Michael Mosley: How the presenter transformed people's lives

8 hours ago

By David Sillito, Media Correspondent

It is no exaggeration to say that Dr. Michael Mosley transformed people's lives.

For those who feared that the growing bulge in the waistline due to a tension belt was just an inevitable and depressing part of life, his approach joyful and experiential experience of better health offered a solution. it seemed to work for many.

Tributes are now pouring in for the TV, radio presenter and author, who for two decades produced programs and books that have been watched, listened to and read by millions of people.

And among them, many have spoken about how he inspired them to change their lives.

For publisher Emma Waring, her Fast 800 recipes taught her to eat "in a way that allowed me to lose weight while enjoying satisfying and delicious food."

Reacting to his death, she wrote: "I am lighter by 6, 5 stone and healthier for life because of him. Sad, sad news."

Some studies have questioned this approach to weight loss, but former Labor deputy leader Tom Watson said Mosley was "a hero to me". " - after losing more than 44 kg and being able to stop taking medication to regulate his type 2 diabetes.

"It is difficult to describe how he is so upset. I agree with this news," he wrote on Sunday. "Through courageous and scientific journalism, Michael Mosley has helped thousands of people recover and be healthy. I am one of them."

Many others have been inspired by his work.

For example, actor Benedict Cumberbatch adopted his 5:2 diet to lose weight for his role in the BBC series Sherlock.

Author Jeanette Winterson wrote about the transformative effects of fasting on cholesterol, joint pain and overall well-being after being inspired by it.

And When I met Mosley one day for a brief interview at a public event, I was struck by the line of people near him waiting to say thank you.

Reversing Diabetes through diet

It all came from Mosley's own life experience, a diagnosis of type 2 diabetes in 2012.

This led him to look for what the latest health sciences could offer as a solution. solution, try it and then tell the world about it.

"I wrote the blood sugar diet because I was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes ", did he declare.

"I wasn't particularly overweight, I weighed about 86 kg and I didn't look particularly fat, but that was because 'much of the fat I carried was internal. I was a TOFI, thin on the outside, fat on the inside.'

In a 2020 television interview, he said he successfully reversed his diabetes in 2012, and eight years later, "I'm the same weight as before and my blood sugar is completely normal."

The core of his weight loss program was fasting

For two days a week. , he encouraged reducing food consumption to around 800 calories per day

However, his glycemic diet and 5:2 diet also introduced part of the population in a rapidly developing field of medical research that was beginning to challenge some of the assumptions of healthy eating.

After years of being told that fat was the enemy, the blame was turning to sugar, carbs and our range of food products. increasingly transformed and more and more restricted.