Well, I could spend ages formatting and googling images for this but then I'd be putting off the actual beginnings and as I'm on my second fast day today I would have lost those initial feelings of trepidation and wonder so here I am with the beginnings with, soon to follow, my initial fast days and how I coped.
Aged 33, BMI of 26 and generally unhappy with my body I've undertaken the 5:2 fast diet for, potentially, the rest of my life! The book amazed me and I read it in two days, a real feat for someone that doesn't read that quickly. I loved the concept, the science and the data. I couldn't get it out of my head in the following week and I started to imagine my own 5:2 and how, if the science works, it could affect my body, my blood, my mind and my overall quality of life.
I won't lie, my main aim is to lose weight. I've been yoyoing throughout my adult life with fad diets and plans. Outside of specific diets, I've always cooked my own healthy meals but have struggled with portion size and comfort eating on cold days. If I have found something that works and allows me to eat normally 5 days a week then that would be amazing as my previous downfalls dieting have mainly surrounded that awful feeling of never being able to eat certain things again without worrying about how much of it, if any, i'm allowed. Furthermore, if this can actually change the biology of me for the better then I want to give it a go for 3 months and then 6 and then, well who knows.
At this point let me clarify what this blog is not:
- It is not a place to detail the 5:2 fast diet. The book is excellent, short and cheap (I got it on the kindle daily deal for 99p). I recommend you read it if you're curious, if you like the sound of it then try it and make your own mind up.
- It is also not a blog in which I make empirical claims. What happens to me during this process is only about me. It may work the same for you, it may not, but what I'm trying to achieve is a type of diary throughout my initial journey that could support others in a similar position. I'd love to hear from others that are on the diet too.
- It is not a place whereby I intend to concern myself with perfect writing all the time. I've made promises in the past about blogging and the main thing that put me off updating is that feeling of every sentence needing to be perfect before hitting the publish button. Too much pressure is very off-putting so here I am and here I'm rabbiting away!
This is a blog that:
- Will hopefully encourage others to consider it as an approachable method for long-term weight management and improved health.
- Will share my own thoughts on fasting, recipes, coping strategies and results.
- May change and adapt as my experience grows, no promises!
Back to me then. After deciding that I was going to give this a go 2 weeks ago I made an appointment to have my bloods done to gain an accurate 'before' picture of my overall health. I'm an evidence-based person so this was really important to me. After all, what's the point of fasting for a month, realising it's working weight-wise but not knowing how it's affecting your inner health? I waited a week for the results and got them back last Friday 22/2/13. When I have a little more time I'll word process the results to give my 'before' picture for reference later. I intend to give this a really good go for 3 months, have another blood test and another in 6 months. This will enable me to compare the short to mid-term effects on my body and make a decision about whether to continue further.
I'm a teacher, so I was on a week off last week. I was a bit cheeky and I registered for a calorie counting website and took advantage of their free one day trial. I was thinking, 'if I only have about 300 calories for an evening meal, I want lots of calorie counted meals ready at my disposal' (some menu ideas are detailed in the book). So I spent a few hours looking through the recipe database putting 200-300 in the search criteria and taking screen shots (photos) of any recipes that took my fancy. I now have over 50 recipes for evening meals that contain 200-300 calories.
I went food shopping and began by making 4 portions each of the following: Mushroom and broccoli lasagne, mixed bean chili and chicken balti. I froze them all and have labelled the containers with numbers, putting a piece of paper with corresponding numbers on the fridge door. This way I can write down what's in them and their calorie content. It's up to you how you plan and cook your fast day meals of course but my thoughts are that when I've had a busy day at work and I come home starving, I don't want to be cooking and risk the temptation of nibbling bits as I cook so I've chosen to prepare most of meals in advance and aim to continue to do this when I get a chance to cook in batches.
Monday just gone, 25/2/13, seemed like a good time to start with my first fast as it was my first day back at work. So, with my test results in hand, motivation and expectation levels high I began...
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