Michael Mosley's Fast 800 shares top 5 tips to lose weight and avoid dementia

The dieting regime inspired by Dr Michael Mosley has released the expert’s top tips on losing weight. The Fast 800 said in a new blog post anyone wanting to shed the pounds should take note of the advice from the guru who sadly died earlier this year while on holiday on the Greek island of Syma.

Dr Mosley got into difficulties while hiking alone in high temperatures and his body was found after an extensive search. In a new update the Fast 800 site highlighted Dr Mosley’s ‘incredible legacy’ which it said it wanted to honour by continuing ‘to inspire a movement for better health’. It added: ”We will honour his legacy by reflecting on the lessons Michael taught us, covering topics including food, sleep, fasting, exercise, and the secrets to leading a happy life. “

It highlighted five key lessons from Dr Mosley related to intermittent fasting which it said would transform the lives of anyone who tried them out. It said: “There are many different types of intermittent fasting, but there are two main forms in particular that Dr Mosley advocated: time-restricted eating (TRE) and the 5:2 diet. The latter is an eating pattern Dr Mosley discovered when he reversed his type 2 diabetes back in 2012. It involves eating just 800 calories a day two days a week, and eating a balanced, Mediterranean-style diet on the other five. “

On TRE it explained this means only eating in a ‘window’ of the day - one advocated a 16:8 - ie fasting for 16 hours a day. It said that when approaching diets there were five aspects to consider.

1/ The diet is called the Fast 800 as Dr Mosley believed 800 calories a day was the ‘magic number’. It said: “Although Dr Mosley’s initial attempt at a 5:2 fasting regime was at 500-600 calories a day, he soon found that 800 calories was more sustainable and just as effective at ‘flipping the metabolic switch’. It may sound like you’d be hungrier on fewer calories but once your insulin sensitivity improves, you feel fuller on smaller portions. That said, it’s no good to use up all your daily calories by eating a cheeseburger and calling it a day.”

2/ Quality of calories - don’t just do the calorie counting. A balanced diet is crucial it says. “A Mediterranean-style diet has been shown time and time again to be one of the healthiest eating patterns. Its nutrient-dense focus on healthy fats, protein and fibre can reduce your risk of chronic illness like cardiovascular disease, neurological disorders, metabolic syndrome and type 2 diabetes while improving your sleep, longevity, mental health and weight loss. Dr Mosley always highlighted how vitally important it is on fasting days to still prioritise 60g of protein and 30g of fibre to stay nourished, energised and full.”

3/ Sleep. The Fast 800 team said: “Research shows that optimal sleep improves your metabolic health and that getting eight hours of quality rest a night can support your immune system, aid weight management and improve your mood.”

4/ Dementia. “Studies have shown that in the longer term, intermittent fasting can actively counteract disease processes in a range of age-related disorders like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and stroke. Dr Mosley always advocated for the way that fasting can boost your productivity once you’ve flipped your metabolic switch.”

5/ When to eat. The Fast 800 said Dr Mosley liked to have breakfast - and instead not eat three hours before going to bed. It added: “However, if your lifestyle works better with a later evening meal, then start your eating window later in the morning. Dr Mosley also shared that diets like the 5:2 diet can be adjusted to be 4:3, for example, depending on what works for you. The beauty of intermittent fasting is how flexible it is while still providing health benefits; choosing your fasting windows and days to align with your lifestyle will help it to become a more sustainable habit, yielding better results.”