Fast-5 Diet Review

Week 1: Going Strong

2011-08-14T15:08:00.000-07:00

Current Weight: 286.5 pounds
Weight Lost: 7.5 pounds

It has definitely been an interesting week! At times, I've been hungry - at other times, I have been so full that I couldn't eat another bite.

I realize that a majority of the weight I've lost this week is water weight. The glycogen stored in your body is surrounded with water, so as it is used up for energy during the fasting period, your body gets rid of the excess water. This same phenomenon is responsible for the major weight loss experienced during the first two weeks of the low-carb diet.

Looking forward to the coming week of the Fast 5 Diet!

Holy Crap - I'm Full!

2011-08-12T16:51:00.000-07:00

Today I experienced something that I have never experienced before... let me explain.

I started by breaking my fast with with a peach from the local farmer market. It tasted like the best peach I have ever had in my life - 19 hours of fasting makes the first few bites taste amazing. After that I started cooking the ingredients for stuffed baked potatoes: hamburger, onion, mushrooms, and garlic.

When I finally dug into my large (over)stuffed potato, it was great. About half way through, the next few bites were good, and I started getting full. I forced a few more bites into my maw, and then I looked down at the remaining food - there was no way I could take another bite. The thought of eating another bite made me sick to my stomach.

I have never felt like this before! I usually just stuffed my face with the rest of the food on my plate and went on my merry way. This diet must have somehow reset my stomach to actually stop me from eating as much as I like.

It will be interesting to see if this is the new normal! If so, I like it!

Day Five: Still Losing Weight

2011-08-10T13:55:00.000-07:00

Current Weight: 290.5 pounds
Weight Lost: 3.5 pounds

While I started the Fast-5 Diet on the weekend, I definitely see the benefits of the diet during the work week:

I no longer have to buy food for lunch
No packing for lunch in the morning
I do not get hungry before lunch anymore
It is much easier to resist workplace donuts and snacks
I can work right through lunch
Higher energy level after lunch, no food hibernation needed

The weekends are a little more difficult simply because I have to find other things to occupy my time rather than eating. I guess I never realized how many times I would eat during the weekend simply because I was bored... now I find distractions (weeding the garden, playing ball with Bentley, etc).

On Saturday, after one week of being on the Fast-5 Diet, I will start reporting my weekly status rather than daily status.

Fast-5 Diet eBook PDF Download

2011-08-10T13:40:00.000-07:00

I was finally able to locate a copy of the Fast-5 Diet ebook pdf online, and you can download it below:

Fast-5 Diet eBook PDF

Day Three: No more hunger!

2011-08-08T16:47:00.000-07:00

Current Weight: 293 pounds
Weight Lost: 1 pound

I got up for work today and weighed myself, still the same weight as yesterday. The big difference today: no hunger! I did not feel hungry or woozy all day at work, and ate without stuffing myself at dinner. I think that means that my body has switched over to burning fat/ketones... we'll see how I feel tomorrow.

Day Two: Lost Weight!

2011-08-07T15:35:00.000-07:00

Current Weight: 293 pounds
Weight Lost: 1 pound

After my huge steak dinner last night, I am still down 1 pound! Now I know you are not supposed to weigh yourself every day due to normal fluctuations, but hey, if it the scale says I am down, I'll take it.

As a side note, I was able to find a free PDF version of the Fast-5 Diet book - download it now!

9:51am

Just took Bentley, our black and white springer spaniel, outside and threw his ball for a bit with the Chuck-It. Keeps the dog slobber off my hands, and gets Bentley running farther each throw. Still full from the steak dinner last night - which is good because my eating window does not start for another seven hours.

1:34pm

Ok, now I am hungry! I walked Bentley up to the general store and grabbed a cup of coffee, and I think the caffeine in the coffee stimulated my appetite. Whoops. Luckily there is only 3.5 hours left until my eating window... this bottle of water will have to suffice until then!

5:45pm

Dinner time! Today it was grilled chicken breast (marinated in Italian dressing) with pasta: tri-color rotini, real mozzarella cheese, and tomatoes/basil fresh from our garden. Freakin' sweet! Gonna split a little ice cream with my Boo later, and call it a day!

Day One on the Fast-5 Diet

2011-08-06T18:58:00.000-07:00

Current Weight: 294 pounds
Weight Lost: 0 pounds

Welcome to day one of the diet! I had a large dinner last night consisting of tacos with guacamole chased down with three Bud Light Limes - fantastic. To finish it off, a piece of strawberry pie. Needless to say, I went to bed uncomfortably full... which is probably why I got back up and watched Robert DeNiro in Casino until 3am.

9:30 am

I was able to drag myself out of bed, and I am still pretty full from my ginormous dinner last night. Still a little groggy too - Casino wasn't worth the lost sleep.

1:45 pm

Just finished a 30-minute weight lifting workout with my powerblocks. Did biceps, back, and shoulders today. Even though I haven't eaten since yesterday at about 9pm, I made it through the workout with no problems, no less weight than I had last round of back/bi's/shoulders.

3:00pm

Ok - so now I am feeling a little woozy. Not sure if it is the fact that I haven't eaten in 17 hours or that I only got about five hours of sleep. Gonna take a nap!

7:00pm

Time to eat! Tonight we went out with the in-laws to Longhorn Steakhouse in Grand Rapids, MI. I got the Outlaw Ribeye steak - 18 ounces of amazing! Done medium-rare, it is the best steak I have had in a really long time. It had all the accoutrements: Caesar salad, warm honey-wheat bread, and a sweet potato with butter and brown sugar. Best way to break a weekend fast!

No more food for the next 19 hours... tomorrow morning I'll report my weight.

What? The Fast-5 Diet? What is that?

2011-08-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

I am an internet traveler in every sense of the word. Today, I started out reading an article on Google News about whether or not antioxidants are actually beneficial (Why doctors don't like to talk about antioxidants) and ended up at Wikipedia reading about the benefits of caloric reduction and intermittent fasting. It was there that a found a link to a diet that I have never heard of: the Fast-5 Diet.

The idea is simple: pick any 5-hour window during the day and eat only during that window. No eating for the remaining 19 hours of the day. The theory is equally as simple: your body will not work to spend stored energy (fat) as long as it is still getting food from digestion. The 19 hour period gives your body time to start using up those stored resources, of which I have plenty.

A Little Background

My name is Josh, and by the time I hit age 21, I tipped the scales at almost 395 pounds. Honestly, it was hard to find a scale that would actually support my bulk. When I discovered that I needed to "upgrade" to size 50 pants, I finally decided that it was time for me to make a change. My tool of choice: Atkins.

I followed a low-carbohydrate diet religiously for over two years. No cake, no more Taco Bell, just lots of meat, eggs, and green veggies. To all the low-carb naysayers, it worked perfectly. I lost about 120 pounds, hitting 275 with no hard exercise or change in my lifestyle. My blood chemistry was great too - and still is.

After that, I decided I wanted to start eating good carbs and working out at the gym. So in with whole-wheat pasta and bread, along with 5 - 8 hours in the gym lifting weights per week. After about six months, I started losing weight again, and eventually got down to 227... my lowest adult weight ever.

Fast Foward

Several years later, I am married, I went back to school and got my Bachelors degree, and slapped on 70 more pounds. Now pushing 300 (and having to squeeeeze into my jeans), it is time to make a change. For now, the Fast-5 Diet is going to be that change.

I just ordered the book (The Fast-5 Diet and the Fast-5 Lifestyle) on Amazon.com, and am committed to give this thing a shot. Feel free to join me!