One of my New Years resolutions was to get back to my happy weight. I'm not looking for anything drastic but it would be nice if my pants could return to being garments rather than functioning as fat detectors. I have a closet full of beautiful clothes that looked better when I bought them at my previous (healthier) weight. So I want to get back to my "fighting form".
I've decided to take a different approach than in the past. I will definitely introduce calorie counting soon (it's worked for me before) but wanted to start by incorporating some simple but easy changes first. Sort of a kick start to a healthier lifestyle if you will. One of the things that I'm trying first is to stop eating after 8pm.
I've always thought that when you consumed your calories didn't make a difference, it was the total balance of calories overall that mattered. Then I read an article in Health magazine, Can you eat late and still lose weight? that made me re-think things a bit. There seems to be good evidence that our bodies need to fast (12 hours or so) to rev up our metabolism. So I'm giving it a try.
I'm usually in bed by 9:30 at the latest (that would be on New Years Eve, for example) so it's not like I'm eating my way through the night. But I have gotten in the habit of doing some mindless eating in the evening. For example, grabbing a handful of nuts while I'm waiting to let the dog back in. Or snacking while I make my lunch. All those extra calories add up. And if the science is true that it's also slowing my metabolism, then the problem is just compounded.
So far I'm not minding the 8pm rule. I like that I have an easy answer when temptation strikes. Rather than fighting the urge, I just say to myself "I don't eat after 8pm" and that ends it. We'll see what kind of results this gets. Hopefully my pants and I can come to some kind of peace treaty, rather than the resistance and struggle they currently put up whenever I try to put them on.