A writer who previously documented her weight loss experiences on the Fast 800 diet has now shared the five important lessons she learned along the way.
Back in March, health reporter Lydia Stephens tried out Dr Michael Mosley’s popular diet plan for one week, sticking to just 800 calories per day in a bid to manage her weight. According to Lydia, prior to starting the plan, she had struggled to keep the pounds off since lockdown, and had felt ‘awful’ and lacking in energy.
After keeping with the diet for a week however, Lydia was amazed by the results, and remarked at the time that she felt as though she’d ‘hit the reset button’. Not only did Lydia shed 5lbs, she also learned plenty of ‘great habits’ that she now uses as part of a ‘weight management lifestyle’.
A meal cooked by Lydia Stephens
Meal prepared by Lydia Stephens
1. Time restricted meals
As per the Fast 800 website, evidence suggests that fasting can help improve a person’s insulin response, thus reducing their risk of developing type 2 diabetes. Other notable benefits include better sleep, reduced inflammation, and even improved brain health. For Lydia, eating her evening meals early proved to be a helpful practice when it came to curbing any ‘late night snack cravings’.
Writing for Wales Online, Lydia explained: “Because I tend to have an early evening dinner, I often start my fast by 6pm or 7pm, so there is plenty of time for my body to digest food before I go to sleep – which slows down digestion. I have found it a good weight management tool, and it has also helped curb sugar cravings and improve focus.
“I have found on non fasting days, where I may have enjoyed a late meal out or a late night snack, I wake up really hungry and bloated. Of course, naturally fasting means you are more likely to consume less calories as you have less hours in the day to eat. Sometimes I will have two big meals on a fasting day, and other times I will have three larger meals.”
2. The importance of healthy fats
Back in the 1960s, experts began advising people against fat, leading to a focus on ways to remove any fat from foods, with harmful consequences. Indeed, according to David Ludwig, professor of nutrition at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, low-fat replacements are often high in refined carbohydrates which can “actually raise our insulin levels, trigger our fat cells to hoard calories, slow our metabolism, and make us hungrier.”
Detailing her own experiences, Lydia wrote: “The Fast 800 encouraged me to eat more healthy fats than I have ever done before. I stopped buying 0 per cent fat yoghurt, which is highly processed, and swapped to full fat Greek yoghurt. I also made the swap from margarines to just plain old butter which only contains milk. I ditched my low calorie cooking spray for normal olive oil.”
3. Dangers of ultra processed food
The majority of pre-made food found in supermarkets can be classed as ultra processed – meaning they’ll contain additives, preservatives and other such substances derived from foods, while offering very little in terms of nutrition. Research shows that consumption of ultra processed foods can cause significant damage, substantially increasing risks of developing high blood pressure, heart disease, heart attacks, and strokes.
Lydia revealed: “I always found it so hard to come up with meal ideas that didn’t involve just warming something up in the oven. But the Fast 800 plan provided me with so many recipes that have become core staples in my diet. It taught me that cooking from scratch doesn’t have to be hard and can be incredibly tasty and quick to achieve. This is now my new normal and even if I am having weeks where I’m not thinking about my health or diet too much, I still enjoy meals that I have made from scratch with raw ingredients.
“Some of my favourites include oat cakes made with oats and bananas, parmesan chicken, feta and egg salad and turkey mince Bolognese.”
4. Swapping out carbs for vegetables
Lydia admitted that she had previously been quite partial to chips, enjoying them with most of her evening meals, unless she was having pasta or potatoes. She would also enjoy a sandwich for lunch nearly every single day. According to Lydia: .”With the Fast 800 being a low-carb diet, many of the recipes used carb substitutes instead. One of the first things I made was bolognese with courgette instead of spaghetti – I was so surprised by how much I enjoyed it. I now aim to fill at least 1/3 but mostly half of my plate, with vegetables and the rest with protein or just a small portion of carbs. Most vegetables are dense in fibre, which most of us don’t get enough of – and it is incredibly good for your gut and digestive health.”
5. Planning meals
Before trying out Fast 800, Lydia usually wouldn’t decide what she wanted to eat until she got to the supermarket, and tended to just ‘pick things up that [she] fancied’, without much consideration for what foods could be eaten together, or how much she’d need for the week ahead. She shared: “But the Fast 800 provides a weekly recipe list and shopping list and I was so surprised by how much cheaper my food shop became, and with how little food waste I was left with by the end of the week. For example, if I needed tomatoes for one recipe, they’d also feature in another recipe that week, meaning I would use them all up. This might not be rocket science to some, but many of us were not taught this basic food planning.
“Now, even though I haven’t followed the diet plan for months, each week I come up with a plan for what I will eat for the week, and create my shopping list around that. I also make sure to shop at home wherever I can first – utilising frozen leftovers from batch cooking or meat portions where possible.”
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