by Giles on Wed Feb 05, 2020 12:24 pm
I don’t really have weight problems in the usual sense, being tall and slim. Between the ages of 40 to 45 my average weight rose from about 78 kilos to 80 kilos and has stayed there ever since (I’m now 57). If I move/train very little (that’s happened very occasionally for specific reasons) for a week or so then I start to put on some more fat around the waist/belly but otherwise no change. Just lucky genetics here, no great virtue.
BUT: I noticed over the last couple of years that due to some metabolic change my old eating habits no longer fitted. I used to be able to shovel down any quantities of food and I stayed just the same. I was (in)famous for it! Then over the last year or two, increasingly, I often started feeling bloated after ‘normal’ meals, also often a bit more sluggish, less energy, diffuse feelings of discomfort in the abdomen or even some pains. Sometimes I felt no desire for a scheduled meal with others, or could take no pleasure in it, because my body was kinda saying ‘no, don’t want it’. A few months ago I began with ‘intermittent fasting’ on the 16/8 hours model and my general sense of well-being has improved clearly. On most days (but by no means all, it depends on circumstances) I now skip breakfast, just drink plenty of hot water in the morning, also train quite a lot when I have the time, and eat my first meal sometime between 11am and 1pm. Then final calories around 8pm or 9pm. So I have a roughly 16 hour period (which can slide back and forth a little) when I intake no calories and a roughly 8 hour period when I eat normally, also large portions and sometimes snacks in between. I feel clearer, more comfortable and the craving for food pre-noon has pretty much vanished. Also I find my weight is still remaining pretty stable, or is maybe back down to 79 kilos, while my waistline is a little slimmer again.
Some days I eat three normal meals through the day but unless I’m excercising more intensely on these days, or hiking or similar, then I soon feel that it isn’t really good for me any more.
I’d be interested in trying fasting for longer periods, but shared cooking and eating is an important part of our family life right now, which enjoys high priority as well.
Do not make the mistake of giving up the near in order to seek the far.