The Perils of Alternate Day Fasting

Well for me there are none, however for the grumpy old man there are plenty ... twenty to be exact:

A while back Bernard asked me how Mr Grumpy fared on my down/fasting days, I replied that he gets a decent cooked dinner. However, it appears that I've been fattening him up.
During the last year he's gained 20 lbs ... oops!

I had been trying to hint to himself by late summer that he'd gained a couple of pounds. I patted him on his belly a few times and said "this is growing" - no use trying to be subtle, he doesn't recognise subtle ... "I can still get in my trousers" says he, whilst wearing baggy shorts. As it happened, this was true, he could - just - but breathing was clearly an optional extra.

I can see how it happened, I'm guilty of feeding him for me. I literally piled up his plate, although he wasn't forced to eat it all. But we're from a generation of non-wasters ... "think of the starving babies in Africa" we were told as children.

Now, we all know that a bizarre side effect of my fasting had been a masochistic desire to watch cookery programs and then I bake. The results of which he could eat every day compared to my every other day. This clearly didn't help ... although - I might add - I didn't force him to buy and eat jam doughnuts! 

Anyhoo, a couple of weeks back he went to see the nurse for his regular blood test, flu jab, personal questions, blah blah. And she weighed him. Oh dear ... "You've put on weight this year", she told him ... "I know" says he, "I've been eating too much". At least he's honest, it saved her arguing with him ... "you'd better cut down" was her parting shot.

He came home with a booklet called 'Eating, Drinking and Diabetes' which was just shoved to one side. I don't need to read it because I already know what's in it - not for me, my stepson has been (type 1) diabetic from the age of seven, grumpy has been borderline diabetic for years and my mum is a (type 2) insulin dependant diabetic.

"Right tubby, are you going to go on a daily restrictive diet or do you want to join me a couple of days a week on 600 calories - men can have 100 more than women - you can do Monday and Friday with me if you like and I'll do Wednesday on my own" ... "I'll do the same as you, I've seen how much you eat and it doesn't look that difficult" he quickly decided.

So, last Friday was his first down/fasting day. I thought it'd be nice to introduce him to the regime then, because we'd both get the whole weekend to eat what we liked after. He's since done Monday and he's decided to have another go today!

I wasn't expecting that, I thought - with his love of food - that two days a week would be his absolute limit ... but he's taken to it like a duck to water, hmmmm.

His biggest pitfall - you won't believe - is fruit, I have to move the fruit dishes out of the way on our DDs, he does love all fruit and even though it's good for you, it's fairly calorific and snacking of any kind isn't advised during this day. Just have a drink I told him and the hunger pangs diminish.

I'll let you know how he gets on, and don't forget, this is not JUST about weight loss, ADF is about giving your body time to repair which it can only do when it's not busy digesting tons of food. I fully expect him to retreat back from the border of diabetes if he continues our lifestyle into maintenance - which is easy, been there, done that, getting the much smaller T-shirt ...

.....

1. Me and Alternate Day Fasting
2. Me and Alternate Day Fasting ... Three Weeks On
3. Five Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
4. Eight Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
5. Ten Weeks of Alternate Day Fasting
6. Alternate Day Fasting Three Months On
7. Alternate Day Fasting in Winter
8. Alternate Day Fasting Over Christmas
9. Me and Zumba
10. Saying Goodbye To My Curves 
11. Eight Months Of Alternate Day Fasting And Me
12. Growing Up 
13. A Year Of Alternate Day Fasting 
14. 60 Pounds Of Blubber - Vanished
15. The Perils of Alternate Day Fasting 
16. Mr Grumpy Is Losing It
17. Mr Grumpy Has Lost It
18. Fasting For Maintenance
19. Tweaking Maintenance
20. Weight Gain 
21. Still Maintaining
22. Four Years Of Intermittent Fasting

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