Daily Mirror - 26.08.2019

mirror.co.uk MONDAY 26.08.2019 DAILY MIRROR^29

DM1ST

30 DR MIRIAM STOPPARD

l 32 DEAR COLEEN

in 2017 compared IF versus a

ard calorie restriction diet for a full

and concluded both forms of

ng were similarly effective.

wever, any diet is only effective if

e stick to it – and many slimmers

hey find IF much easier than

ng calories.

ealth benefits

followers claim fasting gives

organs and the digestive system

t from breaking down food –

reducing stress and inflammation

e body, which they say can lower

sk of serious conditions, such as

disease.

d because it lowers insulin levels,

y – including 5:2 diet guru

Michael Mosely, who claims to

reversed his own Type 2 diabetes

F – believe it could lower your risk

betes.

wever, most of the trials to date

been animal studies, and more

an research is needed to confirm

benefits.

it safe?

e is currently no evidence to show

F – even the extreme OMAD – is

harmful, and experts say healthy people

of any weight can consider fasting as a

way to shed pounds.

Although, as with any new diet, you

should always check

with your GP first.

There are some

exceptions, however.

IF is probably not for

you if any of the

following apply:

„ You have any

pre-existing health

conditions, including

diabetes

„ You are

underweight

„ You are pregnant

or breastfeeding

„ You have ever had

an eating disorder

Indeed, Azmina also

has some concern

about nutrition.

She says: “With our current life-

styles, it’s hard enough to ensure

you get enough nutrients eating

three meals a day.

“So eating fewer meals –

especially just one – can make

you run low in key nutrients

unless you’re very careful to eat

a good range of healthy foods in

the right amounts.”

Fasting

helped me

finally shift

the pounds

Danielle Jones, 33, is a copywriter. She lives in Portsmouth with

her husband and two daughters, aged two and four:

Three months ago I saw a shocking picture of

myself that was a real wake-up call. I couldn’t

believe how big I’d got and realised I had to do

something about it.

When I was 23, I weighed just 7st 5lb, but over

the last decade had slowly piled on weight –

especially after having my two daughters.

I was a dress size 18-20, weighing over 15 stone, and at 5ft 6in

had a BMI of 32, which is classed as dangerously obese.

I’d tried various diets over the years, including slimming clubs,

but never kept the weight off for long.

My main meals were actually pretty healthy, but my downfalls

were drinking 10 cups of tea and coffee daily, each with 2tsp of

sugar, plus a litre and a half of full-fat Coke. I also liked to snack on

Pringles and Dairy Milk after dinner.

In all, I was totalling around 4,500

calories per day.

I liked the idea of fasting as I’ve always

tended to skip breakfast, so I looked into

the 5:2 diet.

But as an all-or-nothing person, I thought

I’d find it too hard to stick to the 500-calorie

limit on fasting days, as once I start eating I

find it hard to stop.

So instead I chose the 16:8 intermittent-

fasting programme. While on the diet, I

continued skipping breakfast – only having

black coffee in the morning until lunch at 12

noon – and then ate dinner around 7-8pm.

I couldn’t believe how easy it was – apart from the odd hunger

pang, which passed with a glass of water.

I felt great with lots of energy. I did find my sleep was disturbed

for the first couple of weeks, but this soon settled.

The weight started falling off immediately, at around 5-6lb per

week for the first six weeks. This has now levelled out to 1-2lb

a week. After a few weeks, I found I didn’t even need lunch and so

switched to having just one meal a day (OMAD) at 5pm.

Again, this was surprisingly easy.

Now that I’m eating only once a day I’m very careful to make sure

the meal is packed with protein, healthy fats, good carbs and fruit

and veg. For example, last night I had chicken fajitas with lots of

veg, cheese and sour cream.

After three months, I’ve lost 30lb. I now weigh 12 stone and

my BMI is 27. I’m going to keep going until I reach my goal

weight of 9st 5lb. At a recent health check, my results

were very good.

Not only am I healthier for my kids, I’ve also been

buying size 14 dresses in shops I couldn’t go into

before. I love this way of eating and will never go back

to three meals a day.

My main

meals were

healthy but

my downfalls

were sugary

tea, full-fat

Coke, crisps,

and chocs

after dinner

The main types of IF

The 5:2 diet

This diet, devised by Dr Michael Mosley, kicked off the

whole fasting trend. When following this diet, you eat

normally for five days a week and then fast – eating only

500 calories for women and 600 calories for men

• for any two non-consecutive days each week.
  There’s pretty good evidence it can help you
  lose weight.

Alternate-day fasting (ADF)

Often called the “every other day diet”, here you

alternate daily between eating normally and

fasting, when you have one very small meal

(500/600 calories). The main downside people

report is going to bed hungry every other day.

Time-restricted eating: 16:8

The 16:8 method involves daily fasts of 16 hours

for men, and 14-15 hours for women, who are

thought to do better with slightly shorter fasts.

Each day you restrict your eating to an 8-10

hour window. This can be as simple as not

eating anything after dinner at 8pm, then skipping

breakfast, and only eating again at noon the next day.

The one-meal-a-day (OMAD) diet

The most extreme version of intermittent fasting, OMAD

allows eating for one hour only in a whole 24-hour period.

You can eat whatever you like within that hour, but when

you’re not eating, you’re only allowed to drink black

coffee and water. Followers claim it offers faster weight

loss than other types of IF.

LOSING

IT

Danielle

fasted her

way slim

EDITED BY MERNIE GILMORE

[email protected]