THE NEW FAST DIET:

It’s easy and it works.

As a dietitian, I’ve been helping people lose weight and improve their health for a decade. Intermittent fasting, which involves alternating periods of eating with short periods of fasting, has been on my radar since 2012. I use a variety of intermittent fasting regimens with my patients, and it has proved to be one of the most effective and easiest tools for successful and sustained weight and health management. I’ve never encountered a more potent or user-friendly way of manipulating weight and short-term health incomes. The thing I love about intermittent fasting most is that it’s not a ‘diet’. I once heard it referred to as a ‘health strategy’, and I think that describes it perfectly. When you’re in fasting mode, it’s only for a short time and it’s over before you know it. When you’re in eating mode, you’re able to enjoy nourishing food as you normally would – there’s no cutting out food groups (unless you need to for health reasons). As someone who loves food and whose entire career revolves around it, this makes my heart sing! Intermittent fasting has really revolutionised the way I do my job and how effectively I’ve been able to help my patients reach their goals.

To many people, fasting sounds a little daunting. Often the first thing I hear when I bring up fasting with a patient is, ‘So I can’t eat anything all day?’ But that’s not the case. In fact, you can eat every day when you’re fasting, no matter which form you choose.

And the benefits beyond weight loss speak for themselves: I’ve observed my patients successfully reduce their total and ‘bad’ LDL cholesterol, reduce their blood pressure, blood sugar and insulin levels, report dramatically improved digestion – and even save money (up to $100 a week!).