The ninth week is here and once again, I am sick as all get out. This is the third time I’ve caught whatever this crap is this year and it is quite frustrating. More on that in a bit. In the meantime, I weighed in on Wednesday at 336.2, which is a 5.2 pound drop from last week. That part is quite encouraging.
Still, with this being the third time I’ve gotten sick (this time thanks to Booger Man sneezing on me at turnover one day, then coughing on me on the next day where the spatters could still be “felt” hours after scrubbing them off), some have raised the idea that this diet may be the cause of my unusual illnesses this year. I am willing to concede this is a factor, but considering that I’ve not read complaints from others on the 5:2 diet about being sick more frequently, I think it is only a small factor.
For starters, I work 12.5 hour shifts, not counting all of the commute time to work and back. It is not unusual for me to have to work extra, especially during a crisis situation. So the hours are a factor.
Next, I work the second shift, meaning I’m sleeping during the day. When I’m off, I try to keep the same schedule, but that’s not as easy as it seems. After all, if I need to take my vehicle in for service, it has to be during the day. Doctor’s appointment? Daytime. Haircut? Ditto. This makes my sleeping patters quite terrible. Indeed, for the last couple of weeks, my sleep was pretty jacked up so that I was doing good to get four hours. Lack of sleep is what I attribute as the main cause of getting sick (outside of getting sneezed and coughed on by someone notorious for doing that).
Another factor is the poor air quality at work. Some days are worse than others and many of us seem to be affected all at once. We usually joke that the A/C (or just air blowing in general) must have kicked in.
Regardless, the 5:2 Diet doesn’t have many medical studies on its long term affect on health. What I’ve read does indicate some negative side effects, including sleep issues (though I’ve found most of the time, I sleep better on fast days), but cites folks having improved blood sugar counts (diabetes), cholesterol, etc., on top of the weight lost.
For now, I’ll continue the program, though this week, I’m taking a break so as to get well soon.
Keep at it!