So even though I am on my get 6 pack abs quest, there was no way I was holding back last night.

2 large 660ml Peroni beers

A bowl of olives

One Peperoni pizza ( Stromboli is what Ask call it )

And to top it all off a warm Chocolate Nemesis with a scoop of Vanilla Ice cream for desert.

The only truly low calorie thing I had all night was my double macchiato

I don’t know the calories for sure, but my best guess is around  3,500 calories in total.

What I wanted to point out was I knew this meal was coming, so yesterday I did not eat before going to the restaurant so I broke my fast there, but today I got up this morning and was not hungry, and as I write this at 3 in the afternoon, I have decided to wait until dinner this evening before I eat again. I will also keep my evening meal a little lighter than usual for a Friday, which is usually one of my higher calorie days.

My point with this post is that you should fit how you eat around your life, not your life around how you eat. I enjoyed last night, I did not have any guilt about what I had to eat, I did not think about ” healthy choices ” I just had what I wanted on a family celebration and that is how it should be. At no time was I obsessing over going out for the meal, or what I should choose from the menu. As a retired dieter these are things I no longer worry about,I am aware I ate more, so now I just need to eat less to balance things up. This is what I have mastered over the last year or so, and it is very liberating to no longer worry about ” blowing the diet “. Yes I will have done more than 2 fasts this week, but as I say, for this week, that is what works best for me, it is about flexibility, there are no rules. I don’t do it every week, but today it just felt right to take a break from eating. This will mean I will have fasted for about 20 hours by the time I eat tonight. I find this  the easiest way for me to eat less, especially when I want to offset a more indulgent day.I did not plan on it this morning, but the fact I wasn’t even hungry this morning made it a logical choice.

And what about the abs you may wonder ? well I still have 3 weeks , but I do have a St Patrick’s day meal out next week too, so I better plan some low calorie days.

All of us in our daily lives have these situations, I just wanted to share how I approach mine and what works for me.

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One thing that keeps coming up is  ” Dave I fasted twice this week but I didn’t lose any weight ”

Even when using fasting for weight loss, you need to understand the amount of calories you consume is important. Taking a 24 hour break from eating is a great way to burn body fat during that 24 hour period, but if  you then break the fast and consume more calories than your body needs, you will not lose weight.

So let me make it clear….

Calories In V Calories Out is what matters

To lose weight you need to consume LESS calories than your body needs.  Intermittent fasting is just a tool to help you do that, but unless you are eating less than your daily requirement, you will not lose body fat. Yes you will burn fat during the time you are fasting,  but if you then eat above your required calories, you will just replace the fat you burned.

As a retired dieter I don’t refuse the foods I love, I just make sure I eat less calories.

One problem for most people is they don’t know how many calories a day they need , we then also under estimate the amount of calories we consume.

Let me give you an example based on my current measurements.

Using a simple Basal Metabolic Rate ( BMR ) calculator which you can find here , you can work out your daily BMR. Go there and enter your details to find your own BMR number …  please ignore any weight loss fad diet ads that may display.

In my case, as  a 45 year old male with a current weight of 174 lbs  and a height of 5 ft 10 inches, my BMR is about  1730 calories a day. That number is based on me doing nothing and staying in bed all day. As my work is Internet based, and my office is at home, in my case this figure would not be far off. Only adding exercise to my daily routine will increase the amount of daily calories I need. Sitting in a chair at a computer screen all day does not burn too many calories.  So in my case 1700 calories a day is what I try and work with.

As I work from home, I do take a daily break from the laptop and take a walk.  If we use the equation of 1 calorie per  kilo of body weight  per kilometer distance travelled, this would burn extra calories as follows.

174lbs = approx 79 kilos .   so walking 1 kilometer would mean I burn around 79 calories. If I do a 5 mile walk that is 8 kilometers  so that is 632 calories.

As I mentioned in this post about my six pack abs mission I look at my calories over 7 days, not daily. I eat more on a weekend, and reduce the calories on the weekdays when I am working.  12000 calories a week is what I try to work with. The intermittent fasting just helps make this easier to do.

Again we come back to the basic process that weight loss is not complicated. If you want to lose fat, then you need to be in a calorie deficit. This can only happen by eating less calories than you need, or by increasing the number of calories you burn off with exercise.  Intermittent fasting helps you eat less.  Even something as basic as walking gets you burning more calories. Use bodyweight exercises to maintain muscle, and you are on the right track. No gyms, no fancy diet plans, just a simple, no fuss  way to lose weight.

In A word ?  Eat Less Move More

Any questions ? please leave a  reply in the comments or email me at retireddieter[at] gmail dot com

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As always if you have any questions that are not covered here, feel free to put them in the comments section, our you can mail me at retireddieter [@ = at] gmail.com

Q  Does Intermittent Fasting Slow Down Your Metabolism

A No, you are only taking a break from eating for a period of 24 hours. Studies show that periods of fasting for even 72 hours have no effect on your metabolism. The diet industry loves to talk about metabolism, but the truth is your base metabolic rate really does not change. I think the best example I can give here is my own weight loss success . I continued to lose body fat using intermittent fasting without any metabolism issues.  Claims that your metabolism slows down if you don’t eat for a few hours is a myth.

Q  Is Juice Fasting  The Same As Intermittent Fasting ?

A  No , if you drink a fruit juice, you are still consuming calories. I actually the find the term Juice Fasting misleading, as you are not fasting at all. It would be quite possible to drink more than your normal daily calorie limit from fruit juice, though hardly satisfying.

Q What Do You Have During Your Fasts ?

A I have black coffee, the real stuff, no instant ! I drink green tea and fruit teas,  Twinings green tea with mango is one of my favourites. I also will drink diet drinks like Pepsi Max, though I tend to mainly stick to hot drinks.

Q Do You Count Calories

A No I do not count calories in the sense of looking at every meal , but I would say I am aware of the approximate number of calories I eat. The problem with diets is we tend to underestimate the number of calories we consume, and this is one reason weight loss can be a problem. The days I fast make it easy to cover my calorie miscalculations.  I would suggest that if you are just starting to use intermittent fasting for losing weight, then keep a food diary for at least 7 days first. It will give you a good insight into where and when you use consume  most calories.

Q Do You Do Your Workouts While You Are Fasting ?

A  Yes I have done my bodyweight workouts on days when I am fasting, In my own experience I do not find any difference between working out fasted or when I have eaten, and I doubt you will be surprised to hear I don’t go in for the ” you must eat after a workout ”  advice.

Q When My Fast Is Over What Should I Eat ?

A  Just eat as if the fast never happened. For example if my fast is from dinner to dinner, then I just eat that evening meal as normal. I eat as I normally would, no special rewards because I fasted, just the regular meal.

Q  Will Intermittent Fasting Burn More Belly Fat ?

A Intermittent Fasting for a 24 hour period does burn more fat, but you can not spot target where on your body the fat is burned.

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So do I think I will now get Six Pack abs In 6 weeks ?  Well  I can certainly see a change in the first 6 weeks of going for this, but more on my chest and arms at the moment. My waist has reduced, because I am now in the very last hole of my belt.

I did take some pictures at this half way point just to record the progress, and see how they will compare, but I won’t put these up before the end of this experiment.

No question the new bodyweight workouts have added some muscle, but the body fat still needs to go lower. Saying that, I think with a few extra changes, It is possible to get my abs showing in 6 weeks.

On days when I am fasting, if I tense up, then yes I can see my abs, but currently they are still hidden by a layer of fat. The focus for this next 6 weeks is to increase the fat burn.

I try not to focus too much on the scales these days, as I say I go more by the mirror and my clothes, but the scales are saying I still weigh 175lbs. My body fat % is down from 12.4% to  11%, so I have lost some fat and gained some muscle, but I also know I am going to have to do more.

If I look in the mirror, I would say I still need to lose about 7lbs of fat, so that certainly is possible in 6 weeks.  You may wonder what am I going to change ?  Well only one thing, eat a little less  !

My problem now is not controlling my weight, I have that under control for the last 4 months, what I have to do now is make some extra changes to help lose the final bit of fat. I need to just watch a little more the amount I eat.

My bodyweight workout is challenging me, and it changes every week, so currently there is no need to alter anything there, but food wise, I am going to reduce down a little more, using the eat 10 calories per llb of body weight as a guide.

This means I am giving myself a target of 1750 calories per day over 7  days which equals 12250 for the week. I track calories over the week, not by the day. So now I have to figure out based on my normal weekly lifestyle where this works.

I will start with Beer. Usually I  have 10 pints on a weekly basis, on most weeks, these are  on a Friday and a Sunday, yes it’s  more than the government suggest I drink, but I don’t listen to them, besides on  my recent medical, my Doctor says I am healthy, and I have a fitness age of a 25 year old, so I am not giving up the beer, I like a visit to the pub,  and even in this quest for the six pack abs, I have to stay true to my beliefs. My whole point for doing this experiment is to show I can get abs even though I am in past forty and  without giving up the visits to the pub.

10 Pints of  an average 4% ABV beer is around 2000 calories.  So that leaves around 10,000 calories.

How a typical week can look for me

Sunday  3,000

Monday 1,250

Tuesday 1,000

Wed      1,250

Thursday 1,250

Friday  2,500

Saturday 2,000

Sunday is the biggest calorie day for me because it includes my family Sunday lunch, plus the Sunday evening pub quiz.  The weekdays are very easy for me to cut down calories , so that is what I will do.

Breaking the calories down in this way does show me why the progress in the first 6 weeks has been slow. I do have to remember I am not  going from 231lbs this time, and dropping body fat at 175lbs is going to need a little bit more effort. The goal for me is to do that , while still staying true to my retired dieter principles of not giving up the foods I love  and not exercising like a madman for 2 hrs a day.

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At the start of last year, and with  a large amount of weight to lose, I knew that I would not be able to refuse the foods I liked over a long period of time. The key to healthy weight loss is variety, and enjoying your favourite foods without guilt while just eating less. Short periods of calorie restriction is much more manageable for long term weight loss than trying to cut calories every single day.  So my weight loss tip is to restrict the amount of your favourite foods, but certainly don’t refuse them. If you eat more than you should, then compensate for it later. View your calories over a week, not by a day, it is normal that some days will be less than others, just make sure that over the longer period your calories are less than you need. No matter what many will try and tell you, it is about calories in and calories out. Eat less calories than you need and you will lose weight, eat too much, and you will gain weight. In my case enjoying the foods I love and then using intermittent fasting to restrict calories and burn body fat  has enabled me to finally get the results I have wanted. Weight loss is about the bigger picture, not trying to lose 30lbs in one month while refusing anything you like. When I accepted dieting was not the answer, and just focused on eating less, I finally started losing weight, no special plans, magic weight loss pills or diet secrets required.

With the goal to get the abs showing by Easter Sunday I am looking for these Circular Strength Training routines ( CST)  to help me on that journey. Of course I will still be fasting for weight loss to ensure I keep losing body fat, but I also want to get more flexible and improve my fitness , and after trying these workouts recently ( though I have to say I tested them not using  the in  4×7 flow  that they suggest , I just went through the routines to see how they were) I know that they will deliver what I want.

The programme also has a video with Ryan showing you how to use Prasara Yoga  so adding this is where I expect to see my mobility improve.

If you want to see if  BodyWeight Exercise Revolution is for you then you can check it out here

With having 2 kids, often meals in the week are based around what they will eat too, so the meals I mentioned here are a good example of that. Monday evening , my last meal before starting my fast was minced beef and jacket potato with a selection of vegetables. I did not have a desert, but I did have a 3 pieces of cadburys dairy milk chocolate with a cup of tea. Then it was into the fast.

Breaking the fast on Tuesday evening 24 hours later, this is what I ate.

I had 2 burgers in one bun ( Tesco Finest British Beef Burgers ) The bun was a malted grain bap ( also from Tesco)  There was a slice of mature cheddar on the burgers. And a  half dozen  British chunky chips ( oven baked ) Notice there is a touch of green on that plate and a bit in the bun itself, a token gesture, but it is still salad  The picture may not make it clear, but the burger was large, there is 2 quarter pounders in there, and it is on a big plate, trust me it was more than enough to eat.

Fasting For Weight Loss- Breaking The Fast

I followed that up with a cup of tea a slice of  this   Cinnamon and Nutella cake my wife baked , very nice it was too.

I would not normally look at the calories, but for this post I have done so as best I can.

The burgers were 185 calories each

The mature cheddar 80 calories

The Malted Bun  240 calories

The Chips     around 80 calories

Some Ketchup and Mayo on there I guess another 60 calories

That is a total of around 830 calories

The cake they say is about 360 per slice, but is for only 12 slices, and I have divided into twice that amount, which would mean about 180, but just to be on the safe side I will estimate up and say 250

So there we go, my calorie intake is somewhere in the region today of 1100 calories. As I write this  I am still feeling very full from the  meal this evening so I think the only thing i am likely to have before bed tonight is a cup of tea or 2, so I would say I am not likely to have more than 1200 calories today. As I pointed out earlier, I don’t really count calories fora meal like this normally, but if I started gaining weight, then I would certainly look more closely but I tend to have a good idea of what calories are in the foods I eat.

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As I mention in the video, It is very hard to give one main weight loss tip, but I do think it is about getting a better relationship with food. Don’t think of foods in terms of good or bad. They say variety is the spice of life, so keep your food choices varied, and enjoy the foods you eat.

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My Doctor tells me I am now in great shape and health for my age, so for any nutritionists reading who are going to lecture me that I am doing something wrong , please save it for a weight loss forum, because I am not listening.

I know I keep saying it, but weight loss is not complicated, even though the diet industry makes it that way. So  please stop wasting your money on diet pills, and diet supplements, you don’t need anymore diet books. Stop listening to all the crap out there about what you should and should not do.  Become a retired dieter too, and you WILL lose weight. Just give your body a chance to work the way it was meant to. Let it do it’s job, and you will get these results too, without giving up on the food and drinks you love. OK lecture over, it’s Friday night, I am going for a few beers.

Any questions,  just ask what you want in the comments and I will reply. Comments are moderated to keep out all the acai berry and diet pill crap,but I will approve the rest and I will reply.

This Before Brought Home How Much I Have Changed

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In this video you can see my weight loss before and after photos, which I hope help prove that this blog is a true weight loss story, and I did lose the body fat I claim.

As I am the biggest technophobe when it comes to creating videos and putting pictures in them, I just want to say a big thanks to Jonathan at Guitar Tips Weekly for helping me with it. He’s a bit of a video guru as far as I am concerned. He’s also a great guitar player too

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