(Image borrowed from the web, this is definitely not me!)

I thought about whether I should post about this or not, but someone said I should and I think I do even if it’s just for the sake of posterity.

Some of you who know me know about my struggles with weight management and basically trying to be healthy. I’ve tried stuff, some worked for a bit but others never did. I’m about to start a 3-week intermittent fasting diet. So, what makes this different from the others? Well, for starters, I have an amazingly insightful and hands-on coach who comes very highly recommended and he’s done the exact same program himself and you can see the difference it had on him! But most of all, his approach is holistic (gawd, I hate that word!). The principles and foundations he is imparting applies not just on lifestyle or weight management issues but also on professional and personal levels. It’s a well-rounded approach which, if applied correctly, will eventually become the building blocks of your entire existence.

What does intermittent fasting mean? Intermittent fasting (IF) is a pattern of eating that alternates between periods of fasting (usually meaning consumption of water and sometimes low-calorie drinks such as black coffee) and non-fasting. Paul has chunked it down into a neat 3-week program for me. The first week will be an 18-hour fast followed by 3 protein meals taken at midday, 3pm and 6pm. So basically I will be in a “fast state” as soon as I have my evening meal until midday the following day. It sounds difficult, esp with a full-time job, but if I think about it, what do I do at night to require excessive calories at night? I’ll most likely be knitting in front of the TV and getting dinner ready for the boys, which if I plan it correctly, I may not even have to do.

I start tomorrow, 7th July and I have a shopping list for the essentials that I will need for this first week. I’m surprisingly excited about the prospect of fasting. I guess with Ramadan coming soon, it will help because eating in public during the day is not allowed and this would be my 20th Ramadan in Dubai so it’s nothing new.

Paul also asked me to take a personality test. Holistic, remember? It’s based on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. My type: INFJ. Apparently the rarest of the 16 types. I am not going to be an overnight expert on this and sitting on it until I see Paul again next week. But it’s interesting reading about this personality type. I would not have figured me for an INFJ but as I read more about it, the more I see myself. It would be interesting to see how I can apply this new-found knowledge to how I handle people, situations and life in general.

Affirmations is another concept Paul introduced to me. It’s not the Savage Garden song, although I love that song and it does gave me a hint as to what Paul was on about. I started listening to it as soon as I got it on the iPhone. It was startling at first as a very calm female voice started talking into my ears but, as Paul said, you are not meant to focus and listen to what is being said. It’s not for your conscious mind anyway, it’s supposed to target your subconscious which is why I put it on as I went to bed. I think I dozed off about 10 minutes into the first track. Then I was woken up when a colleague pocket-dialled my number at 1.08am! Turned out her young daughter was playing with her Blackberry and obviously dialled my number. It’s okay, I needed to loop the track anyway. I am quite pleased with myself for having played three affirmation tracks and slept well through the night. I’m listening to it right now as I type it and I admit it still distracts me a bit from my concentration in what I’m typing here but not so much that I start typing what I hear and not what I want to type. I can’t wait to start seeing the impact this has on me because the affirmations I hear are what I need to hear. Come on, subconscious! We can do this!

Okay, back to the diet. So, 18-hour fast, 3 liquid protein meals, cod liver oil, lots and lots of water and at least 20 minutes of brisk walking a day. Okay, if you know me you know that I am allergic to exercise. I told Paul this and he didn’t laugh at me, he said he would make it so that I don’t try trying but keep in mind what I am capable of. Besides, this is not a lifetime prescription. We’re talking about 7 days. That’s just a little over two and a half hours of brisk walking. I can do that! I will do that!

And now for the biggie. All of this is geared towards my main goal at the end of the 3-week program: to weigh 84kgs on the 28th July 2013.

Notice how Paul turned it so that I am on focused on how much weight I want to lose but on my target weight? It makes sense. I will be weighing myself every morning and what will stick to my mind will not be how many kilograms I lost since the last time I stepped on the scale, but what my current weight is. That will be flashing on the display for me, and that will stay in my mind as I start another day.

So, that’s it. 84 kilograms by the 28th July. You will be sick and tired of hearing it from me, well get used to it as I will be posting regular updates until D-Day.