Stop Dieting and Eat Your Carbs! : The Freedom to Eat (Reverse Dieting and Intermittent Fasting)

How cool is that? The freedom to eat nasi kerabu when I want. To eat wantan mee when I feel like it. Not having to abstain from certain foods at restaurants because they have carbs.

I have been dieting since my early teenage years up until maturity. I would lose weight, put on weight, lose weight and put on some more weight and the cycle never stops. 

Not until now that is. I discovered two things that I wished I had known earlier in my life - Reverse Dieting and Intermittent Fasting. And one more thing - Resistance Training.

All my life, I was obsessed with the number on my weighing machine. That was all I cared about. I knew nothing about body composition. I knew nothing about strength training. All I cared was I had to weigh X lbs.

Right now I am at a weight that it right for me even though I am 15 lbs heavier than the time when I was at university. Back then I had no muscle tone and I was skinny fat. Now I have more muscles which explains why I cannot get to the weight I was at before.

So. What is Reverse Dieting? Simply put, Reverse Dieting is Stop Dieting! How do you do that? You gradually add more food to your plate (eat until you are satisfied, not overeat) and add foods that you have been avoiding like carbs.

The key word here is GRADUALLY. Gradually means slowly, bit by bit. If you go back to a normal (i.e. pre-diet) food portions, you will gain weight very fast simply because your damaged metabolism cannot cope.

You will not be able to utilize those added calories and whatever your body perceives to be in excess will be stored as fat. That is why so many of us put on weight the moment we deviate from dieting.

I made a few mistakes while reverse dieting like adding too much carbs too quickly and going too easy on snacking. Yes, of course I put on weight. So I cut back and monitored my weight/waist measurement every week until I came to a comfortable amount to eat.

Another caveat that is you must exercise and include weight lifting/resistance training into your routine. I found that once I built muscles, I can get away with eating more because muscles burn more calories.

Let me share one workout video with you. Look at Stephanie and I tell you, I love her physique. This girl is strong! Well toned and not overly muscular. That's what I am talking about, body composition, more muscle less fat. And by the way, planking is fantastic for your abs. It's very tough, I was shaking after 20 seconds hah..hah...

I am no expert on Reverse Dieting but I can attest to its efficacy. Let me share two videos below in case you are interested.

(1) The first one is from Dr Sara Solomon. Now, you don't have to do crossfit or follow Dr Sara's exercise routine to achieve results. Do other weight training routines that are suitable for you. 

(2) Another one from Paul Revella which is short and sweet.

Then comes Intermittent Fasting. I did this during Chinese New Year (crazy?) and I could do it because this year there was no celebration as my parents were recuperating back in Kuala Terengganu.

My brother and I went out makan makan and in the evening I indulged (moderately of course) in cookies and such and yet, I did not put on weight. Amazing.

Intermittent Fasting is simply fasting for a certain number of hours and then breaking your fast and eating during a certain number of hours. In other words, you have a fasting window  (during this time you do not eat, but can drink non-caloric drinks) and an eating window (during this time you can eat).

There are a few Intermittent Fasting protocols and I don't follow an exact pattern. I fast for a minimum of 16 hours and  sometimes I stretch it to 18 hours depending on my schedule/hunger. 

Say I start my fast at 6:00pm (ie I stop eating at 6:00pm) and I have my first meal at 12:00pm the next day, that would make it an 18 hour fast. Then I have my next meal at 5:00pm and even sneak a snack right before 6:00pm. I don't follow a strict schedule, there is no need to. Sometimes my fast starts at 7:00pm or earlier or later. No issues. 

Note that Intermittent Fasting does not mean that you can binge and eat crap during your eating window. If you break your fast by eating junk food and overeating, then you are defeating the purpose. You are setting yourself up for trouble and you will put on weight. Eat normally, whatever it is that you usually eat.

What do I eat? As far as possible I try to eat a balanced meal when I break my fast - carbs, protein and veges. I try to avoid carbo laden meals like char koay teow or wanton mee because these will spike insulin levels and I will end up storing fat. I am not saying I cannot eat these, hey I can and I do, but only once or twice a week.

How often to fast? It's up to you. Once a week, twice a week, alternate days, whatever. You decide.

To learn more, these are the videos that I learnt from and which inspired me. 

(1) Dr Sara Solomon again, I love her. You don't have to buy her Fat Loss Fast e-book unless if you want to. I would have bought if it was RM49.95 but it costs USD49.95 hah...hah...

(2) This leng chai Michael Dickson explains it quite well, in very layman terms.

(3) If you want a lengthier and more comprehensive tutorial you can listen to Thomas DeLauer.

I'm still working on my body composition, to get leaner and stronger. But I am not frustrated like before. If I eat char koay teow/wantan mee/nasi kerabu today, then tomorrow I eat a low carb meal. And I willingly do so because I know the next day I can have carbs again. Here's to the freedom to eat! Cheers!