Fatty 1 – Intermittent Fasting Week 6

Well another week down.  Everything is going along fine.  I’m down between a half pound and a pound, so all in all I’ve lost between about ten pounds in the 6 weeks.  I suppose that some people won’t find that fast enough, but I’m quite content with it.  It is slow and steady progress, which is what I was looking for, and I don’t feel miserable.

That last part of the above sentence is all important.  Do I feel hungry?  Yes, sometimes.  Do I feel miserable?  No.  Do I loathe the fact that I’m on this diet, and that I can’t eat what I want, and feel deprived every moment?  No.  Do I resent having to count my calories, or points or whatever? No, because I don’t have to. Do I resent not eating grains and stuff.  Not really, because it’s my choice, and I don’t have to eat that way.  I did the first two weeks of my fasting not eating paleo, I just added it on when my crossfit gym had a leaning out contest. Three more weeks to go.  And honestly I’ve had some wheat and stuff here and there, but nothing like before.  Oh yeah, and I don’t feel guilty about it.

And am I getting results?  So far, so good.

So in a nutshell, I’m happy with my eating.  What is interesting is how other people react when I explain the fasting concept, and the paleo concept.  First of all, I don’t tend to tell that many people, mostly because I don’t want to have to explain it all, but when I do, I generally get the following responses.

The facial expression indicates that I’ve suddenly sprouted two heads, and then joined a tracksuit-wearing cult.  There is the skeptical, that can’t be healthy look.  These are generally followed up with a tentative, well, you know you are supposed to eat six small meals all day. How can you not eat, won’t that slow down your metabolism? Or there is the defensive, I couldn’t do that.  My blood sugar gets low and I turn into a maniac, and am likely to go on a shooting spree.

Then when I add on the paleo part, it’s more of the same.  Oh I couldn’t do that.  Grains are healthy for you.  I try to explain that perhaps not as healthy as we think, given that many of us may not be fully adapted to eating them, since through most of our evolutionary history we didn’t eat them regularly.

More than half the people in my office are diabetic and pre-diabetic, and I see them eat their lowfat , high in sugar foods.  I see them snacking all day, on “healthy” processed foods, like yogurt smoothies in plastic bottles, and Lean Cuisines, and Snackwells.  And I think, it’s not working for you.  I don’t point that out though.

I just say, well, the way I’m doing it seems to working good for me. And I point out that I’ve lost x number of pounds, and I don’t crave the foods I used to as much.  I mention that I’ve been on all the big diets, Atkins, Weight Watchers, low carb, low fat meals all day. I’ve done them, and I couldn’t stick to them.  I’ve eating the several small meals (that turned into several not so small meals).  I’ve counted my calories, and my points, and my carbs, and hated doing it.  So far, I’ve been doing this for six weeks, and I don’t mind.  That to me, is the biggest endorsement I can offer.

And maybe if it keeps working for me, and I lose the weight I want to lose, and I keep it off, then maybe, just maybe, people won’t look at me like I have two heads.  And maybe they might think, I could do that, it seems to work.