Hi MaggieBath, Steve, FreshStart and everyone, thank you for sharing that link MaggieB- it’s a good one.
I’ve read that research too and yes it is definitely compelling and useful. I am aware that insulin responds differently to not only what but when we eat, and it is fascinating.
I think what we are trying to do here is find a way that we can make steps towards achieving those goals in the long term and maintaining them. The beginning of a whole new way of thinking about food, nutrition, and overall health is always hard, and it is impossible I believe for most of us as humans to make huge changes in the way we live in very short periods of time, particularly after years of ingrained habit. Doing the 800 cal diet is for many people a really big step and a very significant change. It is a rapid and successful way to lose weight and improve BSLs. It needs to be done hard and fast because that’s how it works.
With the timing of meals though, particularly for people who struggle with evening hunger, I think we can be aware of all that very good research and use it to make changes, but sometimes these changes may have to incremental to be sustainable.
I just completed a yoga course and one of the concepts we discussed was “Kaizen”. There are numerous references online referring to business, but it applies very well to our daily lives.
Here is one definition:
‘The Kaizen approach is based on the belief that continuous, incremental improvement adds up to substantial change over time…
Think of it as an antidote to every “go big or go home” motivational trope you’ve seen in your newsfeed. Kaizen is less about hustle and working more, and more about thoughtful adjustments, accepting failure, and applying learnings in order to work better.’
(https://qz.com/work/1183536/the-japanese-philosophy-of-kaizen-can-reinvent-your-daily-routine/)
I have been using the philosophy to make my evening meal earlier each night. For example- Instead of saying, “I’m not going to have dinner at 8.30pm, I’m going to have dinner at 5.00, from now onward!!” (which would never work, for me anyhow), I moved my dinner time earlier by 10 minutes each day. Just made that conscious effort to eat the last meal a little earlier each and every day, honoured that decision, and kept going with it. Some days it didn’t work out, but that’s ok. I just did it the next day. This was before i started the BSD, which has brought up its own challenges, but I’m glad to say my mealtimes are now a good hour and a half to two hours earlier on most nights, work and everything else permitting.
So don’t despair Steve, keep going with the great work on the 800 cals and as for late night eating- ‘Kaizen it’ as my yoga teacher says. You’ll get there 🙂