h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

There was a Horizon documentary on thsi last year, and then a Sunday Times article about it in January. So I've decided to try it out for a month or 2.

The premise is really simple - for 2 non-consecutive days a week, you eat about 25% of your normal calorie intake (so that's roughly 500 for women, 600 for men). The other 5 days you eat what you like. While not primarily for weight loss, that's a common result. Hugh Fearnely Whittingstall has just revealed that he's trying this too, as a post-Christmas regime.

There's something very reassuring about the fact that for 5 days a week you can eat (and drink) what you like. I've always said I could do anything as long as I didn't have to do it every day - one day's suffering is bearable.

The measl aren't so bad with a bit of proper planning. I'm a grazer by nature, and do not cope well without breakfast, so for me it's better to have 3 small meals and a couple fo snacks, whereas others prefer to have all their calorie allotment in one meal.

I've just done Day 2: For breakfast I had half a banana mashed with a whisked egg white and some cinnamon, nuked to make a sort of pancake, with a handful of berries. Morning snack was 2 crackerbreads with a laughing cow light, lunch was a 50 calorie cupasoup and a cottage cheese salad, afternoon nibbles were celery sticks and radishes, and dinner was a slice of pastrami with stir-fried courgettes, mushroom and spinach. I must admit I was a bit hungry in the evening, so I did nibble on a dry cracker, while dreaming about what I was going to make for breakfast the next day....

I'd never heard of this until I read about it at The Vagenda. So in case you're interested in a total rant against this non-diet (IYSWIM) go here

http://vagendamag.blogspot.de/

I couldn't post the direct link which uses the F-word. It's the blog entry for 14th Jan. I'm not entirely sure I agree with them. In fact I probably don't. But I like to check that blog out because every now and then there is a gem of a post.

I'll be interested to see how you get on. With me the idea of dieting is just that I get bored of counting. I try to balance everything over a week, which is pretty much what this 5:2 thing does.

I shall check that link out later, ta (blocked from work)

it can be a bit... fruity. And ranty. But they mean well. And what they say doesn't apply to you in this case. It was just weird for me that I'd never heard of it and then twice within a short space of time.

evening all, i might try this out as i'm a bit porky around the middle............

It's not really "fasting" as such, just a very restricted calorie intake twice a week.

Men seem to have more success than women at it, though it's fairly recent and there's only really annecdotal evidence at the minute.

As bea says though, losing weight isn't the primary purpose of this 'plan', though most of the press reports and discussions on it have centred around this aspect. The main aim is to reduce all the problematic 'vital signs' that many folk in the rich west tend to have. High blood pressure, cholesterol... oh I forget there were other ones as well, but mainly one to do with cells constantly being in 'full on' mode rather than repair mode. In essence this plan, if maintained permanently, should prolong your life, or make you healthy pretty much to the end of it...

The way I've written that makes it sound flakey and new-agy, but the original Horizon program on it was fairly sober and scientific, (for Horizon these days), and the presenter is a respected TV doctor type. I know a good number of very sensible non-faddy people trying this regime, so I certainly class it as more than another diet fad.

It also makes perfect sense to me that restricting calories regularly is a healthy thing to do. No creatures on earth have evolved to have a steady regular food intake. We're all adapted to thrive or at least survive on occasional periods of non-food availability. Food has never been assured for any species throughout time. Our recent penchant for 3 square meals a day is actually pretty unnatural really

and I should add, that during the 5:2 experiments on the program, the presenter/doctor regressed in physical age by about 10 years (or more?)in terms of these health indicators. This was just after trying the diet for a couple of weeks, from memory.

now that's an angle they should be pushing! now, where's my calorie counter

Well exactly, all the sensationalist journalism has focussed on one aspect of it. The book and website are called "Eat Fast Live Longer", and go into more details on that aspect.

I'm on Fast Day 3 today - I'll update my blog later with pics and stuff.

The social aspect of it is MUCH easier than calorie counting every single day - I know what nights I'm out for dinner/ entertaining guests/ eating a special meal with Rog/ at a works do etc , and I can pick my fast day to be when I'm NOT committed to something like that. And of course I enjoy my nights out without worrying about how many calories are in that mince pie, or delcious casserole that Julie made, and oooh don't those cupcakes look good. Glass of wine? Make it a large.

It's not the first time I've come across intermittent fasting (IF) - there's a JUDDDers group here on hootoo (Johnston Up Day Down Day Diet), who again are using a similar approach to food to adress other issues such as inflamation.

I intend to have my cholesterol checked after a month or 2. It wasn't worryingly high (5ish from memory, done last year)but they keep lowering the target we have to aim for!

I've not heard of this one, it might be a lot easier for my eldest son to do rather than the Up day Down day one that he's been failing on constantly. I'll have to tell him about it.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Fast-Diet-Intermittent-Fasting-Healthy/dp/1780721676/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359033842&sr=1-1

Link to the book on Amazon, with some positive reviews.

http://dancingatlunacy.wordpress.com/2013/01/25/52-diet-all-these-little-things/#comments

Link to my blog, which I'll try to update with my progress, recipes etc

Oh here - I tried your fish in white wine recipe yesterday. It was gorgeous!

Pull-out supplement in the this week's radio Times, and the lovely Brian Cox on the cover - win/win!

*misses being in UK*

did you watch the new show?

No! Totally missed it last night! I'm hoping it'll either be repeated, or I can catch it on iPlayer.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01qh3bb/Wonders_of_Life_What_Is_Life/

I'll just leave this here for you, Bea

I can't access that (just as well I recorded it )

Thanks Magwitch!

Today is the day after a fast day, and I feel almost ecstatic. I know I can eat whatever I like, though my cravings are rather healthy - I had porridge with pomegranate seeds for breakfast, boiled egg'n'crisped bacon'n'greek yoghurt dip thing on rice cakes mid morning, wasn't as hungry as I usually get at lunchtime and have just savoured every mouthful of a salad with artichoke hearts, black olives, mushrooms, and yellow pepper.

I do fancy some good chocolate later on.

I noticed that I didn't want a large portion for breakfast - normal serving size of porridge is 30-40g - I had 20.

Lesson learned yesterday: As I was leaving the office, I texted to see if Rog needed me to pick anything up on the way home. He said "a large fillet steak please!" Now that was a big ask, going into a shop surrounded by food, choosing a steak that I wouldn't get to eat and resisting all other temptations around me. He had the grace to cook it himself, mind, and I did try one mouthful. But in future - not only plan what I am going to eat on a down day, plan what HE is going to eat also.