Tuesday, 26 March 2013
FINALLY broke through the 11 stone barrier!
I've been bouncing off the (entirely arbitary and self-imposed) 11 stone barrier for several weeks, and last week I finally broke through it: 10st 13lb at the "Week 31" weigh in. This feels like a big milestone for me, as I haven't weighed 10 stone something since I stopped going out raving every weekend, a long time ago!
Again, intermittent intermittent fasting has been the cause of my weight-loss block: there have been a couple of weeks where I may have "forgotten" to fast, including during Week 29, when I had a bad cold and gave in to the feeling that I wanted to eat constantly! Why not? I said to myself. It doesn't matter at all if I miss a few days here and there; I have no intention of stopping fasting. Ever.
I realised that over the last god knows how many weeks, my fasting routing is so set in its ways that there's really no need to keep recording what food I eat on those days. Now, I simply record whether or not I fasted, as well as trying to weigh myself each week.
To reiterate: on each fasting day, I eat:
So, here's the latest update:
WEEK 21 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 21 DAY #2: Fasted.
NO WEEK 21 WEIGH IN.
WEEK 22 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 22 DAY #2: Fasted.
NO WEEK 22 WEIGH IN.
WEEK 23 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 23 DAY #2: Fasted.
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 20: 2.0 kg
Body weight now at 70.1kg / 11st 1lb.
WEEK 24 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 24 DAY #2: Didn't fast.
NO WEEK 24 WEIGH IN.
WEEK 25 DAY #1: Not only did I not fast, but as I was working in Paris all week, I ate out and drank beer too!
WEEK 25 DAY #2: Ditto.
NO WEEK 25 WEIGH IN.
WEEK 26 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 26 DAY #2: Fasted.
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 23: -0.9 kg = weight gain! Quelle surprise!
Body weight now at 11st 2lb.
WEEK 27 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 27 DAY #2: Fasted.
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 26: 0.4 kg
Body weight now at 11st 2lb (roughly).
WEEK 28 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 28 DAY #2: Fasted.
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 27: 0.6 kg
Body weight now at 11st dead!
WEEK 29 DAY #1: Didn't fast.
WEEK 29 DAY #2: Didn't fast.
NO WEEK 29 WEIGH IN.
WEEK 30 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 30 DAY #2: Fasted.
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 28: 0.1 kg
Body weight still at 11st dead.
WEEK 31 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 31 DAY #2: Fasted.
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 30: 0.4 kg
Body weight now at 10st 13lb! Hurrah!
Graphs to follow.
Again, intermittent intermittent fasting has been the cause of my weight-loss block: there have been a couple of weeks where I may have "forgotten" to fast, including during Week 29, when I had a bad cold and gave in to the feeling that I wanted to eat constantly! Why not? I said to myself. It doesn't matter at all if I miss a few days here and there; I have no intention of stopping fasting. Ever.
I realised that over the last god knows how many weeks, my fasting routing is so set in its ways that there's really no need to keep recording what food I eat on those days. Now, I simply record whether or not I fasted, as well as trying to weigh myself each week.
To reiterate: on each fasting day, I eat:
- 2x scrambled eggs for lunch (approx 200 calories);
- Tinned tuna with a tablespoon of Hellmans Mayo, and green salad (approx 280 calories), or;
- Poached salmon with green salad or wilted greens (approx 350 calories).
I usually have some vending machine teas and coffees throughout the day, aiming to keep within the 600 calorie limit.
I usually stick to Monday and Thursday as my fasting days, as this tends to fit in with our family activities during the week. And who wants to fast on weekends? The weekends are what wine and dining out are for!
So, here's the latest update:
WEEK 21 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 21 DAY #2: Fasted.
NO WEEK 21 WEIGH IN.
WEEK 22 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 22 DAY #2: Fasted.
NO WEEK 22 WEIGH IN.
WEEK 23 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 23 DAY #2: Fasted.
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 20: 2.0 kg
Body weight now at 70.1kg / 11st 1lb.
WEEK 24 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 24 DAY #2: Didn't fast.
NO WEEK 24 WEIGH IN.
WEEK 25 DAY #1: Not only did I not fast, but as I was working in Paris all week, I ate out and drank beer too!
WEEK 25 DAY #2: Ditto.
NO WEEK 25 WEIGH IN.
WEEK 26 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 26 DAY #2: Fasted.
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 23: -0.9 kg = weight gain! Quelle surprise!
Body weight now at 11st 2lb.
WEEK 27 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 27 DAY #2: Fasted.
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 26: 0.4 kg
Body weight now at 11st 2lb (roughly).
WEEK 28 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 28 DAY #2: Fasted.
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 27: 0.6 kg
Body weight now at 11st dead!
WEEK 29 DAY #1: Didn't fast.
WEEK 29 DAY #2: Didn't fast.
NO WEEK 29 WEIGH IN.
WEEK 30 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 30 DAY #2: Fasted.
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 28: 0.1 kg
Body weight still at 11st dead.
WEEK 31 DAY #1: Fasted.
WEEK 31 DAY #2: Fasted.
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 30: 0.4 kg
Body weight now at 10st 13lb! Hurrah!
Graphs to follow.
Thursday, 3 January 2013
Week 10 to Week 20
Wow, so I got a little behind (actually, it's a little bigger, see below - no pics though, honest!).
I'm still fasting, but have been very remiss in keeping this blog up to date.
Essentially the same pattern of eating: eggs for lunch, followed by fish and greens for dinner. I've been less strict about bits and bobs in between, and drink the odd cup of vending machine tea and coffee at work. Sometimes I'll eat a bit of chocolate or a couple of slices of cheese. I try to remember to include everything in my calorie count for the day, but I probably forget a few things here and there.
Sometimes I exceed my 600 calorie limit, by as much as 100 calories on the odd occasions.
But I'm still losing weight, and I still don't find it difficult really.
Until Christmas that is.
I weighed myself on December 31st, and was a bit horrified to find that I'd gained 4 lbs / approx 2kg since the last time I weighed myself on December 7th. I actually feel fatter around my middle as well.
I didn't even overeat / drink like I usually do at Christmas, so 4lbs may be less than I usually gain at this time of year!
I've missed some fasting days as well, so when you put Christmas eating and drinking together with the lack of fasting, it's really not surprising.
I'm happy to say that my record keeping hasn't suffered, so I can summarise the eating / fasting pattern here:
WEEK 10 DAY #1: 648 calories
WEEK 10 DAY #2: 593 calories
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 9: 1.1 kg
WEEK 11 DAY #1: 495 calories
No second fasting day this week, and no weigh-in either.
WEEK 12 DAY #1: 520 calories
WEEK 12 DAY #2: 600 calories
No weigh in this week.
Week 12 was followed by a family reunion, so lots of overeating and drinking over the weekend!
WEEK 13 DAY #1: 558 calories
WEEK 13 DAY #2: 608 calories
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 10: 0.0 kg
The fasting must have counteracted the binge eating / drinking at Dad's!
WEEK 14 DAY #1: 720 calories (I accidentally ate 130 calories worth of yummy cashew nuts!)
WEEK 14 DAY #2: 601 calories
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 13: 0.9 kg
WEEK 15 DAY #1: 575 calories
WEEK 15 DAY #2: 463 calories
No weigh in this week.
WEEK 16 DAY #1: 538 calories
WEEK 16 DAY #2: 595 calories
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 14: 1.5 kg
WEEK 17 DAY #1: 528 calories
No second fasting day this week, and no weigh-in either.
WEEK 18 DAY #1: 483 calories
WEEK 18 DAY #2: 703 calories
No weigh in this week.
WEEK 19 - CHRISTMAS! No fasting at all this week. No wonder I am fatter.
WEIGHT GAIN SINCE WEEK 16: 1.8 kg
WEEK 20 DAY #1: 523 calories
No second fasting day this week, and no weigh-in either.
Next week (week 21), I will resume my normal pattern of two fasting days each week.
I'll post the revised graphs up in my next update.
I'm just off to finish off the Christmas pudding with brandy cream and custard. And then there's all that cheese left over from Boxing Day, and two bottles of half finished red wine....... *burp* :-)
I'm still fasting, but have been very remiss in keeping this blog up to date.
Essentially the same pattern of eating: eggs for lunch, followed by fish and greens for dinner. I've been less strict about bits and bobs in between, and drink the odd cup of vending machine tea and coffee at work. Sometimes I'll eat a bit of chocolate or a couple of slices of cheese. I try to remember to include everything in my calorie count for the day, but I probably forget a few things here and there.
Sometimes I exceed my 600 calorie limit, by as much as 100 calories on the odd occasions.
But I'm still losing weight, and I still don't find it difficult really.
Until Christmas that is.
I weighed myself on December 31st, and was a bit horrified to find that I'd gained 4 lbs / approx 2kg since the last time I weighed myself on December 7th. I actually feel fatter around my middle as well.
I didn't even overeat / drink like I usually do at Christmas, so 4lbs may be less than I usually gain at this time of year!
I've missed some fasting days as well, so when you put Christmas eating and drinking together with the lack of fasting, it's really not surprising.
I'm happy to say that my record keeping hasn't suffered, so I can summarise the eating / fasting pattern here:
WEEK 10 DAY #1: 648 calories
WEEK 10 DAY #2: 593 calories
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 9: 1.1 kg
WEEK 11 DAY #1: 495 calories
No second fasting day this week, and no weigh-in either.
WEEK 12 DAY #1: 520 calories
WEEK 12 DAY #2: 600 calories
No weigh in this week.
Week 12 was followed by a family reunion, so lots of overeating and drinking over the weekend!
WEEK 13 DAY #1: 558 calories
WEEK 13 DAY #2: 608 calories
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 10: 0.0 kg
The fasting must have counteracted the binge eating / drinking at Dad's!
WEEK 14 DAY #1: 720 calories (I accidentally ate 130 calories worth of yummy cashew nuts!)
WEEK 14 DAY #2: 601 calories
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 13: 0.9 kg
WEEK 15 DAY #1: 575 calories
WEEK 15 DAY #2: 463 calories
No weigh in this week.
WEEK 16 DAY #1: 538 calories
WEEK 16 DAY #2: 595 calories
WEIGHT LOSS SINCE WEEK 14: 1.5 kg
WEEK 17 DAY #1: 528 calories
No second fasting day this week, and no weigh-in either.
WEEK 18 DAY #1: 483 calories
WEEK 18 DAY #2: 703 calories
No weigh in this week.
WEEK 19 - CHRISTMAS! No fasting at all this week. No wonder I am fatter.
WEIGHT GAIN SINCE WEEK 16: 1.8 kg
WEEK 20 DAY #1: 523 calories
No second fasting day this week, and no weigh-in either.
Next week (week 21), I will resume my normal pattern of two fasting days each week.
I'll post the revised graphs up in my next update.
I'm just off to finish off the Christmas pudding with brandy cream and custard. And then there's all that cheese left over from Boxing Day, and two bottles of half finished red wine....... *burp* :-)
Friday, 19 October 2012
Week 9 Weigh In
Week 9 Stats:
Weight: 73.9kg / 11st 9lb
BMI: 26.8
Weekly weight loss: 0.6kg / 1.32lb
Total weight loss: 4.4kg / 9.68lb
Plot of variation, including suspected outliers:
Same plot, but this time with suspected outliers removed:
Weight: 73.9kg / 11st 9lb
BMI: 26.8
Weekly weight loss: 0.6kg / 1.32lb
Total weight loss: 4.4kg / 9.68lb
Plot of variation, including suspected outliers:
Same plot, but this time with suspected outliers removed:
Week 9 Fasting Days
FASTING DAY #1
Three eggs scramble for lunch. Poached salmon with garden salad dressed in a little olive oil and lemon juice for dinner.
Total calories today: 620
FASTING DAY #2
Damn you vending machine coffee! You don't even taste that nice!
One small plastic cup of coffee in the morning as a small pick-me-up. Not sure it worked to be honest.
There were only two eggs left over, so I ate less scrambled egg for lunch than I usually do. I made up for it by making it with a small knob of butter. As it turns out, two eggs is sufficient, so I have extra calories to use up at dinner! Which I did: a tin of yellowfin tuna with garden salad dressed in olive oil and lemon juice, with a tablespoon of yummy Hellmann's mayo! I even had a couple of very small pieces of milk chocolate in the evening.
Total calories today: 588
I've not eaten a huge amount all week to be honest. Salads for lunch on two other days, rather than sandwiches, for example. On the other hand, I had a small beer after work on Thursday and Friday :-)
Three eggs scramble for lunch. Poached salmon with garden salad dressed in a little olive oil and lemon juice for dinner.
Total calories today: 620
FASTING DAY #2
Damn you vending machine coffee! You don't even taste that nice!
One small plastic cup of coffee in the morning as a small pick-me-up. Not sure it worked to be honest.
There were only two eggs left over, so I ate less scrambled egg for lunch than I usually do. I made up for it by making it with a small knob of butter. As it turns out, two eggs is sufficient, so I have extra calories to use up at dinner! Which I did: a tin of yellowfin tuna with garden salad dressed in olive oil and lemon juice, with a tablespoon of yummy Hellmann's mayo! I even had a couple of very small pieces of milk chocolate in the evening.
Total calories today: 588
I've not eaten a huge amount all week to be honest. Salads for lunch on two other days, rather than sandwiches, for example. On the other hand, I had a small beer after work on Thursday and Friday :-)
Week 8 Weigh-In
What? How can this be?
I've put weight back on!
Could it be due to the above-average intake of alcohol this week? Has my body adjusted to its new calorie regime, and is fighting back? Or is this just normal process variation at work?
I still don't have enough data points yet to be able to draw any hard and fast conclusions, but I have had a bit of a play with the data I do have, to see if I can make any sense of it.
First off though: the weekly results.
Today, I weigh 74.5kg / 11st 10lb
Last week, I weighed 73.9kg / 11st 9lb
My weight gain this week is 0.6kg / 1.32lb
My BMI has been increased from 26.88 to 27.0
I decided to plot the weight variation, to see if there's a pattern. As I say, there are only eight data points, which is about 22 points short of a statistically useful sample.
This is what it looks like if all the data points are included:
On the face of it, it seems as though all is lost! The trend line clearly shows that I'm going to start gaining weight again, until in about eight weeks I'll weigh the same as I did before I started fasting!
This must be nonsense of course. At least, I bloody hope it is!
Looking at the data, it seems to me that the first and last data points (representing a 1.6kg weight loss and a 0.6kg weight gain respectively) are unusual; let's assume that they're outliers, so we can exclude them from the analysis.
The trend line looks quite different now:
I prefer this one! It shows a trend of increasing weight loss. However, I must stress that there aren't enough data points to draw any firm conclusions at this stage.
I think from now on, each week, I'll keep track of overall weight, BMI, and weight variation.
I've put weight back on!
Could it be due to the above-average intake of alcohol this week? Has my body adjusted to its new calorie regime, and is fighting back? Or is this just normal process variation at work?
I still don't have enough data points yet to be able to draw any hard and fast conclusions, but I have had a bit of a play with the data I do have, to see if I can make any sense of it.
First off though: the weekly results.
Today, I weigh 74.5kg / 11st 10lb
Last week, I weighed 73.9kg / 11st 9lb
My weight gain this week is 0.6kg / 1.32lb
My BMI has been increased from 26.88 to 27.0
I decided to plot the weight variation, to see if there's a pattern. As I say, there are only eight data points, which is about 22 points short of a statistically useful sample.
This is what it looks like if all the data points are included:
On the face of it, it seems as though all is lost! The trend line clearly shows that I'm going to start gaining weight again, until in about eight weeks I'll weigh the same as I did before I started fasting!
This must be nonsense of course. At least, I bloody hope it is!
Looking at the data, it seems to me that the first and last data points (representing a 1.6kg weight loss and a 0.6kg weight gain respectively) are unusual; let's assume that they're outliers, so we can exclude them from the analysis.
The trend line looks quite different now:
I prefer this one! It shows a trend of increasing weight loss. However, I must stress that there aren't enough data points to draw any firm conclusions at this stage.
I think from now on, each week, I'll keep track of overall weight, BMI, and weight variation.
Week 8 Fasting Days
FASTING DAY #1
Another usual day: three eggs scrambled for late breakfast, followed by a delicious tuna salad with mayonnaise. No snacks in between.
Total calories today: 548
FASTING DAY #2
I went round to see a mate on Thursday evening. He's made some sort of wine from fermented orange and grape juice. It's really delicious, and is about 14% ABV, so I was a little bit tipsy (read: quite pissed) afterwards!
Not too much of a hangover the next day fortunately, which is just as well, because Friday is to be fasting day #2 this week.
With a small amount of will power, I made it up to dinner time before eating. Just beforehand, I realised I felt like I was starving! I did have an espresso coffee with a small teaspoon of brown sugar and a splash of milk around mid-afternoon, which I needed to stay awake!
Dinner was 150g poached salmon, greens stir-fried in a little butter, with steamed courgette and peas. I ended up eating a couple of small slices of cheddar later on too, which are surprisingly calorific at approx. 40 each slice!
Total calories today: 540
Another usual day: three eggs scrambled for late breakfast, followed by a delicious tuna salad with mayonnaise. No snacks in between.
Total calories today: 548
FASTING DAY #2
I went round to see a mate on Thursday evening. He's made some sort of wine from fermented orange and grape juice. It's really delicious, and is about 14% ABV, so I was a little bit tipsy (read: quite pissed) afterwards!
Not too much of a hangover the next day fortunately, which is just as well, because Friday is to be fasting day #2 this week.
With a small amount of will power, I made it up to dinner time before eating. Just beforehand, I realised I felt like I was starving! I did have an espresso coffee with a small teaspoon of brown sugar and a splash of milk around mid-afternoon, which I needed to stay awake!
Dinner was 150g poached salmon, greens stir-fried in a little butter, with steamed courgette and peas. I ended up eating a couple of small slices of cheddar later on too, which are surprisingly calorific at approx. 40 each slice!
Total calories today: 540
Friday, 5 October 2012
Week 7 Weigh-In
Today, I weigh 73.9kg / 11st 9lb.
My total weight loss (so far) is 4.4kg / 10lb.
My BMI has been reduced from 28.5 to 26.8.
According to the print-out from the scales in the Doctor's surgery:
"Your ideal weight for a BMI between 20 and 25 is:
55.1kg (8st 9lb) to 68.8kg (10st 12lb)."
I'm still on track to hit my target weight of 11st by end of November!
My total weight loss (so far) is 4.4kg / 10lb.
My BMI has been reduced from 28.5 to 26.8.
According to the print-out from the scales in the Doctor's surgery:
"Your ideal weight for a BMI between 20 and 25 is:
55.1kg (8st 9lb) to 68.8kg (10st 12lb)."
I'm still on track to hit my target weight of 11st by end of November!
Tuesday, 2 October 2012
Week 7 Fasting Days
FASTING DAY #1
So far, so good. It feels like I could go on doing this forever!
A bit more tricky than usual today, as I was at a client's until lunchtime. I hadn't brought any food with me, as I didn't know that food wasn't going to be provided! I ended up having a small egg mayo and rocket sandwich on brown bread from a certain supermarket chain, which contained only 384 calories.
Dinner was poached salmon, with garden peas (oops, quite a few calories in peas!) and tender stem broccoli, yum!
Total calories today: 736
FASTING DAY #2
I was off-site again today, this time a trip up to the Leicester office. I didn't have any water to drink on the way, so I arrived very hungry indeed! A couple of cups of water saw me through 'til lunch, when I had a simple egg salad roll: not much butter and no mayonnaise. I guessed at around 300 calories.
Dinner was a tin of yellow fin tuna with a lump of mayonnaise, and five baby tomatoes. Probably no more than 260 calories.
Total calories today: 558
So far, so good. It feels like I could go on doing this forever!
A bit more tricky than usual today, as I was at a client's until lunchtime. I hadn't brought any food with me, as I didn't know that food wasn't going to be provided! I ended up having a small egg mayo and rocket sandwich on brown bread from a certain supermarket chain, which contained only 384 calories.
Dinner was poached salmon, with garden peas (oops, quite a few calories in peas!) and tender stem broccoli, yum!
Total calories today: 736
FASTING DAY #2
I was off-site again today, this time a trip up to the Leicester office. I didn't have any water to drink on the way, so I arrived very hungry indeed! A couple of cups of water saw me through 'til lunch, when I had a simple egg salad roll: not much butter and no mayonnaise. I guessed at around 300 calories.
Dinner was a tin of yellow fin tuna with a lump of mayonnaise, and five baby tomatoes. Probably no more than 260 calories.
Total calories today: 558
Friday, 28 September 2012
Week 6 Weigh-In
The weight loss appears to be slowing, which is interesting.
I wonder if my metabolic rate is compensating for the reduced calorie intake; or perhaps the fact that I'm getting less exercise right now is affecting the results?
Or perhaps it's just some common-cause variation within the measurements?
We'll see what happens next week. I can report though, that some clothes which were too tight to wear are now baggy again, and my trousers are all a bit loose around the waist!
Weight: 74.6kg / 11st 10lb
BMI: 27.2
New chart:
Tuesday, 25 September 2012
Week 6 Fasting Days
FASTING DAY #1
Once again, I didn't eat my scrambled eggs until lunchtime. I got a bit peckish around 10:30 / 11:00am, so I drank some water and felt absolutely fine. I could have eaten even later than I did (about 12:45pm), but it's easier to eat at work during my lunch break than afterwards.
No afternoon snack again, just a yummy dinner of tuna and salad with olive oil and mayonnaise!
Total calories today: 578
FASTING DAY #2
Scrambled eggs for lunch, and poached salmon with steamed greens for dinner.
I did have a couple of mouthfulls of my son's pasta with pesto though!
Total calories today: 610
Once again, I didn't eat my scrambled eggs until lunchtime. I got a bit peckish around 10:30 / 11:00am, so I drank some water and felt absolutely fine. I could have eaten even later than I did (about 12:45pm), but it's easier to eat at work during my lunch break than afterwards.
No afternoon snack again, just a yummy dinner of tuna and salad with olive oil and mayonnaise!
Total calories today: 578
FASTING DAY #2
Scrambled eggs for lunch, and poached salmon with steamed greens for dinner.
I did have a couple of mouthfulls of my son's pasta with pesto though!
Total calories today: 610
Week 5 Weigh-In
The trend downwards continues, toward my notional target weight of 11 stone.
Weight (without shoes this time!) is 74.9kg / 11st 11lb.
BMI is now 27.1
Progress is steady!
The (corrected) chart now looks like this:
Weight (without shoes this time!) is 74.9kg / 11st 11lb.
BMI is now 27.1
Progress is steady!
The (corrected) chart now looks like this:
Week 5: Fasting Day #2
I managed, fairly easily it has to be said, to hold out until lunch to eat my first meal, which was scrambled eggs (again). I ate it at about 12:45pm.
Today though, I didn't eat a snack before dinner: we have no bananas today!
Dinner was a luxurious tuna salad, dressed with olive oil and mayonnaise!
Total calories today: 578
I'm going to try to repeat this new regime next week, to see if it can be sustained.
A slightly negative point: the extra energy that I felt I had seems to have gone. I'm not tired or anything, so perhaps it's still there but just not as noticeable as before.
Today though, I didn't eat a snack before dinner: we have no bananas today!
Dinner was a luxurious tuna salad, dressed with olive oil and mayonnaise!
Total calories today: 578
I'm going to try to repeat this new regime next week, to see if it can be sustained.
A slightly negative point: the extra energy that I felt I had seems to have gone. I'm not tired or anything, so perhaps it's still there but just not as noticeable as before.
Tuesday, 18 September 2012
Week 5: Fasting, and New Information
Well, you get the idea by now. My fasting days have settled into a manageable routing that works for me, and it probably won't change much for the time being.
Calories on week 5, fasting day #1 - 615
Interestingly though, Helen (my wife) came across an article about fasting, that provides some pointers as to how to get the most benefit out of it.
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/09/14/intermittent-fasting-benefits.aspx
In summary:
Eating one meal a day (and snacking on whey protein and berries) gives maximum benefit, because your body is actually fasting for a much longer time between meals (around 15 hours).
Now I'm not prepared to try this (because I want to keep on enjoying fasting!), but as it turns out, my new regime of skipping breakfast goes some way towards it: the gap (fast) between finishing digesting my evening meal from the night before, and eating my first meal, is about 8 to 9 hours. If I had eaten breakfast before I went to work, it would only be about 4 hours.
On Thursday, I'll try to hold out eating my scrambled eggs until the afternoon and see how I get on!
Calories on week 5, fasting day #1 - 615
Interestingly though, Helen (my wife) came across an article about fasting, that provides some pointers as to how to get the most benefit out of it.
http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2012/09/14/intermittent-fasting-benefits.aspx
In summary:
Eating one meal a day (and snacking on whey protein and berries) gives maximum benefit, because your body is actually fasting for a much longer time between meals (around 15 hours).
Now I'm not prepared to try this (because I want to keep on enjoying fasting!), but as it turns out, my new regime of skipping breakfast goes some way towards it: the gap (fast) between finishing digesting my evening meal from the night before, and eating my first meal, is about 8 to 9 hours. If I had eaten breakfast before I went to work, it would only be about 4 hours.
On Thursday, I'll try to hold out eating my scrambled eggs until the afternoon and see how I get on!
Saturday, 15 September 2012
Week 4: Fasting Day #2
I seem to have fallen into a routine of sorts; I'm sticking with the same foods, which a) I enjoy eating, and b) get me through the day with the minimum of hunger pangs.
Today was a little different though: I had a small coffee with a splash of milk and 1/2 a teaspoon of sugar! It did take me slightly over my target of 600 calories though.
Breakfast, 11:00am in my friend's cafe (Slice Sussex on New Church Road in Hove - shameless plug):
Scrambled eggs (3 eggs); no butter - 300 calories.
Cup of coffee mid-afternoon: espresso with splash full fat milk and 1/2 teaspoon sugar - 30 calories
Afternoon snack, 3:00pm:
100g banana - 95 calories.
Dinner, 6:45pm (pretty hungry by this point):
One can of drained Yellow Fin tuna - 128 calories.
Rocket and lettuce leaf salad, no dressing - 10 calories.
1/2 tablespoon Hellmans Mayonnaise - 50 calories.
Total calorie intake today - 613
Slice Sussex
Fresh locally sourced ingredients, a fab menu, great coffee and friendly efficient service!
Slice Sussex
Fresh locally sourced ingredients, a fab menu, great coffee and friendly efficient service!
Friday, 14 September 2012
Mass / BMI Chart Updated
I weighed myself between fasting days this week (no particular reason): I weigh the same this week as I did last week.
This is of no particular importance; however, the reason I mention it is that while I was weighing myself, I realised that I still had my trainers on. Trainers add height, and they weigh almost a kilogram!
I have since measured the thickness of the sole of my trainers, weighed them, and made corresponding adjustments to the Mass/ BMI chart.
Updated chart is here:
http://fastalex.blogspot.com/2012/09/weight-bmi-time-chart.html
From now on, I will be weighing myself sans-footwear!
This is of no particular importance; however, the reason I mention it is that while I was weighing myself, I realised that I still had my trainers on. Trainers add height, and they weigh almost a kilogram!
I have since measured the thickness of the sole of my trainers, weighed them, and made corresponding adjustments to the Mass/ BMI chart.
Updated chart is here:
http://fastalex.blogspot.com/2012/09/weight-bmi-time-chart.html
Week 4: Fasting Day #1
After a Chinese takeaway meal shared with friends and family on Saturday, and managing to eat most of the leftovers as well, I was looking forward to my fasting day.
As usual, it was pretty straightforward; no massive hunger pangs or wobbles. Although, my wife and I went out to a concert that evening, and afterwards I was tempted to hoover up the leftover chocolates that the babysitters didn't eat! In the end, I managed to resist; I ate them all the next day instead.
Breakfast, 11:00am:
Scrambled eggs (3 eggs); trace of butter - 300 calories.
Afternoon snack, about 4:00pm:
100g banana - 95 calories.
Dinner, 6:00pm:
140g Scottish loch trout fillet - 275 calories.
Lettuce and onion salad; trace olive oil / lemon juice dressing - 20 calories.
Total calorie intake today - 690
A bit over my limit again, but it's a target of 600 not an absolute maximum (well, for me anyway).
As usual, it was pretty straightforward; no massive hunger pangs or wobbles. Although, my wife and I went out to a concert that evening, and afterwards I was tempted to hoover up the leftover chocolates that the babysitters didn't eat! In the end, I managed to resist; I ate them all the next day instead.
Breakfast, 11:00am:
Scrambled eggs (3 eggs); trace of butter - 300 calories.
Afternoon snack, about 4:00pm:
100g banana - 95 calories.
Dinner, 6:00pm:
140g Scottish loch trout fillet - 275 calories.
Lettuce and onion salad; trace olive oil / lemon juice dressing - 20 calories.
Total calorie intake today - 690
A bit over my limit again, but it's a target of 600 not an absolute maximum (well, for me anyway).
Saturday, 8 September 2012
Week 3 Weigh-In
Weight loss! In my opinion, outside the range of normal variation:
6lb / 2.6kg total weight lost so far!
I've updated the Weight / BMI chart with new values and trend line (BMI / height variation not corrected):
My target weight is 69.7 kg (11.0 stones), and target BMI is 25.0 (for now). At this rate, I'll fit into my very old clothes by the end of November!
More later.
Alex.
6lb / 2.6kg total weight lost so far!
I've updated the Weight / BMI chart with new values and trend line (BMI / height variation not corrected):
My target weight is 69.7 kg (11.0 stones), and target BMI is 25.0 (for now). At this rate, I'll fit into my very old clothes by the end of November!
More later.
Alex.
What To Eat On Non-Fasting Days?
Assuming that you've persevered with this blog, you might be wondering what I eat between fasting days.
The answer is, pretty much anything I want! In truth, it's definitely less than before I started though. I'm not snacking between meals; without meaning to, I seem to have trained myself to eat breakfast later in the day, and I can't eat big portions without trying to eat through the feeling-absolutely-stuffed-barrier.
I'm still drinking the odd beer and glass or two of wine when I feel like it too. Having said that, I had a pint of organic perry (pear cider) out in town last Friday (following a fasting day) and felt so full I couldn't move!
I'm off to weigh myself this morning, so more later.
The answer is, pretty much anything I want! In truth, it's definitely less than before I started though. I'm not snacking between meals; without meaning to, I seem to have trained myself to eat breakfast later in the day, and I can't eat big portions without trying to eat through the feeling-absolutely-stuffed-barrier.
I'm still drinking the odd beer and glass or two of wine when I feel like it too. Having said that, I had a pint of organic perry (pear cider) out in town last Friday (following a fasting day) and felt so full I couldn't move!
I'm off to weigh myself this morning, so more later.
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