Week 1 - Wednesday

Feel-good Factor: 6/10

Today I ate exactly the same as I did on Monday: A bowl of muesli and a Chicken sandwich in the afternoon. But this time I decided to leave the muesli until lunch time, that way I don't have to spend the afternoon in agonizing hunger.

It was definitely better than Monday, so I think I'll repeat it again on Friday.

Early Positives

It's still early, but already I've noticed three non-health-related positives from this type of fasting:

1. Something to look forward to. It gives that added incentive to get out of bed in the morning, safe in the knowledge that you can eat whatever you want.
2. Not feeling guilty. According to the documentary, it doesn't really matter what you eat on your feed days, you still reap the health benefits as long as you stick to your fast days. For once I can eat as much as I want when I want without the guilt trip afterwards.
3. Savouring meals. That first meal on a feed day sure as hell tastes a lot better than it did before the fast. 

Still a long way to go though and it's the health benefits that really count.

Week 1 - Monday

Feel-good Factor: 5/10

I came to the office prepared this morning with a bag of Muesli I bought in Lidl. Normally Muesli is a good at making you feel full. One bowl, with semi-skimmed milk is approximately 300 calories. After guzzling that down, I knew this fast was going to be a cinch.

By 11:30 though I was starving. Michael is right about hunger coming in waves, once you've ridden the first wave, the next is not far off.

The original plan was to eat the other half of my calorie allowance in the evening, but by 3:30 I was practically gnawing away at my fingers. With just a moment's doubt, I went out and bought a 234 calorie Mexican Chicken Sandwich.

The evening proved a challenge as well. I was sorely tempted to finish off my son's dinner, but made do with a couple of cucumber slices and a nibbled Beef Jerky. Overall, I think I hit the 600 mark more-or-less spot on.

Tomorrow is my first Feed-day! In other words, I can go back to pigging out for 24 hours.

The Rules

Time to lay out some rules:

1. I will live a calorie restricted diet 3 days a week (Monday, Wednesday and Friday) for a year. On these days I will eat no more than 600 calories. 
2. Every fast day I will hold myself accountable by posting my progress on this blog.
3. If there are substantial health benefits after a year I will try to continue, but not necessarily blogging every fast day. 
4. If my health is harmed due to the fast, I will stop immediately. 
5. This all starts from tomorrow - Monday November 26th, 2012.

Here goes...

Why Fast?

"So what is the point of this blog anyhow? How can fasting lead to a longer life and why is a skinny bean-pole like you even attempting it? " - confused reader.

It's all Michael Mosley's fault. A few months ago he presented a Horizon documentary Eat, Fast and Live Longer and wrote an article called the power of intermittent fasting. In it he investigates whether there is any truth in the Calorie restriction myth, and he ends up a believer. By the end of the show, he had placed himself on a 2-day a week fasting regime and was seeing some intriguing health improvements. He eats normally 5 days a week, and for two days he eats only 600 calories.

What is the point of this blog? Accountability. Lanky I may be, but I sure as hell love my food and no matter how hard I try, I just can't stop consuming it. It's the perfect accompaniment to any emotion. When I'm feeling down, eating gives me that much needed lift. When I'm bored, then I go out and grab a Chinese. Feeling happy? Well in that case why not celebrate with a Hawaiian pizza or two. Whatever the emotion, food is never far from the agenda.

Now I'm setting myself a challenge. I'm going to stick with a 3:4 form of the diet. That means three days a week - on Monday, Wednesday and Friday - I will eat no more than 600 calories, and this blog is going to hold me accountable. Each of these 3 days I will post a brief update, describing everything I ate.

Sadly it's not practical to have blood tests 3 times a week and give you my detailed vital statistics (e.g. glucose and IGF-1 hormone levels). With my scruffy hair and lack of dress sense, I already look like a Heroine addict; if folks on the train saw needle marks all over my arms, I'd be carted off before you can say Trainspotting.  So for now I will just make do with a 'wellness' score out of 10 for how healthy I feel on the day.

Any proof?

Both the same age, the rhesus monkey
on the left has had an unrestricted diet.

It seems to be mounting. Micheal's documentary is not the first time low calorie diets have raised eyebrows. The Japanese island of Okinawa has the largest percentage of Centenarians in the world - their diet is low calorie and high in vegetables. Infact, an ancient proverb on the island advises people to eat only until they are 80% full.

There is also a fair amount of scientific evidence to support the notion. For example, a 20-year study on rhesus monkeys at the University of Wisconsin revealed that monkey's whose calorie intake was restricted lived longer and were about 25% less likely to die from age-related illnesses such as Cancer or diabetes.

Now if you'll excuse me, all this blogging is making me hungry and there's a Sweet and Sour Chicken at the Pearl of the Orient with my name it.

References 

1. Caloric restriction delays disease onset and mortality in rhesus monkeys - University of Wisconsin