Eat, Fast and Live

Two or three months ago, my partner and I watched a fascinating television programme called Eat, Fast and Live, which posited that there were definite health benefits to be had from fasting for certain lengths of time.

The benefits included a reduction in the risk of developing heart disease, diabetes, or Alzheimer’s, to name but a few.

We decided to give it a go and since then we have adopted a regime of fasting for nineteen hours and then eating normally for five hours (the obviously named Fast Five regime).  And, boy, oh boy, what a difference it has made.  We both feel much fitter, have loads more energy and we have each lost over half a stone, despite eating a normal diet which include chips, pastries, cakes and at least two chocolate biscuits every day.  However, I have experienced a much more significant change.

Five years ago, at the age of fifty six, I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease and since then, I have been on various medications, the strength and dosage of which has gradually increased over the years.  Since starting the fasting regime, the problems caused by the disease have all but disappeared, to the extent that I have reduced the number of tablets I take per day from four to three.  In all honesty, the majority of the time, its as if I don’t have Parkinson’s Disease any more.  No more problems preparing food, ironing or vacuuming, all of which I had struggled with in the past due to my lack of balance.  I have started a Pilates class, and I have started running again, albeit not for long, but I hope to build this up in time.  I am also planning to resume some of the activities I enjoyed before I developed the disease, like badminton and line dancing, and my partner says it is like having the old me back again.

This, of course, is not the only regime.  We chose it because it fits in with our lifestyle, but some people prefer to eat normally for, say, four days and then fast for twenty four hours.  Others adopt a strict calorie controlled regime of, for example, no more than five hundred calories per day.

I realise that this is not going to work for everyone, but I think its worth a try, and if it does improve your quality of life, not to mention helping you to live longer, then all the better.

Written by: Margaret Bramley

Disclaimer

All content on Silverhairs.com is provided for general information only, and should not be treated at all as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. Silverhairs.com will not be responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content on www.silverhairs.com and we are also not liable for the content of any external websites or links from or to Silverhairs to any other websites. Please always consult your own doctor if you’re in any way concerned about any aspect of your health.