Introduction: A Diet That Really Works and Isn't Hard to Keep Up.

By
About: Retired technology teacher - 2 kids, I have an Hons deg in Design and Technology - 28 years as Computer systems engineer Trained as Electronics engineer in the Royal Air Force

Sounds like a dream come true?

Sounds like all the other claims?  (mind you have to pay for those and this is free)

A diet that has real research behind it

Lastly a diet that could and should make it possible for you to live longer and healthier.

Read on

Step 1: First the Back Ground

This isn't my diet  invention - Although I have been following this for about 12 weeks and have lost  26 pounds and still going down.

Now I haven't been under 210 pounds for the last 30+ years so it's making a difference.

Daily telegraph news paper article by  Dr Michael Mosley

The you tube link for the original Horizon TV program by Dr Mosley.

Short  10 mins

Full 58 mins

It is worth reading the article and watching the full program

I will summarise what it all means in the following panels.

Step 2: Firstly WHY?

In the western world we almost all eat too much - just a fact of life and the easy availability of cheap food.

This over consumption of calories makes most of use pile on the pounds.

It also adds hidden factors that make us have a bigger chance of falling prey to various Cancers, Diabetes, Cardiovascular illnesses.

A major player that has been identified it a hormone call the Insulin Growth Factor hormone.

Kids need this to grow but adults do not need it but production of the hormone is triggered by the excess calories we eat.

IF you reduce the levels of this IGF hormone you are significantly reducing the chance of suffering from Cancers, Diabetes, Cardiovascular illnesses - This is a matter that has been research and the factors are well identified.

Being over weight has it's own issues so loosing weight is in it's self a good thing - we all know that - Reduced blood pressure, reduced cholesterol, better sleep patterns, reduced stress.

The scientists looked for ways to put the good together and noted that people eating reduced calorie diets hardly ever suffered from the bad things.

Of course for most of us a strict limited calorie diet where we have to watch everything we eat doesn't appeal or work. That's why most daily diets fail for those of us who are over eating (Me included).

Researchers varied the approach and discovered that a regime of 5 days normal eating and 2 days of a reduced calorie intake - 600 calories - also worked and produced all the good effects without the trial of daily calorie counting and being unhappy.

2  days is nothing if you can eat normally on the other days - they DON'T even have to be either consecutive or the same days every week as long as for 2 days in every week you only eat 600 calories (more on that later.)

Step 3: HOW To

1 Really, for 5 days of the week eat and drink normally just as you do now!

Then select 2 days and for these 2 days only eat 600 calories (500 if your a woman, But this doesn't actually seem to matter a lot)


Now this part requires some planning to work out what 600 calories looks like.

Your going to need to sort out what is 600 calorieshere is a good easy to use calorie list


You can split it over the day as 3 or 4 small meals or you can eat a regular breakfast (but watch the portion size) a light lunch - fruit is good here and then an light evening meal.

I will give some examples of 600 calorie recipes later.

2. Only drink water or tea/coffee without sugar or milk. No alcohol on these 2 days.

3. It is quite possible that some social function or emergency will fall on your reduced calorie day if it does just carry on and do the 600 calories another daywhen you do this doesn't seem to matter.

Step 4: My Typical 600 Calorie Days

Breakfast

A bowl of Porridge with raisins - This is around 200 calories

Lunch - a couple of apples - black coffee no sugar - 148 calories

Dinner - steamed or poached White fish 150 gms = 168 calories
Sugar snap peas a cup (85 gms) = 35 calories
French beans  a cup (21 gms) = 20 calories
Carrots a cup (78 gms) = 27 calories


Total 598 calories for the day


NOTE:  No bread and NO potatoes. You have a lot of vegetables in your dinner and I promise you you won't miss the potatoes for one day - Remember tomorrow you CAN eat those fries!

This is a typical 600 calorie day for me but you can substitute veg you like as long as you check the calorie content just for this meal and stick to the 600 calories for the day.

YOU may not like fish so substitute a steamed or poached chicken breast (no skin) in it's place.

Step 5: This Works - It's Not a Crank Diet and It Will Make You Healthier.

Isn't the title enough to give this a go?

If you started this week you could be 8 pounds or more lighter by Christmas.

Try - I promise you won''t be hungry, you will loose weight, you will make your body healthier in ways you can't see leading to a longer and healthier life.

As a side effect according to the papers loosing weight increases the libido as well - Mmmm not sure of that's a good thing or not.