There’s a revolution taking place in weight loss that cuts across all the advice we’ve been given to eat low calories, low fat every day and one thing I have learned over years of writing about health is that nothing is fixed. There has been much said about the two day fasting diet, of which I am a little sceptical, but when nutritionist Patrick Holford gets behind it with his own modifications, then there is probably something valuable in it.
It all started with animal studies that found that animals on low calories obviously lost weight, but also live up to 50% longer. The recent discovery is that the reason why is that this way of eating, far too extreme for us mortals, switches on ‘skinny’ genes and switches off genes that makes us age faster. Animal studies have found that animals on low calories obviously lost weight, but also live up to 50% longer. The recent discovery is that the reason why is that this way of eating switches on ‘skinny’ genes and switches off genes that makes us age faster.
Well OK, but how do you do that healthily? It is all down to your insulin levels apparently as the more you make the faster you age and the more weight you put on, especially around the middle. Insulin is released whenever your blood sugar level goes high – the consequence of eating sugar or refined carbohydrates. A lot of dairy products also raises a type of insulin called insulin-like growth factr (IGF-1). Meat does too to a lesser extent.
How does it work?
Patrick Holford has always been at the forefront of nutritional research and certainly has been investigating ‘ideal’ diets for many years. In his new book he outlines how, by combining elements of alternate-day fasting with a low-GL (glycemic-load) diet, you can lose fat fast, without going hungry or compromising your health. For those new to the low-GL diet, it is a way to keep your blood sugar even and avoid the peaks in blood sugar levels that tell the body to store fat.
Weight is a major concern for many women, and at menopause it can become a real issue as we know that extra pounds can carry extra health risks for hormonal balance and conditions such as diabetes. Burn Fat Fast contains simple, easy-to-follow guidelines on how the diet works. It also offers an outline of what to eat and what to avoid during both phases of the diet, and how to fit the diet into your lifestyle. The latest research shows that specific types of exercise switch on fat burning, so the plan also includes a short, effective fat-burning exercise routine, developed by former Gladiator Kate Staples.
It looks like by combining two effective diets Patrick Holford has devised the perfect diet for keeping your insulin level low and optimising your weight but without pain and hunger. A lifelong diet is the only one that makes sense, and that means it has to be something that is manageable and pleasurable. The pay off is to look younger, feel healthier and minimise your vulnerability to diseases like cancer and heart disease then it is worth a serious look.
The diet is based on eating low GL foods and a simplified, and easier, version of the new 2 day fast that has been in the media so much. He has altered it so that you have a lower food intake 3 days a week, but not as low as every other day. Low GL foods are foods that release their sugar content slowly, such as oat flakes as opposed to cornflakes, or berries as opposed to bananas, or wholegrain soda bread as compared to white bread. There are other simple ways to keep your insulin level down – always eating protein with carbs (eg nuts with fruit); a squeeze of lemon juice or some vinegar, perhaps in salad dressing, with your meal.
Then there’s exercise, which to be honest I am never keen on, but the suggested routine is only 8 minutes routine you do every other day to accelerate fatburning. As that includes walking, dancing, swimming and cycling – plus running up and down stairs – which is something most of us can do every day – so it is manageable, and no expensive equipment needed either.
Patrick Holford clearly believes there is no better way to get slim, strong and healthy without hunger and has hundreds of happy customers who have lost the equivalent of 1 stone a month, and many a lot more longer-term, on his new diet. He is also running seminars to help you get to grips with this whole new way of eating and you will find information on the book, a video interview with him, and tour dates here http://www.patrickholford.com/burn-fat-fast