And welcome to fad central!
Yes, once again we have got to that time of the year, when, frustrated by the pounds i’m so efficiently storing around my midriff, I try something, anything, to rid myself of the maybe-slightly-over-middle-age spread.
Apart from a sustainable diet and exercise program, of course. I mean, let’s not go crazy here.
So, you may well ask, what’s the fad-of-the-day this time? Well, let me explain.
Try, Try Again
You see, apart from honest, hard work, or holding back from stuffing my face with an inordinate amount of possibly deep fried food (And yes, I would like to go large on the fried carbs and sugar, thank you so very much for asking), I’ve tried a few things to drop those last few pounds (or should that be tonnes?)
I’ve tried apple cider vinegar, planking, Slimmer’s World, extended dog walking (as long as it’s not raining), cutting down on the carbs, upping my already substantial caffeine intake, mindfulness, and even dry January(ish).
And yet, in the closing days of my 48th year, I still find myself with a spare tyre better suited to a monster truck. So, let’s try again, shall we?
Weight For It
Now, at its heart, weight loss is actually not all that complicated. Unless one has medical issues, getting in the way, it’s a matter of consuming less calories (which I today found out is the amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of pure water by 1 degree, so now you know) than you use. Something that can be achieved by moving more and eating less. The trick is embedding this into the days and weeks in a way that is consistent, accountable, and sustainable.
One way of doing this is calorie counting. It’s possibly the best way, I mean keeping a count of how much energy is going in and how much is being expended is pretty accurate, as long as it’s done in an honest fashion (yes, I have seen Sneaky Eaters). The trouble is, it’s also a pain in the you-know-what. Tracking every last calorie of everything I ever eat is not going to bring much joy to my life, especially if I am to do it consistently and sustainably.
No, life’s too short.
Hack, Slash, Give It A Bash
So, what else is there? What can I embed in my life that might help me either drop the calorie intake, or up the calorie expenditure. There’s so much out there, so many different diets and life-hacks, it makes it near impossible to tell
Unless I give it a go.
So, to cut an annoyingly long story short, that’s what I’m doing. The fad of choice is Intermittent Fasting, which sounds more extreme than it is. What I intend to try is getting my food intake in an eight hour window and not eating a bit in the remaining sixteen hours the day holds for three of the seven days of the week.
As I say, this sounds more extreme than it is. For at least eight of those sixteen hours I’m asleep, a time I’m less likely to be stuffing my face. The other eight hours can be split between after the last meal of the day and before the first meal of the next. Given a supper time of, say, Seven o’clock, that means forgoing evening snacking and pushing breakfast back, or giving it a skip. This should (should), the theory holds, get my body into a fat consuming state. It possibly also means that, given less meals, I might take on a bit less fuel.
The Long And The Short Of It
Now, as mentioned, in the short term, I can see this being a success. Over a month or so, I can see myself displaying the discipline needed. I might even shed some of the unwanted lard. The question will be, can I keep it going. Can I make this not just a short term, short fix, but a lifestyle change. I’m traditionally a fan of breakfast, so will giving it up for half of the week be too much? Will the four other days simply end up being a gorge-fest? In short, can I make it a sustainable, consistent, accountable change?
Unless I give it a go.
So, to cut an annoyingly long story short, that’s what I’m doing. The fad of choice is Intermittent Fasting, which sounds more extreme than it is. What I intend to try is getting my food intake in an eight hour window and not eating a bit in the remaining sixteen hours the day holds for three of the seven days of the week.
As I say, this sounds more extreme than it is. For at least eight of those sixteen hours I’m asleep, a time I’m less likely to be stuffing my face. The other eight hours can be split between after the last meal of the day and before the first meal of the next. Given a supper time of, say, Seven o’clock, that means forgoing evening snacking and pushing breakfast back, or giving it a skip. This should (should), the theory holds, get my body into a fat consuming state. It possibly also means that, given less meals, I might take on a bit less fuel.
The Long And The Short Of It
Now, as mentioned, in the short term, I can see this being a success. Over a month or so, I can see myself displaying the discipline needed. I might even shed some of the unwanted lard. The question will be, can I keep it going. Can I make this not just a short term, short fix, but a lifestyle change. I’m traditionally a fan of breakfast, so will giving it up for half of the week be too much? Will the four other days simply end up being a gorge-fest? In short, can I make it a sustainable, consistent, accountable change?
Today is day one, and I have to report that I didn’t really have too many difficulties. Not having toast or cereal with my coffee was a tad odd, but I wasn’t really hungry until about 11:30 (And I think I’d forgotten what being hungry feels like, so that probably tells you a lot). The challenge, well, that will be going forward.
We’ll see.
*A note:- before I forget, there will be no blog post next week, as I’ll be far too busy enjoying myself, Tune in in two weeks time for how and why.
Until then…
Hey, there! If you enjoyed reading any of the above, why not take a look at some of my published work? Below you’ll find links to a number of short stories I’m lucky enough to have included in anthologies. I’d love to know what you think
New Tales Of Old: Volume 2
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B09TMVTX9H/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
Death Ship
https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/9198684140/ref=cm_sw_r_apan_glt_fabc_TWEMTA3KWK7T89QEZPF6?fbclid=IwAR322Fx5nfgVUQAA62ZZ6CUsNnBm8pbSxPanzz6Qkjg3vAv4ESipq7iKKhs
https://www.waterstones.com/book/death-ship/david-green/s-o-green/9789198684148?fbclid=IwAR2gP4CXHSG7wTccO39wOqXFtI81k0259Ep8DUM48Ki6kTUdlKoF3yafojA
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/9198684140/ref=ewc_pr_img_1?smid=A2XZ7JICGUQ1CX&psc=1&fbclid=IwAR2Wa6sGxb82_VCsC7l1CGXwHjsSwTheqba6jDX_G8EDsywZoGpC93nXr2w
Reaperman
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Reaperman-Drabbles-3-Legends-Night-ebook/dp/B099NNPTQ1A
Pestilence
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pestilence-Revelations-Black-Ink-Fiction/dp/B09MDLZGHY/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2VP38WZDWJVAF&keywords=black+ink+fiction&qid=1654090896&sprefix=black+ink+fiction%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-1
The Musketeers Vs Cthulhu
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Musketeers-Cthulhu-Court-King-Louis-ebook/dp/B09YQKQQB7/ref=sr_1_18?crid=2VP38WZDWJVAF&keywords=black+ink+fiction&qid=1654091002&sprefix=black+ink+fiction%2Caps%2C218&sr=8-18
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