Old Style Weight Loss 2019 Part 4

Izadora

Thank you, I'll take a look at some of the lectures.

The idea of only eating once a day seems quite terrifying but I can see how the structure would make it easier to resist snacking.

tighteningthebelt

izadora you could always just give it a try. Maybe not even every day. Just play about with it a bit and see how you get on. I'll do it while it's working for me, but I'm not fanatical, just pragmatic. I will change things again if I need to. See what frugalina says too. Keep us posted.

FrugalLina

Izadora, apologies, I was away from my computer for most of the afternoon.

I started doing the 5:2 diet that Michael Moseley pioneered and that got me into fasting, then I read the book The Obesity Code by Jason Fung and I switched to fasting every other day. Now I do OMAD (one meal a day) most days with just the odd day eating throughout the day here and there.

I have to admit that I had a couple of days (when I was on holiday) where I became very tired and ravenously hungry and almost tearful, but it was just a couple of times and I don't get like that any more.

I think it worked for me because I was dangerously close to being diabetic and fasting corrected my insulin responses, I think. I don't know that for sure.

My sister did the 5:2 when she put on a few pounds during the menopause and she swears by it. So maybe do that to try it out. Basically you eat normally 5 days a week and fast for 2 days. On the fasting days, the original book says to eat 500 calories for your meal, but I found I needed 800 calories, which the author now says is what he recommends.

Blue_Doggy

Good evening, everyone .

FrugalLina, Izadora, tighteningthebelt what a very interesting discussion about fasting! The results on Brambling’s table certainly seem to show it’s working as far as weight loss goes for the two who are following it. Do you find any adverse effects at all?

Like you, I have trigger foods - fresh bread is one (the only bread I can let myself eat is German rye bread, and that rarely). Alcohol tends to make me eat more, so although I have a couple of bottles in the rack at present, I also have a rule “if it’s not open, don’t open it!”. Eating more than a tiny amount of sugary foods makes me crave more, and more. And, oddly, vinegary foods make me crave more. And I’ve trained myself not to even look at the crisps and similar snacks.

Molly41 and tighteningthebelt how lovely to be able to wear a smaller size of clothes. I hope you’ll enjoy wearing them until you need another size smaller.

Brambling I hope you managed to get all your tidying done and can enjoy your sister’s visit, white gloves and all.

Today’s menu:
B: porridge with raspberries
L: cottage cheese with chopped lettuce, cucumber and red pepper, one slice of rye bread with marmalade, one small apple
tomato salad, grilled pork chop with green beans, cabbage and sweet potato, yogurt with blackberries and apple.

That used up the cottage cheese and rye bread, and the piece of sweet potato that was too thin for microwaving yesterday. Opening the jar of marmalade the other day was a mistake: my family members keep giving me their homemade jams, or speciality sweet stuff: I mostly thank them nicely, then shove it in a cupboard and try to forget about it, or trade a jar when someone gives me produce from their allotment. “Must do better”

Brambling

Blue Doggy I also find bread is a trigger food for me not only can it make me feel bloated and make my joints ache but It can the start me craving sweet things, which what caused me issues at the weekend :cool:

I admire those who follow 5:2 or intermittent fasting but I can't do it, I skip meals then end up picking at food. I have seen/read stuff which does say it's good for people with type two diabetes or who are pre diabetic.

My sister is springing a earlier than usual arrival time on me 10am instead of 1pm as my BIL is driving her up (I've had a request for his chocolate biscuits ) so if the house isn't to her standards she will let me know :cool: she is too much like my mum sometimes and that's not a compliment . For all my grumbling I am looking forward to seeing her . My other sister and I went shopping for her birthday present today, and picked up a light weight jumper as part of her present which may have ended up as for me instead, I had to find her something else it will go nice with my dark grey trousers

We had lunch in town and put the world to rights before we met again for tai chi

B -
L - full English breakfast
D - lunch was 2pm so I wasn't hungry
S - banana after tai chi

FrugalLina

BlueDoggy, yes once a bottle (or jar or packet) is opened then all bets are off here too.

The whole fasting thing was completely alien to me because it is the opposite to how I had lost weight in the past (that clearly hasn't worked long term because here I am again, losing another 100lbs). :mad:

To lose weight in the past, I would eat 3 meals a day with 2 or 3 snacks in between. The thinking was that this kept your metabolism up, but apparently that isn't thought to be the case now (I reserve my opinion on that because metabolic adaptation occurs naturally anyway as you lose weight because the less mass you have, the less fuel is needed to maintain it).

Many fasters believe that fat is burnt during a process called autophagy more readily when you are in a fasted state, usually occurring 8-10 hours after your last meal (when your glycogen stores are used up).

So anyway, it is an experiment for me and I shall continue with it now that I am past the initial stages and now I don't have hunger pangs or weakness. I drink black coffee and plenty of water.

Adverse effects include: initially I was very hungry, irritable and weak, but that has passed now, I don't like the irregular bowel movements, insomnia, some wind, and trouble getting all my nutrients (I supplement to be on the safe side).

Benefits: weight loss, reduction in indigestion, saving money at the grocery shop, more energy, no sugar/starch cravings, feeling more relaxed about food availability (I used to get anxious and carry around "emergency food" in case I got the shakes, now I know I can survive several hours without eating), less meal prep/cleaning up. You get to eat a really satisfying meal once a day, rather than several small ones that just leave you feeling hungrier.

It is a useful tool to help maintain your weight once the excess has been lost, my sister (who is quite skinny) still has the odd fast day here and there if she has had too many meals out or has been away on holiday etc.

FrugalLina

LOL, Brambling, a new sweater sounds like a lovely present for yourself!:rotfl:

Yeah, intermittent fasting isn't easy, I am amazed I got to grips with it, actually! But, I knew I needed to do something drastic.

Gosh, there are people who do water fasts for days at a time, there are even some people who do dry fasts! :eek:

tighteningthebelt

Hi - I'm seconding almost every point Frugalina makes about fasting, though I haven't had any change in my sleeping pattern. I would add another couple of things; I cant believe how much better I feel just now (hope it lasts), and that personally I still get hungry at breakfast and lunch times it passes after about half an hour without hanger or weakness, so it's quite easy to ride out and well worth it to feel full at teatime.

Anyway - down to business
I ate the last bread roll yesterday evening, with marmite and an apple. I didn't finish the brie. I'll give it to dad later to get it out of the house!
Today I'm going to make bluedoggy's fennel microbake. 2 new potatoes fried up with an egg and 25g cheese melted on. Pud jelly and stewed plums with 2 spoons cold custard.

The next few days will be a bit more challenging, but not impossible. My lovely son is home from uni for a reading week and that means kitchen action in the daytime and different food in the cupboards. Still, eyes on the prize!!!

Have a good day everyone.

Molly41

Hello x
I also believe in fasting - it started when I was a Midwife and never had time to eat during my very long shifts. I used to work for 24 hours as I was a home birth midwife and had my usual rounds during the day then on call at night - I always got called out!
Anyway when i get back to it i will use fasting well i pretty much do now anyway as I don't get hungry due to one of my meds !
Keep positive - Halloween tomorrow keep away from those sweeties!
Kind Regards x

Izadora

Frugalina and Tighteningthebelt Thank you for all the fasting advice. I think starting with 5:2 and seeing how I get on with it might be better than jumping straight in with one meal a day. I'm much like Brambling and have found that if I skip meals I tend then to pick and overeat as soon as I do have something but I'll see if I can be a bit more disciplined with it. Also, I'm fine with drinking plenty of water as it's something I already do but I'm not sure about black coffee. I don't have much milk but I don't know how badly it would affect fasting and there's no way I'm trying to go without coffee and food!!

Blue Doggy It's lovely of people to want to give you things they've put time and effort into but it doesn't make dieting any easier. I hope it was good marmalade though. I tend not to mind having gone a bit off piste so much if I've enjoyed it, I really resent it if I feel that it was a waste of calories though.

Brambling Good luck with your sister. I think there should be a law against guests turning up before midday so it sounds like you definitely deserved the jumper

Tighteningthebelt Good luck with carrying on your fasting with the extra kitchen activity and different foods. I'm sure having your son home will be worth the extra effort.

Molly I'm amazed that you managed to put in those hours and not eat. I'd be so tired that I'd end up reaching for absolute rubbish to keep me going.

I'm working from home today as it's my weekly dinner-for-my-parents day. I'm trying to resist all of the nice food in the cupboards but also need to make sure I eat something before I go shopping, there's no telling what will end up in my basket if I go to the supermarket when hungry!!