Why I don’t eat on Mondays
I fast every Monday.
This means eating zero calories and drinking only water or tea. Pretty much every time this comes up in a conversation I hear something along the lines of “I could never do that”.
The answer is: Yes, you can.
“If our ancestors couldn’t function without food, we wouldn’t be here”
said Peter Attia a Canadian physician who focuses on the applied science of longevity.
My first regular introduction into fasting was what is known as the 5:2 diet. It’s an eating pattern popularized by British journalist Michael Mosley and called 5:2 because five days a week you eat a normal diet, while the other two are restricted calories (500 for women, 600 for men).[1]
Over a period of around 6 months I was able to lose a little bit of belly fat, something that I very much welcomed at the time. The biggest benefits I took from fasting though, was learning how to control cravings and how many calories were hidden in certain foods.
Not only did I learn about foods I should probably avoid or reduce, but also discovered those that are really good for you. For example, did you know that a medium sized sweet potato only has roughly 100 calories? Not only is it rich in vitamins and nutrients, it is also cholesterol-free, low in sodium and a very good source of fibre. Basically, one of my go to sources of carbohydrate. Not that I needed any extra motivation to eat sweet potatoes, as I love them…
Problem with the 5:2 for me was that I found it hard to carve out two days per week, where I wouldn’t be able to eat over 500 calories. My weekdays used to be fully booked with social plans usually involving food and/or drinks, so this was proving a little tricky to maintain.
One week I just couldn’t fit in both fast days so I decided to go with zero calories on a Monday instead. To my surprise it was easier than expected. This is how my Fast-Monday’s were born.
Benefits I experienced from my fasting routine included:
Slow but steady weight loss
Better concentration levels
Improved memory
Increase in sports performance (on non-fast days)
Appetite and hunger management
Higher energy levels
Improved skin
It’s important to point out here that the above observations are strictly my own but I did distinctly notice them all the same. This does not guarantee that everyone trying out a regular 24h-36h water fast will feel the same. It very much also will differ the first time around in comparison to 2–3 months in or after a full year of doing this regularly.
Compare this to running a marathon. Someone who has run their 10th marathon will experience a huge difference to their first, 50th or 100th (you get the idea). It’s the same principle, meaning it gets increasingly easier.
My weekly fasts had an impact on my appetite, overall calorie intake and reduced cravings for sugary treats. I also switched to a plant-based diet in October 2019 and generally drink more water and less alcohol then I used to.
Personally, I think these changes are all interlinked with each other, however I can’t prove this with hard facts.
Before we look at the scientific research done in this sector and its linked health benefits, I’d like to take a quick glance at the history of fasting.
[1] Michael Mosley has since updated this diet to now allow for a more relaxed 800 calories per fast day, eating healthily for the other five. For more information visit: https://thefast800.com/
History of fasting
If you type in ‘history of fasting’ into Google the first search result leads you to Encyclopedia Britannica, reading the following:
“Fasting, abstinence from food or drink or both for health, ritualistic, religious, or ethical purposes. The abstention may be complete or partial, lengthy, of short duration, or intermittent. Fasting has been promoted and practiced from antiquity worldwide by physicians, by the founders and followers of many religions, by culturally designated individuals (e.g., hunters or candidates for initiation rites), and by individuals or groups as an expression of protest against what they believe are violations of social, ethical, or political principles.”
For the purpose of this article I shall be focusing on the history of medical fasting only.
Used for thousands of years, fasting is one of the oldest therapies in medicine. Many of the great doctors of ancient times and many of the oldest healing systems have recommended it as an integral method of healing and prevention since at least the 5th century BCE. This included Greek physician Hippocrates, the father of Western medicine.
Paracelsus, another great healer in the Western tradition, wrote 500 years ago that “fasting is the greatest remedy, the physician within”. Ayurveda, a natural system of medicine originating from India more than 3,000 years ago, has long advocated fasting as a major treatment. Indeed, fasting in one form or another is a distinguished tradition and throughout the centuries, devotees have claimed it brings physical (and spiritual) renewal.
In the UK, too, fasting became part of the Nature Cure movement in the early 19th century. An approach which refers to methods of self-healing also stressing the importance of exercise, diet, sunshine, fresh air and positive thinking.
Fasting - today’s trend diet
According to furthermore’s 2020 food forecast we will be seeing more growth and development in fasting. From 5:2, Alternate-Day-Fasting, 16/8 to The Warrior Diet to name a few. All of these can be summarised as intermittent fasting.
In 2019, restricting eating to certain hours of the day was the hottest diet trend alongside slashing sugar and carbs and adding more plant-based foods. [1]
A report from the National Cancer Institute on the status of the Standard American Diet (SAD) found that three out of four Americans don’t eat a single piece of fruit in a given day, and nearly nine out of ten don’t reach the minimum recommended daily intake of vegetables.
The UK aren’t too far off. The number of people with obesity in England has almost doubled to 13 million in 20 years as mentioned in an article in The Guardian.
Researchers believe that there is a direct link between the food options made available to us in supermarkets, restaurants and delivery services and obesity.
Dr Peter Attia did an excellent job in breaking down what alternatives we have as humans, if we want to avoid eating the Standard American Diet (SAD). He calls it time-restricted feeding (TRF), meaning you can eat what you want and as much as you want but within a specific time frame.
Watch Peter Attia explain his fasting protocol and the principles of nutrition here.
YouGov polling shows that one in four brits plan on making new year’s resolution every year of which 44% want to lose weight through a restricted diet. 95% fail and will regain their lost weight in 1–5 years.[2]
What we can take from this is that dietary restrictions aren’t working for most of us.
Is the answer maybe fasting?
[1] From Google’s Annual ‘Year in Search Trends’ report
[2]Source: Statistics on Weight Discrimination: A Waste of Talent
The science behind fasting
What research has shown is that fasting can have an effect on the immune system (cells), body fat (glucose and glycogen), mental state (Ketosis), brain (proteins and neurons) and energy (stress).
A recent study conducted by the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) on fasting even shows possible anti-aging effects.
Some experts believe that the rise in health problems like cancer and type 2 diabetes has a lot to do with the fact that many people no longer go hungry.
Dr Satchidananda Panda one of the world’s leading experts in time restricted eating found that many people, while practicing time-restricted eating, see an improvement in acid reflux, as well as an improvement in sleep.[1]
We also know for sure is that our early ancestors didn’t consume three regular large meals, plus snacks every day. Nor did they live a sedentary life. They had to survive long periods without food and be able to migrate long distances to find more survivable conditions.
In an interview with the NY Times Mark P. Mattson, neuroscientist at the National Institute on Aging and Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine explained that “during a fast, the body produces very few new proteins, prompting cells to take protein from nonessential sources, break them down and use the amino acids to make new proteins that are essential for survival. Then, after eating, a lot of new proteins are produced in the brain and elsewhere.”
What this means is that the body dramatically improves stem cells’ ability to regenerate, by creating new ones and replacing old one’s the body no longer needs.
[1]Book: The Circadian Code: Lose Weight, Supercharge Your Energy, and Transform Your Health from Morning to Midnight
How I fast
The above findings motivated me to try out fasting and I have sincerely never looked back.
As much research there is in this area, there are also different approaches. As with everything, this needs to work for you and not anyone else.
Try different things out.
Fail.
Try again.
Keep on failing and picking yourself up until you find what works for you.
Don’t forget though that in this process you may need to adopt a certain lifestyle and diet changes for a little while before you can claim that it doesn’t work for you. Remember that marathon analogy? It still applies here the same. You won’t know if you can run a marathon if you only tried running two or three times for 10 minutes.
My approach that works is that I simply DO NOT EAT. Every Sunday evening, I have my last meal at dinner (ca. 8pm) and I don’t touch any food until Tuesday morning (ca. 8am) for breakfast. This makes it roughly a 36h fast.
What’s allowed:
Water
Herbal tea
Zero calorie soft drinks
English breakfast tea or coffee and a little bit of oat milk (occasionally)
What’s not allowed:
Food
Any calorific drinks such as fruit juices or Starbucks coffees
e.g. a grande latte has 190 calories, which equals 145 grams of cooked white pasta!
However, you need to decide what works best. Some swear on water only and nothing else. Others prefer to have a low-calorie protein shake once a day.
If you are of good health and don’t have or haven’t had any eating disorders, play with it and most importantly be honest with yourself.
Do you really need that protein shake? Or sweet tea? Is it easier being busy at work on a Monday or do you prefer to fast on a much more relaxing Sunday?
Different types of fasting
16:8
Restrict eating to an eight-hour window with 2–3 meals, and 16 hours fast.
20:4
Time restrictive eating based on a 20 hour fast, with a four-hour eating window.
5:2
For any two days, calories are restricted to 500–600 for women and men, respectively. Calories can be spread out across multiple meals throughout the day, or eaten all in one.
Fast 800
The updated version of 5:2 is known as the Fast 800 diet. It involves cutting your calories intake to 800 a day for the first couple of weeks. You then progress to 5:2 stage — where you’re only required to eat this number of calories for two days a week, while following a sensible diet on the other days.
24h fast
Fast for 24 hours between each meal.
36h fast
This is an extended version of the 24-hour fast. You eat dinner on day one, fast for the entirety of day two, and eat breakfast on day three.
My personal tips & tricks
Some weeks are harder than others in terms of cravings. I don’t call it hunger for a reason, as you don’t need food 24/7. My stomach doesn’t growl anymore on fast days, it’s my head asking for food because that’s what we have socially conditioned ourselves to do. Often, we eat just to occupy ourselves and structure our day.
However, this knowledge doesn’t protect me from the occasional struggle. For example, when I am getting close to my period or if I might have overindulged during the weekend. If that’s the case I allow myself to have the odd (1–2) cups of tea with milk and potentially a sweetener. It really does the trick for me. Especially in the evenings where you’d normally have a substantial and calorie dense dinner.
Finding things to do that I enjoy which aren’t centred around eating or drinking are crucial for me. That way I even look forward to my Fast Monday’s.
I like to go to a Sound Bath or play the Gong, as I find it helps to eradicate appetite. A slow yoga class such as Yin or Restorative is a real treat. Finally, being in nature and going for walks can be hugely calming and beneficial to your body and mind.
I also go to bed very early and I love it! When I say early I mean around 9pm.
Sleep is essential and some studies even suggest that periodic, short-term fasting is directly linked to improved sleep.
Most importantly though is to stay well-hydrated. Drink as much water as possible. Set an hourly timer if necessary. Best indicator is that you want your pee to be as light coloured as possible. It’s good to keep an eye on this beyond fast days too.
Your body uses water in all its cells, organs, and tissues to help regulate its temperature and maintain other bodily functions. Because your body loses water through breathing, sweating, and digestion, it’s important to pay close attention to rehydration issues.
I find a lot of freedom in the fact that I can leave it or take it with food. I am not a prisoner to specific pre-set eating times nor circumstances. Be it food of very little nutritional value (i.e. on airplanes) or forcing myself to eating three large meals even if I am not hungry, just because that’s what people do.
Of course, this way of eating will largely depend on what you eat on non-fast days. Assuming though you don’t change anything other than taking out a day a week, you will overall reduce your calorie intake by 1/7 (14%) in total. Over the course of a year, that’s a LOT of calories with a huge potential for body-fat reduction.
Other than looking and feeling better you may also experience improved concentration levels. This is one of the most important positive side effects to me personally. The speed at which I can get work done on a Tuesday morning is really remarkable sometimes. Enough for me to claim that I will probably be doing this for the rest of my life.
As Plato put it:
“I fast for greater physical and mental efficiency.”
