Switched to no food until afternoon - feel great!
Discussion
From 21st down to 17st I was doing the 5/6 meals a day, 2k calories stuff. And it worked, but as I got closer to my goal the temptation to cheat (after 18 months of this) took over and I bounced between 16-17 all summer. The main problem is my meals would be 400 calories each until he 5th meal, late in the day after a work out when I'd be starving and over do it (often by an extra 1k cals!!!!)
So - for two weeks I have switched to a couple of black coffees and NOTHING else until about 1/2pm (never before 12 and rarely after 3) That meal is a nice size, maybe 600/700 cals. In the evening I'll have the rest of my 2k limit so that can be a great meal! The food is all good stuff but extra treats fit in.....for example, my meal last night was loads of chicken, salad and mozarela (heavy on the chesse! Still fell well inside my limit)
My work outs are now - few times a week cardio in the morning (swim or run) never too hard as I dont eat after - its more to keep me lossened up after the previous days training. Then I lift heavy (or play basketball - HITT) before the evening meal.
And I feel great. Dropping 3lb a week without trying, feel fine....easy to control mild hunger till this afternoon as its black and white...i just dont eat, simple. My work outs are not on a full stomach so feel good, snacking is not an issue as I am either in a fast or have just eaten a good size meal.
Very happy so far.
So - for two weeks I have switched to a couple of black coffees and NOTHING else until about 1/2pm (never before 12 and rarely after 3) That meal is a nice size, maybe 600/700 cals. In the evening I'll have the rest of my 2k limit so that can be a great meal! The food is all good stuff but extra treats fit in.....for example, my meal last night was loads of chicken, salad and mozarela (heavy on the chesse! Still fell well inside my limit)
My work outs are now - few times a week cardio in the morning (swim or run) never too hard as I dont eat after - its more to keep me lossened up after the previous days training. Then I lift heavy (or play basketball - HITT) before the evening meal.
And I feel great. Dropping 3lb a week without trying, feel fine....easy to control mild hunger till this afternoon as its black and white...i just dont eat, simple. My work outs are not on a full stomach so feel good, snacking is not an issue as I am either in a fast or have just eaten a good size meal.
Very happy so far.
I do this everyday. I have 25g of butter, 6 expresso's and olive oil blended for my breakfast at about 7 am after my morning run. I then eat at about 2pm, normally fruit and some chicken, then graze most of the day on fruit and nuts, then a meal at 10pm before bed, only light, meats, eggs etc. I've reduced my weight from 120kg to 82kg (average) in 6 months, I'm more alert and feel 100% better. I've also found my training is better and I can push harder.
My BiL started a fasting type diet about six weeks ago. Two days out of seven he restricts himself to 600 cals - the rest of the week he eats whatever he feels like (and being a proper bat fastard, that means a lot!)
When he first told me about it I thought it sounded crazy, but it actually seems to be working! Average 3lb a week lost so far, and this is on a guy who has tried every single diet going and failed.
I'm still not convinced it can be a particularly 'healthy' way to lose weight, but on balance just about anything must be healthier than being forty years old and 24 stone, so good luck to him.
When he first told me about it I thought it sounded crazy, but it actually seems to be working! Average 3lb a week lost so far, and this is on a guy who has tried every single diet going and failed.
I'm still not convinced it can be a particularly 'healthy' way to lose weight, but on balance just about anything must be healthier than being forty years old and 24 stone, so good luck to him.
I havent really read up on it but my (limited) thinking is that there is no way we evolved to eat regular meals all day, every day. Look at most carnivores and they chow down on meat once a week. You dont get lions that look like they are short of muscle though!
I'm going to trust my body to figure out what to do with the meat it gets when it gets it.....I dont believe it's going to get all confused because I hit the gym and then skipped breakfast the next day! Nor do I think a human will hit "starvation mode" because I dont eat till 3pm some days! I trust my body and it feels fine right now. In fact, I havent had my big meal yet and I'm not hungry at all....I've got about 900cals lined up so I'm going have to chuck in some extra cardio HIIT to get the appetite up!
I'm going to trust my body to figure out what to do with the meat it gets when it gets it.....I dont believe it's going to get all confused because I hit the gym and then skipped breakfast the next day! Nor do I think a human will hit "starvation mode" because I dont eat till 3pm some days! I trust my body and it feels fine right now. In fact, I havent had my big meal yet and I'm not hungry at all....I've got about 900cals lined up so I'm going have to chuck in some extra cardio HIIT to get the appetite up!
mrtwisty said:
My BiL started a fasting type diet about six weeks ago. Two days out of seven he restricts himself to 600 cals - the rest of the week he eats whatever he feels like (and being a proper bat fastard, that means a lot!)
When he first told me about it I thought it sounded crazy, but it actually seems to be working! Average 3lb a week lost so far, and this is on a guy who has tried every single diet going and failed.
I'm still not convinced it can be a particularly 'healthy' way to lose weight, but on balance just about anything must be healthier than being forty years old and 24 stone, so good luck to him.
He took that from the 5:2 diet. Check out youtube and search for the Horizon episode "eat, fast and live longer". It explains what he's doing there and it's apparently very, very good for you.When he first told me about it I thought it sounded crazy, but it actually seems to be working! Average 3lb a week lost so far, and this is on a guy who has tried every single diet going and failed.
I'm still not convinced it can be a particularly 'healthy' way to lose weight, but on balance just about anything must be healthier than being forty years old and 24 stone, so good luck to him.
mrtwisty said:
My BiL started a fasting type diet about six weeks ago. Two days out of seven he restricts himself to 600 cals - the rest of the week he eats whatever he feels like (and being a proper bat fastard, that means a lot!)
When he first told me about it I thought it sounded crazy, but it actually seems to be working! Average 3lb a week lost so far, and this is on a guy who has tried every single diet going and failed.
I'm still not convinced it can be a particularly 'healthy' way to lose weight, but on balance just about anything must be healthier than being forty years old and 24 stone, so good luck to him.
That's technically not fasting, it's just a reduction of calories. True fasting is harder, on mind and body, and involves zero food from sleep to a time that you can choose, normally after midday. I do it once a week, but wait till 2-3pm to eat, my last meal is at 9pm. I train twice that day, drink water and push through. The first time I did it I was like a freaking rabid dog at my first meal! But now its just normal. I've done 3 days without food and just water, it wasnt out of choice, but I believe it did me some good in my head When he first told me about it I thought it sounded crazy, but it actually seems to be working! Average 3lb a week lost so far, and this is on a guy who has tried every single diet going and failed.
I'm still not convinced it can be a particularly 'healthy' way to lose weight, but on balance just about anything must be healthier than being forty years old and 24 stone, so good luck to him.
Having done it 16 days now I found (after day 6/7) that it got very easy indeed. I now have a coffee when I wake and another mid morning. I then schedule jobs/tasks/meetings and before I know it it's the afternoon. I feel productive - both mentally and physically - and, at worst, get a little tummy rumble around noon....I never feel "hungry" in the way I used to at about 10.30am having just had a big breakfast! It's very odd!
On work days I have little appetite for breakfast, and usually have a lot to do before I head out of the door - so have got into the habit of only ingesting black coffee between waking up and lunch time.
I'm hungry by lunch time, but not excessively so. A smallish salad with either tuna or cottage cheese does the trick.
My understanding has been that this pattern of eating is not particularly good for me, but its the habit I've fallen into.
On rare occasions I eat breakfast (a smallish bowl of cereal), I find I'm then starving by mid-morning - which sounds similar to Tiggsy's experience.
I'm sure there's a good argument to say that breakfast stimulates your metabolism to fire-up, hence the mid-morning hunger, but my view is that it stimulates appetite beyond any metabolic explanation (and surely the black coffee stimulates metabolism too?)
I'm hungry by lunch time, but not excessively so. A smallish salad with either tuna or cottage cheese does the trick.
My understanding has been that this pattern of eating is not particularly good for me, but its the habit I've fallen into.
On rare occasions I eat breakfast (a smallish bowl of cereal), I find I'm then starving by mid-morning - which sounds similar to Tiggsy's experience.
I'm sure there's a good argument to say that breakfast stimulates your metabolism to fire-up, hence the mid-morning hunger, but my view is that it stimulates appetite beyond any metabolic explanation (and surely the black coffee stimulates metabolism too?)
Flook said:
My understanding has been that this pattern of eating is not particularly good for me, but its the habit I've fallen into.
That was my thinking...but why would it be bad? After millions of years has the body developed to a point where something goes wrong if it doesnt get food within a few hours of waking? I'm sure there are reasons why a bodybuilder/elite sports person, etc may want to do something else....but for your average joe, in good shape - I cant see the body having any issue with keeping me alive until 1pm!Flook said:
On work days I have little appetite for breakfast, and usually have a lot to do before I head out of the door - so have got into the habit of only ingesting black coffee between waking up and lunch time.
I'm hungry by lunch time, but not excessively so. A smallish salad with either tuna or cottage cheese does the trick.
My understanding has been that this pattern of eating is not particularly good for me, but its the habit I've fallen into.
On rare occasions I eat breakfast (a smallish bowl of cereal), I find I'm then starving by mid-morning - which sounds similar to Tiggsy's experience.
I'm sure there's a good argument to say that breakfast stimulates your metabolism to fire-up, hence the mid-morning hunger, but my view is that it stimulates appetite beyond any metabolic explanation (and surely the black coffee stimulates metabolism too?)
A lot of the hunger after a ceral based breakfast is due to the massive amount of sugar that's in and on it, it's a craving for more sugar rather than food I'm hungry by lunch time, but not excessively so. A smallish salad with either tuna or cottage cheese does the trick.
My understanding has been that this pattern of eating is not particularly good for me, but its the habit I've fallen into.
On rare occasions I eat breakfast (a smallish bowl of cereal), I find I'm then starving by mid-morning - which sounds similar to Tiggsy's experience.
I'm sure there's a good argument to say that breakfast stimulates your metabolism to fire-up, hence the mid-morning hunger, but my view is that it stimulates appetite beyond any metabolic explanation (and surely the black coffee stimulates metabolism too?)
Hoofy said:
Rather than speculating, watch the programme on YouTube. A number of health markers were dramatically improved when he did this 5:2 fasting.
Seen now...very interesting.I'm going to stick my "fast till 2" daily routine, simply because it allows me to stay at 2k cals a day without the risk of a big tea wrecking a day where I've already had 5 other meals.
Interested in the 5/2 though....I just wonder how it would work with an exercise routine. I work out hard most days and not sure how i'd feel with 48hrs of no food.
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