How I Got To This Place

I have spent most of my career working 9-5 (well, typically 8:30-6 in fact - if I'm lucky). I've made effort and spent more to be able to live close to where I worked. I don't accept the idea that I should lose precious hours of my life to the commute. I'm willing to forgo income for that.

The ultimate expression of that sentiment is of course to work from home. This has never quite been possible for me, working as I have in the financial industry - one of the most conservative. But entrepreneurship (I co-run ProfitView) and Covid-19 suddenly made this not just possible but necessary for me.

One positive aspect of this, or so I thought, was that I'd have better control of my time and therefore be able to live more healthily. I wouldn't be going to cafés or the work cafeteria for high energy, rapidly eaten lunches. I'd be able to schedule exercise. To my consternation and shame this did not happen.

For some years I'd researched recent theories of diet. In particular, I learned (what is well accepted) that carbohydrates are at least as bad as fats for weight gain. The health industry it seems by pushing the dangers of saturated fats, had simply enabled exessive carbohydrate consumption. Read, for example, The Big Fat Surprise for more information on that.

A few years ago I took on a diet based on this fact in which I ate practically no carbs. I did, also, exercise - I rode a bike 40 minutes each way to work 5 days per week. The result of this is that I lost weight quickly with little effort or discomfort. It was a success. I kept at it for some months and dropped about 20Kg. However, my work changed and I needed to travel at that point. I didn't successfully maintain my discipline - though I tried. My weight returned.

Generally speaking since then I have tried to avoid carbs - I almost never eat bread, sweet drinks, sweet things generally and eat little pasta nor rice. I don't restrict myself with fats. My weight has increased over this time.

In fact, previous to my successful diet I had attempted to lose weight too - with some success. I had saved my weight measurements using Google Sheets (though I'd forgotton about this). I rediscovered this data recently. It was an eye-openner - see the graph at the top of the blog.

As you see, I diet successfully.  Then I stop dieting a few weeks later. There's a quite linear and upward long-term trend.  The diets dent, but do not revert this trend.  How will things be different this time?

For one thing I take solace from the knowledge that trying repeatedly does increase the chance of success. I know this with smoking: in my 20s I "quit" several times before I gave up for good.

Also, life events have occurred: both my parents have died quite recently. It made me realise that I want to live a long time. I would like to meet my great-grandchildren. For that, I need to end the trend of that graph and keep it level, firmly below the overweight mark.

According to this BMI calculator my target weight is below 82Kg. I'll try to get to 80Kg and stay there.

For some years I've been aware of the writings and videos of Michael Mosley. While I feel he is certainly motivated by fame and money, he tends to be rigourous in making sure his facts are right.

Therefore I have selected The Very Fast 800 as the diet I will use. This is what is sometimes called a "crash diet" in that the idea is to lose weight very quickly. Mosley argues that research supports such diets. Supposedly people are more likely to stick to such diets and to keep the weight off once complete. I bought the book (about €10).

A very brief precis of The Very Fast 800 diet is that you:

1. Restrict daily calorie intake to 800 or less
2. Avoid carbohydrates. 

By restricting calories to 800 - which is dramatic - you lose weight. Restricting carbs allows this to be possible by avoiding debilitating energy swings. 

I am also (this is recommended in the book) intermittently fasting quite aggressively: I eat only between 10am and 6pm. Outside this time range I only drink water or black tea or coffee.  In practice I eat once at 10am and once at about 5pm.  In this way I it's relatively easy to control my total calorie intake: I have just two times per day that I must focus on.

I also no-longer consume milk or cream except (perhaps) about 100mL in one large cup of tea (normally I would drink several per day).  I would have cream in my coffee; now I have it black and I ice it (I don't enjoy hot black coffee, unless it's esspresso).

My intention is to stay on the diet for 12 weeks - or generally until I have reached my weight target of 80Kg.

Early Effects

I'm now on day 4 (out of at least 84).  The effect on me seems great:

• I'm occasionally dizzy (the book suggests this is adaption to ketosis and will abate)
• I have mood swings (again - ketosis)
• Although I drink a lot of water, I have headaches, particular in the evening after I lie down.  This is a problem.  The book suggests I drink more water and indeed - even with the many litres of water I drink per day - I see other signs of dehydration.  Okay - I'll drink more water.
• I notice the many habits I have that result in me eating.  E.g. I tend to eat my son's leftovers.  I "graze" small items in the kitchen throughout the day.  I've cut out these habits.
• I used to eat large portions of very high energy (high calorie) foods.  I'm learning how many calories there are in, for example, cheese or meat - even while these are low carb.
• I overall feel more positive.  I expect this is just the affect of starting a diet
• I feel hungry before my meals.  As a result, I enjoy my meals more!