Intermittent fasting goes mainstream!

It was good to see The Times picking up on intermittent fasting on Saturday.  It appears that everyone is doing it ....
What I liked about their report was that they emphasised the health benefits and also discussed the way in which the diet can change eating habits and the way we think about food.

It also showed some great meal ideas for fasting days.  Here is a link to the article - which if you're not already a Times subscriber, you'll need to sign up to read in full... http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/magazine/article3583372.ece 

If you're not, don't worry - I will continue to post pics of my fast day meals, such as my lunch on Saturday (pictured left).  Poached egg (80 cals), mushroom pate (40 cals), prawns (20 cals), lettuce, spinach and half a tomato (20 cals)...... Total 160 calories for lunch.... And delicious too!!! Leaving me 240 for dinner (I'd already had around 100 for my porridge breakfast).

There are different ways of approaching this.  I'm choosing to stick to a 500 calorie limit on alternate days.... "One day on, one day off", or "Alternate Day Fasting (ADF)"  The more popular approach seems to be the "5:2"..... Choosing 2 non consecutive days in the week to fast.   Those who can't quite face fasting every other day or find it impractical tend to go for this.

Another approach which I learnt through The Times article was to fast completely (0 calories), for 24hours but start that 24hr period part way through the day eg 2pm.   That way, you don't go a whole waking day without eating.   I might try this one day when I'm feeling brave, maybe not when I'm cycling to work, which I'm now doing again.

Grey legs (left) and I have been reunited and I cycle the 9km to work every day through the London traffic.   It's a magical way to start the day and I cycle whether I'm fasting or not.... Now that I'm used to the routine, the cycling doesn't make any difference and if anything I feel like I have more energy rather than feeling faint or weak.

I cycle past the Emirates stadium, home to Arsenal football team, and I must admit the burger and hot dog stands do get me going!!  But Grey Legs just keeps me on the straight and narrow and refuses to stop.....

Clearly as I'm burning more calories cycling around 20km a day, this should help me reach my 'drop a dress size before christmas' goal.  I was a size 14-16 for years but over the last 3 or 4 years, I gradually changed my eating habits, reducing the amount of carbs, sugar and processed foods.  Doing this, I dropped to a size 12 which I've managed to maintain for the last couple of years.....well with the odd slide back to a nearly 14. 

I'm now heading for uncharted territory ......the never before achieved size 10!!! (for anyone reading this in the USA, I'm talking a size 6)  I have never been a size 10 ....I was a size 14 when I was a teenager and my Mum and I would diet together - from weight watchers to fat units - we counted them all..... but never did I ever get into a pair of size 10 anythings.  Don't worry - I will keep you well and truly posted - literally!

I hope eating meals like heavenly rainbow trout, with peppers and fennel (pictured in the wok) for 240 calories, will help me stick to the IF plan...... with meals like that, it really is no hardship!

Nutrition tip of the week

Fennel is a much underrated but fabulously nutritional vegetable.  Packed with antioxidants, vitamins and fibre, it is delicious eaten either raw in salads or cooked in broths or sauteed in butter. 

Fennel has been shown to reduce inflammation and help in the prevention of cancer - which works by shutting down the signalling process which activates a gene-altering molecule which leads to the formation of cancer cells. 

Fennel is an excellent source of vitamin C, a powerful antioxidant which protects against cellular damage which causes joint deterioration and painful conditions such as osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis.  It also boosts the body's immune system.     Fennel is quite a fibrous vegetable - particularly if you eat the stalks which you should.  Eating this soluble fibre helps to reduce elevated cholesterol levels and helps to prevent colon cancer by removing potentially carcinogenic toxins from the colon.

Fennel is a very good source of folate, a B vitamin that protects against heart attacks and strokes. It is also a very good source of potassium, a mineral that helps lower high blood pressure, another risk factor for stroke and heart attack.