naturally come up. Questions such as: What type of exercise is best? How often should we
exercise? How do I make time for exercise? How to I monitor or track my progress? What are
my goals? These are all questions that may enter our minds when considering ways to improve
our health. However, the answer to all of those questions is secondary compared to the answer
to this question: What should my diet be like? In this memo I’d like to share some trending
eating strategies that I’ve read about recently. All of them have been effective for various
reasons and for various types of people. I’d like to share these strategies to get you thinking
more critically about what you eat and how you plan your meals for the day.
Strategy #1 – Intermittent Fasting:
A relatively new strategy that has surfaced that promotes weight loss is called Intermittent
Fasting (IF). As the name suggests, the main point behind the strategy is to frequently take part
in fasting periods followed by a period of calorie consumption. For example, one sample of this
strategy suggested fasting every day from 8PM until noon the next day. That’s an overnight fast
that totals 16 hours of basically no calorie intake. Beginning at noon you would eat your first
meal of the day. The second meal would come between the hours of 3?5PM with the final meal
being consumed a little prior to 8PM. Exercise should be planned into your schedule sometime
before or after the second meal of the day. The beauty of this diet strategy is that you aren’t
restricted to certain foods when you do decide to eat. That doesn’t mean you should go nuts at
McDonald’s or Burger King, but it’s also not forbidden from time to time. During the fasting
hours from 8PM until noon the next day, it is highly recommended that you drink plenty of
water to stay hydrated. A very low calorie drink is allowed in the morning such as black coffee
but the main idea is to keep calories restricted until after 12PM. It should be noted that the
preferred type of exercise that should accompany this diet strategy is resistance training.
Strategy #2 – Carb Back-loading
Carb back-loading (CBL) refers to the time of day when most of your carbohydrates should be
consumed. It is recommended that you eat little to no carbohydrates in the morning and
afternoon hours. It is then suggested that resistance training be done sometime in the hours
between lunch and dinner. Once your workout is complete for the day, you are more than
welcome to go nuts on carbs for the rest of the evening hours. This even means desserts and
other high-carb options are perfectly acceptable when following this strategy. As with
Intermittent Fasting, the preferred type of exercise is resistance training. While walking,
jogging, cycling, and other forms of exercise aren’t frowned upon, both of these eating
strategies suggest that you’d get the most bang for your buck by taking part in resistance
training. And more specifically, the heavier weights you can lift, the better! This doesn’t mean
you need to be a World’s Strongest Man, but it does mean you should challenge yourself with
the heaviest weights you can handle for sets of 3-8 repetitions.
Strategy #3 – Carb Cycling:
Carb Cycling (CC) takes a slightly different approach to calorie restriction than IF or CBL. CC is a
weekly plan rather than a daily concept. With CC, it is suggested that you have some cycle of
days where you have no/low carbs one day, low/moderate carbs another, and moderate/high
carbs on another. Rather than trying to explain this concept further, take a look at two samples
of CC that could be used as a weekly cycling structure:
* Monday = No Carb
* Tuesday = Low Carb
* Wednesday = High Carb
* Thursday = No Carb
* Friday = Low carb
* Saturday = High Carb
* Sunday = Low Carb
OR
* Monday = Low Carb
* Tuesday = No Carb
* Wednesday = Low Carb
* Thursday = High Carb
* Friday = No carb
* Saturday = High Carb
* Sunday = Low Carb
As with any approach to your diet, eating should be done with intention and attention. The
bottom line is that weight management is not just about what you eat, but also how you eat.
What may work for one person might not be the best option for another. As a Wellness
Committee Member, I am not claiming to be a dietician or fitness expert. Accordingly, these
approaches may not be the best for YOU. I suggest doing your research before beginning any
fitness routine or making drastic changes in your diet.
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