Teach your body to burn fat and lose weight forever.
Overweight is one of the biggest problem facing mankind today. This is more so in the developed countries but it is fast catching up in the developing places too. The list of issues associated with overweight is so long that I would not list it out. However the reason why I went on a weight loss diet was my cholesterol level have crept up over the years and my GP wants me to start on statins. As all those males above forty will know, the fear of a cardiovascular incident will drive one to improve your health. Most will seriously work out at the gym, going on serious diets to the extend of not eating any food that contains cholesterol. I think they have the same experience as me. It does not seem to work.
The easy way out is actually to take your GP’s advice. Just start taking statins and you will be fine. Afterall there is so much information outside about the effectiveness of this wonder drug that some doctors are advocating you to take it like a vitamin supplement even though you don’t have a cholesterol problem yet. Also when you check around you will find many of your friends already on the medication and they don’t seem to have a problem with it.
I choose to differ. I have high blood pressure since my forties. I have tried all the remedies known be it oil ,salt free, vegetarian diet to no avail. Yes the medication had side effects but by changing them and fine tuning the dosage it is almost no trouble at all.
However I think one medication is enough and I need to do something about it.
I love watching TV especially documentaries. One night I happened to watch the BBC series Trust me I am a doctor. In it Dr Michael Mosley who had similar problems of health. He went on to interview many schools of dietary ideas. The problem with any dietary regime is the effect on our daily life habits not just personal but with the social interactions with people around us. Afterall our immediate family members and all your friends don’t have your health issue.
Food and its consumption is also the time we interact with people the most. Take for example when I was on my vegetarian and oil free diet my family complained terribly about the tasteless and bland food they were having daily. Also I have to give excuses to friends during social gatherings. Finally it did not work.
Five and Two diet
What Dr Mosley discovered and practiced on himself is known as the Five and Two diet. Whether he is still on it , I am not sure but it seemed he did well to reach his targets. Basically this diet advocates you fast on two days limiting your calorie intake to 600 calories for men and 500 calories of ladies. On other days you can eat normally but must not be a glutton. As there are already many articles on the internet that you can find I won’t dwell into it. This diet came about from observations in America that during the Great Depression era of the 1930;s many of these so call health diseases were greatly reduced. The conclusion was this phenomenon was due to reduction in calorie intake. Many people loss their jobs during this period. With a loss in income people had less food available.
Advantages of this diet.
Life goes on as normal as far as social interactions are concern. One does not have to avoid any types of food or cook it differently.You can still partake food or drinks with your social circle albeit on a reduce amount. You choose the two days you have to reduce the calories. Thus literally speaking there is little change in your life.
**** GOAL***
Once you reach your health targets you no longer have to fast on the two days i.e you no longer have to diet. You have mastered the technique of burning fat and thus you don’t have to worry about the issues associated with overweight.
How to get through the diet.
Obviously as with any diets one must stick to it. The first two or three weeks can be daunting but once you overcome that period it will be easy. This is where I can share my experience with you.
At the beginning.
To start of measure your weight and height so that you have an idea of your BMI. Also keep notes of your previous medical reports as a reference.
The two fasting days.
As I have mentioned there are already a lot of resources available, so do refer to them.
My personal regime.
Breakfast
My usual day starts with fruits. I would use a blender, throw in juicy fruits and vegetables such as oranges, starfruit, cucumbers etc. Use fruits that have a high fibre content. Add water to the blending. Thus you get your vitamins, fiber and water to start your day. In addition I will just have two tablespoon of muesli type of cereals with skimmed milk.
Lunch
It can be hard boiled egg, sardines and some fruits such as apple, carrots, celery. I like fruits and vegetables that has low starch content, not sweet and has a lot of bulk.
Tip. Divide the lunch into small portions and eat it over time. Drink lots of water to acoomapny the food so you feel bulk up.
Dinner.
Clear soup, lots of vegetables, a small piece of meat.
Things to avoid.
Sugar and carbohydrates are the biggest contributor to weight gain. So I avoid it completely on the two days. As a dentist I am very well aware of the effects of sugars on our health, thus I hardly consume any soft drinks and generally do not drink any beverages with sugars. I have leant to appreciate tea and coffee in their natural state.
Fats. As you can see fats are important but in this diet it just comes along with the food.
Tip
To distract my hunger pangs on the first two weeks I took time for walks when I feel hungry and not time yet for the next meal. All I needed was a bottle of water and the distraction of the surroundings.
The Science behind this diet.
I am sure most people have tried some or all the diets in their lifetime. Some will find it works but others cannot keep it up for life. The good thing about this diet is it is easy and you can do it for life. The best of all it cost you nothing.
Exercising and weight loss,
Many discipline people will push themselves to burn off the calories. This is very well written subject. However one has to work out the maths to see it is difficult to achieve one’s goal.
When you run or walk 1 km, the energy you burn up is only about 65 kcal. To lose
1 kilo of your weight you have to burn up 7000 kcal. Thus effectively you will have to run 100 kms to do that. Imagine the time consumed, the wear and tear on your body and the extreme discipline to finish it. Worst of all , the impact on your joints when you start exercising as an overweight person.To make matters worse if you drink a rehydrating drink after the exercise then you have zero calories lost.
Effectively to run a marathon you only burn up in the region of a day’s routine calorie intake. If you look at the African world marathon champions they hardly have any fat.
So isn’t it easier just not to take in the calories in the first place.
So the moral of the story is exercise for health and fun so there is no need to stress your body.
Where is our fat and cholesterol coming from in our diet?
In our good life, food has become plentiful. Not just in amount, variety but also very conveniently available. Firstly we have been conditioned from young by our parents as they gave us as much food a we wanted so that we grow up healthy. Asians who are traditionally non milk drinkers have a pint of it daily. The food industry is the worst culprit. The more they sell the more money they make. So not only do they upsize the meal they add a lot of sugars to hook you. Worse of all when the food arrives on the table in order not to waste any, you finish all of it thus conditioning your body to the next big meal.
Carbohydrate is the real culprit.
In human evolution, our main building blocks are protein and fats. Once agriculture was developed carbohydrates as a source of energy was easier to obtain than hunting for food.
However our body is tuned to the early days. When food comes into our system our body is geared towards the absorption and storage of the protein and fat as they are the basic building blocks. In the past man has to do more physical work thus any intake of carbohydrate is welcome.
Now the story has changed. Not only is food abundant, with the help of machines we are doing much less physical work. The nett result is an abundance of carbohydrate and thus calorie intake.
Everything will be fine if excess carbohydrates excreted out just like water as urine.
Now comes the big Ouch.
All the excess carbohydrate is converted to Triglyceride. Yes you did not see wrongly and what does triglyceride end up as? Yes you guessed it. Fats.
So now you can understand why the hype about eating low cholesterol food did not achieve an inch of success!.
We have all being conned.
What else?
As we know the building blocks of cholesterol is triglycerides, you will not have a problem of having a high cholesterol if you just take in the right amount of calories. Simple isn’t it? Now you can return the statins to your GP.
My own personal experience.
As usual when one starts of on any project there is always a lot of scepticism.
My starting weight 71 kilos
Height 168 cm
Trousers waist measurement 34
As can be seen I am not really overweight. However for the sake of my high cholesterol problem I embarked on this journey. I gave myself seven weeks as I was going on a overseas holiday. As usual I am not able to resist the variety and new types of food on such trips.
Results were dramatic.
I loss 6 kilos in 7 weeks.
My blood test results were really rewarding. My cholesterol numbers have improved significantly.
I can now wear trousers with waist measurement of 31.
Pretty dramatic changes in the cholesterol readings.
Ketones in the urine.
The urine test indicated ketones in the urine. I checked my previous test and there was no such thing. Came as a surprised. To my happiness I found out that when your body burns fat, ketones are formed and excreted in the urine.
Hallelujah I can burn fat now.
The biggest benefit I found was my ability to run again. I used to run a lot to the tune of 8 to 10 km regularly. I am also an avid squash player. They go hand in hand. You don’t play squash to be fit but you must be fit to play squash. So you need to run to build up stamina. Over the years i find it increasing difficult to finish 8 km without stopping. It became a case of running and walking.
During the third week I went for my run. I felt I had lots of new found energy and before I knew it I manage to run the whole 8km. That was 5 months ago, now I can run 10 km. Not bad for a 63 year old man.
The Best unintended result.
My blood pressure has come down. I now take only half the dosage of the medication. Hopefully one day I can get on with life free of medication.
Most important now is I never really feel hungry at all. Even if I don’t eat the whole day I can still go running. Amazing.
My weight now still hovers around 64 kg. This was my weight when I was a university student, then the fittest period in my life. Alas the good life had slowly added kilos without be being aware.
I am sure the diet I undertook is not for everyone.However I want to share this with people who have the same problems I had an easy and successful way to claim back your health without medication. Think of the amount of money you can save from not having to pay for all those medications but also the food bill you saved. You are also contributing to a greener world as we know the growth, transport, preparation,sale and consumption of food uses a lot of resources.
Follow through of the diet.
Once you have achieved your goal, it is just a matter of maintenance. The trick is very simple. If you know you are going to have a heavy meal with family or friends, make your other meals very light. In reality even if you don't eat you no longer feel hungry. So now you can really eat for fun.
Now you really can have the cake and eat it.
