I can understand that feeling about fasting @Augusta Heathbourne I was the same until a few years ago, when something happened to my body chemistry and I have completely lost the hunger signal, so fasting is easy for me. In fact I have to actively remember to eat these days, and when on my own the only signal I get is faintness after a day or two without eating, due to my falling blood sugar, so I can't claim to having any self discipline, which I completely lack in other areas
I have also read about intermittent fasting, and the video you posted was very informative, @Terry Page . It does a good job of explaining why we can do it when we are in fat-burning mode and can't do it when we are in glucose-burning mode. I have been following a low-carb ketogenic diet for the last year, slowly losing weight and getting my body in better physical condition. Although I exercise, I still do not lose weight like I could when I was younger, plus the medication that I take for my heart slows down my metabolism as well. Slowing the metabolism is also one of the things that helps us to live longer, while feeling healthy and in better physical condition; so after learning that, I have not been trying to speed up my metabolism , and am learning to eat less food less often. The food that I do eat is (usually) food that nourishes my body, and not just wasted calories on foods that don't nourish it; so I a sure to get the proteins and healthy fats that we need, and just less of carbohydrates that we do not need (unless we are just burning glucose, of course). Once my body is fueling itself on fat and not glucose, hunger seems to be mostly gone, and I only eat one main meal most days, and green smoothies or the bulletproof coffee otherwise. I have been craving kefir; so I thought my body must either need probiotics or detox; so I am making kefir again and drinking some of that once or twice each day as well.
Yes I found the video useful and easy to understand @Yvonne Smith I have been on and off intermittent fasting for a couple of years now, and found it worked well. I feel with all these ideas you need motivation, I wanted to decrease my BP, reduce my pre-diabetes blood glucose level and lose some weight, I reduced the glucose levels to normal and lost around 15 lbs, but didn't reduce the BP readings, so two out of three isn't bad. If I hadn't had this original reason to motivate me, I would still be on three meals a day and quite happy with it..
My weight, BP, and glucose are all normal so I guess until something changes I'll eat the way I have been. I think I also define a meal differently because my green smoothie is one of my 5 meals... For lunch today I had what I call a chicken salad, a few pieces of chicken breast, a tomato, some basil leaves and half an avocado smashed that I used as the binder instead of mayo. Also a few chunks cucumber...I usually throw in whatever veggie I have around....just a small squeeze of lime also. No salt whatever but a few dashes of Tabasco. Ate lunch early so in about 2-3 hrs I'll have a green smoothie and then something for dinner at 4 that's less than 300 calories but will have protein and veggies in it...and that's it. If I want something to eat it will be some carrot sticks or an apple or a sugar free popsicle.
We are all different, and what works for one person might not be right for someone else. Since you have found what is right for your body, @Chrissy Cross , there is no reason to do anything different than what you have been doing that works right for you, and you are comfortable with. All your blood tests come out good, and you feel fit and healthy, and that means that you must be taking good care of yourself.
You all are obviously stronger and more determined than me.I have dieted ( notice first three letters spell what its all about DIE) what seems like most of my life. When I was single and younger, not so much a big deal- the older I get, well yep I have put on some pounds. I have tried just about all of them over the years. Weight Watchers being the best...but burnt me out on weighing and counting etc. ... i am done. For the most part I eat whatever I want, I do try eat in moderation. And, i am truly sorry to offend anyone, but a plate of stinking veggies does not make a happy camper. I only eat them..gag, because well, I have to have some vitamins floating around in my system. Now, I will say this, carbs, are a problem for me- but I have said for years, anything you try and delete from the norm...is the first thing your going to attack given the opportunity. I can not drink a meal either... I mean this is why we have teeth, chewing is satisfying.
Weight watchers is the only one that never worked for me but many swear by it! I have to go low carb to lose weight. As for veggies...I just like them!
@Chrissy Cross ... Wish I did like them, like you do.... Potatoes are a veggie- right? I grew up on potatoes,pinto beans, and corn bread. I have expanded my culinary over the years, but only in the last 25 - 30 years began to eat veggies. Many i can eat raw, but hate cooked.
When I was growing up, we always had vegetables and salads. We had fruit trees and berry bushes, and mostly we ate fresh foods; so that is what I grew up enjoying. Naturally, when I got married and had children of my own, they grew up eating salads and veggies, too. Neither Robin or my oldest son, Tony, will touch any kind of squash; but that is just a personal preference, and not a rejection of veggies in general. I have been reading about the dangers of gluten on both our body and our brains, so I seldom eat any kind of bread anymore. Actually, I am working on having a mostly raw vegetarian diet, and just supplementing with cooked foods when I need to in order to round out my diet, like having tuna fish on my salads. I do think that intermittent fasting is a good thing, even if it is not done every day, and that it probably helps us to live a longer and healthier life; but if doing so makes the person miserable, then it is probably causing more harm than good. I think that it has to be something that we want to do.
I ate one meal daily, with VERY little snickering or snacking in between, never felt better, hadn't had such freedom of movement or mind in many years, no "gut" in the way of steering wheels, plenty of energy and get-up and go. Seems like hunger can drive one to "strive". That's how I saw it. Caved in and succumbed some time ago to a bit of "healthful eating", aka, snacking, during the day, now weigh 10 lbs. more than I'd like, have a glob of fat around my belly which is a "first", and find it difficult to resist snacking temptations. Frank
Yes that's my experience exactly @Frank Sanoica I to feel much better with no belly,...... but lapse when on vacation there are recent reports that hunger is good for the brain, and improves cognitive function and helps prevent dementia....I went back on the one meal a day regime yesterday and already feel better ........ .............but will probably lapse when away in Bosnia
I watched the video above. I’m over weight again, seriously overweight. I need to spend more time in this effort of losing some serious weight rather than spending time writing childish narrative that’s good only for the recycle bin. So how am I going to do it? I frankly don’t know. I’m eating too much, I know that. My calorie intake most days is countable. It is fair to say exercise is out of the s question so the only thing I can see is to back away from the table, eat less. Can I do one meal a day? I don't think so without snacking a good deal. And I guess I've been snacking on the wrong stuff. What do some of you snack on? I'm going to start with two meals a day and maybe a light snack and cut out and trim where I can. I ned a good snack. I can't chew carrots very well but some vegetable. I just know this is going to be super hard.
If you can't chew raw carrots, soften them up a little in the microwave...dip them in hummus, try and get the lowest calorie one. All veggies can be cooked a little so they aren't as difficult to chew. Try and eat snacks that aren't bad carbs and go low calorie..then you can eat more. I eat about 5 meals a day because I'm always wanting to eat...just the way I am. I try to limit my main meals to 300 calories or less so that I can eat more snacks. On my main meals I try to fill up on veggies and then have some protein as a side. You'll have to figure out for your weight and height how many calories you can eat to lose weight and stick to that. I have to eat 1200 or less to lose weight...I can maintain with 1500-2000. Take a look at the south beach diet or the 17 day diet...both are low carb but not as drastic as Atkins. It was the 17 day diet that I lost the 30lbs I gained when I quit smoking.
I don't think one meal a day is good....unless you do as suggested and snack healthy during the day. I have battled weight most of my life.Have gained too much in last three years. Instead of going on and on about weight issues...how about...one do something realistic...diets set you up to fail.Write down what u eat or take a picture of what you eat. Create your own sensesble way of losing some weight without always trying to deprive yourself. There is plenty of info if you search it out. We are here to help...if we can
I've have started my diet tonight. It will be varied and one of my choosing. I need to go to the grocery store but for dinner tonight I had a quarter cup of unsweetened bran flakes with one half cop of cottage cheese covering them all with a bottle of ozarka water.. It is my first thoughts that breakfast will be the biggest meal of the day with lunch next and only a light snack in the evening. I plan to double my water intake but so much for plans; we'll see how it goes. The goal here is to lose weight but stay healthy. I'll make mistakes I'm sure because I'm doing this by the seat of my pants. Weight this morning, standing on the scales in my skivvies, having emptied my bladder on the way to the scales, is 188.0 pounds.