Perhaps you put on some weight during the holidays and now it’s time to get back on track. Weight may not just be your concern just like the others whose blood glucose, cholesterol, and belly fat have increased as well. Now it’s time to get back on track. But where do you begin? What can you do to get back on track safely and healthily?

A common answer is to go on a diet. However, this is a broad term and is often viewed from differing perspectives. To some, diet may mean depriving and starving oneself. To others, it simply means eating a set amount of calories per meal or day while others may just choose specific types of food to consume and avoid.

I don’t suggest starving yourself. You are bound to fail. This will draw you in a cycle of deprivation and indulgence. Instead, why don’t you try to have a well-balanced diet that is predominantly wholesome and plant-based? But isn’t calorie counting and restriction enough? No, it isn’t. How much you eat, as well as, what you eat matters when you are aiming for sustainable weight loss and overall health. 

You could go on a low-calorie diet of 1000 calories per day but if it is composed of a burger, fries, and sugary beverage, it lacks the phytonutrients and fiber that your body needs to repair cells and decrease inflammatory reactions in the body. Both factors are essential to proper metabolism and weight management. You will also feel fuller with an intake of 1000 calories that is wholesome and predominantly plant-based. Did you know that you can have three cups of rice, three cups of cooked vegetables, three small servings of fruit, and 90g of steamed fish for a total of 1000 Kcal? Compare this with a 1000kcal meal of burger, fries, and soda for the whole day. Which one will make you feel fuller and nourished? 

Restricting calories will make you lose weight but remember that the quality of food that you eat is equally important. Furthermore, consuming below 1000kcal without the proper assessment and guidance of a registered nutritionist dietitian is not advisable as this can be detrimental to your health.
Aside from decreasing your caloric intake, you can also try time-restricted feeding which is another form of intermittent fasting. Now if you have a medical condition, you should seek the guidance of your physician and dietitian before getting into any kind of fasting approach. 

Intermittent fasting focuses on when you eat. There are many ways to do intermittent fasting. Fasting may last between 12 to 18 hours. During this time, the body will begin to use up and burn stored fat and sugar instead of getting energy from food. Prolonged fasting however between 24 to 72 hours may be beneficial to some but is not necessarily safe and beneficial for the general population. During the period of eating, one may choose to have only one meal or two. Another way of doing intermittent fasting is to eat regularly for five days and go on a very low calorie diet of about 500 to 600 kcal for two days a week. 

But before you go on intermittent fasting, it is good to know that caveat. Eating outside our body clock or circadian rhythm will do more harm than good. If you don’t eat anything the whole day and have a huge meal late at night in the name of intermittent fasting or time-restricted feeding, you are hurting your health. 

Eating outside your body clock or circadian rhythm increases the risk of obesity, cardiovascular diseases, and metabolic syndrome in addition to having non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). This is because the body was created to produce hormones that aid in metabolism and sleep. These hormones are released at specific periods in a day. The sleep hormone melatonin inhibits the production of insulin (hormone that regulates blood sugar) at night. Thus, it isn’t the best time to eat as we are already supposed to be sleeping and not digesting food. 

As you start to get back on track at the start of 2024, time-restricted feeding may be beneficial but it must be aligned with your circadian rhythm. Watch the type of food that you eat even when trying to cut down on total caloric intake per day. 

Have a happy healthy new year!

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