The Fast-5 Diet and the Fast-5 Lifestyle: A Little Book About Making Big Changes Paperback – April 21, 2013

I had stomach stapling surgery in 1992 because diets were not working for me. The surgery briefly worked then I regained everything and more. I lost weight on Jenny Craig and Ediets and Weight Watchers but I couldn't make them a lifestyle. Weight Watchers is a great program but I know I will not spend the rest of my life counting "points" or calories let alone measureing and weighing my food. I know that works for lots of people but I find that it makes me obsessed about food. I want to cut the pull of food in my life, to not run my life around food, either in the overeating and craving fulfillment or in the constant thought of "what am I going to eat".The Fast 5 program works for me because I don't have to think about food for all but 3 or 4 hours of the day. (I can eat in a 5 hour window but rarely use the whole 5 hours.) I don't have to spend a fortune on diet food. I don't have to measure or weigh or worry about how many calories exactly are in a resturant entree. I can enjoy my meal then put my focus on the other things that I need to work on to be healthy... exercise and emotional issues.I have incorporated other ideas into the Fast 5 program to be honest. I do focus on eating slowly, taking small bites, chewing well as taught by McKenna and also the Weigh Down Program. Both of these other program focus on eating what you are wanting to eat, not eating anything that doesn't taste good at the time and stepping away from food when "satisfied" instead of "stuffed." From my point of view this is just basic common sense.I have started really craving a soup made of fresh veggies. I find that chips don't taste good anymore. I eat dessert but find myself satisfied with a few bites. I try to "break the fast" with something in the vegetable or fruit category and am discovering that I really love those flavors. The best seasoning for food is hunger. When I am hungry, the food just tastes so much better and now I associate vegetables especially as tasting really good.Problems I have had with Fast 5: When I first started it, I didn't eat healthy during the 5 hour window of time and didn't get good results at first but I did learn how to say "no" to my self when I was hungry and that was an important good start for myself. I was also VERY hungry at times and fell off the wagon with the program more then once. I started out doing the Fast 5 only Monday through Friday and not on the weekend because I couldn't be around my own kitchen without eating and being at worked helped. I am slowly getting better at that.Another huge problem for me on the Fast 5 is how to deal with other people. I started out telling people about this new program I was on. Big mistake. I was lectured right and left that I must eat 6 times a day, must count calories, etc etc. When social events happened during the day related to food, I struggled and still do. If there is a lunch at work during a meeting, I often go ahead and eat rather then call attention to my lack of eating. Fortunately, that doesn't happen all the time.I am still working on the self discipline this program needs especially on a day I am not working, on a stressful day, or when dealing with other people I am around who want to eat lunch or breakfast. But these struggles bring up my emotional issues that are at the heart of my weight problem. This program has forced me to look at those emotional issues in a way that other programs didn't as those other programs had me putting forth so much mental energy on meal planning and logging, etc.This is a program I think I can do for life. It is simple and fits my personality. It is not easy to do at first but it does get easier with time as my cravings are subsiding and my self discipline is stronger.

This is a great book, devoid of fluff. It can be read almost in a single sitting. This reminds me very much of the monastic Buddhist rule not to eat after 12 noon. The Buddha and the community of monks obviously had good reason with this strategy, as I'm discovering for myself. When we eat less and have a long daily window of not eating, the mind becomes crystal clear and naturally devoid of all the junk that accompanies constant eating. Even if you do nothing else to improve your lot, just following the 5 hour eating window strategy, will clear your head of most if not all of the confusing nonsense that ails many of us. Once the mind is clear in this way, daily meditation becomes much simpler and you can go much deeper more easily. Following a ketogenic diet in the daily five hour window greatly enhances the effect of the strategy. I'm finding that my body is now virtually devoid of all muscle and joint pain, which is the reason I originally began following a ketogenic diet. I wasn't even bargaining on such an amazing increase in mental clarity. This book and it's strategy comes very highly recommended.

I didn't give this book 5 stars only because the information wasn't much of an "aahaa" for me. The author was very easy to follow and Precise with his information. For a beginner, this book would be more impactful. If you are familiar with the topic, you could skip it or use it to reinforce what you already know.

Excellent explanation of how intermittent fasting works. A great companion read to the works of Dr. Jason Fung and Gin Stephens.

If you want a basic understanding of intermittent fasting this is a great read. If you’re looking for a detailed explanation, you won’t find it here.

I’m just NOT a breakfast-eater and never have been. I resent the flack I continuously receive about it. Why the heck would I eat when I don’t feel like it? Eating breakfast usually makes me feel sleepy, sluggish, and sometimes,even a bit nauseous. I’ve noticed that it’s way harder for me to stop eating once I’ve started. I also have so much more energy and am way more mentally focused when I delay eating. Why, then, if I already naturally do some of what is written in his book, am I excited about Dr. Herring’s plan? Because I never knew these mental and physical feelings about skipping breakfast 🙊 (oh no!) were “okay”. AND…I MUST LOSE WEIGHT. I’m no longer a skinny minny. Throughout my adult life, I’ve discovered I love food, ALL KINDS, so much! And though I might delay a “typical” breakfast and lunch, I never wait until I’m truly hungry to eat - I wait until something LOOKS GOOD and then happily indulge my cravings! So NOW…here I am. High cholesterol and medically overweight, feeling physically uncomfortable in my bigger body. The fact that I don’t start eating until later in the day must be the only reason I’m not medically obese because I DO eat! A LOT! I LOVE food!I spoke to my doctor and told her that intermittent fasting appeals over other weight loss methods, but I wasn’t sure which method to try. She suggested reading, “Delay, Don’t Deny,” by Gin Stephens, who has had great success following a plan very similar to what Dr. Herring writes in his book. Gin admittedly is not a medical health professional, but cites a wonderful array of resources - and Dr. Herring is at the top of her list. What Gin’s story did to pique my curiosity, Dr. Herring’s book backed up medically. And it’s so not flashy - which speaks volumes to critical me. 🤚 If I understand correctly, our bodies need to refrain from food a little longer to tap in to our fat stores rather than fuel itself on the insulin we feed it here and there throughout the day.So. If you are anything like me, and so look forward to food, but have in any way conformed to our culture’s way of three square meals, even when you don’t feel you are ready for one, this book, and Gin Stephens’s, too, will help you get intentional about how to make your love for food, and your willingness to schedule it during a certain time of day, work to your benefit!Thank you, Bert Herring, MD! 😊 (and Gin Stephens, too!)- notice to anyone reading this - he’s a medical doctor and has included the research. 👍

A Real summary of the Intermittent Fasting. I really like what the author present the informations. I am not new to the system as I always fast for many days with various success.I learned that small wins are the way to go. Just one day a Time. With consistance.What I really like is that the system works. It Can be a lifestyle.

Good straightforward facts in down to earth language. Not too long, to too short, makes perfect sense.

Non entusiasmante. Dopo aver letto altri libri tra cui The Obesity Code, avrei potuto risparmiare i soldi e leggere qualcos’altro.Per chi non ha mai sperimentato la dieta intermittente potrebbe essere un buon punto di partenza.

Super! Amazing Book! The best book on weight loss i have ever read in my life!

Straight forward and easy read on how and why this is a healthy lifestyle to lose weight and keep it off. This book has made me more comfortable with IF and understanding adaptive phase. If you are thinking of an IF lifestyle, I recommend this book.