestsandfillinquestionnairesandthenfollowthemovertimetoseewhathappenstothem.

AgoodexampleofthisisTheHealthProfessionalsFollow-upStudy42whichstartedin1986.Itconsistsof51,529dentists,pharmacists,osteopathsandvetswhoweremiddle-agedatthebeginningofthestudy.

AmongotherthingsthisstudyhasshownthatthosewhoeataMediterranean-stylediethavelessproblemswithmemory,astheygetolder.

4.Randomisedcontrolledtrials(strongevidence)

Theweaknessofcohortstudiesisthatyoucanneverbeentirelysureaboutcauseandeffect.If,forexample,youdiscoverthatpeoplewhoeataMediterraneandietlivelonger,isthatreallyjustbecauseofthedietorcoulditbethatthepeoplewhoeatthatwayalsodomoreexerciseandaremorehealthconscious?Theresearcherstrytoallowfortheseotherfactors,butcanneverbesuretheyarereallyarecomparinglikewithlike.

That’swhyit’ssoimportanttoalsodorandomisedcontrolledtrials–whereyougetagroupofpeopleandthenrandomlyallocatethemtotreatmentAortreatmentBandfollowthemovertimetoseewhathappens.Ihavementionedrandomisedcontrolledtrialsquiteabitinthisbook.

Furthermeasurementsandtests

Thefollowingtestsareusefulbutnotessential.YoumaybeabletogetsomeorallofthemfreeontheNHS.

Bloodpressure–Highbloodpressureputsyouatgreaterriskofheartdiseaseandstroke.TheFast800willbringyourbloodpressuredown.Fast.Ifyouarecurrentlyonbloodpressuremedicationyouwillneedtotalktoyourdoctoraboutreducingthemedication,becauseyoudon’twantittofalltoolow.

HbA1c–Thismeasuresglycatedhaemoglobinandgivesanoverallpictureofwhatyouraveragebloodsugarlevelshavebeenlikeovertheprevious2-3months.

LFTs–Liverfunctiontestscanshowifyouhaveunhealthylevelsoffatinyourliverasthiscausesliverinflammationwithraisedliverenzymes.TheFast800isveryeffectiveatreducingliverfat.

Lipids–Thisisatestlookingatyourcholesterolprofile.ItwillgiveyouanideaofyourriskofstrokeorheartdiseaseandusuallyimprovesontheFast800.

U&Es–Thismeasuresthesaltsinyourbloodandisanindicatorofhowwellyourkidneysarefunctioning.Beingoverweightorhavingdiabetescanleadtosignificantkidneyproblems.

Fullbloodcount–Thiswillshowifyouarewithinthenormalrange.

ThyroidFunctionTests(TFTs)–TheThyroidisaglandthatsitsinfrontoftheneckandhelpstocontrolmetabolism.Ifthisisunderactiveyouwillfeeltiredandputonweighteasily.IfyouthinkyouhaveanunderactivethyroiditmaybeworthhavingyourTFTscheckedpriortostartingadietprogrammetoensurethatit’snotcontributingtoyourproblems.

Measuringyourlevelsofinsulinandinsulinresistance

I’vewrittenalotaboutthedangersofhavinghighlevelsofinsulinandbeinginsulinresistant.Thesearenotstandardtests,butyoucanarrangetohavethemdoneprivately.

Measuringyourvisceral(tummy)fatlevels

Aswellasmeasuringyourwaist,youmightwanttogetaDEXAscan.ADEXA(DualEnergyX-rayAbsorptiometry)scanisafullbody,lowdoseX-rayscanthataccuratelymeasuresfatandmuscle,aswellasbonedensity.

If,likeme,youareaTOFI(ThinontheOutside,FatInside),itwillrevealhowmuchvisceralfatyouhave.ThisshouldfallrapidlyinthefirstfewweeksoftheFast800.

ENDNOTES1. www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/top-diets-review/2. TrendsinU.S.PerCapitaConsumptionofDairyProducts,1970-2012.USDA,2014.

www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2014/june/trends-in-us-per-capita-consumption-of-dairy-products-1970-2012/.GrossL,LiLietal.Increasedconsumptionofrefinedcarbohydratesandtheepidemicoftype2diabetesintheUnitedStates:anecologicassessment.AmerJClinNutr,2004.https://academic.oup.com/ajcn/article/79/5/774/4690186

3. NewYorkTimes–“AlwaysHungry?Here’sWhy”4. TrendsinU.S.PerCapitaConsumptionofDairyProducts,1970-2012.USDA,2014.

www.ers.usda.gov/amber-waves/2014/june/trends-in-us-per-capita-consumption-of-dairy-products-1970-2012/

5. ‘WhichFoodsMayBeAddictive?’https://journals.plos.org/plosone/article?id=10.1371/journal.pone.0117959

6. www.crsociety.org/index.html7. FabienPifferietal.Caloricrestrictionincreaseslifespanbutaffectsbrainintegrityingrey

mouselemurprimates.CommunicationsBiology,2018DOI:10.1038/s42003-018-0024-88. ValterD.Longoetal.ProlongedFastingReducesIGF-1/PKAtoPromoteHematopoietic-Stem-

Cell-BasedRegenerationandReverseImmunosuppression.CellStemCell,2014;14(6)9. www.thetimes.co.uk/article/eat-less-live-longer-the-diet-that-holds-the-key-to-staying-young-

2t662n633)10. CarterS,CliftonPMandKeoghJB.EffectofIntermittentComparedWithContinuousEnergy

RestrictedDietonGlycemicControlinPatientsWithType2Diabetes.DiabetesResClinPract.,2016.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27833048

11. HarvieM,WrightC,etal.Theeffectofintermittentenergyandcarbohydraterestrictionv.dailyenergyrestrictiononweightlossandmetabolicdiseaseriskmarkersinoverweightwomen.Br.JNutr.,2013.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23591120

12. HarvieM,SimsAHetal.Intermittentenergyrestrictioninduceschangesinbreastgeneexpressionandsystemicmetabolism.BreastCancerRes.,2016.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27233359

13. AntoniR,JohnstonKLetal.Intermittentv.continuousenergyrestriction:differentialeffectsonpostprandialglucoseandlipidmetabolismfollowingmatchedweightlossinoverweight/obeseparticipants.BrJNutr.,2018.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29508693

14. MegumiHatori,ChristopherVollmersetal.Timerestrictedfeedingwithoutreducingcaloricintakepreventsmetabolicdiseasesinmicefedahighfatdiet.CellMetab.,2012.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3491655

15. AntoniR,RobertsonTMetal.Apilotfeasibilitystudyexploringtheeffectsofamoderatetime-restrictedfeedinginterventiononenergyintake,adiposityandmetabolicphysiologyinfree-livinghumansubjects.www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S2048679018000137

16. GabelK,HoddyKetal.Effectsof8-hourtimerestrictedfeedingonbodyweightandmetabolic

diseaseriskfactorsinobeseadults:Apilotstudy.Nutr.HealthyAging,2018.https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6004924/#!po=0.724638

17. PierceJP,FaerberSetal.TheWomen’sHealthyEatingandLiving(WHEL),2016.18. TaylorR,LeanM.DiRECT(DiabetesRemissionClinicalTrial),2017.

www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/archive/2017/12/directstudy/19. RogelholmM,LarsenTMetal.PREVentionofdiabetesthroughlifestyleInterventionand

populationstudiesinEuropeandaroundtheWorld.Nutrients,2017.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/28632180

20. JebbS,AstburyNetal.DoctorReferralofOverweightPeopletoaLow-EnergyTreatment(DROPLET)inprimarycareusingtotaldietreplacementproducts.bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/8/e016709

21. PurcellK,SumithranPetal.Theeffectofrateofweightlossonlong-termweightmanagement:arandomisedcontrolledtrial.LancetDiabetesEndocrinol,2014.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25459211

22. Keys,A,Brozek,J,Henschel,A,Mickelsen,O,Taylor,H.L.Thebiologyofhumanstarvation(2vols).Oxford,England:Univ.ofMinnesotaPress,1950.http://psycnet.apa.org/record/1951-02195-000

23. ZaunerC,SchneeweissBetal.Restingenergyexpenditureinshort-termstarvationisincreasedasaresultofanincreaseinserumnorepinephrine.AmJClinNutr,2000.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10837292

24. Gomez-ArbelaezD,CrujeirasABetal.Restingmetabolicrateofobesepatientsunderverylowcalorieketogenicdiet.NutrMetab,2018.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5816424/

25. TaylorR,LeanM.DiRECT(DiabetesRemissionClinicalTrial),2017.https://www.ncl.ac.uk/press/articles/archive/2017/12/directstudy/

26. SchorJ.PrevenciónconDietaMediterránea.NatMedJ,2015.www.naturalmedicinejournal.com/journal/2015-02/prevenci%C3%B3n-con-dieta-mediterr%C3%A1nea-cohort-2-years-later

27. LassaleC,BattyGDetal.Healthydietaryindicesandriskofdepressiveoutcomes:asystematicreviewandmeta-analysisofobservationalstudies.MolecularPsychiatry,2018.www.nature.com/articles/s41380-018-0237-8

28. ShaiI,SchwarzfuchsDetal.WeightLosswithaLow-Carbohydrate,Mediterranean,orLow-FatDiet.NEnglJMed,2008.www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMoa0708681

29. GepnerY,ShelefIetal.EffectofDistinctLifestyleInterventionsonMobilizationofFatStoragePools:CENTRALMagneticResonanceImagingRandomizedControlledTrial.Circulation,2018.

30. JakicicJM,DavisKKetal.EffectofWearableTechnologyCombinedWithaLifestyleInterventiononLong-termWeightLoss.JAMA,2016.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27654602

31. GillenJB,MartinBJetal.TwelveWeeksofSprintIntervalTrainingImprovesIndicesofCardiometabolicHealthSimilartoTraditionalEnduranceTrainingdespiteaFive-FoldLowerExerciseVolumeandTimeCommitment.PLoSOne,2016.www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/27115137/

32. KhatibHKetal.Theeffectsofpartialsleepdeprivationonenergybalance.EJCN,2016.www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2016201

33. JackaF,O’NeilAetal.Arandomisedcontrolledtrialofdietaryimprovementforadultswithmajordepression(the‘SMILES’trial)BMCMedicine,2017.bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12916-017-0791-y

34. ByrneNM,SainsburyAetal.MinimisingAdaptiveThermogenesisAndDeactivatingObesityRebound.InternJnlofObesity,2017.www.nature.com/articles/ijo2017206

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41. PooleR,KennedyOetal.Coffeeconsumptionandhealth:umbrellareviewofmeta-analysesofmultiplehealthoutcomes.BMJ,2017.www.bmj.com/content/359/bmj.j5024

42. HealthProfessionalsFollow-upStudy.https://sites.sph.harvard.edu/hpfs/

INDEX2:1carbs:fatratio12:5regime15:2diet1,2,3,4,5,6seealsoNew5:2

6:1diet1The8-WeekBloodSugarDiet1,216:8TREseeTimeRestrictedEating120-YearDietBook(Walford)1abdominalfatseevisceralfatacidreflux1acrylamide1activity1,2activitymonitors1addiction1,2adrenaline1ageing,VO2max1alcohol1allergies1Alzheimer’sdisease1Amaral,DrLouis1Americandiet1,2AmericanHeartAssociation1animalstudies1anxiety1appetite1,2apps1,2asparagus,boiledeggswithspicedasparagussoldiers1Atkinsdiet1aubergines

misoaubergine‘steaks’withroastedcarrotsandcashews1Spanishauberginestewwithchorizo1

auto-immuneconditions1autophagy1,2,3avocados

mintedavocadoandchickpeasalad1smashedavocadoondarkryebread1speedyeggsandavocado1

bacon,easybaconandeggmuffins1Bailey,DrClare1,2bananaandcranberrylunchboxbars1BDNF(BrainDerivedNeurotrophicFactor)1,2,3beans1,2

balsamicfriedporksteakwithgarlickywhitebeanmash1chillilimetunawithbeansanddicedmango1creamycauliandwhitebeanmash1

beef1steakwithporcinimushrooms1

beetroot,mackerel,beetrootandredonionsalad1bingeingandsleeppatterns1Biosphere21bloodfatsreduction1bloodpressure

insulinresistance1precautions1reduction1,2tests1

bloodsugarseealsoinsulinresistance5:2diet1,2Fast8001highlevelsymptoms1monitoring1monitors1sleep1starchyfood1TimeRestrictedEating(TRE)1

BloodSugarDiet1,2blood,whitebloodcellregeneration1bodyfatseealsovisceralfat

5:2diet1,2insulinresistance1ketosis1,2

rapidweightloss1TimeRestrictedEating(TRE)1

brain5:2diet1calorierestriction(CR)1dopaminerush1ketonebodies1ketosis1,2Mediterraneandiet1

breaddarkryebread2ways1Fast8001fibre1,2speedyeggsandavocado1

breakfastcereals1recipes1skipping1

breastfeeding1,2breath1broccoli,pepperedroastedcodwithnuttybroccoli1Buddha1cabbage

mildkimchi-stylesauerkraut1sauerkrautwithcarawayseeds1simplesteamed1sizzlingstir-friedgreens1slicedham,orhalloumi,withpurpleslaw1

calorierestriction(CR)1,2‘caloriesin,caloriesout’1cancer

5:2diet1chemotherapy1,2insulinresistance1research1riskreduction1,2TimeRestrictedEating(TRE)1

caranalogy1,2carbohydrates

addiction1effectoninsulinlevels1increaseinconsumptionlevels1Mediterraneandiet1processedfoods1,2refined1

carrotsguthealingchickenbroth1misoaubergine‘steaks’withroastedcarrotsandcashews1

casestudies5:2diet1auto-immuneconditions1BloodSugarDiet1cancer1diabetesreversal1,2,3,4,5

cashewnutslow-carbstir-friedpepperedchicken1misoaubergine‘steaks’withroastedcarrotsandcashews1

Cassie(casestudy)1cauliflower

creamycauliandwhitebeanmash1prawnkormawithcoconutcaulirice1turmericroastedcauliflowerwithdhal1

cereals1cheese1

bakedsalmonandeggswithchives1creamycauliandwhitebeanmash1easybaconandeggmuffins1halloumiwithpurpleslaw1lentil,pomegranateandfetasalad1pastaandpestosaladjar1roastedchicorywithmustardandwalnuts1tapenadewithfeta1

chemotherapy1,2chiaseeds

mangochiaricepud1porridgewithpistachiosandchia1

chickenchicken,coconutandlentilcurry1guthealingchickenbroth1instantmisosoupwithmushroomsandgreens1lemonandthymechickenkebabs1low-carbstir-friedpepperedchicken1

chickpeas1hummusinahurry1mintedavocadoandchickpeasalad1veganroganjosh1

chicory,roastedwithmustardandwalnuts1chocolate1,2,3

chillichocolatethinswithpistachiocrunch1cholesterol1,2,3chorizo,Spanishauberginestewwithchorizo1TheCleverGutsDiet1coconutmilk

chicken,coconutandlentilcurry1mangochiaricepud1prawnkormawithcoconutcaulirice1redlentilandcoconutsoup1turmericroastedcauliflowerwithdhal1

cod,pepperedroastedcodwithnuttybroccoli1coffee1cohortstudies1comforteating1compulsion1seealsocravings

constipation1Copeland,ProfRob1cortisol1courgettes

crunchycourgettecanapés3ways1garlicprawnswithmixedcourgettiandspaghetti1

cranberries,bananaandcranberrylunchboxbars1

‘crashdieting’1cravings1,2,3,4,5,6CRONies(CalorieRestrictorsonOptimalNutrition)1Cumberbatch,Benedict1Cunningham,Mike1curry

chicken,coconutandlentil1prawnkormawithcoconutcaulirice1turmericroastedcauliflowerwithdhal1veganroganjosh1

cycling1,2dairyproducts1,2dancing1Dave(CRONie)1,2dehydration1,2dementia

5:2diet1incidencelevels1insulinresistance1,2mentalchallenges1

Denise(casestudy)1depression1,2,3dhal,turmericroastedcauliflowerwithdhal1diabetes

gestational1,2insulinresistance1Mosleydiagnoses1,2precautions1reversal1,2,3,4,5,6riskreduction1trials1

DiabetesUK1DiabeticKetoAcidosis(DKA)1Dick(casestudy)1Dickens,Charles1dietsseealso5:2diet;Fast800;

Mediterraneandiet

breaksfrom1low-carbohydrate1,2,3low-fat1,2,3,4Nordic1verylow-calorieresearch1

Dimonatrial1DIRECT(DiabetesRemissionClinicalTrial)1,2,3distraction1doctor’sadvicebeforestartingdiet1,2,3documentaries1,2,3dopamine1dressings1drinks1,2,3,4,5,6,7seealsoalcoholrecipes1

DROPLETtrial1Eat,Fast,LiveLonger1,2eatingdisorders1eggs1

bakedsalmonandeggswithchives1boiledeggswithspicedasparagussoldiers1creamygreensmoothie1easybaconandeggmuffins1smashedavocadoondarkryebread1speedyeggsandavocado1tomatoandbasilomelette1turmericspicedmushroomomelette1

epilepsy1,2exercise

Fast8001,2fasting1HIIT(high-intensityintervaltraining)1maintenance1mood1precautions1strengthtraining1TimeRestrictedEating(TRE)1

walking1Fast800

benefits1,2developmentofprogramme1,2ketosis1,2MaintenancePhase1,2New5:21,2options1overview1precautions1,2preparation1progressreviews1Q&A1,2RapidWeightLoss1,2,3,4sideeffects1sustainability1,2

TheFastDiet1FastMimickingDiet(FMD)1fasting1,2seealsointermittentfasting

fat,bodyseebodyfatFatChance(Lustig)1Fatin,Meri1fats

Mediterraneandiet1processedfoods1

fennelpastaandpestosaladjar1quickpickledfennelandradishes1

fermentedfoodsmildkimchi-stylesauerkraut1sauerkrautwithcarawayseeds1

fertility1feta

lentil,pomegranateandfetasalad1pastaandpestosaladjar1tapenadewithfeta1

fibreconstipation1gutbacteria1,2leafyvegetables1nuts1pulses1,2,3wholegrains1,2

‘fightorflight’response1fish

bakedsalmonandeggswithchives1cost1haddocksteamedwithThaispices1mackerel,beetrootandredonionsalad1nutrition1pepperedroastedcodwithnuttybroccoli1sardinesroastedinredandyellowpeppers1speedyChinesesalmonstir-fry1

fitnesslevels1,2foiegras1foodseealsojunkfood

cupboardclearing1,2Fast800stock1

foodaddiction1Friedman,DrMark1fructose1fruit1,2,3Gadde,ProfKishore1gestationaldiabetes1,2gingerteawithturmeric1glycogen1,2goals1,2grazingseesnacksgreentea1gutbacteria1,2,3,4,5,6guthealingchickenbroth1habits1haddocksteamedwithThaispices1

halloumiwithpurpleslaw1ham,slicedwithpurpleslaw1Harvie,DrMichelle1headaches1,2heartdisease

5:2diet1historicalbeliefinhigh-fatdietsascause1insulinresistance1,2precautions1riskreduction1,2

heartrate1,2HIIT(high-intensityintervaltraining)1hormonesseealsoinsulinstress1

weightlossbenefits1Howell,ProfTony1hummusinahurry1hunger

insulinresistance1,2portionsizes1stress1,2

hydration1,2,3,4,5,6hypertension1IGF-11immunesystem1,2infertility1inflammation1,2,3,4insomnia1insulin1,2,3,4insulinresistance1,2,3seealsobloodsugar

insulinsensitivity1intermittentdieting1intermittentfasting(IF)1,2,3,4,5,6seealso5:2diet;periodicfasting;TimeRestrictedEating

Jackman,Hugh1Jebb,ProfSusan1,2Johnston,DrJonathan1

junkfood1,2,3,4,5,6Ketodiet1‘ketoflu’1ketosis

badbreath1brain1,2Fast8001,2,3,4,5,6importance1Ketodiet1monitoring1processoverview1

kidneys1kimchi,mildkimchi-stylesauerkraut1Kimmel,Jimmy1kindnesspractice1konjac1Lean,ProfMike1,2lentils1

chicken,coconutandlentilcurry1lentil,pomegranateandfetasalad1redlentilandcoconutsoup1turmericroastedcauliflowerwithdhal1

liver1,2,3,4longevity,calorierestriction(CR)1TheLongevityDiet(Longo)1Longo,ProfValter1,2,3,4low-carbohydratediets1,2,3low-fatdiets1,2,3,4Ludwig,DrDavid1Lustig,DrRobert1Mscore1,2mackerel,beetrootandredonionsalad1MaintenancePhase1,2mangetout,mincedporkandmangetoutstir-frywithnoodles1mango

chillilimetunawithbeansanddicedmango1mangochiaricepud1

spicedmangosmoothie1Martin,DrCorby1Matadorstudy1Mattson,ProfMark1mealpatterns1,2,3,4,5,6meals

recordkeeping1replacementdietshakes1,2savouring1,2sittingdown1

meatMediterraneandiet1nutrition1processed1

mediahealthclaims1,2medication1,2,3,4Mediterraneandiet

benefits1,2,3,4,5,6,7cost1Fast8001Mscore1,2misunderstandings1othercuisines1research1,2,3,4,5sustainability1

menstruation1mentalhealth1menuplans1metabolicrates1,2,3metabolicsyndrome1microbiome1,2,3,4,5,6milk1

porridgewithpistachiosandchia1mindfulness1,2MinnesotaStarvationExperiment1mintedlemontea1miso

instantmisosoupwithmushroomsandgreens1misoaubergine‘steaks’withroastedcarrotsandcashews1

mitochondria1mood

BDNF1,2,3exercise1insulinresistance1Mediterraneandiet1progressreviews1

Mosley,DrMichaelbackground1,2bodycomparison1bodyscans1diabetesdiagnoses1,2documentaries1,2,3Fast800experience1father1mealtimetest1weightgaintest1,2

mouselemurs1musclemass1,2,3,4,5,6mushrooms

easybaconandeggmuffins1instantmisosoupwithmushroomsandgreens1nutrition1sausageandmushroomswithspringgreens1Spanishauberginestewwithchorizo1steakwithporcinimushrooms1turmericspicedmushroomomelette1veganroganjosh1

NationalInstituteonAgeing1,2New5:21,2,3NHSadvice

5:2diet1Active101heartage1

non-alcoholicfattyliverdisease(NAFLD)1

noodles,mincedporkandmangetoutstir-frywithnoodles1Nordicdiet1nuts1

bananaandcranberrylunchboxbars1chillichocolatethinswithpistachiocrunch1low-carbstir-friedpepperedchicken1misoaubergine‘steaks’withroastedcarrotsandcashews1pepperedroastedcodwithnuttybroccoli1porridgewithpistachiosandchia1roastedchicorywithmustardandwalnuts1

oatsbananaandcranberrylunchboxbars1Mediterraneandiet1porridge1porridgewithpistachiosandchia1

obesityepidemic1healthrisks1insulinresistance1

oliveoil1,2,3,4olives,tapenadewithfeta1omelettes

tomatoandbasil1turmericspicedmushroom1

onionsmackerel,beetrootandredonionsalad1mildkimchi-stylesauerkraut1sauerkrautwithcarawayseeds1

overeatingandsleeppatterns1pakchoi

haddocksteamedwithThaispices1mintedavocadoandchickpeasalad1

pancreas1,2,3,4,5Panda,DrSatchin1,2,3pasta

garlicprawnswithmixedcourgettiandspaghetti1pastaandpestosaladjar1

peanutallergies1pearlbarleyandpumpkinseedsalad1peas,quick’n’easypeaandspinachsoup1

pepperschicken,coconutandlentilcurry1haddocksteamedwithThaispices1sardinesroastedinredandyellowpeppers1veganroganjosh1

periodicfasting1periods1pickles,quickpickledfennelandradishes1pistachios

chillichocolatethinswithpistachiocrunch1porridgewithpistachiosandchia1

polycysticovaries1pomegranateseeds,lentil,pomegranateandfetasalad1pork

balsamicfriedporksteakwithgarlickywhitebeanmash1mincedporkandmangetoutstir-frywithnoodles1

porridge1withpistachiosandchia1

portionsizes1potatoes1prawns

garlicprawnswithmixedcourgettiandspaghetti1instantmisosoupwithmushroomsandgreens1prawnkormawithcoconutcaulirice1

pre-diabetes1,2,3,4PREDIMEDtrial1,2pregnancy1,2,3,4PREVIEWstudy1processedfoods1,2,3,4prodigalsonpractice1protein1,2,3psychiatricdisorders1,2publichealthadvice1,2,3pulses1,2

Quinn,Nora1radishes,quickpickledfennelandradishes1raisinpractice1raitha1randomisedcontrolledtrials1,2recordkeeping1regeneration1replacementdietshakes1,2research

5:2diet1activitylevels1Biosphere21calorierestriction(CR)1,2,3,4cancer1,2dementia1diabetesreversal1,2Dimonatrial1exercise1fasting1foodaddiction1heartdisease1HIIT(high-intensityintervaltraining)1,2intermittentdieting1Mediterraneandiet1,2,3,4,5MinnesotaStarvationExperiment1rapidweightloss1,2recordkeeping1scientificmethod1sleep1supportnetwork1TimeRestrictedEating(TRE)1,2,3Women’sHealthyEatingandLiving(WHEL)trial1

researchevidenceoverview1retinopathy1rewards1rhubarb,stewedwithginger1rice,mangochiaricepud1

roganjosh,vegan1rootvegandturmericsoup1Russell,Jenni1Sainsbury,ProfAmanda1salads

lentil,pomegranateandfeta1mackerel,beetrootandredonion1mintedavocadoandchickpea1pastaandpestosaladjar1pearlbarleyandpumpkinseed1

salmonbakedsalmonandeggswithchives1speedyChinesesalmonstir-fry1

salt1sardinesroastedinredandyellowpeppers1satiety1sauerkraut2ways1sausageandmushroomswithspringgreens1scepticism1SCFs(short-chainfattyacids)1Scott,DrEleanor1See,Love,Be(Stead)1seeds

pastaandpestosaladjar1pearlbarleyandpumpkinseedsalad1smashedavocadoondarkryebread1

sexdrive1Shai,ProfIris1sideeffects1sitting1skinconditions1,2sleep

improvements1,2,3,4,5routine1stress1,2

sleepapnea1smoothies1

snacks1,2,3,4,5snoring1soups

guthealingchickenbroth1instantmisowithmushroomsandgreens1quick’n’easypeaandspinach1redlentilandcoconut1rootvegandturmeric1

Spanishauberginestewwithchorizo1Spencer,Mimi1spinach

bakedsalmonandeggswithchives1boiledeggswithspicedasparagussoldiers1chillilimetunawithbeansanddicedmango1instantmisosoupwithmushroomsandgreens1pastaandpestosaladjar1prawnkormawithcoconutcaulirice1quick’n’easypeaandspinachsoup1smashedavocadoondarkryebread1turmericroastedcauliflowerwithdhal1

standing1,2starchyfood

bloodsugarlevelseffect1recommendedintakelevels1

starvationmode1Stead,Tim1stir-fries

instantvegetable1low-carbstir-friedpepperedchicken1mincedporkandmangetoutwithnoodles1sizzlingstir-friedgreens1speedyChinesesalmon1

strengthtraining1stress1,2strokeriskreduction1,2sugar

addictiontest1

‘high’1processedfoodnames1reduction1

supplements1,2,3supportnetwork1,2,3,4surgery1Susie(casestudy)1sustainability1,2tapenadewithfeta1Taylor,ProfRoy1,2,3,4teas1,2temptation1,2tests1,2thyroidfunctiontests(TFTs)1TimeRestrictedEating(TRE)benefits1

casestudies1ascomplementto5:21developmentofprogramme1exercise1Fast8001,2,3,4,5optimumwindow1overview1,2popularity1research1,2,3sustainability1

tomatoesmintedavocadoandchickpeasalad1pastaandpestosaladjar1Spanishauberginestewwithchorizo1tomatoandbasilomelette1veganroganjosh1

treatsmealpatterns1recipes1

triglyceridesreduction1TheTruthaboutExercise1tuna,chillilimetunawithbeansanddicedmango1

turmericroastedcauliflowerwithdhal1turmericspicedmushroomomelette1vanity1Varady,DrKrista1vegans1,2vegetables

benefits1cost1ast8001fermented1Mediterraneandiet1starchy1

vegetarians1,2visceralfat

5:2diet1benefitsofintermittentfasting1insulinresistance1,2Mediterraneandiet1tests1

vitaminsupplements1,2,3VO2max1,2Vollaard,DrNiels1waistsize1,2,3,4Walford,DrRoy1walking1,2walnuts,roastedchicorywithmustardandwalnuts1websites1,2,3,4,5,6weightgain

effectonhealth1middle-aged1monitoringprogress1,2,3mythafterrapidloss1

weightloss5:2diet1Fast8001,2,3rapid,benefits1rapid,research1

rapid,sustainability1,2,3weightmeasurement1,2,3whitebloodcells1wholegrains1,2,3,4willpower1,2,3Women’sHealthyEatingandLiving(WHEL)trial1YaleFoodAddictionScale1yoghurt

Fast8001homemade1nutrition1pearlbarleyandpumpkinseedsalad1prawnkormawithcoconutcaulirice1quick’n’easypeaandspinachsoup1raitha1slicedham,orhalloumi,withpurpleslaw1spicedmangosmoothie1

zeronoodlesmincedporkandmangetoutstir-frywithnoodles1

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

DrMichaelMosleyisasciencepresenter,journalistandexecutiveproducer.AftertrainingtobeadoctorattheRoyalFreeHospitalinLondon,hespent25yearsattheBBC,wherehemadenumeroussciencedocumentaries.Now

freelance,heistheauthorofseveralbestsellingbooks,TheFastDiet,The8-WeekBloodSugarDietandTheCleverGutsDiet.Heismarriedwithfour

children.

DrClareBailey,wifeofMichaelMosley,isaGPwhohaspioneeredadietaryapproachtohealthandreducingbloodsugarsanddiabetesathersurgeryinBuckinghamshire.SheistheauthorofThe8-WeekBloodSugar

DietRecipeBookandTheCleverGutsDietRecipeBook.

WHATDOESAN800-CALORIEDAYLOOKLIKE?

SpicedMangoSmoothie190cals(p177)

MincedPorkandMangeToutStir-FrywithNoodles320cals(p190)

HaddockSteamedwithThaiSpices300cals(p226)

BoiledEggswithSpicedAsparagusSoldiers230cals(p171)

RootVegandTurmericSoup170cals(p194)

SpanishAubergineStewwithChorizo390cals(p213)

SpeedyEggsandAvocado290cals(p175)

MisoAubergine‘Steaks’withCarrotsandCashews315cals(p202)

LemonandThymeChickenKebabs220cals(p188)

BakedSalmonandEggswithChives300cals(p173)

CrunchyCourgetteCanapés3Ways211cals(p181)

GarlicPrawnswithMixedCourgettiandSpaghetti290cals(p198)

SmashedAvocadoonDarkRyeBread290cals(p182)

SausageandMushroomswithSpringGreens545cals(p219)

PearlBarleyandPumpkinSeedSalad340cals(p208)

PepperedRoastCodwithNuttyBroccoli430cals(p224)

PorridgewithPistachiosandChia370cals(p174)

SpeedyChineseSalmonStir-Fry360cals(p210)

PastaandPestoSaladJar495cals(p207)

PrawnKormawithCoconutCauliRice320cals(p228)