Happy New Year to all who participate and read this discussion group.
I hope the holidays have not been too rough a time to be on the Fast-5
diet. I enjoyed having many of the traditional holiday foods and set
my Fast-5 lifestyle aside for Christmas day.
We're seeing more people start Fast-5, especially now that the
holidays have passed. We hope you will join this group and share your
experiences.

Two topics I'd like to post info aboutn here are 1) Plateaus and 2)
NutraSweet and Splenda Packets.

(1) Plateaus
Plateaus are periods of a week or more when one's weight does not
change despite adherence to the diet. I've experienced these, and
others have reported them. I do not know what causes them, but staying
steady with your Fast-5 plan seems to eventually get past them.
Plateaus may be a time when the body's energy storage systems are
"checking" to be sure that fuel (food) availability is consistent and
it is safe to release more fuel and save less. To insure a steady path
across these plateaus, I suggest trying to eat about the same amount
each day, avoiding a roller-coaster intake pattern of a lot one day
and a little the next. Try to make sure you have a generous serving of
fruit and/or vegetables every day, and eat it first if possible so you
fill up on the good stuff.

(2)Nutra Sweet and Splenda Packets
It has come to my attention from a Fast-5 dieter that NutraSweet and
Splenda packets contain dextrose (sugar) and maltodextrin (starch)
that are added as filler to make measuring and mixing easier. The
amount of dextrose and maltodextrin in one packet of NutraSweet
probably is not enough to trigger insulin release, but the use of
multiple packets multiple times per day may be a sufficient
carbohydrate load to cause insulin release and decrease the use of fat
and ketones from fat cells. Products that have NutraSweet (aspartame)
or Splenda (sucralose) already mixed in such as diet sodas do not have
the filler ingredients and are not expected to have a similar effect
on fat metabolism. To avoid the possibility of having your diet
success impaired by the additives, one can try to use as little as
possible of the packet/packaged varieties of these sweeteners, or
gradually taper off their use altogether. It may help to really
concentrate on the non-sweet flavors that one can taste in coffee or tea.
On the same note, it appears that some loose teas have enough calories
in them (from fruit or added starch) to taste sweet. Because
nutritional information is not available, one cannot know how much, if
any, calories are being consumed. Packaged tea bags have nutritional
info on the box, and some will specifically state "zero-calorie" so
you can be confident they are a good choice for the Fast-5 diet.

Best wishes to all for a happy New Year and great success with the
Fast-5 diet!

Bert Herring