It’s the type, amount and when you eat, that counts!

In my search for slimming down and remaining healthy, I found two main underlying themes, that I try to balance as I age.

The first is a diet that works (for me) and the second is controlling Inflammation. The good news is, if you fix the first issue, you almost fix the second issue. Or at the very least can reverse the harmful effects of inflammation to a fairly significant degree.

So during my middle decades of 50’s and 60’s, I got fat and lazy, worked out less, ate poorly and generally wasn’t happy nor healthy. To make this article short, I’ll skip ahead to my 70’s.

I stopped weighing my food, started intermittent fasting and have done a minimum of 12 hours per day for the last few years. I have been up and down experimenting with different fasting rates from 12 hours to 4 days, and found that between 16 to 18 hours daily, is sufficient for me.

I have just one or two meals a day, I could write books on that point alone, but in the end, do it your way because that’s the only way you will stick to it.

You can’t learn how to diet correctly from a book, it’s instinctive and confirmed through trial and error, and proven by results.

If you’re too big, and are a regular person without any specific medical condition, you either eat the wrong type of food for you or consume more than you need, or don’t move (exercise) enough, or a combination of those factors.

My advice is to find foods that you can eat that refuel you, that is after all the exact purpose of eating. 

Like everyone, I like the taste of different foods but that’s not the reason for selecting food. You need the right type of fuel for you, whether you’re highly active or sedentary, male or female, young or old.

You need the type of fuel and amount based on your unique set of circumstances. Given that fuel is analogous to energy, you should be eating to satisfy your energy requirements and only as much as you need.

So selecting your food requires you to know which food types will give you quick energy and which will sustain you over a longer period.

Experiment and keep a journal where you record what you eat and how you feel after consuming it. Collect data about yourself, we do that in our jobs for everything these days, so do it for the most important thing in your life, your health.

Don’t rush in and switch your diet instantly, do it slowly, and wean yourself off the nasty pro inflammation foods usually found in high carb diets and ultra processed foods.

Today we have access to more information than ever before, but please, double and triple check your facts and get the source of the info. Avoid being in one camp or the other, and understand that you are unique and figure it out for yourself.

If you feel great every day and love life, then by my definition, you’re healthy. Keep doing what you’re doing to continue being vital and vibrant.

If you're sluggish and just bobbing along in a rut, look straight at your diet and start moving more (exercise). If you don’t change the things you can change, then you’ll continue to be a bystander, watching other people being amazing! It’s about time you hit your optimum potential.

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