I decided to take stock with the progress of my Very Fast 800 attempt at the 2 week mark - that was this morning, a Sunday.
I have lost 5Kg. My first feelings were (perhaps surprisingly) mild disappointment - I wanted to be shocked (perhaps 7 or 8 Kg would have had that effect). Now that I think more about it, 5Kg is a good result - what is reasonable to expect.
My reaction is partly due to the knowledge that this pace is unlikely to continue for subsequent 2 week periods. To reach my target 27Kg weight loss I need to keep up the pace. To be honest, I haven't thought it likely to lose this complete amount in the 12 weeks and have been musing about my strategy following that: continue? change to a 5:2? something else?
Another part of my reaction is "competitive": I tend to go into activities like this with the view to "beat" others who do the same thing. I've read (in the book) of those who lost 7Kg in the first 2 weeks - I didn't beat them! But - I haven't exercised beyond my normal, moderately active life. 5Kg is a significant amount to lose - about 5% of my body weight - in what is a short time.
The Cost
The Very Fast 800 is an extreme diet. It's the "800" that does it. 800 calories per day is not much food by normal rich world standards. I remember reading that an Olympic swimmer consumes about 10 times that (of course, also they also expend the same). In my investigation, even a traditional weight loss regimen for someone of my weight would be about 2600 calories per day.
Eight-hundred calories is about two hamburger beef patties from the butcher - without cooking oil. If I ate those I'd have nothing at all for the rest of the day. It's small cup of olive oil - for the day! Of course it's also an unconsumably large mass of spinach, lettuce, broccoli or zucchini. Cheese becomes a delicacy to be savoured on the side of your plate. Olive oil - which Mosely suggests drizzling on greens - contains just too much energy to deploy for me. It's too much of a luxury.
I still have occasional physical effects - I seem to get tired more easily. Still, this hasn't affected my activity. I do the same things but I seem to feel some fatigue. It may be that I am just keeping more note of such things given the diet. My initial irritability has probably passed (I'm back to my old still somewhat irritable self?)
The headaches reduced for some time but have recurred. They are quite severe. I drink a great deal of water, but there are other symptoms that suggest dehydration. Does the ketosis process consume that much water? Perhaps. But, I am a migraine sufferer. It's not out-of-the-question that the diet, or the dehydration are causing headaches that then transform to migraines. It is a bother. But "luckily" as a migraine sufferer, I am used to life going on with severe headaches. It's something I can bear.
I do think it would be likely to be too much for someone without a history of headaches.
I hope they dissipate for me in the next weeks. I suppose I'll handle it if they don't.
The Benefit
As I mentioned earlier in this series - due to its sudden scarcity in my life food has become more enjoyable. Mosely suggests to "eat mindfully" - I can't help it. I enjoy the diversity of tastes in my mouth - spinach vs zucchini, meats vs cheese - that I would normally have just munched rapidly while simultaneously performing some other task. I naturally slow down to savour the experience. Mealtimes (just two per day with no snacks) are memorable and I look forward to them.
I, myself, have not seen specific physical benefits - no change in shape in the mirror or change in my feeling of weight. Perhaps my face seems "thinner"? My wife says she sees it though - which is a benefit in itself!
Fundamentally, the loss of 5Kg of weight is a benefit. Given that I'm overweight, it can't hurt and there are numerous ways it will certainly help my general health.
The Very Fast 800 is working and I'm handling it.
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