Myth Busters - AKA no more excuses by Joy Sypher

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Myth Busters - AKA no more excuses

I'm the queen of excuses. Diagnosed as type 2 diabetic 17 years ago I used every excuse not to take control of my health. Too busy, too hungry, I only lose when I starve myself, I don't have willpower.

Well, I found the way and I am here to bust the myth that it can't be done. Keep reading.

Myth - I can't lose weight if I eat 2000 calories a day. I can only lose weight eating 1200 calories a day or less.

Well, I'm 5ft 4in and 57 years old and I lost 80 pounds eating 2000 calorie a day meal plan and NO exercise. It can be done.

I tried the counting calorie diets, the cabbage soup diet, the rice cracker diet, and they all failed, over and over again. I finally found a way of eating, not a diet, a forever way of eating where I am healthy, full, never hungry and I lost 80 pounds.

How I did it.

Keto and Intermittent Fasting

I eat between 12 noon and 4pm. If I eat 2000 calories between 7am and 7pm I don't lose weight, but if I eat 2000 calorie in a 4 hour period I'll lose about 0.1 - 0.2 pounds a day on average. Some days more and some days I lose nothing, but I lost 80 pounds in 6 months with this eating plan. Intermittent Fasting is not new. Dr Jason Fung covers the topic very well. Read his books here. Combining IF and Keto is a super charged plan for blood sugar control, establishing healthy test results and losing weight.

Myth - but I can't eat 2000 calories in 4 hours

Sure you can, have you ever gone to an all you can eat buffet? Guarantee you ate way more than 2000 calories. *although I bet you felt hungry again in an hour because of the high amount of carbs consumed. I know I did. I could be so full it hurt, but go back for seconds on ice cream. I was miserable and an hour later I was hungry again.

What you eat in a 4 hour timed eating window is key to satiety. You need to eat your protein first, add plenty of fat for flavor and fullness and eat dark leafy greens as wanted.

Myth - I can not not eat breakfast

I'm hungry in the mornings

Most likely if you are hungry in the mornings you may still be insulin resistance. This is what was happening to me when I would eat til over full and still be hungry an hour later. My body had no where to put the energy I was consuming as my cells were now resistant to the insulin needed to process all of the carbs. The good news is this usually fades. Here are some tips I used and you can find more tips from Amy Berger's blog.

I didn't start out eating in only 4 hours, I started out eating in 16 hours. After awhile I stopped snacking after dinner. Now my eating window was 12 - 14 hours.

Then I stopped snacking between lunch and dinner. This was harder than after dinner as I graze while cooking.

One of the key things I changed was to make sure I was getting plenty of protein and plenty of fat. If I felt hungry at dinner, then I upped my fat at lunch the next day. If I felt hungry in the morning then I upped my fat at dinner. Having enough protein and fat at lunch was a big key to not snacking between meals.

Then I only had coffee for breakfast. I still added cream and sweetener. I would add butter or MCT oil if extra hungry. It did take me almost 40 years but I learned to like my coffee black. Actually really like it and even prefer black coffee.

As you become fat adapted. One of the signs you may be fat adapted is loss of appetite. With loss of appetite, I found my willpower was super charged. I walk right past those over processed, carb fueled frankenfoods and I'm not even tempted.

Myth - I'm too busy

This one I fully understand. My day starts at 7am and I go full tilt until 11pm. Blogs, Facebook groups, Keto coaching, twitter and keeping up with 2 grandsons and feeding 8 adults it gets overwhelming some days. What I found is that by only eating in a shortened window freed me from the constant meal prep for myself. Pouring a glass of cold green tea in the morning is quicker than making pancakes or grabbing a donut.

When I do eat, usually 3 - 4 eggs fried in butter or bacon grease and served with 6 - 8 ounces of beef, the full amount of time devoted to cooking is a fraction of what I spent in an entire day before. I'll have a second meal of dark leafy greens, coated in a fat like olive oil or with olives and maybe a bit of cheese and the rest of my protein macro from grilled chicken. A full list of what to eat and how to calculate your macros is here.

There you go. The myth that you have to starve yourself, spend twice as long prepping or you just don't have the willpower is busted. Getting your carb intake down is your first step. Read the other blogs on this website and/or contact Roxana and I for coaching.

Written by Joy Syper
Published: November 5th, 2022

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