The Fast 800: How to combine rapid weight loss and intermittent fasting for long-term health (The Fast 800 Series)

I have been determined for years to find a diet that works and works naturally I am only 4 days into it and have a gut feeling that this is it, after at least 20 years of trying unsuccessfully to lose weight. Like much modern medicine most diet plans treat just the symptoms. This diet treats the cause. I am nearly 60 and was at the cusp of resigning myself to being fat until I die. I have tried more diet regimes than you have fingers to count them on, plus a few I made up myself. So I can confidently say that this time I have feelings of relief (finally) and confidence that my obesity sickness is being cured. If the diet sounds harsh, it is but it is also surprisingly easy! I am now enjoying every bite of my delicious food with no desire to keep on eating all day, no more fear of feeling hungry, and no more carrying snacks in my handbag "just in case" Thank you Dr Mosley Addendum: I lost a stone in three weeks going from 14.5 stone to 13.5 Then I lost the plot a bit over a couple of birthday celebrations and put 3lb back on. However it's been easy to get back on track. And I've started losing weight again.

I brought this book to help keep me on the right track to be more healthy and to lose weight that had crept back on over the 2020 lockdown. After watching Michael Moseley's programme recently aired in July/Aug, I knew this would be the right thing to help me. Through the entire month of May 2020, I exercised everyday - be it walking, running, trail running, cycling and Hiit workouts and I felt so deflated at the end of May when I felt I had put more weight on than off. (I don't own scales, I go on my clothes and I struggled to fit in anything, which is depressing). After watching Michael's program, I realised that it's what I am or not eating, so I ordered his new book. The book is full of facts and credible evidence as why rapid weight loss is best, getting active, the diet in practice recipe's and meal planners. Michael explains the process and flexibility to it, for those who may not be able to do the fast 800. You can do TRE (time restricted Eating) where you eat during a time period so your body fasts over the rest, and when you are sleeping, so eating breakfast a little later or dinner a little earlier. The 5:2, 2:5, 6:1 ect where your fast days are just healthy low carb Mediterranean 800 cal meals. There's plenty of meal ideas at the back to keep you going and of course you can look at other recipes on the fast 800 website and in other cookbooks. It's suggested to write down what you consume during the fast 800, which is what I am doing and Calorie counting, until I get to my idea weight and the I'll maintain the diet with a 5:2 or 6:1 and continue to eat healthy. I weigh-in with a family member who is also doing this diet, to keep us both motivated. A very good read for anyone who wants to be well, healthy and maintain wellbeing.

I always enjoyed Dr. M. Mosley's TV programmes "Trust me. I'm a doctor". One thing that I remember and is mentioned in the recipe book is that some foods - bread/pasta/rice - lose 50% of their calories if frozen and re-heated the following day. My toast bread is now in the freezer. So 2 frozen slices are now the cals of 1 unfrozen slice! On the basis of his reputation and what seemed to me good sense about eating, I bought his book 'The Fast 800' and his wife's recipe book. The recipes are pretty much how I cook already. Oddly, I have difficulty with some ingredients here in France. Broccoli, a huge favourite of 'healthy eating' regimes, is either of very poor quality or completely unobtainable in my local s/mkts. In addtion, the French sell it with massive woody stalks still attached. Many 'oriental' herbs and spices, which feature regularly in the recipes, are likewise unobtainable. That said, the books are encouraging. I only started a couple of days ago so results TBA, tho' 1 kg per day off, the past 2 days. One aspect of the Mosely's books that's very disappointing: the website, mentioned in the books as a source of advice, info and encouragement, is behind a pay-wall. Having shelled out for the books, a 3 month subscription to 'a club' is required to access it. My thought is that weight loss is such an important aspect of general health and obesity is so widespread [including me!], that the website, supporting the books, would be available f.o.c. Many more people, who bought the books, would benefit even more if advice and Q/A was bundled with them.

I usually struggle to stay interested in books that are medical or non-fiction as most are written in a manner which is very much textbook style, but I must admit this one had me captivated from the word go & I read it all in an afternoon. I found the info interesting and relevant and felt so inspired by his writing that I actually started the diet the next day. I feel more educated and knowledgeable on this lifestyle and how and why it works, which I like as I am the type of person that doesn’t like the concept of “because it just does” - I want to understand the how and whys of things. Dr Mosley’s writing style grabbed my attention and made this an enjoyable read and not just another text book. I happily paid for the book over some of the free titles, after reading the first few chapters as a kindle sample because I found it interesting and fact based. There’s another book I tried reading where the author (not a Doctor either) admits they tried the diet but couldn’t stick to it, but then carried on writing diet recipes. That to me is not a good example - with Dr Mosley’s work however, he has tried all the things he has written about so he not only knows the science behind them but also how it feels to actually do them. That I can get behind and totally respect. He’s not a “do as I say, not as I do” author but has really been there and tried it before sitting claiming to be an expert (not that he makes that claim) as such I already have his other books on my wish list. I told my partner about this book and gave him the summary of it and he also decided to join me in becoming a 5:2er. I’m impressed how dedicated he is to it, so now we have changed our eating times to between 12:00 and 20:00 and also have 2 days a week where we fast, and both are seeing improvements in many areas. Now others at work have expressed and interest in our new eating habits and want to know more, so I am recommending this book to them to also try. Good book and reasonably priced. UPDATE: 3 weeks in on this diet come new lifestyle, and my partner has lost a stone and I have lost half a stone (which is about right given he is heavier than me and Male and we are both eating approx the same amount of calories). By simply reducing what we eat twice a week and watching the times we eat within, has done us wonders. Granted we both miss our late night dinners (due to shifts we were eating at 21:30 in the evenings most nights) so we feel cheated out of a meal, purely because we haven’t adjusted mentally to the fact we are now just eating it earlier in the day. We aim to have our first meal around 12:30/13:00 and the last one by 19:30 and that seems to be working. We’ve also noticed that even though 5 days are pretty much eating what we want, we are more conscious of what we are eating, selecting healthier meals & ditching the junk. It’s made us more aware of what crap we were eating and now we have cut a lot of rubbish out completely without really much thought. This book has changed our lives for the better in such a short space of time. Thank you Dr Mosley.

I've read most of Dr Michael Mosley's previous books and found this to be a good update. It provides a mixture of Michael's experience, the latest research and some real-life case studies as well as a recommended (but non-prescriptive) programme. Some of it is familiar and some advice has changed (e.g. up the calories on 5:2 to make it more achievable and to get more nutrients). It's quite a quick read as well (and half is made up of recipes but they sound tasty). Michael Mosley has used the experience and knowledge gained over the last few years since The Fast Diet (5:2) plus I finished the book feeling quite motivated to get started. In summary, if you've got a lot of weight to lose, try: - 800 calories a day of a Mediterranean-style diet. Review your progress and goals after two weeks and either continue for up to twelve weeks or move to New 5:2. - 5:2 until you reach your goals. - Med-style eating in the main for maintenance (maybe with one fast day for health reasons and easier maintenance). Other recommendations are included, such as time-restricted eating and exercise suggestions. A lot of it will be familiar if you've read previous books, but it does provide updated research and is definitely worth a read if you want a boost and a little convincing to get started. As another reviewer has said, there is some encouragement to go to their website. This was the same in previous books but unlike e.g. the blood sugar diet website you can't get to forums and some info unless you pay to go on their 12 week programme.

If you are sceptical of diet lore, so-called 'clean' eating and every other fad that's out there, then this book, an update on previous work by Dr Moseley, will be reassuring. The author has revised his original 5:2 programme, based on what he's learned from current research. You don't have to be a science nerd to realise that Moseley is making a genuine attempt to inform readers on how proper scientific research is conducted. There's a helpful section at the back on clinical trials. Issues such as sample size, replication and peer-review of research are important in verifying claims on particular methods of food restriction. Publishers, of course, want books to make money, so the latest from Dr Moseley, after 5:2, Blood Sugar Diet and Clever Guts, revises earlier assumptions and tailors a diet based on Mediterranean eating that is restricted to 800 calories a day, eaten within a short window of 12 hours or fewer. It's heavy on ketosis, so if you have had your fill of the Keto diet, perhaps this is not for you. It advises on cutting down on 'white carbs' and sugar. It follows the dictum of a famous neurologist who was asked the key to a long and healthy life: "eat lots of plants; move more". The book has a lot of advice on exercise which is a little limited. I think more options could have been briefly outlined so adherents don't feel that they have to do spin classes. Although walking is advocated, I think there could have been more on this. Not everyone will be motivated by HIIT - although it really does work - and will want options. The diet is flexible: one can stay on 800 per day for as little as two weeks or as much as 8 weeks, then head to 5:2 fasting. The author provides options to be tailored to personal needs. The range of food available on the diet is wide. You don't have to eat ghastly brown rice or wholemeal pasta, even though the author is a fan. There are other ways of getting slow-release carbs that are less 'diet-dreary'. There are some interesting recipes (the pistachio chocolate and chilli snack is lovely) but many of the options are unimaginative. A diet of this sort could be full of great options. The ones in '800' are an improvement on the 'Clever Guts' recipes which were uninspiring, to say the least. One can still restrict calories, carbs and sugar without having a repetitive and dull diet full of wholegrain pasta and brown rice. What's a little scant is how behaviour modification works. Dr Moseley is reassuring on willpower. There could, however, be more on eating behaviours and how to modify them. This is where the Beck Diet is effective. The Beck Diet Workbook is a great option on eating behaviour. My suggestion is: embrace the diet, pay attention to the science, look at other, similar (low carb, protein-rich, calorie-controlled) more imaginative recipes/plans than the ones in the book. If you are a good cook, you can probably work it out yourself without compromising on calories by using spices more effectively. Have a look at The Healthy Food Guide Magazine for ideas if you are not a confident cook. You don't HAVE to have chia seeds and turmeric and take out a mortgage for the avocados. No doubt next year's offering will bring more revelations about 'diet-science' and a slightly different direction. Remember, however committed works like these are to promoting sensible eating guided by sound science, they are still commercial products designed to make money. If you're unsure about committing to buying this book, borrow it from the library or wait until about April when the January dieters donate their books to charity shops. The book is worth a read and helpful. The diet will work, as will all restrictive eating plans but this provides a balanced nutritional plan, if unimaginative in execution. Eat more plants; move more.

Excellent

This is the easiest and by far the most successful diet I have used to date. Supported and sited by research and a section with recipes to get you started it was an undemanding read that was simple and to the point. Relatively strict in it's purest form, I followed the recommended 800 calorie low carbohydrate phase with a sixteen hour fast window from the last meal, until the break of fast late morning and within a day, found that I did not go hungry. It took a good few weeks however, to finally break through the symptoms of what I presume are a kind of withdrawal of the sugar cravings/effects that left me with with itchy feet {of all things,} and cramping in my calves as well as headaches and a general feeling of fatigue and as if I was starting a bad cold without the snotty nose! I also stopped my major sugar craving within two days and after two months {9 weeks,} lost 1.5 stone! I have to say I have been very good on this regime with no lapses but then I did not find it hard and a vitamin/mineral replacement and a little extra salt seemed to help with the aches. You do need lots of water and must maintain a good fluid intake and I have kept to three brisk half hour walks every week. After trying to lose really stubborn mid life fat for over 10 years, I have never been able to get beyond a stone until now and I'm still losing and will be finishing the first phase by the twelve week mark. Blood sugars back to normal from pre diabetic markers, lipids back to normal, blood pressure the best it's been since my twenties {twas creeping up!} and more energy and fizz, I am very impressed.....one more stone to go and I will be one, very happy bunny! Highly recommended.

Great book with tons of tasty ideas. Perfect to help you with your weekly/ fortnightly meal plans and shopping list. Recipes are great snd fill you up without bring hungry.

Good

Prima quality boek

This is a truly wonderful book. It has changed the way I eat. It is simple and easy to follow.

I highly recommend the Mediterranean lifestyle fat weight loss; I did a lot of research before selecting and the Mediterranean method is a safe weight loss program and the key is reading the entire book first , it tells of the ins and outs of body function and then follow the 2week meal plan. The plan is well balanced and nutritious even on 800 calories, stick to the 2 month plan you feel invigorated, energized and healthy … then to maintain I suggest the authors Mediterranean Lifestyle cookbook easy recipes and delicious.