Eleven weeks into my plan to lose weight, I need to assess where I stand. Do I need to change some things? When you make plans, it bumps into reality. You look at your goals and improvise. You adapt.
I haven't eaten rice since Week 1. Haven't changed that. I feel that is the most basic thing to do. It solves the problem of eating too much carbohydrates and helps in lowering my caloric intake. I sought to replace my starch-based breads with home-baked coconut flour made ones. Yes, I made it myself. I had to go back to a skill I haven't used since twenty years ago. Baking.
I am trying to do a 16-hours continuous fast, then break the fast with a solid nutritious low carb high fat, moderate protein meal. Then reset the timer for another 16-hours fast. I watch my electrolytes, I drink water and black coffee. When your urine is growing darker from light yellow to darker, you need to increase water intake. How much protein to eat daily? The rule of thumb is 1 to 1.5 times per kilogram of your ideal or target weight. So if I want to stay at 67.5 kg my daily protein intake should be 67 grams to 101 grams. I am not an athlete and I am not training to run the New York Marathon any time soon. 75 grams of protein daily is about normal for me. 100 grams of protein is the most that target ratio of 20% could take. The 16-hour continuous fast is a rolling fast I try to finish. The operating word here is try. In practice a lot of things break my fast. I have to meet someone out and they offer you coffee and treats. I visit a friend's house, they always have food on the plate for me. Being social animals I prioritize that eating what they offered is more important than keeping my fast.
I have to continue with the fast, reset, stick with my solid well planned meal. The great thing about this diet is it is forgiving. I should also take into account the season I am in. In the Filipino setting, Christmas and New Year are terrible, horrible times to think about dieting. But I try.
tags: health, diet
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