Weight Loss Using 5:2 fasting and a Whole Food Plant Based Lifestyle
OCTOBER 2016 - UPDATE
A year ago I was maid of honour at my sisters' wedding. I didn't even bother trying to lose weight for it because I thought it was impossible. But slowly- 1 habit at a time, I made healthier choices. I began 5:2 about a year ago (Which I've since stopped and only fast when I feel like it - about twice a month) and started jogging (I slack off in poor weather) but transitioning to a whole food plant based diet really helped keep the calories low and nutrition high. I no longer get heart palpitations. I no longer feel icky all the time. I had high cholesterol but now they are healthy.
Fast forward a year later and I've lost 9.5kg and gone from "overweight" BMI to "Healthy"! I went on this journey focusing on getting healthy- not losing weight (though that is a criteria for being healthy). I do feel MUCH healthier! Every time I make a bad food choice slip I instantly get heart palpitations and remember how toxic that food is!
Seeing the change in myself makes me kick myself that I didn't start earlier to be immortalized in the wedding photos as a healthier weight - but that is in the past.
I've not finished my journey just yet! I am happy with my body shape- but I really want to be fitter, have abs, decent biceps, be able to keep up with my nephew and get off a chair without groaning lol...we'll see if that is the realistic aim for 2017!
I've learned some things...
I have a bit of a self-sabotaging binging food-addiction issue - nothing too crazy but it definitely slows my weight loss down drastically.
5:2 pros and cons:
While the fasting day itself is mentally tough, it isn't spent feeling hungry or if I do it is not painful. I feel light, energetic and motivated! Only on a handful of occasions have i felt dizzy/faintish - and on those days i will eat a snack and I feel fine!
It saves money on food- REALLY noticeably! BUT only if you have an empty fridge to start with- otherwise it causes a lot of food wastage.
I dislike how I do not have good nutrition on these days due to a result of eating low calorie. This is the biggest reason why I stopped- followed with the mental sadness of not creating a beautiful dish and eating it! Also fasting has 2 main reasons. 1- lower IGF-1 levels (Which is easily done by going vegan) ...or 2- to remove blood glucose from the blood stream and burn fat. These days I chose to do more of a 20:4 style fast and still eat a decent amount of nutritious filled calories in the day.
Transitioning to WFPB pros and cons:
At first my life was turned upside-down. It made me reflect and realise i ate animal protein at EVERY SINGLE MEAL - centering around it in fact! Too much!!!
The first few months were daunting and confusing but also exciting. I love being like Heston and making food that looks like something it is not. I was trying all these new brands of processed "Faux meat" foods during transition and I would never rule these out 100%- they are lovely to have as an indulgence for a "Sunday roast" special weekly lunch tradition I have with my family - but not very healthy compared to an apple- but healthy compared to a roast cow.
My taste buds slowly have gotten used to a less sugar filled diet. - my pallet is refined and 90% chocolate is sweet. I still will buy a rare packet of treats but am working to rule out the evil 4 Cs- cheese, cookies, chips and chocolate.
I didn't note all my measurements, but the dress I wore at my sisters wedding a year ago is now loose and i need to hold the side to tighten it to fit. My nighties pants keep falling off me at night. I need to wear belts with all my jeans. So dropping 1-2 dress sizes seems to be the difference ( I gained 2 dress sizes and was almost up to the third!!!)
I believe fasting is great. I no longer maintain the 5:2. I fast when my life is optimal- i feel healthy with no risk of getting sick and I'm mentally up for it. I think 1 day of fasting a week to a month is enough. The last time i fasted was the 48 hour famine as well as 3 days in a row of only 250 calories- which reboots the immune system- I had so many serious side effects (numb limbs, random bruising, dizzy and rapid heart rate the entire time) and it was quite reckless of me to continue. This being my last experience has slightly put me off again, but i will hopefully in the next month once the fridge is empty.
Eating low animal protein is better for the animals, my health and the planet! Since May i have eaten 4 serves of "meat" (inc minimal bacon pieces in potato mash) as I was a guest and didn't want to be rude...and I have only missed the taste of meat for 2 days (and not even succumed).
I take vitamin D 2000IU daily, B12 5000mg and DHA daily. I take 2 TB of fresh ground flax meal daily. A vegan diet isn't 100% of our needs, but i'd rather supplement and avoid saturated fat, than the alternative. I also have avoided cheese for most of this time- but have relapsed on that. I am working on cutting it way down or out again- it is difficult!
LIFE STORY
2009
Up until several years through UNI i was 45kg (I am only 4'10") - This was attained with relative ease. This is what I regard as "my ideal/realistic and healthy weight". My default. This is now my goal weight.
2010
I was then diagnosed with gluten intolerance and due to poor and expensive stale shop options I got very very much into baking. I would bake literally all day, 5-8 hours, and then continue to eat them all. Needless to say I slowly packed on the pounds...from 45kg to over 60kg in 5 years! As it slowly crawled I tested my cholesterol and it was A-OK! So...I packed more on without worry and continued with my poor food choices. Years of this is what takes effect not just 1 year- little did I know... I believe about 64 would have been my maximum weight but at that stage i had stopped weighing myself.
I made a few tiny changes to lose weight, and tried to actively eat less and put things down and make better choices and did lose some weight.
2015 JUNE - 58kg
This is when I was tested and had high cholesterol. AT MY TENDER AGE OF 27. I was shocked and terrified! How bad shape were my arteries?! I could die in the next 10 years! He said if I were older I would be on statins! So needless to say this was the serious push to lose weight.
I noted my weight, and decided I would log down. I got into all the fad diets/products and tried to eat healthy. Stupidly I believed i needed lots of protein and little bits of carbs. So i ate mostly avocado, low starches, all the protein and shake supplements i could find, protein bars....etc etc!
I did lose a few kgs. But i stalled.
2015 OCT
I was maid of honour. I shed maybe 1 or 2 kg for the day. I didn't feel AWEFUL in my body, i had a waist line so I was ok with it, not proud but not ashamed. I still don't think i was "THAT BAD" but i WAS NOT healthy. Healthy after all this time was the actual thing that motivated me enough to action. I'd always wanted to lose a "few" kgs to be perfect, but never got there ever. Even when i dieted down to 43kg.
2015 NOV
So I then began 5:2.
Again the weight seemed to drop and I was more interested in protein as food as it made craving to eat disappear- making fasting a piece of cake (haha, poor metaphor!).
As time went on this no longer was helping me lose weight and I found the website : nutritionfacts.org. Wow.
MAY 2016 - 51kg
I cut I meat, I started to incorporate those terrifying starches and I began eating the scarey legumes!!! As someone on a modified low fodmaps diet for 7 years, i was terrified of the fibre and all that good stuff!
Healthy food did not kill me. My symptoms were livable! I had made the switch and I was sticking to it! Although....with veganism came a new desire to make mock meats, and replace the foods I was so dependant on (animal protein.) So...this creative desire did up my calories considerably- but it was all supportive of the transition so i kept it up.
AUG 2016 - 49kg
I began eating cheese again. I tried to stop every single day.
OCT 2016 - 48.5kg
Resigned to the fact that cheese is hard to quit, i keep informing myself of the ill effects and saturated fat and bad proteins in it to at least limit my intake.
Here are where the "after" photos above are taken. I can actually SEE the difference, and it is bigger than I thought. The dress is loose. Wow...this weight loss has NEVER happened to me before. Down 9.5kg I was so thrilled and proud! I know that i have 4.5kg to go, and an extra 3 kg if I want to see if I can reach my all time lowest weight of a "model" while still being well within a healthy BMI (not underweight BMI). It was a hard goal to stay at!
I've stalled...I need to make a change and I think I have reached the "lower starches, and raise exercise" level point. Will I reach my goal???
MEASUREMENTS:
2015
JUNE- 58kg BMI - 26.1 (overweight)
13 july- 57.5 kg BMI -25.9
10th July - 56kg (-1.5kg!) BMI 25.2
B-90 W-76 H- 101.5
Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec ?
2016
4th Jan 54.5kg (3 kg down) BMI - 24.5 (NORMAL weight)
5th Jan 54kg
6th Jan 53.5kg! even after 1700 and pizza next day! (4kg) BMI 24.1
8th Jan 53.kg (day after 10k steps and 310 cal — basically worked off all cals i ate)
25 Feb - 52.5 BMI- 23.6 (NORMAL)
B - 92cm
w- 74 lunch
H - 100
MARCH - LOST -5kg b-1cm W-3cm H-3.5cm so far.
52.5kg
B 89cm
W 73cm lunch
H 98cm
APRIL
?
MAY- Mostly Vegan from here on!
?
JUN
W- 50.5kg
B- 86cm
W-74 after lunch
H- 98cm
BMI- 22.7
JULY
W-50.5
B-86
W-72 after breakfast
H-98
BF%- 32.77
HIP RATIO .8 or lower is healthy for visceral fat!
72, 98=.73 - YAY
60, 98= .6 - IDEAL GOAL
AUGUST 22 (I can bend in half without feeling like I’ll puke! I need toning up now! )
N- 30
B- 83
W- 69
H- 96.5
KG- 48.5 (really more like 49)
BF%- 30.53 - (25/30% + = obese) aim is 20-25 - needs improvement, but acceptable, <25= in good shape and <20 = athlete <12 is too low. Advice is to lose 8kg. Weigh 41kg? - seems extreme? BMI says 40kg and under is UNDERWEIGHT.
BMI- 22.1
SEPT
kg- 51.5
OCTOBER
N- 30
B- 85
W- 69
H- 97
KG- 49.5 kg
BF%- 30.97
BMI- 22.3 (18.50 is underweight, so still good!)
LOSES JUNEish 2015 - OCT 2016
58kg - 49.5kg = 8.5kg
BMI 25.2 - 22.3 = down 3 points
B90 - 85 = lost 5cm
W76 - 69 = lost lost 7cm
H101.5 - 97 = lost 4.5cm
BF%36 - BF%30.97 = lost 5 points
AIM IDEALS
N- 28.5
B- 83
W- 58
H- 95
KG- 49.5 kg
BF%- 13-25% (above is for 24.7% just within good shape range)
BMI- 19-22
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