Posts Tagged ‘fasting’

Intermittent Fasting – End Of Year Weigh-In

Wednesday, December 23rd, 2009

I am on my final fast for the year as I write this post.  The fast will end at around 6.30 tonight, and that will be my last one for the holidays. I also decided to check my weight today before the holiday festivities start. Even after a weekend wedding and a Sunday where I spent most of it avoiding the snow sitting in the pub, I still at my start of year  target weight of 12 stone 7lbs  or 175lbs  - 79  Kilos.

I have now stayed at this weight for  2 months, also showing that intermittent fasting will not only help you lose weight, but also be a fantastic tool to help you maintain the weight you want to be. As a retired dieter of course, even after hitting my target weight, nothing really changed. It wasn’t as if I was really doing anything different during the 10 months I was focused on losing body fat.

I have continued to fast twice per week, the only thing I would say I have done differently in the last 2 months is to be a little more indulgent on weekends.  For me that usually revolves around a beer or two, so in the last couple of months I will be more likely to have a couple of drinks on  a Sunday lunchtime than when I was looking to get the weight off.  Looking back though I have to say the eating and drinking is just not something I think about, I just do what I feel.

I know over the Christmas holidays I am likely to gain some weight, but no way am I going to worry about it. The holidays are a time to enjoy, and that is what I will do, safe in the knowledge that  fasting after the feasts will get me back to where I want to be.  I don’t know who said it, but  one phrase I like that has stuck with me is this one


It’s Not What You Do Between Christmas And New Year That Matters, But What You Do Between New Year And Christmas

I agree with that statement 100 %  , It is not about one weeks over indulgence over a holiday period, it is about 51 weeks of slightly over eating every day that causes the problem. Intermittent Fasting is now my way keeping me where I want to be, and also allowing me to enjoy food without any worries.

I will continue to write this blog as I think it is also important to show people not only can you burn body fat with intermittent fasting, but I.F. also helps you control your weight. Diets fail because they are restrictive. My first goal as a retired dieter was to show you I can  lose the weight without going on a diet, 2010 will be about showing I can keep the weight off just as easily. I have set myself a new personal goal for getting the 6 pack. I am doing this because I want to see how easy it is for a 45 year old former fat guy to achieve it. I think I need to lose about another 7lbs to get there, so that will be the first objective over the first quarter of 2010. Intermittent fasting will of course be my weapon of choice to get there !.

I hope that this blog provides inspiration for others out there to take the plunge, and become retired dieters too. Food was never meant to be as complicated as the nutritionists make it out to be.  There are no miracle diets, no new revolutionary ways to do it, if you truly want to lose weight, you just need to eat less, and find a simple way of doing it. I  can tell you after 12 months ( Yes 12 months not 12 weeks ! ) of using  I.F  that this is the way to do it.

Enjoy the holidays, and make sure you also become a retired dieter in 2010.

Want more information on using Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss ?

Then enter your name and email address in the form below for my free report

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Intermittent Fasting | 2 Comments »

Intermittent Fasting Week 26

Friday, June 26th, 2009

Well I have reached the halfway point of the year using Intermittent Fasting for weight loss. I just have weighed in for the 26th week and  It seems that last weekends over indulgence has not done too much damage.

I remained the same weight, which considering I did not hold back last weekend, I am happy with.  I also think I am reaching a point where my body is changing more than the scales. The scales register no change today, but I have moved another notch down on my belt, and when I look in the mirror, there is no doubt I am leaner than a month ago, even though I have only lost about 1lb in the last 4 weeks. I don’t do measurements  or body fat every week,  but I will get them done at the end of the month.

Intermittent Fasting is only one way to lose body fat, but for me it works. I did want to say that no matter what method you use to control your weight, the weight loss does slow down.  Since my post on May 1st I have only lost 2 kilos, but  it is still a loss, and it is a loss that has been achieved without cutting out any of the foods or drinks that I enjoy.

If you are reading this and you have alot of weight to lose, please remember that you will see your weight loss slow down too, but you have to look at it from the point of view of your weight it is under control, you are not gaining, you are losing fat, all be it more slowly, but this is to be expected.

Intermittent Fasting is now part of my normal lifestyle, and it will remain so. I set a target to lose 56lbs. by the end of the year. I am only 11 lbs ( approx 5 kilos ) off that target, and I still have 26 weeks to do it. It may take as long to lose this last 5 kilos of body fat  as it did to lose the first 45lbs but I am prepared for that.

I still have holidays and some weekend breaks to come, so I even expect the odd week where I may gain some weight in the coming couple of months. Again the important thing to remember is the long term target. As long as the overal trend is downwards ,I will be happy. With only a small amount of weight left to lose, I am now looking at the trend over a month rather than by the week.

I am a retired dieter, and I have found a way to lose weight while still enjoying the foods I love, a few party weekends does not change it.

If you are new to Intermittent Fasting and  want to use I.F to lose or control your weight, then to start I suggest the book Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon. Reading about intermittent fasting in his book helped me understand the science behind Intermittent Fasting, and gave the grounding to go on and achieve the success I have had to date.  Brad also offers a 60 day money back guarantee, you can read more here.

Want more information on using Intermittent Fasting for losing body fat ?

Then enter your name and email address in the form below for my free report

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Retired Dieter | No Comments »

Intermittent Fasting Week 8

Thursday, February 26th, 2009

So the Fasting for weight loss journey continues. Today is the end of week 8 and the good news for me is I lost another 2lbs – just about 1 kilo. That is a total of 26lbs pounds lost while using I.F .

I mentioned last week that I was going to experiment and change my intermittent fasting plan to suit what I feel is more fitting with my weekly lifestyle. The longer you use intermittent fasting to help reduce weight, the more you become aware of the problems that have caused your weight gain in the past. In my case I enjoy my evening meals, all the family sit down, and I am not adverse to a second portion of anything !. In the daytime this is different. In the past I would eat at my computer, I would eat breakfast, not because I was hungry, just out of habit, I think the best way I can  describe it , is eating on autopilot.

I also think there is a pyscological part to this too. I would often be working on  a project and will have gone from eating breakfast to mid afternoon and think ” oh I missed lunch, I have not eaten anything, I need to eat ” . What I have realised over this last 8 weeks is , this was a habit, it was my head saying I needed to eat something because I missed lunch, not my body. It really is common sense, but there is nothing written that says we must eat 3 meals a day , and eat them at set times.This is what I mean by saying I am more in tune with my body and if I am hungry or not.My other problem, like most people who are trying to restrict calories is simply over estimating how many I have consumed, a problem you don’t have if you have not eaten !.

I know I have said it before, but I do feel flexibility of  intermittent fasting is what makes it work so well. My IF plan this last week has been to fast on weekdays, and eat normally on the weekend. I would estimate this has meant my fasting times is actually around 22 hrs. I have an eating window of 2hrs. I am breaking the fast between either 5 or 6.30 pm. Intermittent Fasting burns body fat once we are out of the fed state. As humans we are only ever in one of 2 states, Fed or Fasted. During the fasted state we burn most body fat between 18 and 24hrs , so even with the eating window I am using , I am  still getting a significant benefit from the time I am spending in the fasted state.

 

So what about the weekends ? .  I eat what I want, when I want on the weekend. The weekend starts Friday evening when I break my fast, so if later on Friday night  I wanted a snack, I would have one. If I am honest, I think the calories on the Friday evening are more likely to come from a glass or 2 of red wine, or a beer or 2. 

Last weekend I did eat breakfast on the Saturday morning around 10.30am.  Sunday morning I was not hungry and just had a coffee, but this was a cafe latte with sugar, so I was not fasting, I just didn’t feel like anything other than a coffee. I did eat lunch on Sunday which was a Spanish omelette with salad. Sunday evening I had roast chicken, and yes with the skin on, I had the chicken with roast potatoes, Yorkshire pudding, vegetables and a 175ml glass of red wine. I hope this helps show why I don’t feel deprived using Intermittent Fasting to lose weight. When I say nothing is off limits , I mean it. I still lost 2lbs this week, and I continue to eat the foods I want. When I did the Atkins diet, one of the biggest problems for me was the Sunday roast dinner. Atkins would say no problem with the roast chicken with the skin, but I would be passing up the Yorkshire pudding and roast potatoes, sorry but long term when the rest of the family are eating those things, there is only so many weeks I am going be able to say ” no thank you “.  If I look back at the last 7 days, I have restricted, or saved calories  at times where I have not been truly hungry, and this has enabled me to enjoy the times I do eat. I will point out that I have eaten normally, I didn’t eat a whole chicken, you still have to be realistic. I eat until I am satisfied.

I am going to continue with using intermittent fasting through the week, and eating as I wish on the weekends. I have not found any problems with this plan. If you are just starting with Intermittent Fasting, I would still say to start with 1 or 2 fasts per week. Looking back, If you had told me to fast every weekday for 22 hours or more I seriously doubt I would have used I.F. I can do this now because I started slow, and started to understand what works for me. We are all different, this is one of the reasons that trying to follow a diet is not sustainable, and why diets fail. The people who write the diet books, do not know you, and what your lifestyle is like. I can’t tell you to do the same as me with I.F. because I don’t know your daily routine. What I can tell you is that using intermittent fasting to reduce body fat will work, all you have to do is find how best to make Intermittent Fasting fit your own way of living. Even after 8 weeks I am still fine tuning how I use it, but with 26lbs of fat gone in that time, I am glad I became a retired dieter.

Want more information on using Intermittent Fasting for losing body fat ?

Then enter your name and email address in the form below for my free report

Tags: , , , ,
Posted in Intermittent Fasting | 3 Comments »

Intermittent Fasting Weight Loss Update

Thursday, February 19th, 2009

It is 7 weeks today since I did began to use Intermittent Fasting. I have lost 1lb this week, making a total loss of 24lb approx 11.5 kilos. As I posted yesterday, I am experimenting this week using an extended IF window on weekdays, and eating as normal on a weekend. I will document how I progress over the next week. I am writing this mid morning ( about 10.30 am )  and have no hunger at the moment.

Last nights evening meal was Spaghetti Bolognese, followed by a blackberry and apple fruit crumble, fruit was real fruit, not out of tin, before you ask !.  I do tend to eat real food,  nothing out of a box is one rule I tend to follow. I am interested to see  if I find Intermittent Fasting harder to do today with eating  , what would be regarded as quite a high carb meal last night.I ate at usual time yesterday and certainly had no desire to eat anything more before bed last night. I had  2 cups of fruit tea,  but certainly was not hungry. So as I write this I am 16hrs into the fast and I can’t say I feel any different at the moment than on other fasting days. I will see how it goes, and report any changes. Chicken casserole tonight, made with chicken thighs, looking forward to it.

I.F. Update Thursday 19th Feb 4pm.
No problems on the fast at all. I don’t know if this is because my body is used to intermittent fasting now, or simply that the carbs have not had any adverse effect. With just over to hours to go before I eat, the fast has been comfortable.

Want more information on using Intermittent Fasting for losing body fat ?

Then enter your name and email address in the form below for my free report

Tags: , ,
Posted in Retired Dieter | 2 Comments »

Intermittent Fasting Fat Loss

Monday, February 16th, 2009

6 weeks into following Intermittent Fasting for weight loss, here is the details of measurements and body fat percentage comparisons .

In the first 6 weeks I have lost 12% body fat. I am of course thrilled with this result, and it shows that intermittent fasting reduces body fat, the results show I am maintaining muscle while losing fat, which is the main objective. When I take into account that I have also continued to eat the foods I enjoy during this time period, I feel this is further confirmation that intermittent fasting is a simple and straight forward way of reducing body fat.

6 week weight comparison

Jan 1st 2009
Weight 105 Kilos ( 231LBS)
Body Fat 34%

Feb 11th
Weight 94 Kilos (207LBS)
Body Fat 22%

Measurements

Jan 1st 2009
Chest 115.5 cm
Stomach 115.5 cm
Thighs R 63cm L 62 cm

Feb 11th
Chest 108.5
Stomach 98.5 cm
Thighs R 57.5 cm L 59.5

The main point I want to make about these results is, they have been achieved without any special foods or supplements, no long boring sessions cardio exercise and no restrictions of the type of foods I eat.It is important to also remember that  following my intermitent fasting plan, I still eat every day, there is never a day without food. The science behind intermittent fasting is that during the fasted state the body burns fat, with the optimum period of fat burning occurring between 18 and 24 hrs. I am sure some people will want to dispute it, but all I can say is , I am following this plan to lose body fat, and the results speak for themselves.

Want more information on using Intermittent Fasting for losing body fat ?

Then enter your name and email address in the form below for my free report

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Retired Dieter | No Comments »

Fasting for Weight Loss update

Monday, February 9th, 2009

Fasting for weight loss for just over 5 weeks, I have been making some notes about my findings as I progress. Of course the fact I am losing body fat is good, I have noticed that using Intermittent Fasting as a way to reduce weight has become very easy for me to follow. I am not restricting my food choices , only the time I eat, and I have found this has meant I have not had cravings for any particular food. My view on this is , that if I have a desire for a certain food, I can look forward to eating it when my time to eat arrives. On my fasting days , I fast from evening meal to evening meal, which is  6.30pm to 6.30 pm . This way I always sit down with the family and eat the same meal. One of the benefits of using fasting for weight loss is there are  no special meals required, no problems of  I can’t eat this or that because I am on a diet. I have also realised over the last 5 weeks that, much of the way I ate, was simply habit. Intermittent Fasting has helped me notice many of my bad habits. Eating not because I was hungry, but just as a habit while doing something else.I also have started to notice health benefits from intermittent fasting. My energy levels are higher, I am not getting tired in afternoons, if anything I am even more alert on fasting days. I also have noticed an improvement with my Asthma . I am currently checking for research reports on Fasting and Asthma to see if there are any recorded benefits with it. I have read research which  has found benefits associated with Fasting and Health, such as increasing the life expectancy, but I have not read anything on Fasting and Asthma , if anyone knows of any research please let me know in the comments. With 21lbs ( approx 10 kilos ) of weight lost since January 1st, I have to say early indications are that  fasting for weightloss works. This weekend when I and the rest of the family visit my Parents I know we are having steak pie from the local farm shop, the pie is sensational, I am looking forward to it even now, I find that the most liberating thing about life as a retired dieter, instead of worrying about should I eat it, I am counting down the days, comfortable in the knowledge I have found a way to control my weight without worrying what I eat.  If you are interested on using intermittent fasting and   would like a free report on Flexible Fasting and Fasting for weight loss, then please enter your name and email in the form below.

Tags: , , ,
Posted in Intermittent Fasting | No Comments »

Fasting for Weight Loss

Thursday, January 15th, 2009

Intermittent Fasting is something I have had an interest in for sometime. Towards the end of last year I spent some time researching as much as I could about fasting for weight loss, and how various people were using intermittent fasting to either lose weight, or maintain their current weight using a flexible fasting plan. The appeal for me about fasting is that I don’t have to think about what I should be eating, for the simple reason I am not eating at all !. I think for many people the word fasting conjures up some strange ideas, also the fact it is associated with religious events, tends to make us think it is not something to try. All I can do is talk about my own experiences with intermittent fasting, and currently I have found it very easy to incorporate into my lifestyle. I will explain more about my own intermittent fasting routine and how I am fitting it into my own lifestyle in future posts, but I can tell you that when I do eat, I eat normally, I sit down to the same family meal as everyone else. Tonight I also finished off 2 extra meatballs that were left over. I have recorded my weight as of Jan 1st 2009 and yes I took pictures ( not pretty ! ) . I will share that information as the blog progresses.

To answer a couple of questions.

Q How Long do you fast for ?

A Approx 24hrs, from evening meal  ( 6.30 pm ) to evening meal next day.

Q Do you feel hungry while I am fasting ?

A No . I  am a little surprised but I have not had any serious hunger pangs, I do feel hungry when I start to smell the evening meal, but I always have, so nothing new there !.

Q What do you drink ?

A Black Coffee, Fruit Tea, and Water.

Q Have you felt light headed or ill ?

A No adverse affects at all, on a side issue I am not sure if it is related but strangely at the moment I am using my Inhaler ( I  am asthmatic) far less. If anyone knows of any research that shows fasting helps with Asthma , then please let me know.

Q Are there any books on the subject.

A Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilon is available in ebook form. It provides not only a clear explanation of how Brad uses intermittent fasting, but in addition to the fasting plan, he also backs it up with reference to the various scientific studies done of the process. Brad explains things in a very clear way, I guess you could call it an idiots guide to fasting !. If you are interested in trying intermittent fasting, then his book will tell you all you need to know.

Look out for more from me on how I am using intermittent fasting for weight loss in the coming days. In the meantime if the idea of fasting to lose some weight is appealing to you, why not just do it, no need to empty the fridge of crap, and fill it with health diet foods for the latest  must do diet, just don’t eat for about 24hrs !  what have you got to lose ?

Get my free Report in Intermittent Fasting by subscribing below



Tags: , , ,
Posted in Intermittent Fasting | No Comments »