The DODO fasting diet

Where did the DODO diet come from?

Even if you haven’t tried fasting before, chances are you’ll be familiar with the concept. The 5:2 fasting diet was the most talked about weight loss plan of 2013. It promised that those who stuck to 500 calories a day for two days a week could eat what they liked on the remaining five days and still lose weight.

Now, a top Olympic nutritionist has devised the DODO plan, a revolutionary Day On/Day Off eating schedule. It’s a new type of fasting diet which not only delivers better results but is much simpler to maintain. By following the plan you can expect to lose up to 7lb in the first week and 1lb to 3lb in subsequent weeks.

Intermittent fasting on the DODO diet

The DODO, or Day On/Day Off, diet is based around the principles of intermittent fasting (IF) but takes a different approach which completely cuts out the need for calorie counting.

While most IF diets, such as the popular 5:2, allow you to eat a limited amount of calories throughout a fasting day, when following DODO you don’t eat at all for 20 to 24 hours to give your body a complete break.

This may sound difficult but the good news is that the time period involved includes the hours we are asleep.

What to do on the DODO diet

The night before a fast day you eat your evening meal between 7pm and 10pm (the pre-fast meal), then the fasting process starts while you sleep and continues until the following evening when you eat one mid-fast meal, which must be consumed no later than 24 hours after the pre-fast meal. The following morning you eat a special morning meal, called the break-fast, to end the period of fasting.

How does the DODO diet work?

The diet’s creator Drew Price says the advantages of not eating for 24 hours far outweigh being able to nibble on 500 calories throughout the day. “The body is able to control how it uses different energy fuels such as fats, proteins and carbohydrate,” explains Drew.

“It burns the one it has the biggest supply of which means in times of fasting it favours fat over its carbohydrate stores. The DODO diet involves a complete fast because even if you have a few grams of carbohydrate or protein the body flicks the switch from fasting mode to feeding mode so you lose the benefits of having a break from eating.”

Drew goes on to state that eating multiple meals to make up 500 calories can lead to issues that can in the longer term make sticking to the plan far more problematic. “When people eat multiple small meals the amount of total calories they consume on the fasting day often gradually increases,” he says. “After an initial strict period people become lax when it comes to the painful task of calorie counting everything.

“With my diet you don’t have to think about food or calories.” Drew has come up with clear guidelines about what to eat for the pre-fast, mid-fast and break-fast meals.

It is as simple, for example, as eating a palm-sized portion of protein such as chicken, plus two cupped handfuls of vegetables and a fist-sized portion of carbohydrates such as wholewheat pasta.

How does the DODO diet make you lose weight?

The DODO diet is designed to encourage the body to use up these fat stores as fuel. As well as taking in fewer calories, fasting has been shown to improve cell function and regulate insulin production, leading to a smaller waistline.

It also stimulates the growth hormone which burns fat but protects lean muscle mass. Research has shown that a short fast will not slow down your metabolism. In fact there is evidence to suggest there is a small increase in the rate of calorie usage towards the end of a fast day.

Keen to experience the benefits for himself Drew attempted to fast for one day a week, then increased it to two and then three days a week.

“I was already pretty lean but I became leaner while retaining my muscle mass,” says Drew, who then tried out the diet on a select group of friends and clients whom he monitored closely.

“The only rule I gave them was that it had to be a complete fast,” he says. “When a few people said they were eating more the day after a fast I tweaked what they were eating for the mid-fast meal to keep them fuller for longer.”

“My research showed that people wouldn’t overeat the next day. The results were amazing – my friends lost weight and inches easily.”

Always check with your GP before starting this or any diet or fitness plan.

Who invented the DODO diet?

Drew, 37, studied biochemistry at university and works as a nutritionist in London. He first felt the need for an easy-to-follow eating plan while working as an investment banker in Canary Wharf from 2000 to 2004.

“Having worked in the City I know what it’s like to try to stay fit and healthy while juggling a full-time job,” says Drew. “My personal trainer knew I had an interest in health and nutrition and encouraged me to study for the Personal Training Certification from the American College of Sports Medicine.”

Drew threw himself into a year of lectures, exams and revision and as well as achieving the qualification he developed a passion for nutrition. While there were short nutrition courses available, Drew wanted to get the best possible training. So in 2004 he made the decision to quit his job in London and travel to Australia to study for a Masters degree in nutrition. After graduating he moved back to the UK where he started working as a nutritionist.

Drew went on to become a consultant for top Olympic athletes and now counts Chelsea Football Club among a highly impressive client list.

Quotes have been extracted from ‘The DODO Diet’ by Drew Price (RRP £10.99, Vermilion).

You can order the book direct from Amazon for the great price of just £7.69. 

Article credit: Daily Express.