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new diet, one month in
On Aug 5 I decided to change what I ate. How has that worked out?
So, I decided to get way more fiber, both for its own benefits and as a proxy of a healthier diet; also (later) more potassium; to eat way less red and processed meat, and maybe land animal fat/protein in general, due to heart/cancer risks. Generally moving in a pescatarian/Mediterranean direction.
Change was successfully made. I haven't bought refined bread, or raw land animal meat, once in the past month. Daily diet went from refined bread and pork, with sometimes beans or whole wheat pasta, to oats/whole bread/whole pasta/potatoes and various legumes. Haven't eaten as much salmon and sardines as expected since I ended up just having many vegan days. No eggs, milk, or cheese purchased; I did experiment with soy and pea milks.
I've sometimes gotten hot cooked chicken from Wal-mart (comes in nice small package, like just two thighs) and eaten out somewhat (especially al pastor tacos), but every few days, not daily pork/beef/chicken/sausage like before.
Possibly a bit more daily fruit, thanks to the fruit salad hack. Probably not more green/orange/red vegetables, still variously 1-4 servings of spinach, broccoli, carrots, or tomatoes (and not much of the latter.) Mexico's dubiously clean produce doesn't help there.
And the change has survived one change of kitchen, too.
So for all that, are there any visible health effects? Meh. The most obvious change was 2.5 weeks of painful gut protest, assuming that wasn't from a flawed water purifier. Next most obvious is being to go 12 hours without eating, more easily. (If you don't eat because you're not hungry, is that actually intermittent fasting?) No obvious changes in energy or sleep (not that I felt I was suffering before.)
Pants starting to feel loose today despite making sure I had my belt on the tightest hole. It'll be annoying if I shrink around my hips faster than the belly bulge itself.
I didn't weigh myself or do any bloodwork before the change, so I won't be able to judge changes there, unless I actually shrink enough to need a smaller belt or something. If anything, I'd thought before that maybe I was getting bigger (fiber to gas bloat, maybe.) Mostly I'm just assuming from research that this sort of diet is healthier. (Also better for the environment and animal welfare, but that wasn't the motivation.) (Neither was losing weight, though I'll be happy if it happens via belly shrinkage.)
Biggest mental effect is thinking about food... not in an obsessing about what I'm not eating way, but imagining fiber scraping out my intestine, or looking up benefits, or looking up plant milk stuff. (Thus how I learned pea milk exists. Was surprised to see it at Wal-mart Express.)
So, I decided to get way more fiber, both for its own benefits and as a proxy of a healthier diet; also (later) more potassium; to eat way less red and processed meat, and maybe land animal fat/protein in general, due to heart/cancer risks. Generally moving in a pescatarian/Mediterranean direction.
Change was successfully made. I haven't bought refined bread, or raw land animal meat, once in the past month. Daily diet went from refined bread and pork, with sometimes beans or whole wheat pasta, to oats/whole bread/whole pasta/potatoes and various legumes. Haven't eaten as much salmon and sardines as expected since I ended up just having many vegan days. No eggs, milk, or cheese purchased; I did experiment with soy and pea milks.
I've sometimes gotten hot cooked chicken from Wal-mart (comes in nice small package, like just two thighs) and eaten out somewhat (especially al pastor tacos), but every few days, not daily pork/beef/chicken/sausage like before.
Possibly a bit more daily fruit, thanks to the fruit salad hack. Probably not more green/orange/red vegetables, still variously 1-4 servings of spinach, broccoli, carrots, or tomatoes (and not much of the latter.) Mexico's dubiously clean produce doesn't help there.
And the change has survived one change of kitchen, too.
So for all that, are there any visible health effects? Meh. The most obvious change was 2.5 weeks of painful gut protest, assuming that wasn't from a flawed water purifier. Next most obvious is being to go 12 hours without eating, more easily. (If you don't eat because you're not hungry, is that actually intermittent fasting?) No obvious changes in energy or sleep (not that I felt I was suffering before.)
Pants starting to feel loose today despite making sure I had my belt on the tightest hole. It'll be annoying if I shrink around my hips faster than the belly bulge itself.
I didn't weigh myself or do any bloodwork before the change, so I won't be able to judge changes there, unless I actually shrink enough to need a smaller belt or something. If anything, I'd thought before that maybe I was getting bigger (fiber to gas bloat, maybe.) Mostly I'm just assuming from research that this sort of diet is healthier. (Also better for the environment and animal welfare, but that wasn't the motivation.) (Neither was losing weight, though I'll be happy if it happens via belly shrinkage.)
Biggest mental effect is thinking about food... not in an obsessing about what I'm not eating way, but imagining fiber scraping out my intestine, or looking up benefits, or looking up plant milk stuff. (Thus how I learned pea milk exists. Was surprised to see it at Wal-mart Express.)
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A small daily deficit of a few hundred calories, probably wouldn't even make you hungry, especially with healthier, more filling food, like you're eating now. That will allow gradual weight loss (500g a week is a sensible rate), gradual reduction of appetite in tandem (since a lower body mass needs fewer calories to sustain it), and generally, a permanent re-set in your weight and eating habits, with no "rebound". But it does take time and sustained attention. I gained 18 kg over 30 years, and lost it in 18 months little by little. Adding exercise helps with both reduction and maintenance, and as a bonus your strength and fitness improve at the same time.