I catch sight of myself in a shop window whilst in Italy. Instead of seeing a plump lady, looking away quickly and sucking my tummy in, I am amazed, jubilant, happy and sneak another look. Here's how:
Last summer, I saw the BBC Horizon program and the health benefits were an immediate attraction as I have a very close relative who is insulin dependent, and the idea of only counting calories on 2 days a week made it seem easy enough. I started with the intention of going for the long haul.
Very soon, I found I was not overly hungry on fast days and was definitely enjoying the sense of discipline and of being back in control. At first, I nibbled the evening before a Fast Day and thought about food constantly but this eased off fairly quickly and I began to lose the habit of snacking on non-fast days, too. I shared my calories between 12 noon lunch and 7pm dinner and, as I have always struggled to enjoy breakfast on a daily basis, I started to miss this meal out every day. (I posted a comment and Dr M emailed me back to say the necessity for breakfast is a myth and he is doing more research. Excellent support.)
In March, I reached my target weight and although I still had a bit of plumpness around my middle, I planned to move onto 6:1 and see how my body redistributed things. But before I could establish a routine, I found that even without any fast days, I was still losing a little weight every week and my other stats were also reducing. So the 7 hour eating window obviously does it for me. Others have posted similar benefits but there seems to be some doubt as to what to call it – how about 7:24, or even 7:24:7?
Back from holiday and of course I had put a few pounds on (oh, the pasta, the ice-cream) but a return to the 7 hour eating window meant that after 2 weeks, I was back down to the weight I was before I went away. And I have a complete new wardrobe of clothes from the back of the wardrobe that now fit again, for free.
Today is my 65th birthday. I may have more lines than before, which is only to be expected. I weigh 127 lbs, have a 29 inch waist, a 27.3% fat ratio, a 20.2% BMI. OH has promised to tell me if I lose to much more and I think my weight will stabilise pretty soon. I feel good and am hoping if not for more years, to be healthier, fitter and more able to enjoy the years I have left.
For before and after photos, see:
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2491#p20889
Last summer, I saw the BBC Horizon program and the health benefits were an immediate attraction as I have a very close relative who is insulin dependent, and the idea of only counting calories on 2 days a week made it seem easy enough. I started with the intention of going for the long haul.
Very soon, I found I was not overly hungry on fast days and was definitely enjoying the sense of discipline and of being back in control. At first, I nibbled the evening before a Fast Day and thought about food constantly but this eased off fairly quickly and I began to lose the habit of snacking on non-fast days, too. I shared my calories between 12 noon lunch and 7pm dinner and, as I have always struggled to enjoy breakfast on a daily basis, I started to miss this meal out every day. (I posted a comment and Dr M emailed me back to say the necessity for breakfast is a myth and he is doing more research. Excellent support.)
In March, I reached my target weight and although I still had a bit of plumpness around my middle, I planned to move onto 6:1 and see how my body redistributed things. But before I could establish a routine, I found that even without any fast days, I was still losing a little weight every week and my other stats were also reducing. So the 7 hour eating window obviously does it for me. Others have posted similar benefits but there seems to be some doubt as to what to call it – how about 7:24, or even 7:24:7?
Back from holiday and of course I had put a few pounds on (oh, the pasta, the ice-cream) but a return to the 7 hour eating window meant that after 2 weeks, I was back down to the weight I was before I went away. And I have a complete new wardrobe of clothes from the back of the wardrobe that now fit again, for free.
Today is my 65th birthday. I may have more lines than before, which is only to be expected. I weigh 127 lbs, have a 29 inch waist, a 27.3% fat ratio, a 20.2% BMI. OH has promised to tell me if I lose to much more and I think my weight will stabilise pretty soon. I feel good and am hoping if not for more years, to be healthier, fitter and more able to enjoy the years I have left.
For before and after photos, see:
viewtopic.php?f=23&t=2491#p20889
