Walking lighter on the earth

As you know, I don't possess any scales but I managed to weigh myself a couple of days ago and I have indeed lost three or four pounds. That doesn't sound like much but I'm not deterred and to be honest, the weight is only a small part of the picture.   So the plan continues and I'm really enjoying it.

Doing this has got me thinking not only of the benefits to my short and long term health but also the bigger picture.  For example, another benefit to eating less will be surviving the food shortage, which will surely come..... With the explosion of the global population and the dwindling of resources, animal, vegetable and mineral, we'll all have to start surviving on less.   That's putting it pretty simplistically, but sums it up.  

Recent droughts in the US have decimated wheat and corn crops, on which many other countries, including the world's poorest rely.  Not only that, but it has pushed the price of such grains up significantly, which will see the price of staple foods in the shops rise, putting the poorest and most vulnerable at greatest risk.   Many are predicting riots as a result.

With climate change, population growth, global development and over consumption, food shortages will become commonplace..... So those who can survive on less, and walk lighter on the earth, will not only help but will improve their resilience in preparation for leaner times.


Nutrition tip of the day

Beetroot is a truly wonderful thing.   It contains betaine which is good for cardiovascular health and it has a host of other nutrients including Magnesium, iron, potassium, Sodium and vitamin C.  Also, beta cyanin helps to detox the liver and prevents the build up of fatty deposits.

Beetroot juice has been shown to reduce blood pressure and can help in the prevention of strokes and heart attacks.  It's pretty low in calories too with a medium whole beetroot being around 35 calories.  Simply peel and boil with a pinch of salt..... Delicious and quite filling so quite useful when calorie restricting!

The bearable lightness of being...

Yes the intermittent fasting continues and is becoming a routine and I now neither dread or look forward to the fasting days, they feel pretty normal......and the novelty value only lasts for so long.  However, I am still feeling the results which is what keeps me going - as the title of today's post suggests - I'm feeling so much lighter!!.  I don't mean in weight necessarily, although I have lost an inch or so all over and I'm pretty sure I have lost a few pounds (I haven't weighed myself as I don't own any scales), but I feel lighter inside...my internal systems feel calmer and there seem to be fewer sugar crashes.

One of my top tips to include is celery - a wonderful vegetable which is full of fibre, contains a little sodium, (which you need when fasting because you tend to take on more fluids) and is really filling.  The best part is it only contains 7 calories per 100g !!  That is approximately 1 large stick.  There are some who believe that you burn more calories digesting it than the body consumes from it.... that may be true - not sure I can prove that one, but nice to think it might be true!!

In addition to the fasting, I have cut pretty much all processed food out of my diet (with the odd exception such as breadsticks), and all added sugar - and only eat fresh fish and chicken and fresh vegetables and fruits.  This is something which I've lived by for a number of years now but Im trying to refine it further.  The majority of processed foods are packed full of fat, salt and sugar and should be avoided.


Of course another benefit I've noticed is the reduced shopping bill!! ....Although I am eating a little on the fasting days, I think my shopping bill has cut in half as I'm not eating as much as I used to on the normal days either.  It's a no brainer - saving money, losing weight, feeling better, looking better and....I'm hoping for longer term results of improving my cholesterol levels, glucose levels etc and reducing my risk of diabetes, heart disease and cancer. Time will tell!

Nutrition tip for today....

For all you athletes out there (or amateur cyclists, jogists or gymists), the news is that there is a magical new drink on the market which is better at re hydrating you after exercise than any of those expensive and colourful isotonic drinks..... What is it?   Drum roll please...... Skimmed milk!!  Yes apparently a drop if the white stuff has exactly the right amount of fluid, carbohydrate, protein, sodium and fat to rehydrate the body much better than water or specialist sports drinks.   It has to do with how the sodium helps the body retain the fluid for longer and the fat delays the digestion... Thus enabling the absorption of lots of useful nutrients before it passes through.  It also has the right proportions of carbohydrate to protein for recovery, 3:1.

Water is OK but can be harmful if drunk in too high quantities as it flushes good minerals etc out of the body quickly.

Fasting is not so hard after all!!

So today is another fast day.  Really, when you see this photo of my breakfast, you'll realise it isnt strictly a fast in the true sense of the word.  My delicious breakfast this morning of 50g porridge, made with half water, half semi skimmed milk, 2 strawberries and a small sprinkling of mixed seeds.  All for just 150 calories.

It's a pretty humid 30 degrees in my living room today and as im still on the road to recovery, I can't go very far, so have been resting and working on some musical endeavours..... So you could say I'm not exactly burning off too many calories!!  

That being said, my porridge, which as we all know is a slow burner and has a low GI rating, seemed to keep me going longer than usual and I didn't feel like any lunch until around 3pm.   Of course, it could be the heat.  I may feel differently when it's 2 degrees outside!!!  I guess I'll find out in a few months time.

Lunch today, pictured, was a small spoon of homous, salad and breadsticks.... Around 180 calories... And was delicious.   I think my taste buds are gradually returning.... Which may or may not help!

The day ends with me stringing it out as long as possible before having dinner ....when I say dinner, it's perhaps the sort of dinner one might expect at an expensive health farm where you pay people to step in where your will power has failed and present you with one scallop and two peas on a plate.

   Tonight it is half a tin of sardines in chilli sauce, a rosemary bread stick and salad.   150 calories.  The hardest thing for me is not to have some fruit and Greek yoghurt afterwards (my usual desert of choice)..... So black coffee it is.   I'm going through the weird sensation of hunger pangs after eating again.... That still strikes me as odd... But learning to live with it...  480 calories in total today so at least I can go to bed basking in the glow of righteousness !

It would be safe to assume with something like this that you could expect the novelty to wear off pretty quickly.  However, my experience so far is that I've started to look forward to the fast days.   All the negative effects of overindulgence disappear so I'm sleeping better, waking up feeling good, have more energy, feel lighter and the craving for food has long stopped.  I'm looking forward to finding out if the other benefits Michael Mosley referred to such as cell renewal and enhanced brain function, will take effect.  I hope so as I start a new OU module in October!!!

Week 2 on the IF diet

Since my introductory post, I've kept up alternate day fasting, consuming only 500 calories every other day, eating my normal diet in between.   The interesting thing I've found is that on the so called "feed" days, you actually don't feel like eating as much anyway!  The stomach gets used to having less so that when you do try to eat the amount you used to, you find you can't, or at least you feel fuller much quicker.

The other really interesting reaction is that on the "fast" days, I don't feel hungry until after I've eaten something because it seems that eating triggers chemicals which prime your body to expect food.  So I've found I can go longer without thinking about food and longer between meals.

It's better to keep busy while fasting as it takes your mind off it and you realise that eating is often a symptom of habit or boredom.   So don't sit around at home thinking it would be easier to do this while resting.... It isn't !!

I cycled to Colchester in Essex to visit my family on Monday, a fast day..... Cycled around 15 miles and despite the depletion in calorie intake, actually found I had more energy and felt fantastic on the bike, suitably inspired by the great Brad Wiggins.  

My intake that day was.....

Breakfast.... Tiny bowl of muesli
Snack ........... Small banana
Lunch .......... Third of a smoked mackerel, dry salad, half slice granary bread with no spread
Dinner........... Chicken, green beans (from my parents garden!) and small new potato, glass of red wine

As you can see I was a little more flexible as I was visiting my folks but still cut down considerably and had done a lot of exercise to counterbalance the potato and glass of wine!

Yesterday fasting was easy..... Why?   Because I had an operation with general anaesthetic so had to fast beforehand anyway!!  So cheating slightly!!  When I came around from the op, I was offered tea and toast and I can tell you nothing on earth has tasted so good!!!  Maybe because it felt good to be on the other side of the op!!

I had nasal turbinate surgery to try and help me breathe more easily.  It has also had the additional benefit of taking my sense of taste away temporarily as my nose is swollen and totally blocked for a week or so.  Makes you realise quite how important a role your nose plays in tasting food!!  

Results so far after just one week are that I have lost an inch all over, my skin looks more radiant and I've dropped around 3 or 4 pounds In Weight and it really isn't that difficult.  You get used to the hunger pains coming and going.  The hardest part is going to bed feeling hungry but you can convince yourself to love the feeling particularly when you see such fast results!!

Started on the IF diet.....(intermittent fasting)

After watching Michael Mosley's inspiring BBC2 programme, Eat, fast, live longer, I decided to give alternate day fasting a go.   Started a couple of days ago and have done two fasting days so far.  Will use this blog to record my progress as I go and any tips for those temptedtogive it a try.

Basically, the way it works is I have one day of fasting followed by one day of eating fairly normally.  On fast days, i eat no more than 500 calories.  On the alternate days, I eat a normal healthy diet but no more than 2,000 calories, which is a normal intake for a woman.... It's 2500 for a man.

I started by finding out how many calories are in my favourite foods and the things I normally eat, such as porridge, fish, fruits, Greek yoghurt etc.

Some people like to consume their 500 calories in one meal but I decided instead to break it up into breakfast, lunch and dinner of around 150 calories each.   Surprisingly easy in the summer as I can fill up on salads which count very few calories as long as I use no dressing.

So far so easy.... The hunger pangs come and go and it's easier of you keep busy!! I cycled 20km on my first fasting day which strangely helped....

I feel like the weight is coming off already!!