I had resigned myself to the common thought that as one grows older, metabolic rate slows down, resulting in weight gain. Following the government recommended dietary guidelines of low fat, high carbs and plenty of exercise did not do anything to help me maintain or lose weight.
Since starting intermittent fasting at the beginning of the year, I was pleased that I had managed to lose a little bit of weight and then I stagnated. It was very frustrating. But I persevered.
In September I came across the Ketogenic ‘diet’ or lifestyle. This is virtually the opposite of the government recommended dietary guidelines. This is where you consume a small quantity of carbs, usually not more than 20 g, moderate quantity of protein, up to 50 g and a high quantity of healthy fats, 80-90 g. Processed fats like sunflower oil, margarine, rapeseed oil do not fall into this category. Healthy fats include olive oil, butter, avocado oil, ghee, coconut oil.
I quickly adapted to the Keto way as I had already been practising intermittent fasting, eating within a 5-6-hour window. As I got further into this lifestyle, I found that I could go virtually 24 hours before having my next meal. This was because of the higher fat consumption, which kept me satiated longer.
As I continued with this change in lifestyle, I found that the stubborn weight was coming and staying off, despite the high quantity of healthy fat I was consuming. Inches began to fall off, belly fat started to melt away, the spare tyres got smaller and I could see a more defined waistline. I was over the moon. I had finally found a way where I could eat healthily and lose and eventually maintain my weight.
I had spent a lot of time researching this way of eating. One thing led to another, and the more I researched, the more information I found, the more I began to experiment. I experimented with eating different types of foods and the different ways of fasting. I had done a 40-hour fast and then a 50-hour fast quite easily. This week I completed a 5-day Autophagy fast. It wasn’t like the previous fasts because I was still eating 1 meal a day. This time the amount of protein consumed should be up to 20 g and carbs up to 50 g. I managed to keep both proteins and carbs at 20 g for the 5 days. This 5-day fast helped to bring me down to my goal weight, which I had set at the beginning of the year at 52.5 kg. On Saturday morning and this morning, I weighed 52.6 kg. Yes - goal achieved. Now all I need to do is to maintain it.
I have decided that I will do the 5-day Autophagy fast every month. I like it because by keeping nutrients to a low level, the body will find the nutrients in the body by recycling the old or unhealthy cells in the body. It’s like a spring clean. It reminds me of the game ‘Pac Man’, which I used to play in the 1980s, where Pac Man chomps up the dots.
At the end of the day, autophagy and fasting have been shown to help improve insulin resistance, which in turn reverses metabolic disorders. Perhaps one day soon governments all over the world will wake up to the fact that their 30+ year old ‘healthy’ dietary guidelines have been incorrect. This is the way I will be following to maintain my good health.
Since starting intermittent fasting at the beginning of the year, I was pleased that I had managed to lose a little bit of weight and then I stagnated. It was very frustrating. But I persevered.
In September I came across the Ketogenic ‘diet’ or lifestyle. This is virtually the opposite of the government recommended dietary guidelines. This is where you consume a small quantity of carbs, usually not more than 20 g, moderate quantity of protein, up to 50 g and a high quantity of healthy fats, 80-90 g. Processed fats like sunflower oil, margarine, rapeseed oil do not fall into this category. Healthy fats include olive oil, butter, avocado oil, ghee, coconut oil.
I quickly adapted to the Keto way as I had already been practising intermittent fasting, eating within a 5-6-hour window. As I got further into this lifestyle, I found that I could go virtually 24 hours before having my next meal. This was because of the higher fat consumption, which kept me satiated longer.
As I continued with this change in lifestyle, I found that the stubborn weight was coming and staying off, despite the high quantity of healthy fat I was consuming. Inches began to fall off, belly fat started to melt away, the spare tyres got smaller and I could see a more defined waistline. I was over the moon. I had finally found a way where I could eat healthily and lose and eventually maintain my weight.
I had spent a lot of time researching this way of eating. One thing led to another, and the more I researched, the more information I found, the more I began to experiment. I experimented with eating different types of foods and the different ways of fasting. I had done a 40-hour fast and then a 50-hour fast quite easily. This week I completed a 5-day Autophagy fast. It wasn’t like the previous fasts because I was still eating 1 meal a day. This time the amount of protein consumed should be up to 20 g and carbs up to 50 g. I managed to keep both proteins and carbs at 20 g for the 5 days. This 5-day fast helped to bring me down to my goal weight, which I had set at the beginning of the year at 52.5 kg. On Saturday morning and this morning, I weighed 52.6 kg. Yes - goal achieved. Now all I need to do is to maintain it.
I have decided that I will do the 5-day Autophagy fast every month. I like it because by keeping nutrients to a low level, the body will find the nutrients in the body by recycling the old or unhealthy cells in the body. It’s like a spring clean. It reminds me of the game ‘Pac Man’, which I used to play in the 1980s, where Pac Man chomps up the dots.
At the end of the day, autophagy and fasting have been shown to help improve insulin resistance, which in turn reverses metabolic disorders. Perhaps one day soon governments all over the world will wake up to the fact that their 30+ year old ‘healthy’ dietary guidelines have been incorrect. This is the way I will be following to maintain my good health.
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