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