I recall a celebrity in the late 80s who talked about a similar "diet." One day, she'd eat as much of anything she wanted, then fast the next day. Warning lights always go off for me when I come across extreme plans like this.

I have a friend that did this and it worked out for her. She'd go on water fasts twice a week or sometimes just once a week. She coupled it with a low calorie diet though. She'd drink whey protein twice a day too. She lost 5lbs a week for two months and she's been maintaining that for a few months now. I mentioned the things like killing metabolism, starving muscle, etc but she also thought that if it is twice a week and not in a row then it is okay. I must admit that it sounds appealing.

For me personally, the only fast I do is a religious fast which still is gives enough nutrition for the body to maintain itself. I eat a breakfast before the sun starts coming up and again at night after the sun has gone down. For today that would be. Since it depends on the area and season you live in times vary. Today if I were to fast I'd have to have my last drop of water or food at 4:53 am and then I could have dinner at 8:25.

I don't know that there has been any studies on fasting and metabolism. I do recall reading studies about Muslim athletes where researchers basically looked at all their performances during the month of Ramadhan (where they fast 30 days same as I mentioned before) and compare it to their regular performance. It was either all or almost all of them did better during this time. It could be cause of the fast or it could be a religious high. I don't know.

There were a few studies on pregnant women as well. This sort of fasting is usually considered safe for pregnant women depending on her individual condition and doctors recommendation.

Mel have you been reading Weston Price? I read a pretty good deal of his work online and a couple books by some of his supporters. I found it fascinating, but impractical. Raw milk, raw dairy, raw meat/organs and lots of organic meat. The healthy teeth though... that's something that amazes me. My husband is from Nigeria and his teeth are extremely strong and he has never went to the dentist.

Having whey protein supplementation is hardly fasting, IMO.

No, I've never heard of Weston Price. My formal education was in Forensic Archaeology and Anthropology. I stopped doing any research in the very late 1970's when burial populations became unavailable in North America.

Mel

I meant on the days she is not fasting she'd supplement.

Weston Price was a dentist who travelled around studying various ethnic groups. He wrote the bookNutrition and Physical Degeneration A Comparison of Primitive and Modern Diets and Their Effects. You can read it for free online.