FASTING FOR WEIGHT LOSS.
- Angelique Williams.
- Jan 9, 2017
- 7 min read
Why I fast.
The 5 and 2 diet has quite a following, and for good reason. Once the initial shock at not eating to "your normal eating behaviour" passes, the results people who abdicate to this way of life experience are FAST. Now I was not able to stick to the "Fast Diet" but I did take on fasting.
I fast one or two days a week usually a Monday and Thursday, I have no food, lots of water and 2 cups of coffee a day. Have to have coffee can't go without - addicted, my coffee gives me 44 Cal's for the day I have almond and cashew milk in my coffee, on the 5 and 2 you can have 500 Cal's. I found it hard to have the 500 Cal's, once I started eating it would set me up for the day and I would want to keep eating. So I just have my beloved stimulant.
Throughout our evolution we have regularly fasted either for religious reasons or just plain scarcity of food, never before have we had so much food conveniently on offer.
Our bodies are made for survival and survival used to mean being able to get fat, so those of us who can gain weight easy would have no problem in a famine. Thing is famine's do not exist in western worlds and we just keep getting bigger, so fasting mimics how our bodies once survived.
I don't fast for weight loss, my reasons for fasting are more to do with the healing and repairing effects it has on the body. I find my skin looks good after a fast, I have better mental focus and am not so emotional, you may find you have different effects, whatever they are they will benefit you. I have attached the research to this blog for those who are interested.
I often have people say, "Oh it's hard" and "I could not do that", believe me I NEVER would have thought I could do it either. And I failed for the first month that I tried it but I persevered and I achieved it. Here's how I did it.
1st attempt: My day went like this got up at 6.00am full of bravado, positive self-talk, I can do it, I can do it I was the little red engine that could. By 8.00am I had derailed and was eating, my mind just could not grasp the concept that I would be OK if I didn't eat, I had convinced myself I was feeling shaky and hypoglycemic.
2nd attempt a week later: I got to lunch and smelt everyone's food at work and caved yet again.
3rd attempt a week later: again caved at lunch.
OK time to revise this, I re-read my Fast Diet Michael Mosley book, re-watched the program Eat, Fast Live Longer and made a solid commitment to achieving this and decided to go backwards.
4th attempt 2 weeks later: I started with skipping just dinner and was fine as I had eaten a late afternoon snack and was still full from it. I woke up hungry, but I did it and I didn't die! The thought did initially cross my mind that I might. I skipped just dinner for a month and then removed lunch and dinner and did that for a month.
Three months later I did a whole day, woo hoo, did I feel good about it or what. I was like the antelope in Ice Age tip toeing around Diego. It is a powerful thing when one realizes YOU CAN DO IT!
You will need to find a way that works for you. It might be easier for you to start with having breakfast and skip lunch only and slowly build it that way, just persevere if you want to achieve it you will. Take it one week at a time skipping one meal at a time and keep removing a meal each week/month.
Here are some tips to help you achieve this awesome life choice:
Seek medical advice before you begin, there are some medical issues that will prevent you from being able to fast.
Don't do it if you are taking medication that requires food to be consumed with it.
I decided to make Mondays my fast day as it was the start of the week and I would not miss any social events with friends and family. Choose a day that will impact the least on your life and when you know you will be less likely to be tempted by others around you or have to miss a social or family event. If it interferes with your social calendar or family times it will make it more of a challenge and you won't take it on.
Decide if this is what you want to do, no point in taking it on as an addition to your health changes if you don't believe in it. You won't keep it up if it has no meaning to you. Read the research attached, read the revised edition of Michael Mosley's Fast Diet book, watch the program Michael Mosley's Eat, Fast and Live Longer, make and educated choice. (Google search program it is available in many mediums.)
Do it for YOU, nothing you do for someone else or because of someone else works. If you have to change YOU for someone, your better to change the someone than you. It's easier to do!
Persevere you will achieve it if you want to.
Don't make a grand statement about doing this. You will find that even those who claim to love you the most will not support you in making changes in yourself. When you first attempt this and someone offers you food just tell them you're not hungry or feeling unwell. If you know that you have the support of your loved ones and friends then by all means let them know you will be fasting today. If they know you are fasting and offer food or try to tempt you, ask them why they have tried to sabotage you? You may need to asses if your relationships are healthy or not.(We will deal with this later with the help of my counsellor friend.)
Don't do it if you wake up and are not feeling good listen to your body, I find it harder to do in winter as I get so cold and crave warm food.
Drink water, herbal teas, black coffee or allow 1cup of milk coffee only.
Plan your next day's meal before you start your fast, I found this helped me stay on track because I knew I was going to have something yummy the next day.
Remember you will be sleeping for a minimum of 6 hours of your fast, so it is really only 12 hours or so that you will fast for. YOU CAN DO THAT!
If you find yourself looking at the clock and saying "oh god I still have 6 hours until bed" change the thought pattern to "awesome I only have 6 more hours until I go to sleep!"
Don't exercise the first week or go light listen to your body, I can now go for my 1 hour walk and hit the gym for a work out vigorous/moderate intensity for an hour with no ill effects. But I was fasting for 3 months successfully before I tried it. (There is some research on the beneficial effects of this I will blog this later.)
Your hunger will come in waves and just like a wave they roll in fast and disappear until the next wave hits. The pangs do not last the entire time you are fasting, they are short lived. Be prepared for those times when you get a pang and think "ooo I am going to eat someone or die!" Of course if those around you are beginning to look like bacon then you may need to take it a little slower. Do the 3 D's delay, distract and decide, by the time you have used these valuable tools to any behaviour change you won't feel hungry till the next pang. Drink water.
Your breathe may become smelly as your body will burn fat stores its known as keotsis, sugar free mints are OK or better still peppermint tea will do the trick. Brush and mouth wash your teeth if needed.
If at any point in time you feel shaky, sick, confused, lightheaded or get heart palpitations STOP. Seek medical advice and don't eat in a frenzy because you are hungry, small amount of food at a time.
If all you can manage is to skip dinner and extend your night time fast, you will still get some of the benefits of fasting.
You will find in the first month or so the day after a fast you are hungry - like lion bring down a beast hungry and gnaw on it. Completely hungry. This will pass as you become used to fasting. You will think you can eat heaps but your tummy has had time to relax and is a little smaller. Unless you force yourself, you will not be able to gorge yourself. This is why it is important to plan your first meal for the next day. My fave meal is protein bread with vegemite, avocado, egg and a sprinkle of parmesan cheese on top.
Making the choice to fast is a healthy lifestyle habit, you will enjoy the many benefits' of it weight loss is only the tip of the ice berg. Make sure you keep up to date on the latest research.
Update 31/07/2017.
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