Dabbling with Intermittent fasting
You know that I have done various posts on the subject of my weight (here is just one). This time I dallied with the world of Intermittent Fasting. I had done a fair bit of research on it in the past, I had the original 5:2 diet book and just recently I’d read a lot about 16:8 or 20:4.
To those of you who do not know about intermittent fasting, you could start by reading this post here or the one I linked to above. I am not sure but I think the original guide was the one by Dr Michael Mosley. Intermittent fasting is supposed to have a plethora of health benefits, not just losing weight. Its also supposed to lower the risk of diabetes, lower blood pressure and reduced cholesterol.
I decided to go for it with the 20:4 diet. They say to ease your way in, but I knew from previous experience that I can actually go large periods of time without eating. I decided to eat a meal the evening before, then not eat again the following day until around 5 pm. That opened the “window” for eating but only 4 hours. I then did the same again; two days back to back and then another day. For me I did Sunday evening through to Tuesday evening, then I did Wednesday evening to Thursday evening.
How did I get on with intermittent fasting?
Well, the first day was a lot easier than the second. I think two days back to back are hard, but I couldn’t work it into my week any other way (I wanted to avoid work from home and weekends, where I have far too much temptation).
I found it easier to not take a lunch break at all – I was really busy at work anyway, but the idea of sitting with others eating and me just sitting there would have been awful.
The next problem for me was eating all of my calories. On the 5:2 diet they recommend a lower calorie intake anyway. But on the others I have read, all say to eat normal daily calories, but in a shorter time period. As I ate around 5, I didn’t want to eat too late but just wasn’t hungry enough to eat all of my calories in a couple of hours.
Am I sticking with it?
In short, no! I found I couldn’t quite make it work for my current lifestyle. I get home and have to usually do something, either nip to the shops, go to the gym or take the kids somewhere. So I struggle to have an open 4-hour window. If I opened it earlier, then usually by the time I got to eat properly it was too late and the window had closed. Eating later meant I was too hungry, and also would end up eating too late before bed.
I didn’t mind the diet and kind of like the self-control it forced me to have. But I was also worried about the effect it had on the rest of the family. My youngest started not eating all day too and that’s not advisable under 18 when he is still growing.
The other thing I noticed and it worried me on the 3rd week of trying it, was mood swings. One article I read said it can force ladies into a premature menopause and I really didn’t want to trigger that off!
What now?
Well despite my earlier posts saying I was through with diet clubs, I had an email from Weightwatchers with a half price offer. So I decided to give it another go. I literally hate how my body looks at the moment and I am so cross I haven’t done something sooner. There are not many clothes in my wardrobe that fit me and that really depresses me.
Weightloss Motivation
I have 3 weddings to attend this year and I know I am going to be miserable when I look back at the photos if I don’t do something about my weight. It’s a bit too late for one of the weddings, as its only a month away. I know I may lose half a stone and whilst that it won’t make a huge amount of difference visually, it might help my confidence. My brother’s wedding is in December so I have 5 months and if I really try and also manage to exercise more I should be able to lose an amount that will change my appearance.
I am still going to try and not eat late at night, to make sure I have an automatic fast of at least 12 hours every night (so if my last meal is at 8 pm I won’t eat breakfast until after I have started work in the morning)
Me
I have taken my measurements and obviously know my starting weight – I do not feel ready to share that information with my blog yet……but when I gain a little confidence I will, I promise. What I will do though is update my progress and some of my meal plans and recipes on here and on my other social media accounts.
BTW – This is my first ever blog post without pictures – I honestly didn’t know what to put in. I have no confidence to put a selfie in. What do you think? Too much white space?
