'Cavemen didn't need cornflakes to get through the morning' – Telegraph readers on fasting

Mimicking humans' caveman diet by fasting every other day could be the secret to losing weight while staying healthy, a new study has suggested.

Unlike traditional diets that involve counting calories, those undertaking alternate-day fasting (ADF) simply go without food for 36 hours and then eat whatever they like for the following 12 hours. After a month, those in the ADF group taking part in the study lost more than half a stone and their immune systems remained stable even after 6 months.

However scientists warn that ADF may not be suitable for everyone and further studies are needed to prove its safety over the long-term.

In response to the findings of the study, Telegraph readers shared their experiences of fasting including which diets work best for them and whether fasting really works.

Share your views on fasting in the comments section below and send your questions for our experts to yourstory@telegraph.co.uk. 

@Michael Staples 

For me (72-year-old 6 foot male), fasting every day between the evening meal (about 8 p.m.) and lunchtime the next day has helped me lose weight, down from 15 st 7 lbs to 14 st 2 lbs and my blood pressure has notably lowered. Between 1 p.m. and 8 p.m. I eat pretty much anything I want.

A couple of black coffees during the morning helps me, as does keeping busy with (gentle) exercise classes up to four mornings a week.  I have kept this up for about 15 months without any problems. Only holiday I go back to three meals a day, but for a week or two weight doesn't really come on much and after a couple of days I am back to normal.

PS: I love breakfast of cereal with fruit, orange juice and toast and marmalade, so I have it at 1 p.m.  Effectively, I have given up eating lunch.

@dran good

The 36-hour fast is not for beginners. I recommend getting the Zero app, starting at 16:8 (i.e. 16 hours fasting) and moving up to 18:6, then 20:4. I do an occasional 36-hour fast after I have eaten a few too many cookies at a social gathering. Life is to be enjoyed, after all. I have lost a pound every day in recent weeks.

@Chris Rous

I eat anything I like in moderation, exercise regularly and have kept my weight consistent for the last four years. When I tried various diets in the past my weight yo-yoed all the time as I would get a craving for a certain "banned" food and over indulge.

@Simon Shorrock

Just miss breakfast. Have a coffee or two. Eat between 1-8 p.m. You’ll lose weight and feel much better. Food companies invented breakfast. Cavemen didn’t need cornflakes to get through the morning.

@Neleos Rustus 

I don't think you need to fast for 36 hours. I'm 38, hover between 10.5 and 11 st, have the body of a fit 21-year-old and maintain muscle mass, still have a 30/32 in waist just by mini fasting in the day.

I don't have breakfast as such just a shake of one banana, half pint milk (real milk not the white coloured water in most supermarkets), a desert spoon of peanut butter and a scoop of quality protein powder. I'll skip lunch every other day and when I have it it's usually rice, some salad and a tin of mackerel or sardines. In the evening I'll have rice or sweet potato with lots of veg and steak with an egg, once or twice a week I'll mix it up with penne salmon or penne tonno e pomodoro and as an evening treat, no later than 9, I'll have homemade granola with lots of different nuts and seeds, dried fruits like papaya (good for the gut) with some natural yogurt and fresh berries or grapes with a bit of honey.

No cakes, no biscuits, no chocolate, no pizzas or processed (or minimally processed) foods. It may not be exciting but it works for me and I feel and look great. I'm still fasting between 12 and 18 hours a day (including sleep). Also I only drink water (not unfiltered tap water due to the fluoride) with no more than two cups of coffee a day. I don't really drink alcohol, I can count the number of alcoholic drinks I've had this year on one hand. The key is paying attention to your body and what you put in it, resist the temptation of foods you know are bad for you.

@John Smith

I invented this! Since the early 1980s, as a 17-year-old and then university student I would often skip a meal only to be derided by relatives and friends who would not believe I was simply not hungry. "Skipping meals is bad for you", they'd say. I'm grinning now as a 54-year-old, much healthier, slimmer and younger looking than most of my acquaintances in my age group.

@Willy Wotsit

On the one hand, it makes me laugh to consider people think the caveman diet was a good one, when you consider the life expectancy of the average caveman was something like 35 at best. On the other, I have personal experience of the keto/fasting diet and it's the only one that ever worked for me. In particular I think the 18/6 fast, in which you only eat in a 6-hour period each day, is effective, especially if it's low carb so as to accelerate the body's switch from carb to fat burning for a reasonable period of each day.

@Vera Gusset

I am on the 5/2 diet and have lost 2 st since March, and no longer need to take blood pressure pills.

@Ross Henry

It's not quantity, its quality that is key. The most simple but effective dietary plan is to cut out any added sugar whatsoever. Eat unprocessed foods if you can and check packets otherwise for any added sugar in any form. I guarantee anyone that does this, the weight will fall off

@ Stephen Robinson

I've researched and tried numerous different eating patterns since returning to competitive sport three years ago at the age of 55 and this works best for me when phased correctly with my workouts. Intermittent fasting has been shown to promote healthy insulin levels, promote heart health and, when combined with exercise, raises levels of HGH significantly when compared to conventional dieting.

The result is lower body fat, increased muscle mass and an increase in mental acuity and libido. I am now in better shape than when I was 30.

@Zebedee Mason

I cut down to just having a large breakfast followed by black tea and coffee and the weight piled off, unfortunately it's slowly come back. Time restricted eating in the parlance.

@Sipu Sipu

No need to fast every other day, just eat once a day. Nothing substantial for lunch or supper and a big meal in the evening a couple of hours before going to bed is what works best.

@Bob Snow

I have lost 5 st in 8 months going 'sugar free' which consists of no sugar of any kind and no processed food!

Eat a well balanced diet and your body will naturally balance itself to a normal weight.

Have you tried fasting for health reasons? Are you struggling to lose weight through traditional diets? Send us your questions, and your experiences of fasting and losing weight, to yourstory@telegraph.co.uk for your questions to be answered by our experts.