Suzanne,
I've used Fast-5 continuously since March 2005, after first applying
it around 1996. My wife initially did weekdays only for about six
years, and switched to full-time in July 2005. The social resistance
is probably the biggest obstacle for most people, including the
entrenched dogma of "that's not healthy." As more family/friends get
familiar with it, it gets easier. At a recent morning breakfast with
my wife's family, only four ate while the six Fast-5ers had coffee,
diet soda, or water only.
For the sake of clarity, I'll use the word "diet" below to indicate
"one's usual routine food choices," not a weight-loss regimen.

Many people using the Fast-5 approach have commented that their
appetites have changed, with a diminished interest in carbs and more
hunger for veggies, fruits, and nuts. Keeping the choices open and
letting the individual tailor the diet content to their culture and
lifestyle makes Fast-5 more flexible and sustainable than a tightly
restricted diet. I also think it helps diminish cravings for forbidden
foods if there aren't any. I believe most people are healthier on IF
with any diet than the same diet with no IF. By not forbidding any
food choices, one can still enjoy indulgent foods and perhaps
appreciate them even more and not feel like his/her enjoyment of life
is compromised by the choice to take on the IF regimen.

If someone wants to maximize the benefits of Fast-5 and other IF
schedules, it is my impression that low-glycemic/low-carb choices are
most favorable in order to keep insulin levels at a minimum, but there
is no data in humans and very little in animals to say it makes a
difference. (A moderate low-glycemic/low-carb diet is what my wife and
I use.) A nice benefit of the web, the e-book, and this group is that
as such evidence becomes available, it can be quickly distributed and
the book can be updated.

Because Fast-5 is flexible, simple, and because people have maintained
it for a year or more, I think Fast-5 is a "happy medium" of healthy
choice vs. the social customs we live with. It's simple and effective
enough that our culture may actually change, and that is the goal of
our Fast-5 project.

On another note, there have been about 5,000 downloads of the free
e-book since Christmas, so I thank all of you who have referred others
to it.

Bert

Bert Herring
Fast-5 LLC
www.fast-5.com

--- In fast5@yahoogroups.com, drbuffie@... wrote:
>
> Thanks for all your replys.
>
> I found this through a crossfit website link (intense interval- like
> stregnth training site). Most people who practice intermittent
fasting in
> the crossfit community follow a "paleo type" or zone diet consisting
> mostly of protein, veggies, fruits, healthy fats to optimize
performance.
> It seems from what I read about Fast-5, that there are not strict
> guidelines on what types of food to be eating...
>
> What kinds of food and how much food is everyone eating within the 5
hour
> window? How long have you been doing this & is it realistic to think you
> can do this long term in the society we live in?
> thanks again!
> Suzanne
>