I have read lots of posts recently referencing low carb, micronutrients, calories in calories out etc and wanted to give my viewpoint to anyone new to fasting out there.
Firstly, as someone who has struggled with weight issues for years, I know it can be difficult to get out of the 'diet' mindset, but lets be honest, although they may work in the short term, in the long term they are doomed to failure, most of us will have experience of this.
Fasting is not a quick fix, with Alternate Day Fasting I lost 25lb before anyone really noticed but, after 20 weeks I was down 50lb and wow, everyone noticed then and I felt amazing! The problem was that, although I could enjoy eating every other day it also meant severe restrictions too and I still felt I was on a 'diet'.
Now OMAD and I am loving life. I get to enjoy all of the foods I love, every single day, not to mention all of the other health benefits fasting provides
Secondly forget calories, micros, carbs etc. Now I know that some of you will experience faster losses combining numerous restrictions with OMAD, if you are happy with that then great, but if it means depriving yourself of foods you love then ask yourself if it will be sustainable in the long term. This is a journey, if you want to reach your goal then make the trip as easy and enjoyable for yourself as possible, this is not a diet, it is a long term eating strategy for a healthy life.
Thirdly listen to your body - once you have achieved appetite correction (which I never would have with ADF) you will never need to worry about your weight again. Break your fast gently with something small and yummy, then savour every mouthful of your chosen meal. Enjoy your food, as much and whatever you want, but you must STOP WHEN FULL. It really is as easy as that, no more snacking, once you are full close your window for another day.
Now I am not suggesting you should wolf down a huge McDonald's and family size bag of Harribo every day and, if you did do that you would feel pretty crap. However, the occasional fast food and sweets will do no harm at all and no celebration of life is complete without cake!! Once your body has adjusted to OMAD your body will honestly crave the good stuff and you will be able to enjoy the naughty stuff too without guilt.
Lastly fast clean. Trust me, you may think that sweeteners don't impede your weight loss, but they do spike insulin and increase hunger, thereby making fasting so much tougher. Ditch anything in your cupboards that says low fat, diet etc. These foods are all stuffed with additives and, let's face it, butter tastes so much better than margarine!!!
My final word to newbies is this, once you are past the first couple of weeks hunger will greatly diminish and you will start to feel all of the amazing benefits of fasting. Get the tape measure out, the scales may take some time to move, but I promise you they will. Remember that the most important think is to stay on the wagon, make it a comfortable and enjoyable journey by not restricting the foods you love, and you will be less likely to fall off - good luck everyone
Firstly, as someone who has struggled with weight issues for years, I know it can be difficult to get out of the 'diet' mindset, but lets be honest, although they may work in the short term, in the long term they are doomed to failure, most of us will have experience of this.
Fasting is not a quick fix, with Alternate Day Fasting I lost 25lb before anyone really noticed but, after 20 weeks I was down 50lb and wow, everyone noticed then and I felt amazing! The problem was that, although I could enjoy eating every other day it also meant severe restrictions too and I still felt I was on a 'diet'.
Now OMAD and I am loving life. I get to enjoy all of the foods I love, every single day, not to mention all of the other health benefits fasting provides
Secondly forget calories, micros, carbs etc. Now I know that some of you will experience faster losses combining numerous restrictions with OMAD, if you are happy with that then great, but if it means depriving yourself of foods you love then ask yourself if it will be sustainable in the long term. This is a journey, if you want to reach your goal then make the trip as easy and enjoyable for yourself as possible, this is not a diet, it is a long term eating strategy for a healthy life.
Thirdly listen to your body - once you have achieved appetite correction (which I never would have with ADF) you will never need to worry about your weight again. Break your fast gently with something small and yummy, then savour every mouthful of your chosen meal. Enjoy your food, as much and whatever you want, but you must STOP WHEN FULL. It really is as easy as that, no more snacking, once you are full close your window for another day.
Now I am not suggesting you should wolf down a huge McDonald's and family size bag of Harribo every day and, if you did do that you would feel pretty crap. However, the occasional fast food and sweets will do no harm at all and no celebration of life is complete without cake!! Once your body has adjusted to OMAD your body will honestly crave the good stuff and you will be able to enjoy the naughty stuff too without guilt.
Lastly fast clean. Trust me, you may think that sweeteners don't impede your weight loss, but they do spike insulin and increase hunger, thereby making fasting so much tougher. Ditch anything in your cupboards that says low fat, diet etc. These foods are all stuffed with additives and, let's face it, butter tastes so much better than margarine!!!
My final word to newbies is this, once you are past the first couple of weeks hunger will greatly diminish and you will start to feel all of the amazing benefits of fasting. Get the tape measure out, the scales may take some time to move, but I promise you they will. Remember that the most important think is to stay on the wagon, make it a comfortable and enjoyable journey by not restricting the foods you love, and you will be less likely to fall off - good luck everyone
