A very dear friend was asking me what I do to keep the extra pounds off while keeping my energy and mood up. It’s a natural process to put on that extra 5-8 pounds as we age and the hormones become slightly off. Brain fog sets in and inflammation goes up. Whats a girl to do? To say that any one diet plan or work-out will guarantee success is absurd. For me, all I need is a plan. This is my story...
About three years ago I found myself not being able to lose weight and more importantly my mood and energy were not good. I was running ultra marathons and ironman triathlons but still kept on this weight and never felt that great. People would say, “Oh, you must be able to eat as much as you want” I packed on a bloated mid-section and decided something had to shift. Then, I discovered intermittent fasting.
Let me backup by saying that I’m always trying to find out the how and why of things to improve my health. At the time I started with a Keto diet. I was full-in. I bought the monitor and the strips, bacon, cheese, the works. I cleared the house of every grain and read everything about Keto. I did this for an entire year and had amazing results. My husband (the orthopedic surgeon/patient man who goes with the current plan du jour), was eating breakfast and dinner on Keto but having a sandwich for lunch at work. My weight came-off, my mood and energy were crazy good but I felt like I wanted more veggies all the time and my husband’s lipid profile shot up because he was only half-way in.
The answer for me and my family dynamic was intermittent fasting and a personalized version of the Bulletproof Diet. Okay, I know, it sounds like another fad but its pretty reasonable and it’s always a process in finding out what works for you and what is healthy for you. And, if you can take one piece of a plan or a recipe and incorporate it into your life it will be worth the effort to evolve in your quest for optimal health!
What works for me
Intermittent fasting generally means eating between 12noon-6pm, or similar fasting times according to your schedule. I didn’t think I could do it. I’m the one who absolutely dreads fasting for a blood test. I will do anything to not fast. But, once I figured out that the Bulletproof coffee doesn’t ruin the intermittent fast, I was set. So, I get up in the morning, have my Bulletproof coffee (a tablespoon of grass-fed butter, coffee, splash of Brain Octane oil, vanilla stevia) and if still hungry, have a second one but with decaf. This really fills you up with the good fats and I’m even able to go run miles with the dogs and do some yoga without eating till noon. My lunch and dinner follow these guidelines mostly from Bulletproof: Stick to healthy fats including avocado, grass-fed butter, salad dressing with olive oil (not easily found), and raw nuts. Eat plenty of steamed veggies ( with added butter after preparing) grass-fed beef, wild seafood, and sweet potatoes rule! Also, for weekend alcohol, replace your mixers with low-carb healthy alternatives.
Just little shifts will make a huge difference if you follow the basic guidelines. Intermittent fasting has lifted my mood, energy levels and reduced inflammation. A physician friend whose diet I recently tweaked lost 4 lbs in her midsection in 8 days without any other changes in exercise and her mood and energy levels are way up!
I really like the bulletproof diet because it gives you general guidelines and recipes that follow grass-fed meats, wild seafood, no grains, good fats like grass-fed butter, avocado, un-cooked olive oil for salad dressing, stevia or monk-fruit for sweeteners, cooking gently with coconut oil or avocado oil. Steaming veggies then adding butter and sweet potatoes rule.
Find what works for you. Take baby steps. Maybe you try intermittent fasting a few days out of the week or start adding bulletproof coffee to your morning routine. Maybe this type of diet becomes your regular routine. Either way be sure to listen to your body and tune in to what it is telling you.
Let me know how this improves your life! I can’t wait to hear.