After Mimi Spencer published her book on the Fast Beach Diet, an updated version of the original 5:2, her father Roger was inspired to lose four stone nine pounds
When Roger Spencer’s daughter Mimi published a book about dieting in January 2013, he was naturally delighted and supportive in a fatherly sort of way, intending to download it from Amazon to help sales along. Roger, now 76, and a retired businessman from Christchurch, Dorset, wasn’t really the dieting sort – he knew he was overweight for his height (5’ 10’’) but "life is for living," he says now.
However, in a curious synchronicity, that New Year’s Eve was spent by Roger and his wife Julie, 73, a nutritionist and lecturer in cooking, with friends including a cardiologist. "He was looking askance at me,’ recalls Roger, ‘and warned me I was looking unhealthy."
When Roger weighed himself the next day, he was surprised to see the scales register 16 stone 3lb – the heaviest he had ever been – "I fell off my perch," he admits. So when he bought The Fast Diet, the book written by Mimi, an award-wining fashion journalist, with doctor and journalist Dr Michael Mosley, it was with more than passing interest.
The Fast Diet (known as the 5:2) - which advocates fasting two days a week and eating normally the remaining five – immediately took the UK by storm. Dad was pretty impressed too.
"I knew I should be 12 and a half stone, according to my GP," he admits, "but I always loved my food and wine. I wasn’t particularly inactive - I’ve always enjoyed walking, gardening, and dancing weekly with Julie." He muses: "But I knew my trouser size was getting bigger."
When Roger Spencer’s daughter Mimi published a book about dieting in January 2013, he was naturally delighted and supportive in a fatherly sort of way, intending to download it from Amazon to help sales along. Roger, now 76, and a retired businessman from Christchurch, Dorset, wasn’t really the dieting sort – he knew he was overweight for his height (5’ 10’’) but "life is for living," he says now.
However, in a curious synchronicity, that New Year’s Eve was spent by Roger and his wife Julie, 73, a nutritionist and lecturer in cooking, with friends including a cardiologist. "He was looking askance at me,’ recalls Roger, ‘and warned me I was looking unhealthy."
When Roger weighed himself the next day, he was surprised to see the scales register 16 stone 3lb – the heaviest he had ever been – "I fell off my perch," he admits. So when he bought The Fast Diet, the book written by Mimi, an award-wining fashion journalist, with doctor and journalist Dr Michael Mosley, it was with more than passing interest.
The Fast Diet (known as the 5:2) - which advocates fasting two days a week and eating normally the remaining five – immediately took the UK by storm. Dad was pretty impressed too.
"I knew I should be 12 and a half stone, according to my GP," he admits, "but I always loved my food and wine. I wasn’t particularly inactive - I’ve always enjoyed walking, gardening, and dancing weekly with Julie." He muses: "But I knew my trouser size was getting bigger."
Roger had half-heartedly slimmed in the past – regimes like the Atkins protein-heavy diet. But as we all know, he says: "You go on and for a week or two it’s great. But then, you stop losing weight, it feels pointless, you stop, and the weight piles back on."
Even when he was diagnosed with high blood pressure, and put on medication, Roger couldn’t shift enough weight to make a difference.
And then came his daughter’s book. ‘I started in the January and by the end of month one, I had lost seven pounds. I felt: ‘This is working’.’
He fasted two days a week consistently for the next six months, and was delighted to find he had lost two stone and nine pounds. He was 14 stone – and at the halfway mark.
"Now of course I had to face the downside of dieting," he laughs. "I had to get my jackets re-tailored, plus new trousers and new shirts."
Every Monday and Thursday, adjusted occasionally for his social life, Roger fasted until Christmas when he hit his 12 stone 7lb target. "And on New Year’s Eve, my delighted cardiologist friend told me he thought I could lose another half a stone safely. So I did."
By the start of this year, not only had Roger lost four stone and nine pounds. He was told his blood pressure had fallen to normal levels so he no longer needed to take medication.
He had also lost nearly 10 points from his Body Mass Index (BMI) – the index calculated on height to weight which doctors use to assess our health. "I went from a BMI of 33.09, which is termed obese, to a BMI of 24.6, which is normal."
He adds: "Mimi describes it as me losing a child of eight." Mimi herself has said she is thrilled to throw her arms around her Daddy’s waist and find they meet.
Roger is still following her diet – fasting one day a week for maintenance. "I’ve completely changed my eating habits," he admits. "I don’t eat cakes or biscuits any more, and I don’t know how Frys stay in business now I have stopped eating its Chocolate Crèmes."
Mimi has now written another book – The Fast Beach Diet, a six week kick-start to the diet – which I am following for the Daily Telegraph.
So for me, and all the other 5:2-readers, what’s the secret, Roger?
"Don’t think about it all the time," he cautions. "There are times you seem to go backwards – analyse them – what did you do?"
He adds: "Be active – go for a walk or get immersed in work; you’ll find time has flowed."
Roger is, of course, proud as punch of Mimi (and her sister Debbie – who with Julie – contributed to the recipes for both books). But there has been one downside.
All those new and re-tailored clothes from last summer – Roger has had to replace and renew his wardrobe a second time. I don’t think he would have it any other way.
Roger had half-heartedly slimmed in the past – regimes like the Atkins protein-heavy diet. But as we all know, he says: "You go on and for a week or two it’s great. But then, you stop losing weight, it feels pointless, you stop, and the weight piles back on."
Even when he was diagnosed with high blood pressure, and put on medication, Roger couldn’t shift enough weight to make a difference.
And then came his daughter’s book. ‘I started in the January and by the end of month one, I had lost seven pounds. I felt: ‘This is working’.’
He fasted two days a week consistently for the next six months, and was delighted to find he had lost two stone and nine pounds. He was 14 stone – and at the halfway mark.
"Now of course I had to face the downside of dieting," he laughs. "I had to get my jackets re-tailored, plus new trousers and new shirts."
Every Monday and Thursday, adjusted occasionally for his social life, Roger fasted until Christmas when he hit his 12 stone 7lb target. "And on New Year’s Eve, my delighted cardiologist friend told me he thought I could lose another half a stone safely. So I did."
By the start of this year, not only had Roger lost four stone and nine pounds. He was told his blood pressure had fallen to normal levels so he no longer needed to take medication.
He had also lost nearly 10 points from his Body Mass Index (BMI) – the index calculated on height to weight which doctors use to assess our health. "I went from a BMI of 33.09, which is termed obese, to a BMI of 24.6, which is normal."
He adds: "Mimi describes it as me losing a child of eight." Mimi herself has said she is thrilled to throw her arms around her Daddy’s waist and find they meet.
Roger is still following her diet – fasting one day a week for maintenance. "I’ve completely changed my eating habits," he admits. "I don’t eat cakes or biscuits any more, and I don’t know how Frys stay in business now I have stopped eating its Chocolate Crèmes."
Mimi has now written another book – The Fast Beach Diet, a six week kick-start to the diet – which I am following for the Daily Telegraph.
So for me, and all the other 5:2-readers, what’s the secret, Roger?
"Don’t think about it all the time," he cautions. "There are times you seem to go backwards – analyse them – what did you do?"
He adds: "Be active – go for a walk or get immersed in work; you’ll find time has flowed."
Roger is, of course, proud as punch of Mimi (and her sister Debbie – who with Julie – contributed to the recipes for both books). But there has been one downside.
All those new and re-tailored clothes from last summer – Roger has had to replace and renew his wardrobe a second time. I don’t think he would have it any other way.
By Victoria Lambert
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/dietandfitness/10875550
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