La Chatte Gitane (or The Gypsy Cat) was the name we chose for our cottage in France at the time. We chose it while on the road, moving house the first time round, from Ireland to France with 2 dogs and 7 cats in the car.
This blog began its insignificant life as a recipe book for friends and family who would ask me repeatedly for a recipe of this, that and the other.
Since then it has taken many different directions, like we did and like gypsies tend to do. Sometimes making a U-turn and revisiting familiar roads and taking a break when necessary.
You'll find recipes here, but also musings about the places we've called home, the gardens that we've established, not always successfully, the homes we've improved and the environments we've lived in. Currently, after yet another stint in Ireland, we're back in France @ Le Mas d'Ayen

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

On a Diet ?! Intermittent Fasting



Never in a month of Sundays did I expect to be writing about dieting on this blog. EVER.
But time has come. The verdict is in.  I HAVE RAISED BLOOD SUGAR LEVELS ! 
Since my visit to the docs last Friday I really got my act together.  Oh, I knew I was on the wrong track, for a while anyway.
I have stopped drinking alcohol all together just after christmas and since then I have been stuffing my face with sugary and starchy crap. Somehow I could sense that my body was trying to tell me something, but my brain just said, stuff your face with crap.
Now when there was feck all on tv last week we decided to watch something interesting for a change. Namely, Horizon on BBC 2 (I think it was Tuesday)  Eat, Fast, Live longer with Dr Michael Mosley.
I am not planning to get into detail about the programme, there are plenty of people already doing that here , here   and here

Somehow the Intermittent Fasting idea of eating 500 calories on 2 consecutive days combined with 5 days of eating normal - yes, normal, Patricia, meaning around 1750 calories a day, not 3000+ - appealed to both of us. We made plans there and then we were going to start on the following Monday (yesterday)  Aye. Bert too, he can have 600 cals. His blood test results will be in tomorrow and he asked our doc to have his  IGF-1 tested.
She (the doc.) had also watched Horizon and is all behind us for doing the 2/5 experiment.  
I have been on weight loss diets before.  The first time was in my twenties when all my weight problems started. Finishing my studies at 22 I was 58 kg.  Moving out of my parents house I was a loose cannon with food and alcohol.  After a year or so I reached a hefty 83 kg.  I dieted - lost the weight. Then ate 'normal' again - gained weight plus some extra.  And so on and so on.
I stopped dieting 15 years ago. What was the point ?  I was happy the size I was, I love cooking, I love eating...

But now, having only recently 'celebrated' my fiftieth birthday and having had a wake up call I need a change in life-style.  No, the end goal is not to lose weight (but it will happen anyway), but to live a healthier life without the risk of diabetes type 2, hart disease, etc, etc
Cutting down on carbs and sugars is my aim, while still ejoying culinary delights from time to time.

So today is our second day of fasting, so far so good.
In my next post I'll be showing you what we had to eat over the two fast days.

If by chance you have some tips or advice for us, please let us know.  Moral support is also greatly appreciated.

Patricia xxx...x

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7 comments:

  1. paul5:22 pm

    my doc said i had to cut out all the sugar and junk food years ago (and processed/canned foods that have too much sugar added)

    which i did, and although at the time it felt like i was somehow missing out on the good life everyone else was enjoying,

    i think now i was really missing out on the much better life that i have now without all the harmful food

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Patricia (La Chatte Gitane)1:54 pm

      Thanks Paul. It's good to know that there is light at the end of the tunnel. Now, I've only ever eaten junk food in moderation, but I was on a slippery slope towards hell lately.

      Delete
  2. David Ford8:19 pm

    I have decide for the the sake of my liver to abstain from drinking alcohol between the hours of 11pm until 12 noon I think 13 hours should be sufficient

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Patricia (La Chatte Gitane)1:55 pm

      Lol, you are very good, David, to give your liver a break for that long. ;)

      Delete
  3. MyriamC11:30 am

    Ha! I have raised blood sugar levels, too. And high cholesterol (the bad one). So I started sort of a diet - prescribed by my daughter-in-law (to be) who is a dietician - in March. By the end of June my blood sugar levels were back to normal, cholesterol was still a little on the high side but I am confident that I can get it back down when I keep eating the way I do (restaurant visits excepted). But the very best part IMO: I lost 7 kilos in the meantime ...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Patricia (La Chatte Gitane)2:05 pm

      Well done Myriam !
      Yeah, high LDL often goes hand in hand with raised blood sugar levels. Keep it up!

      Delete
  4. Nic11:27 pm

    Good luck with the diet Patricia. I missed the programme, but everyone on Twitter is talking about it, I must investigate further!
    Will look forward to hearing how you progress.

    ReplyDelete

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