Intermittent fasting, the key?

Dear Journal,

Just when I thought I couldn’t know more about proper eating habits, I stumbled on an article on the fastdiet.co.uk website. The first topic that caught my eye amongst others was that of “intermittent fasting”. When I looked at it, I felt a little cynical about it because I have always had the opinion that starving would only make your body hoard fat and all those carbohydrates that you want it to burn off.

Anyway, I just read through because I am a curious person by nature and I would like to give their opinions a listening ear at least. I learnt about the fascinating technique of intermittent fasting with the 5:2 regimes by Michael. Because it would be too much work to summarise all I have learnt (which I really don’t want to summarise anyway), I’ll take excerpts from the work and let you enjoy the pleasure of reading it yourself.

“We all know how you are supposed to lose weight: eat low-fat foods, exercise more… and never, ever skip meals. This has been standard dietary advice for decades and though it may work for some people, levels of obesity continue to soar. So is there an alternative? We think there is. Intermittent fasting. Based on the work of leading scientists from around the world, this is an exciting new alternative to standard dieting.

Intermittent Fasting does not mean stopping eating entirely. It means reducing the amount you eat, but only for quite short periods of time.

In The Fast Diet book I outline my experiences of trying different forms of intermittent fasting, before settling on what I called a 5:2 regime. With 5:2 intermittent fasting you eat normally five days a week and diet two days a week, cutting your calorie intake for those two days to a ¼ of their normal level. This means that on, say, a Monday and a Thursday you will eat 500 calories if you are a woman, 600 if you are a man.

If you stick to this plan then you should lose around 1lb (0.46kg) a week if you are a woman, slightly more for a man. Success also depends on not over-eating on your normal days.

You should not only lose weight but also enjoy a wide range of health benefits. Studies of intermittent fasting show that not only do people see improvements in blood pressure and their cholesterol levels, but also in their insulin sensitivity.

As one of the medical experts I interviewed put it: ‘There is nothing else you can do to your body that is as powerful as fasting.’

Welcome to The Fast Diet and to the community on this site. We will keep you up to date with the latest in this exciting new field. You can read how others are managing this way of life and pick up lots of helpful tips. We hope it works for you”.

Having read all that, I don’t know about you but I am willing to try this method for a short while and see what promise it holds for me. *wink* Till next time! Always a pleasure writing to you guys, you rock!

THE QUEST- EATING TO ACHIEVE THE DESIRED RESULTS

August 13^th 2013

Dear Journal,

Having mastered the exercises, I have also started making adjustments to my food. What this means is that I have decided to cook my own meals with healthy recipes from around the world and eat moderately to get the desired effect. According to Vanessa, I have to eat five to six times a day. Small portions, no more than a handful and not that 3 meal plan that everyone think is best. Of course, when she said that, I almost wrung her neck! Didn’t she understand that I was trying to achieve a perfect figure? But common sense got ahead of my emotions and I asked her to explain better.

In a Vanessa like way, she said “what happens is the ‘three times a day’ thing is crap and you end up snacking on crap in between because the body needs nutrient. When your body senses it’s being starved, it goes into starvation mode, hoards calories, and when you starve more, it hoards more”.

Having this knowledge, I decided to up my fruits and veggies, take more water; a glass before and after my meals and more in between to be precise. I have almost cut out processed foods after ‘the talk’ with V (fond name for my fitness coach, Vanessa). I have learnt that my body do not know what to do with all processed foods and usually moves it to the usual areas of fat deposit which for many is the stomach. The trick is not to completely give up all the junk now so one can stick to the plan as eating junk on occasion might even be ideal!

 I have also found that drinking a protein shake before going to bed is good practice. It is common knowledge that when one sleeps, one is fasting and one’s metabolism slows down but protein shakes help to keep it going. It is liquid, easy to digest, it’s protein so it’s going to your muscles, not to the fat cells. My favourite is Complan protein shake in strawberry and chocolate flavours! *grins* no advert intended.

When I started to think of scrapping dinner entirely, I was advised against it by Vanessa. She suggested that I write a list of things I know are healthy, good to eat and accessible to me so I can plan my meals before-hand as I am more likely to stick with it that way. Fruits, veggies, plantain (preferably boiled and roasted), and eggs (preferably boiled or fried with only enough oil to grease the pan). Knowing my love for wheat bread and sandwiches, she also suggested that I become creative and come up with exciting mixtures like putting fruits like bananas, nuts, tomatoes and apples in my sandwiches.

So far, I have consistently made sure that I have a cucumber or banana to snack on before lunch after a healthy breakfast of whole wheat bread or whole grain pasta with eggs. I have also made sure that I don’t run out of nuts in my house as I have noticed that they help to fill me up.

This whole fitness regime has got me spending less money on junks, curbing my craving for sugar with fruits like apples and carrots that I now snack on and making see the importance of veggies in giving me the perfect body (especially my tummy *winks*)

I hope you have learnt as much as I have. I will keep you all posted on my progress still. Until then, Danke sehr!

THE QUEST CONTINUES 2

10^th August 2013

Dear journal,

I lie in pain from the three ‘simple’ exercises I was asked to do! Truth be told, I only did one and my stomach hurts like hell!

Having read the Times of India yesterday, I decided to adopt the tummy trimming exercises highlighted. Of course in the beginning, they made it sound very easy and exciting, *eyes rolling* I should have known better.

Here is the quote that made me think I can have it easy ‘Don’t want to end up injured or exhausted? Don’t overdo things on the workout front. Instead, aim for a brisk 20 minute walk everyday to burn fat, plus do the following exercises to help tone your abdominal muscles’

Well, that got me thinking it was going to be very enjoyable especially since workout is such hard work. The workouts suggested included bicycle crunch, the boat and the plank. I did the bicycle crunch but before you roll your eyes at me, I have to say it was pretty difficult!

Bicycle crunch: Lie down with your back pressed onto the floor. Bring your hands behind your head. Starting with your legs bent at 45 degree angle, bring the right knee into the chest while straightening out your left leg. At the same time, rotate your top half so your left elbow goes to your right knee, then switch to the other side. Repeat for one minute, three times a day.

Try this one with me and see how you react to it. It might sound simple and it is NOT but it is very effective. I look forward to your comments and what you think of the bicycle crunch.

THE QUEST CONTINUES

Dear Journal,

Having shared my quest with my friends, I wake up with the sense of responsibility not to disappoint myself or friends.

I am sure that my struggle to drag my sleepy body off the softness of my bed, wear workout clothes and hit the road didn’t come across as being unserious.

The words of Vanessa kept resounding in my head as I jogged and sprinted. This new jogging and sprinting routine was adopted after I had complained that I have been running for months now and haven’t seen any changes in my appearance. Hmmm. Maybe I should have kept my mouth shut because the ‘lecture’ from Vanessa began and it wasn’t a real lecture, it was more a Vanessa-like admonishment.

She began: Sharon, cardio burns fat when done right. Strength training does too but what it really does is build lean muscle, which burns fat even when you’re not working out. What you need is a combination of cardio (which you’re already doing) and strength training. For the cardio, interval training; jog 3 minutes, sprint 2 etc is best. You’ll get nowhere if you keep doing the same thing the same way every day with no increase in intensity or change.

In fact, if you can, find a way to get Jillian’s workouts, trust me you’ll be pleased. I recommend you start with her “30 day shred”. The thirty day shred is a combination of strength and cardio. All you need are 3 pound dumbbells and a little space.

Damn! She had read my mind with that last sentence, I was going to say it rains so hard in Calabar that I can’t do all that hard stuff in Jillian’s training outdoors. Oh well, C’est la vie. I have taken her advice and I really love the jog and sprint experience more than just running alone.

I look forward to the next batch of workouts that she’ll throw my way. I am well on my way! It might not be a huge change yet but I am certain that if I cast the stone across the waters, I will make many ripples.

Jusqu'à ce que nous parler a nouveau.

 

QUEST FOR THE PERFECT BODY

Dear journal, this is my first time of writing in my blog and God help me, I’m so nervous!
Would I fit into the blogging world or would I just be in the category of those that suck? Well there is only one way to find out, I am going to lift my chin high like my nose is bleeding and write!

I begin my journal of serendipity with the QUEST FOR THE PERFECT BODY!

Over the years, I have seen ladies groan with frustration at the sight of their bodies in the mirror. I have seen men’s self esteem plummet to nothing because they are embarrassed about their body. I had always wondered why they all were dissatisfied with their bodies and being miserable for nothing. I wouldn’t have been in so much of a hurry to judge them if I had known what the future held in store for me.

Not long after my observation, I found out that the media, age, social class, gender and ethnicity play huge roles in creating body dissatisfaction. At the time of this realisation, I was already neck-deep in the same misery with my body.

The biggest problem for me at the time was that I thought I could continue living on junk foods while I take lots of slimming/weight loss pills and tea to give me the desired shape. Well, I thought wrong and it took me five years to understand that the sooner I made changes to my eating habits, the better for me. I realised that if I do not employ a little ‘attitude adjustment’ and change my eating habit very quickly, I was signing in for a life of depression and dissatisfaction.

So here I am two years after, a semi-vegetarian (I eat fish, shrimps and lobsters) and a freak for healthy living. I am not there yet but every day, I work towards achieving my perfect body. I have come to realise that the perfect body isn’t the same for all; what is perfect for me won’t be perfect for someone else. I love my current size 10 figure but I am working hard to get rid of the stomach that I acquired over the years with all that junk food.

My friend/fitness coach, Vanessa has suggested a blog will help me monitor my daily progress and make me more responsible as lots of people will be able to share their ideas, stories and experiences with me.

Please post your comment and advice as I would love to learn from anyone who has got an experience to share.

 

Note: Perfect to me is healthy and fit not skinny and anorexic.