The fast 800 by Dr Michael Mosley

Australian and New Zealand edition. Simon and Schuster, 2019. ISBN 9781760850180.
(Age: Adult) Recommended. Following on from his very successful book about 5:2 fasting diet and The 8-week blood sugar diet, Mosley has brought together the latest research into when and what to eat to achieve a healthy weight. This book subtitled How to combine rapid weight loss and intermittent fasting for long-term health is an easy to read book, giving details on a 800 calorie a day diet. It begins with a chapter entitled 'Why we put on weight' and gives an easy to understand description of the effects of carbs and raised sugar levels. A chart of the foods that are found to be most addictive (with milk chocolate heading the list and ice cream coming in second), is helpful as it provides the information that it is the combination of 1g of fat to 2g of carbs that the body loves so much (pg. 30). Details about intermittent fasting and time restricted eating follow and new evidence promoting the case for rapid weight loss is interesting.
Moseley is an advocate of the Mediterranean diet and there is a useful section of recipes by Dr Clare Bailey, all of which appear to be easy enough and delicious enough for a busy person to shop for and make. There are also meal planners to follow, for both 3 meals a day and 2 meals a day, for those wishing to have additional help on eating the right foods and amounts to lose weight. Exercise and beating stress are also emphasised and have a chapter each with achievable ideas and goals to improve health.
The fast 800 is a quick accessible read, and makes a very good case for losing weight fast using the Mediterranean diet and intermittent fasting and then maintaining that loss for a healthy lifestyle.
Pat Pledger