What I quoted was not "hearsay from correspondence to him." It is his words, posted on his website, describing his work. (What I quoted is also a shorter version of the hour plus talk he gave in October 2014, linked to elsewhere in the threaed.) You are correct as to what he has data-based proof of - but for the rest - what he is asserting (repeatedly & independently of others' responses) is that it is significant weight loss not rapid weight loss that is the key, and he gives a scientifically credible explanation for that assertion.
As to needing convincing v. ability to stick to the Newcastle Diet - the two are independent issues. Needing convincing is related to the science. If there is a scientific basis for rapid weight loss via a low calorie diet producing
different results - not just achieving the same goal faster, it would be worth trying. I'm not concerned about speed - but I am looking for different results. The scientist behind the plan says it does NOT produce different results. Apparently Dr. Fung (not the scientist behind the diet) believes it does produce different results (but has published NO peer reviewed research that I can find.)
I have been eating a 1200 calorie a day diet with a delicate balance between carbs and protein since October 2. I can count on one finger the number of days I have exceeded that by more than 4%. I can count on two hands the number of times my blood glucose has exceeded 7.8 - and at least half of those were unrelated to any predictable response to carb consumption. I don't think "easy to stick to" is an issue for me (at least in the short (under 3 years) term.
My question is a purely scientific one - and the doctor who has published two scientific papers on the diet says (with at least rational scientific reasoning) that his findings are not restricted to the timing of the weight loss. A second doctor (who has not published any peer reviewed articles) claims the first doctor's results are linked to fasting (and thus limited to the very low calorie diet. I'm looking for either peer reviewed data - or a credible scientific explanation for why the severe calorie restriction would produce different results so I can make an informed choice about whether to continue the course I am on - or switch to a severely calorie restricted diet for the last 8 weeks.