The Hunger Games
One of the joys of working in a charity shop are all the tasty tempting morsels that come through the door.
About three weeks ago one of the boxes of books included two spin offs from the first Hunger Games movies with lots of pretty pictures and all sorts of background gossip about the stories and film as well as a book about the latest diet craze - the 5,2 diet. Izzie had been a very good serpent and resisted the temptation of those movie books back in 2012 but now for a couple of silver sickles each could well afford to indulge and toss in the other for good measure.
The Dursleys had constantly been putting me on diets back in my flobberworm days. I was always a bit of a pot bellied python well at least from the age of 11 or so. So diet is a very dirty word. But a recent visit to the doctor returned results from blood tests with rather high blood sugar levels at prediabetic levels and no amount of self delusion could explain away the fact that the Izzie was turning into a very sluggish and snailish serpent indeed.
But for so long the short term pain of less calories today for better health tomorrow just did not provide sufficient motivation to actually do anything on the fat front.
However the blood test results were black and white evidence that cannot be ignored.
So it was interesting to read about a new approach to dieting that did not mean a life of misery and restriction with no end in sight. The rules of the 5.2 "diet" were very simple and straightforward
Two days per week (preferably nonconsecutive) of 500 calories or less and no restrictions whatsoever on the other days.
This trick makes sense on two fronts. Firstly you are not long enough without munchies for the body to go into 'starvation mode' where the metabolism goes right down in order to conserve energy and it is easy to go mean and lean when you know that tomorrow you can eat whatever you like. This in one stroke eliminates the sense of deprivation, misery and constant cravings associated with most diets.
In fact in some of the test runs they encouraged one group of participants to pig out on pasta and pizza on their eating days but they still managed to lose weight over the 8 weeks of the trial. I guess the simple act of eating so little on one day makes you more mindful of what you eat on the next.
It just so happened that it was back in August 1983 that I first started the ritual of eating nothing for 4 whole days which I later extended to a week so knew that one day would be a piece of cake in comparison. In fact it is easier to eat nothing at all rather than stick to just 500 calories for the day.
So there being no time like the present, 08/08/16 seemed like a most auspicious day to start this new adventure. I've eaten nothing since about 9pm last night and today's indulgences consisted of one big fat cup of coffee and a pot of ginger and lemongrass tea.
While feeling hungry once or twice, it was not intolerable. What was more of a surprise was to realise just how often eating is for social or emotional reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with real hunger.
And now with the Olympics and all, it seems a most suitable time to become reacquainted with the adventures of Katniss Everdeen and the creepy crawlies of the Capitol. It would be amusing indeed if some geek could sneak in the Panem national anthem when the gold medals are being dished out.
Like the Potters, I can read those books over and over again and still find something new each time.
I really must get around to seeing the last movie which I missed as it came out in the cinema in the middle of National Novel Writing Month last November.
Some time in the next month I'm supposed to get a new batch of blood tests done. It will be interesting to see the difference after four weeks of this new eating routine.
About three weeks ago one of the boxes of books included two spin offs from the first Hunger Games movies with lots of pretty pictures and all sorts of background gossip about the stories and film as well as a book about the latest diet craze - the 5,2 diet. Izzie had been a very good serpent and resisted the temptation of those movie books back in 2012 but now for a couple of silver sickles each could well afford to indulge and toss in the other for good measure.
The Dursleys had constantly been putting me on diets back in my flobberworm days. I was always a bit of a pot bellied python well at least from the age of 11 or so. So diet is a very dirty word. But a recent visit to the doctor returned results from blood tests with rather high blood sugar levels at prediabetic levels and no amount of self delusion could explain away the fact that the Izzie was turning into a very sluggish and snailish serpent indeed.
But for so long the short term pain of less calories today for better health tomorrow just did not provide sufficient motivation to actually do anything on the fat front.
However the blood test results were black and white evidence that cannot be ignored.
So it was interesting to read about a new approach to dieting that did not mean a life of misery and restriction with no end in sight. The rules of the 5.2 "diet" were very simple and straightforward
Two days per week (preferably nonconsecutive) of 500 calories or less and no restrictions whatsoever on the other days.
This trick makes sense on two fronts. Firstly you are not long enough without munchies for the body to go into 'starvation mode' where the metabolism goes right down in order to conserve energy and it is easy to go mean and lean when you know that tomorrow you can eat whatever you like. This in one stroke eliminates the sense of deprivation, misery and constant cravings associated with most diets.
In fact in some of the test runs they encouraged one group of participants to pig out on pasta and pizza on their eating days but they still managed to lose weight over the 8 weeks of the trial. I guess the simple act of eating so little on one day makes you more mindful of what you eat on the next.
It just so happened that it was back in August 1983 that I first started the ritual of eating nothing for 4 whole days which I later extended to a week so knew that one day would be a piece of cake in comparison. In fact it is easier to eat nothing at all rather than stick to just 500 calories for the day.
So there being no time like the present, 08/08/16 seemed like a most auspicious day to start this new adventure. I've eaten nothing since about 9pm last night and today's indulgences consisted of one big fat cup of coffee and a pot of ginger and lemongrass tea.
While feeling hungry once or twice, it was not intolerable. What was more of a surprise was to realise just how often eating is for social or emotional reasons that have nothing whatsoever to do with real hunger.
And now with the Olympics and all, it seems a most suitable time to become reacquainted with the adventures of Katniss Everdeen and the creepy crawlies of the Capitol. It would be amusing indeed if some geek could sneak in the Panem national anthem when the gold medals are being dished out.
Like the Potters, I can read those books over and over again and still find something new each time.
I really must get around to seeing the last movie which I missed as it came out in the cinema in the middle of National Novel Writing Month last November.
Some time in the next month I'm supposed to get a new batch of blood tests done. It will be interesting to see the difference after four weeks of this new eating routine.