Dieting Update
Sunday, February 18, 2007 at 6:51 I wrote earlier this month that my diet had been getting more difficult. Now for the first time I’ve had to spend two days only eating one meal a day. I am exactly on my target weight, but it’s taking less food to keep me there.
However something entirely unexpected has occurred, and that is that I don’t feel hungry. None of the symptoms I associate with missing meals have manifested themselves - I don’t feel light-headed, I feel perfectly fit and strong, and I have no hunger pains.
It strikes me that there is a lot of difference between skipping meals when one has been eating indiscrimately, and skipping meals when one has been training oneself (as I have) to eat less over a period of some two and a half months. In particular, the last time I had anything sugary to eat was on 31 January, well over two weeks ago. That probably means that my blood sugar is far more stable than it would have been previously.
As I say, this is an entirely unexpected effect, but it does seem that the people who said that missing meals would slow my metabolism are correct. The only thing is that I now realise that this is a good thing. I can now maintain an even weight on much less food than before. That’s rather like finding a way to reduce a car’s petrol consumption without effecting its performance.
Full details of the diet I am following can be found here.
Reader Comments (10)
Thanks for returning the blog back to the old format of several entries on one page and you managed to do this and retain more adverts at the same time.
regards
Mark
How can it be a good thing to have a slow metabolism?
Imagine you are out camping, you are tired, hungry, cold - the sun is setting. You decide to build a camp fire to warm up, cook your food to fill your empty belly, but alas - you put your philosophy into practice and build a mouse size camp fire, how warm are you going to feel? How much food are you going to be able to warm up, if any?
Your partner on the other hand, has a different philosophy - she decides to build a bonfire, which will cook her food and warm her up quickly. ENERGY IN - ENERGY OUT.
Missing meals WILL slow your metabolism - you are right. What you really want here is a fast metabolism - How long do you think a car will run on little or no fuel? It will soon stop - die - is that what you are advocating to the millions of desperate people out there wanting to lose weight. Your system will keep people FAT FOREVER.
You may be able to maintain an even weight on much less food today, but what about tomorrow, next week, next month, next year?
Reduce energy consumption and unfortunately the result is - reduced performance, accumulation of toxins and lowered function of vital organs. End result - ???????????????????????????
SOLUTION- Raise your metabolism by eating lots of - fruit, vegetables, little meat, little fish, good fats (organic coconut oil, virgin cold pressed olive oil,little organic butter and lots of water, daily walking, some weight bearing exercises a couple of times a week. Eliminate grains and sugars completely.
RESULT - A Lean Machine.
The main thing that your image of the bonfire conjures up in my mind is that, although it may be great fun to sit round one singing campfire songs, it is an extremely wasteful way of cooking food. In the same way that the forest won't last long if too many people use huge amounts of wood to light bonfires, so the world can't support all these people with blazing metabolisms. With food shortages and prices rocketing, I think the days of being able to stuff oneself with food are numbered.
A better image is of American cars which have traditionally had large gas-guzzling relatively inefficient engines, contrasted with smaller, more economical and much more efficient European car engines.
I can only speak from my personal experience but I have lost 24 lbs this year using the diet I describe and feel much healthier than I did before.
Finally I don't understand why you think the regime you describe would raise one's metabolism. It sounds to me as if anyone following it would be eating even less than I am advocating.
The bonfire was an analogy Mark, so was the mouse size camp fire. You still MISSED the point.
Where in my article did I say 'STUFF' yourself with food??????
In your final word - didn't you say that in my regime - people would be eating less?????? CONTRADICTION/CONFUSION
(((SOLUTION- Raise your metabolism by eating LOTS of - fruit, vegetables, little meat, little fish, good fats (organic coconut oil, virgin cold pressed olive oil,little organic butter and lots of water, daily walking, some weight bearing exercises a couple of times a week. Eliminate grains and sugars completely.)))
Is your 24lb loss 'FAT' or 'LEAN MUSCLE MASS'??????????
If it's the latter - you will get fatter. Mark my words.
Sensible eating is what is required. A finely tuned body (machine) functions better, runs smoother on good quality food (fuel). Not too little - not too much. We need a certain amount of calories (fuel) to keep our body (vehicle) functioning well.
Hope this has cleared things up for you Mark.
warm regards - olya
www.ntpages.com.au/therapist/7489
www.maximise-your-results.com
I can't see that there is any contradiction in what I said. I pointed out that having a fast metabolism uses more food for a given result than having a slow metabolism.
I also said that your recommended diet sounds more as if it would produce a slow metabolism than a fast metabolism.
Please note that I am defending my diet, not attacking yours!
Mark -
Where in my article did I say 'STUFF' yourself with food??????
In your final word - didn't you say that in my regime - people would be eating less than you're advocating?????? -
DID I GIVE QUANTITIES? NO - so how can that be less.
(((SOLUTION- Raise your metabolism by eating LOTS of - fruit, vegetables, little meat, little fish, good fats (organic coconut oil, virgin cold pressed olive oil,little organic butter and lots of water, daily walking, some weight bearing exercises a couple of times a week. Eliminate grains and sugars completely.)))
Sensible eating is what is required. A finely tuned body (machine) functions better, runs smoother on good quality food (fuel). Not too little - not too much. We need a certain amount of calories (fuel) to keep our body (vehicle) functioning well.
Hope this has cleared things up for you Mark.
warm regards - olya
www.ntpages.com.au/therapist/7489
www.maximise-your-results.com
Yes, you did give quantities:
Lots of fruit
Lots of vegetables
Lots of organic coconut oil
Lots of virgin cold pressed olive oil
Lots of water
Little meat
Little fish
Little organic butter
No grains
No sugars
Once again I repeat that it sounds to me that anyone following that diet would be eating less than someone following my diet.
You Win - Good Luck with your diet.
Olya said:-
good fats (organic coconut oil, virgin cold pressed olive oil,
Mark said:-
Lots of organic coconut oil
Lots of virgin cold pressed olive oil
(LOTS - LITTLE - in the eye of the beholder)
(it's so easy to play with words and point the finger)
warm wishes
olya
p.s. - Protein, Fruit, Vegetables, Good fats, Water, Exercise - walking and resistance - will produce a fast enough metabolism to burn body fat, build lean muscle - keep you young and healthy.
Well that certainly wasn't my intention, Olga, and I'm sorry if I misunderstood you about the quantity of oil that you are recommending. If you'll forgive me for saying so, I had difficulty understanding your rather unconventional punctuation.
I repeat what I said earlier: I am not in the least trying to decry your recommendations. Indeed there would be no problem using them in conjunction with the methods I am describing, should anyone wish to do so.