‘The Fast-Five Diet and the Fast-Five Lifestyle – a little book about making big changes’ by Bert Herring, M.D.
The title of this little book made me think it was about how to make quick easy meals suitable for eating ‘on the run’. But its not about that at all! It is far simpler and very comprehensive. The book has a total of 67 pages – many of which (in PDF format) are blank, or contain chapter headings, graphs or references. It is a very easy read – able to be done in less than an hour if you’re quick.
Bert Herring claims the book’s purpose is ‘improving lives through innovation and education’ yet it is in fact an old principle – which he acknowledges in the book. It is a refreshing look at how and why we eat with some great points to consider.
When I read a ‘diet’ book, I like to know why the author thinks the way he does, how we can implement his plan, when we’ll start to see results and a detailed meal example. The book covers three out of four of these categories making it a worthwhile read.
Why intermittent fasting?
Herring goes into quite a bit of detail with regard to why the body gets hungry and how we often misinterpret that hunger. He produces a convincing argument why he believes the way he does.
How does it work?
Essentially, all your eating is restricted to one 5 hour window every day. The method is outlined very simply and clearly and is easy to comprehend. Split up into two sections, the first describes the 5 simple steps in great detail and the second addresses 9 ‘problems’ people come across, Q & A, and the physiology of the diet.
The first section can be read in depth – which gives you detailed information on hormones, types of hunger and why fasting is good for the body – or it can be skimmed for the basics (which I mostly did!) and still perfectly understandable and able to be implemented.
When will you start getting results?
The author is careful to cover all bases when he starts talking results. We are warned that some people will adapt very quickly and begin to see results very quickly, while others will take a little longer. As a generalization, results will be seen after 3 or so weeks, and the goal should be at least a pound a week. There is also a lot of information as to how each ‘goal’ can be personalized, including lots of charts and graphs which are useful tools!
How do we put it into practice?
There is no meal guide included. It isn’t very specific about what to eat and what not to eat – a sample weekly meal plan would be a fantastic bonus for the book! What would happen if we followed this diet plan religiously and eat pasta and bread every 5 hour window?
As any diet book should have, there is sufficient warning given to those who dare to try it out – yet the diet requires no complicated aspects like replacement meals, special pills or random herbs you’ve never heard of. I like it because it is simple, easy to read, and it makes sense.
One thing he perhaps over-emphasizes a bit is calorie-counting. The seems to detract from the simplicity of it somewhat!
The main issue I have with the book: the author commends artificial sweeteners – which really does not sit well with me at all! In fact on the website, Stevia is almost disregarded because it is not FDA-recommended – coming from the argument that even though it is natural and ‘non-caloric’, deadly toxins are also natural… yeah! I guess if you are considering intermittent fasting, it is likely you have considered other aspects of ‘healthy eating’ too so common sense almost applies here.
To Read or Not to Read?
Well, the fact that you can read it for free is a pretty compelling reason to give it an hour of your time. On the whole it’s a pretty good little book and the hard copy wouldn’t be a waste of money. Just be aware, without taking away from the good ideas the author has, some pages should be read with a grain of salt. I’ve started implementing it myself and have found it reasonably easy adjusting to the plan so far. Also, it means I have two less meals to think about and prepare!
Popularity: 1% [?]
Comment by Donna | The Healthy Eating Site
14 October 2009
I like the idea of restricting eating to a 5 hour window. Over the years it’s something that my body has sort of just evolved to by itself, although I’m not sure exactly how big my window is, it must be very close to 5 hours. I haven’t always adhered to that, but when I don’t I always suffer. I’m a big fan of fasting in general, although I don’t do it as often as I should, there have been times in the past when I did and really noticed the benefits. As long as you break the fast really carefully, it’s a great thing to do. But that’s where I like the sound of this, like a daily fast. I’m sure once you get into the routine it’s quite easy to maintain. It just makes so much sense to me. I’ll definitely check the book out, thanks for the review. I think you’ve given a really comprehensive and honest review, and I must say I agree with your viewpoints and cautions to take some pages with a grain of salt!