How flexible can you be .....

[Instructor57]

Not quite the normal post I guess but just wanted others thoughts on this .I had my HA on 27th February and 3 stents.

I think I'm making a decent recovery, and have re run and completed couch to 5k again .

Soon after leaving hospital my blood sugar levels peaked into the diabetic range and then within 8 weeks I have managed to get it down to normal , so even below the pre diabetic level.

My Question is diet related .

Having been very strict with a low carb and no added sugar diet since my HA and loosing almost 2.5 stone with diet and intermittent fasting I am now thinking of maintenance.

Am I safe to have a day off? (Without going crazy!)

A friend has asked me round to his house as his wife is having friends round for her birthday, she always cooks lots of delicious foods but not necessarily advised for a heart patient or someone who is actually still considered diabetic !

How strict do I need to be ?

Just interested in people's thoughts 🤔🙂

[Tos92]

I definitely don’t think one day will make much of a difference at all. If you drink alcohol, I would probably be cautious to not drink excessive amounts. As long as everything you are eating and drinking is in small to moderate amounts, I don’t believe this will affect you.

Enjoy the party!

Tos

[Instructor57 in reply to Tos92]

Thanks for your thoughts!

As for alcohol, I'm virtually T- total 🙂

[BridBoy]

Re the diabetes I've no idea, but as for your heart go on and give yourself a treat, you've done brilliantly well in your weight loss and blood sugar levels, you deserve a treat.

[Instructor57 in reply to BridBoy]

Thank you !I guess an evening off won't kill me 🤔🤣 (fingers crossed 🤞)

[SueMel12 in reply to Instructor57]

Hiya.Go pig out and enjoy yourself one day won't hurt. I'm sure you'll know your limits anyway.

[Blearyeyed]

You would certainly be able to have a day off.In fact , if you have been very strict on your diet it is wise to have a small portion of something with simple carbs or sugar in it the day before , because this helps your body to get used to dealing with these foods and means you are less likely to eat bigger portions of treat foods and suffer with it ,

How are you planning to eat from now on in your Maintenance phase?

[Instructor57 in reply to Blearyeyed]

Yes, good idea 🙂👍As far as maintenance is concerned

I'm planning on sticking to a 16/8 time restricted eating for the majority of time .

I will still try to have low carb no added sugar, but may well introduce a few more carbs .

I've already started with the occasional slice of wholemeal bread , but it is occasional.

I made a chicken casserole last week and added just a few new potatoes, so I will monitor closely how things go .

[Blearyeyed in reply to Instructor57]

That is the way to go , the Maintenance phase of weight loss helps you to reintroduce other foods and create a balanced " Diet For Life" that you can enjoy and sustain. Being too strict during the longer maintenance phase of weight reduction is usually one of the ways that you can lose momentum and fall off the good diet wagon. Portion Size , Persistence and Patience are the essential tools to achieving a loss in weight that has the chance to be a permanent change .

So the occasional small treat once or twice a week helps you to maintain your goals and gain a new positive attitude to eating a more controlled and balanced diet.

You may lose less weight per week than on a strict weight loss diet but it's done in a healthier way , teaching your body to feel more satisfied with new eating behaviours which you can keep up and that is how the weight is more likely to stay off.

You can increase your carb intake to a level between the level you had eaten in the stricter few weeks of weight loss to a moderate/ mid range below the average carbs you would eat for your gender / build and activity in a balanced diet after you have reached your goal.

The most important lesson about eating carbs for better health or weight change isn't just eating less carbs but in the quality of carbs that you eat.

Choosing to leave the "white" carbs like processed sugar , peeled potatoes, white bread , rice or pasta to the occasional small treat .

Choosing small portions of the more complex carbs with more nutritional benefits , and a good fibre content than are slower to digest and keep your appetite satisfied for longer like wholegrain , wholemeal , skins on, and a variety of fruits , vegetables and grains and seeds .

These promote heart health , help you with energy and nutrition, but also prevent the sugar spikes that cause insulin imbalance and the urge to binge on certain foods.

The quality of fats in your diet is also important.

Adding a few skin on new potatoes, rice , or wholemeal pasta or pulses to a stew or meal is a good option . A small slice of wholemeal or multiseed bread or toast with a protein and veg packed meal.

[Instructor57 in reply to Blearyeyed]

Very well put !You have pretty much explained my thoughts exactly!

(That's scary😂)

[Valentina98]

I think a day off is absolutely fine, I am on slimming world I have 1 treat day a week, I might treat myself for one day to a takeaway or a slice of cake. As long as I'm back on track after that day I'm usually okay.

As my best friend says you only live once, might as well enjoy it! And as my Mum says everything in moderation

V x

[Instructor57 in reply to Valentina98]

Thanks V !

I think you and your best friend and mum are right.

I tend to see things as black or white .

I need to remember there are also different shades as well 😁

Thank you x

Hope you are doing ok ?

[Valentina98 in reply to Instructor57]

I'm doing okay, been taking it easy mostly, apart from a car crash on Saturday and it's my birthday today so I've done a fair bit today but I'm good.

V x

[Instructor57 in reply to Valentina98]

A car crash 😱😱😱Hope you were not hurt !?

And Happy Birthday to you 😬🎂🎉🎉🎉🌹 xx

[Valentina98 in reply to Instructor57]

Yeah some idiot pulled out on me. Car badly damaged but walked away fine.

Thank you x

[Heyjude31 in reply to Valentina98]

Thank goodness you are okay. You really don’t need anything else! xx

[HarryJ81]

I would say it depends on how you react to a day off.

One day of bad eating won’t set you back physically/medically etc. But one bad day could lead to another and another until you have more bad days than good - and that will undo your good work.

I’m super bad with this - one day of bad eating can derail me for a month. Others cope just fine.

[Instructor57 in reply to HarryJ81]

It certainly won't be a day of 'Bad food' Just an evening buffet with some tempting choices.

And I certainly won't let it lead to more 😁

[Endochix]

Hi

How do keep an intermittent fasting when you have to take the medicines at 9 am? I’d like to go back to IF again but taking my meds means I have to have breakfast.

Thank you

[Hoocher in reply to Endochix]

I've just done 4 weeks of IF. Take all my tablets at 630am. I start eating at 8am then stop at 5pm

[Instructor57 in reply to Endochix]

My normal IF was 16/8So I had breakfast at 9 and last meal by 5

So no problems with meds .

I also did 4 X 24 hour fasts and just took my meds as normal

[Jack2019 in reply to Endochix]

If you have to break the fast for your meds. you can still benefit with the next best thing to fasting, make it a zero carb. breakfast.

[Hoocher]

I lost over 3 stone after my HA and have kept most of it off over the past 3.5 yrs. I try to keep to a balanced diet and walk everyday and do a bit of running. If I want a day off to have treats I do. You still need to enjoy life so enjoy treat days now and again.

[Instructor57 in reply to Hoocher]

Well done !Glad you have been able to maintain the weight, and yes sensible diet and excercise.... If only I'd done it years ago 🤔

[Bingo88]

Good morning. I think you deserve a day off and with the exercises you are doing you will soon work it off anyway. Interested to know more about what sort of diet you are following. Because I need to loose 3 stone plus. But due to severe copd I struggle to do exercise at all because of getting breathless so quickly. Hope your day goes well. Brian

[Instructor57 in reply to Bingo88]

Yes, don't think a day off will kill me 🤞😁I lost the first stone simply by cutting out any added sugar and reducing carbs and no snacking !

After that my weight loss platued so I just became stricter with the carbs , ate more good fats and started intermittent fasting .

And of course excercise!

I was doing 10,000 steps or more most day's, however the plantar Fasciitis forced me to reduce that

[Bingo88 in reply to Instructor57]

Thanks for the information. Sadly doing exercise does sometimes lead to injuries of knees and feet over the years. I used to get Plantar Fascitis fairly often. Well done on the weight loss and Thanks again. Brian

[VickyHK72]

personally I think a day off is a really good idea - otherwise it becomes a non sustainable diet and will be really hard every time you go to an event or celebration. Personally I allow myself several days off a year (Christmas day for instance I eat whatever I want!) I eat out about once a month and try to pick low saturated fat dishes and also keep in mind my pre-diabetic state. A did go to a nutritionist for a 6 session course which was brilliant and her mantra was ‘it’s what you eat most of the time that matters’ and she certainly believed in having a few days off!

[Instructor57 in reply to VickyHK72]

Thank you !And yes, I'm already considering Christmas as it will be with the same friend's 🤔😊

[RumblingChest]

Firstly, well done, those are some very positive changes for your health.

With respect to cheat days, I would say this is a very individual thing. Be realistic about yourself and whether you are a “sugar addict”. If you struggled with cravings etc, a cheat day could be a trigger and you will have to go through that effort again. Speaking from personal experience, I have had to accept that this is my lot, one cheat day turned into more and more, until every day was a cheat day again ☹️.

[Instructor57 in reply to RumblingChest]

Yes, I guess it's a very easy thing to do !However , I am very strong willed (aka 'Stuborn' 😁)

[Noodlesalad]

I think you've done amazingly well and if it was me I would definitely have a day off from diet and enjoy your friends company and their delicious food. Life is for living .

[Instructor57 in reply to Noodlesalad]

Thank you !I think you are right 🙂👍

[JeremiahObadiah]

Not a yoga question it seems!!!

There seems to be some evidence that a light walk -as opposed to sitting still, but not heavy exercise-after eating helps regulate blood sugar . Worth a Google to see what you think . Don’t know whether that would be something you could factor in to your evening if you think it worth trying.

[Instructor57 in reply to JeremiahObadiah]

I walk a lot anyway , but yes, perhaps splitting it up so one walk is after an evening meal 👍

[LindyMc]

Have just done Zoe predict study, may I suggest that you try to eat a goodly portion of high fibre foods like a salad topped preferably with vinegar/ oil dressing 10 minutes or so before you you tuck into the more interesting foods. I learnt on Zoe that that flattens the sugar spike by quite a margin. And if you could leave starchy stuff til last to eat it works even better.

[Instructor57 in reply to LindyMc]

Interesting... Thanks 🙂👍

[TMeditation]

So since the 27th February you’ve lost 2.5 stone? I think I’d have a drink to celebrate!! 👏👏👏

[Instructor57 in reply to TMeditation]

Yes, the first stone came off fairly easily then stalled a while .. then the IF and eating regime got rid of the rest 🙂

[BeKind28-]

Hello

Only my opinion but once in a while I personally do not think will make a difference and life is for enjoying and treating ourselves now and again and sounds like your friends cooking could be one of those one of times when you can treat yourself

I hope you enjoy yourself and the day after you can get back to your healthy eating x

[RumblingChest]

Has the party happened yet? I’d love to hear about the delicious food you ate and any observations of side effects 😀

[Instructor57 in reply to RumblingChest]

It has ! 😁My friends wife is Filipino so loves to cook !

There was maybe 20 people there .

It was basically a help yourself buffet

So ended up eating white rice which I have not had for ages because I have been restricting carbs , fried chicken drumsticks, noodles and a few bits and pieces of red meat which again I have avoided completely since my HA

Also some deserts made from cassava, quite sweet so I'm sure contains a fair bit of sugar !

Various dishes really as most of the Filipinos who attended had cooked and brought some food 😁

I enjoyed it !

No immediate side effects that I'm aware of , but back straight away onto 16/8 fasting with low carb and no added sugar 😁

[RumblingChest]

That sounds like a really good party, I’m glad you were able to enjoy it 😀.

It sounds like you’re really committed to your new way of eating and straight back on it. I can appreciate the will power that can take.