Fast without the furious

If anyone has been wondering what I've been up to for this latest hiatus, well here it is - I've been fasting. 

5 months later and (on and off) 14lbs lighter I'm pretty certain this one's a keeper. 

Fasting for beginners

I probably don't need to explain the fast diet. It's the flavour of the month - the celebrity of diets. 

Essentially, you eat your recommended daily calorie allowance (2000 for women, 2400 for men) for any 5 days a week and on the remaining 2 days eat just 500 calories (600 for men). For hardcore fasters there are firmer rules - calculating your TDEE, BMR and BMI. I went for the simple route: 2000 / 500 - regardless. WTF eh?

I've given away the happy ending. It took hold and had fast (sorry...) results. I lost practically a stone in around 2 months. Since then the the weight loss has ground to a halt but, by continuing to fast, I'm staying around the same weight. 

I said this wasn't religious - but it's a revelation. I've stopped punishing myself for being greedy and started enjoying it - only for 5 days rather than 7.

Cheating eating

An admittance though - it's made me lazy. Instead of seeking out new ways to inject flavour into an iceberg lettuce, I've let the shops do all the hard work for me. 

M&S hot and sour chicken noodle soup, mini brown rice sushi trays and Pret's no-bread sandwiches (so, salads then) have been firm favourites for lunch. In the evenings I'll reach for a bowl of mixed green veg with black pepper and gravy, a hefty portion of ratatouille or huge bowls of homemade soup. 

One day at a time

Let's get one thing straight - fast days are not fun. Tough days usually leave me reaching for big portions of food and large glasses of red. On fast days, it's not an option. But that's where most diets fall down. There's nothing you can't eat on the fast diet. You might just have to wait until tomorrow. It's only a day away.

Nx

Not so fast...