I bought the Michael Mosley FAST 800 diet book as an xmas present to myself.
In it there is a short article about a lady who had an undisclosed autoimmune condition who had fasted for 4 days on a no calorie liquid only diet! ( I know!!!) . She claims that she now no longer needs any meds and it is thought the fasting some how pressed reset on her immune system! Has anyone tried this and indeed would it be safe whilst taking pred? Thanks.
Good Present!! keep us posted!!! It will be interesting. there is another diet called smoothie shred. just green smoothies. vegan. and she says she cured her Lupus. I do it.. but I dont do it EXACTLY and cheat constantly, hence PMR still with me. But I feel way healthier with 4 cups of greens every day!
Im not sure I will be trying it! Im going to try the fast 800 diet though with 2 fast days and time restricted diet to see if that makes a difference!
I lost a stone in 3 weeks
I suspect being on pred means that ship has sailed as you can't just stop taking pred. It would be interesting to know exactly which illness she had as there are so very many.
Good point!
No idea which condition she had- but it did say she was taking medication so i guess she must have continued with the meds whilst fasting! Im too mu h of a scardy cat to go the whole hog with the fasting
We need to have something in our stomachs before we take Prednisone that's the trouble. I might try this diet but I can't risk a low blood sugar whilst working in the hospital. So perhaps on my days off. Good luck to you.
Fasting is NOT only eating nothing - it is altering the pattern of eating and reducing the amount. Too many people think fasting is just drinking water - that isn't the case.
After all, Muslims fast for daylight hours during Ramadan - and that is a total fast.
Im mainly interested in intermittent fasting and time restricted. I plan to do the 800 for 2 weeks on a time restriction of 12/12 and then moving on after 2 weeks to the 5:2 with a plan to restrict to 10/14. Im not doing it only to lose weight i am more interested i n the health benefits too.
Only to be tried with close medical supervision - whatever she might say!
Thats what I thought! I was just curious to know if anyone had tried it!
I'd be VERY sceptical that just 4 days would reset the immune system. But there are lots of spa places in central Europe who would do similar things - but there is always close supervision because you can get quite woozy in the first days and it is really something for healthy people. However, there are studies looking at fasting to reduce the adverse effects of chemotherapy.
Yes I read a little about the effect on chemo- really interesting stuff but as you say for people such as ourselves who are not in tip top condition to say the least it isnt probably the best idea to fly solo whilst fasting - I am going to do the fast 800, 5:2 and time restricted diet over a period of a few weeks to see if it has an effect on how I feel ( and weigh)!
I can echo the woozy feeling. A few years back my Wife wanted to lose weight and started one of the sign-up type courses. I decided to support her and also signed up. It was a very low calorie course but, unfortunately, it was based on the same amount of calories for both men and women and, needless to say perhaps, after a few days I keeled over in the bathroom. The whole thing backfired though as I lost a lot of weight but my Wife just a little.
I think it is always a good idea to get into this sort of diet in stages - even the concept of cutting carbs works well when you cut it by a quarter for a week or two, another quarter for a while and another quarter.Originally MM's fasting days were 600 cals for men, 500 for women and it was only ever one day at a time so very unlikely to cause a problem, everyone has a day now and again where they don't eat much. But even his has been revamped to 800 calsfor men and women.
I assume she just drank water for four days. I am not sure it is a good idea for anyone.
Yes I think it was water and black/ tea coffee.Doesnt sound a great idea but good luck to her if it worked! Im far to much of a coward to try it.
I think black coffee has 2 calories. I go for about fourteen hours each day with no food, but I assume that Dr Moseley was not suggesting anyone go for four days on just water. It is rather like the story that a sting from a bee cured someone with rheumatoid arthritis, another auto immune disease.
I often don’t eat all day and then have something light in the evening. I definitely feel better fasting. I wondered about food sensitivities - certainly baked food like bread or pastry makes me feel awful.
Wheat maybe? - try different flour like spelt or kamut if you want pastry/baked stuff.
Yes I wondered about that too. My son is gluten intolerant and I am better with his special foods.
Mine is definitely not gluten - but if you try the ancient wheat flours, if it is OK it is rather cheaper and tastier than the gluten-free stuff! I worked it out because I can't eat Juvela products made with the washed wheat starch - so not gluten but wheat. It is quite common apparently, Not a problem with gluten-free products except in the UK - only they allow the washed wheat starch!!!! Here it must be naturally gluten-free.
Thanks. That is interesting. Low carb seems to be the only way forward now.
For you you mean? Other approaches probably do work used properly - but the fundamental fault with the modern western diet really is far too much carbohydrate! Perhaps we should look at it as normalising carb intake? And some of us need it to be more normalised than others 
My personal sensitivity has developed during these diseases. Perhaps my body is trying to help and do me a favour in the long run. Pain is training me like a dancing bear. 😉
This article says no more than three days for a water fast, and to try it out if you've never fasted before, with a single 24 hour fast. People on medication should consult their doctor.
medicalnewstoday.com/articl...
Thats a really interesting article. Thanks.
No , its definitely not safe to just try that sort of thing without medical supervision or some expert guidance. So sorry if I sound like an overprotective Mum when I say this but here are some if the reasons why.
Firstly , although a short fast can help to reset certain buttons in your digestive system, and it can have a knock on effect on improving other symptoms , you need to know what type of fast would fit your personal medical history , and how long it is appropriate to do it.
Secondly , different chronic health conditions respond well or badly to different things. What is good to one can be poison for another.
And two people can have exactly the same diagnosed conditions and do exactly the same treatment and get very different results from it , often , because we have no idea about all the issues going on under the surface.
Third , that lady, can not really know whether it was the fast alone , or the fast in combination with many other life and health changes , that actually brought on this miraculous change.
Unless she has evidence of having had very extensive research done on her over that time which proves it was the fast and diet change alone that caused her recovery and lack of need to take further medication. I , personally , always view these amazing testimonials with a big dollop of scepticism and suspicion , its often the thing that makes my alarm bells ring and gives me less trust in what is being recommended.
Fourth , although some level of fasting can often relieve some patterns of ill health related to digestive symptoms or disorders , the effect is usually only short lived , even in healthy individuals. The relieving effect of short term fasting within a short term diet plan can only ever be a small part of a whole group of medical and lifestyle changes in helping to get someone with a chronic condition on the road to recovery , or a long term lifestyle plan.
Fasting can have some positive uses but it needs to be tested out with very short fasts and very gradual changes first . The fast , no matter it's length , also needs to be planned in line with your age , gender and nutritional requirements and meal times that coincide with taking your medication. And it isn't something that should be continued on a long term , weekly basis because it can trigger other health issues in some individuals.
The fast for different individuals often needs to be done at a particular time of day to get the most benefit from it rather than people being able to say I will fast during these hours because that works in my day for me. I hope the book is one of those which discusses these variations and gives good guidance and tables about how to fit fasts safely into a daily plan with specific health conditions.
Unfortunately , we can find that we can't dabble and experiment with these types of diets in the same way as we could when we didn't have a health issue , because , if there is a negative effect, it may last longer than a few days unlike it did before , or, it could show its head a few weeks or months after we tried and give us more to deal with.
Most diet books , including fasting books can be practical tools and have some useful suggestions. Those suggestions, when used in combination with each other , often give us the knowledge to create a rounded and enjoyable diet or weight programme plan for ourselves that will last for Life not just for a time we want to lose weight or get an increase in energy. So, it's definitely worth looking at new things and reading around to create a healthy diet plan that works for you.
Good luck with your choices and if you find something you feel really works for you please post and let us know your findings , Bee
Thanks so much for your very thorough and well thought out reply. I agree with everything that you said and I am cautious by nature so I will do as much research as possible before embarking on any kind of diet including fasting. Any changes I make will be well thought out and introduced very gradually. Thanks again for your information and concern and for taking the time to reply.
Happy to , even if I do sound like a Mum , xx
A very caring mum 🙂
One person's (incomplete) story is worthless and should be ignored. Clinical trials can cost billions of dollars and they are done for a good reason. The immune system is extremely complex...it is not going to be 'reset' by a few glasses of water. Sorry to sound bossy. But it really worries me that the 'quick fixes' on offer can be dangerous. Please take care...the treatment you are given stops our autoimmune disease doing terrible things to our bodies. Gently gently...we are lucky to have something treatable...with the distant possibility of remission.
Sounds bonkers
Did anyone read this article in the Guardian yesterday about rubbish Western diets bringing on autoimmune diseases? theguardian.com/science/202...
Been posted as new post previous…..at least twice - this is first (for you to see replies) -
healthunlocked.com/pmrgcauk....
Saw it just after I posted...always the way. Thx.
I used the Fast 800 diet last January & have managed to keep the weight loss off until Christmas! It certainly energised me & we are both eating healthier as a result. It’s a slowly slowly method, perfectly safe & well researched diet. Now if those scales are heading in the wrong direction I drop those carbs!! Actually I signed up for the online diet for 12 weeks as I felt I was more likely to stick to it, I did. Good luck !
Oh H E L P!! I feel faint if I don't eat little and often but healthily. Sounds Horrendous..... 🤔
What do you mean by 'healthily'? If it includes high carbs you will still be on the roller-coaster of blood-sugar fluctuations which cause hunger. Michael Mosley explains it all in his books. Low carb eating really suits me, but it does involve changing how when why and what you eat.
Yes I know. Went on low carbs and sugar 6 years ago when diagnosed. Lost weight as a result.
I’m on his older 5:2 diet & lost a stone in about 4 months, with some cheating, too! 5 days of eating virtually whatever you like, 2 days eating just 500 calories. I got the Fast 800 when it was posted here that you could get online book for 99p (for one day only) but haven’t read it yet! I think Mrs Nails made an FAQ about dieting…& plenty in past posts…this comes up regularly due to weight gain on pred!! Good luck. I may change over soon.
Go on and give it a read- its very good x
Oh, I will, don’t worry. Just waiting until I get next week’s blood results…if I’m pre diabetic again I will go onto the keto diet as I find it’s a quick route to normal, then a fasting diet again, I find the 5:2 the easiest to deal with!! S x
I bought the Michael Mosley books last year. However, I did find that he used a lot of the more unusual, expensive, ingredients in some of his recipes - items not easy to get in ordinary village shop.
That's my gripe about anyone who lives in the London region and then writes recipes!!! There have been lovely concepts in the Guardian - but so many of the ingredients are not available here, even in the town. And some I have never heard of - and that is someone who used to be a hobby cook!!!
I just do my own healthy meals but count the calories x
I bought myself it too! Just working up to trying it...desperately need to do something to lose this weight but I don't like eggs or mushrooms and am worried about struggling for breakfasts when I look at the recipes. It'll be bacon and tomatoes for me!
Im on day 2- so far so good! Im not following the recipes- just eating healthy and trying to cut out sugar and sticking to the 800 calories- if you need a little help with the calorie counting there is an app called nutracheck which is very good.
I gave up having breakfast years ago when I started doing low-carb eating, and I don't miss it. I just have one or two meals a day.
Just the incentive I need, I'm aiming to do a 3 day fast and then do the keto diet for 28 days. I'll let you know if it works, in fact if it does I'll be singing from the rooftops. I have read a lot about fasting particularly the works of Dr Jason Fung, and it seems worth a shot. It might be tricky being on Pred as it causes blood sugar spikes, but I know low-carb eating over the last few years has helped to keep my blood sugar levels down, and I did manage to lose 9lbs last year as a bonus even though on high steroids, so we'll see what happens.
Try to let me know how the fasting goes whilst on pred if you can. I would be very interested.
Tried twice this week to fast but ended up eating something, I think more out of boredom than hunger, though the tummy was rumbling by about the 20 hour mark. When you deny yourself something your amygdala or chimp brain kicks in and says 'no one tells me I can't have that last bit of Christmas cake, in fact I'll have 2 thank you very much'! Hopefully 3rd time lucky over the weekend now the cake has gone. As the joke goes, I'm starting a diet so have cleared the house of all bad things - they were delicious!
Aw well it was a massive effort to get to twenty hours! I dont think I could do that!!! X
I did a 3 day, water and black tea only fast a few years ago. I think I also drank some electrolyte powders. No problems apart from the psychological weirdness of not eating, I had to keep distracting myself at mealtimes, but I remember by day 3, when presumably ketosis kicked in, I felt euphoric and full of energy. I ran the idea past both GP and rheumatologist beforehand and they said OK, though with hindsight I doubt they knew anything about it. I keep trying to pluck up the motivation to give it another go and your post has given me the kick up the @ss I need - will start tomorrow. I remember I had some food snacks like cheese and cold meats ready in the fridge in case I felt unwell.
Go for it! X
Ill let you know how i get on with the fast 800! Day 2 - so far so good!
I lost a stone in a month on the keto diet & reversed pre diabetes. But I’d find it hard to live on it, as I have a true carb loving husband! S x
I found it excellent for weight loss. Last weekend’s Times had an article about a vegan diet which apparently reverses heart disease & arterial plaque, also type 2 DM - anti inflammatory. Author is Dr. Cauldwell Esselstyn. Hmmm too good to be true??? No large scale studies but very impressive results. Fiercely Vegan! Not sure I can cope with that.
Lots of interesting stuff out there! Im a vegetarian but couldnt do vegan- love eggs n cheese too much! X
Another view of the diet:theskepticalcardiologist.co...
I'm not against vegan - not for me, though I love lots of vegan recipes - because my daughter, granddaughter and a niece have all improved medical conditions by cutting out dairy. Makes life complex though!
I agree but the main critique of the small study with advanced cad patients was that they were all on statins. Well it would’ve been unethical if they weren’t. Such a shame it’s all anecdotal, no good without supporting data.
I have read your replies with great interest. I too have read Michael Mosely’s book and am eventually going to do the 3 day fast. I have GCA and am currently down to 8 mg prednisolone with the combination of Methotrexate. Currently,, I do a 1 day fast on the day prior to taking Methotrexate and I have found this regime makes the day I take Methotrexate bearable. In addition, the swelling of my eyelids that I have assumed to be the effect of Methotrexate is lessened. I wish to be off steroids as soon as possible and then to try the 3 day fast. Sadly, even if all goes to plan, this happy event is unlikely to occur before the end of the year.
Is it not possible to organisé a trial within this group.? Perhaps there is a trial going on already. Although we all have autoimmune illnesses, we are still a disparate group and organising a trial would need specialist knowledge to prevent such a trial degenerating into useless anecdotal ‘facts’.
Is anyone interested.? Perhaps Michael Mosely may be interested in us. I certainly would be interested. If nothing else, taking part in such a trial would make me feel as if I am taking control of my illness even if the reverse is thé truer picture.
Periodic fast?
Reducing steroids to fast? 
About fasting 
Fast 800
Waking up with fast heartbeat - no Cortisol
