For every “definitive” diet out there I guarantee there will be another that will counteract it. A clash of science. Keto vs Vegan vs Vegetarian vs Adkins vs Paleo. High carb, Low carb, No carb. Trends of diets change like the trends of hairstyles. The word diet itself has a transitory quality, a shelf life, flash in the pan. Yet we still get jazzed when a new one appears on a white horse, promising to kick away our beer bellies and carve peaches out of our rear ends.

Thing is, if adhered to, all of them probably work. It’s not the diet itself that fails but the psychology behind it. They weren’t built for long term. You’re either on a diet or off a diet. Nothing in between. Diets end. It’s what they do. And when they do we go back to the beginning, only more disgruntled and defeated than the first time around. Diets are like a seducer in the night, quick thrill before a quicker escape, leaving our long-term visions in the dust.

But,

We don’t really need them. We don’t really need to drop that pill. We’re not stupid. We know what is good and what is bad. What works and what doesn’t. We know what side of the fence broccoli sits on and what side a chip cop does, chicken breast/cheesecake, water/fizzy pop. It doesn’t take much intelligence and life experience to separate the good, the bad and the ugly.

So the key must be to work it all into a manageable lifestyle, an ongoing relationship with food. Sustainable and pleasurable at the same time. Neither monk nor king but somewhere in between. Going for the good stuff but with little pit-stops of indulgence so as life doesn’t dry up.

Or,

Maybe the focus should be not on what we eat, but when we eat it.

Intermittent Fasting could be accused of being just another fad, another fleeting dietary method with big promises but no long term execution. But maybe forget about the in vogue term and just think about food timewise, being wise about time by framing food into a restricted window. A time when to eat and a time when to not. I mean is it really natural to be eating every two hours, or even every four hours, or perhaps even every six? Are we actually hungry in these mindless moments of snacking or have we just created a pattern of habit for ourselves? These erratic insulin spikes causing havoc every time we unwrap a Mars bar or unpeel a banana. Energy levels undulating like the Loch Ness Monster’s spine. Our bodies never being given time to rest, our appetite constantly on Pause.

Over the last few months I’ve tried this Intermittent Fasting and it has been a game-changer. Within weeks that Christmas flab was singed away. Mind got clearer, concentration sharper. Clean and light and good to go. Tough at first but after a few days the cravings went away, less dependency on food. No more snacking. No more need to snack. More than anything I started to have a deeper enjoyment of meals. It became an event, something to look forward to.

Rule of thumb being the 8/16 hours split. Eight hours in which to eat and sixteen hours in which to fast, much of the fasted time obviously spent while asleep. Over these few months I’ve shifted the hours around to meet with the unpredictability of daily life, but always making sure to clear the minimum sixteen. Midnight to 4 pm. 10 till 2. At the moment I’m on 8pm till midday and this feels like the most all-round accessible way. Be creative with it. Work out what works best for you. With these allotted windows it also frees you up on what to eat. Life can happen. Desserts can go down, all the while still being in calorie deficit.

Fast away on just water and black coffee, nothing else, burn and burn away, move, train, lift, squat, run and burn some more. Then when your sixteen is up break that fast, eat, indulge a little, you’ve earned it. It’s also that time of the year when those yellow packets appear on our shelves. Mini Eggs. Those speckled shells of impossible delight. Washed down with a strong cup of Yorkshire and you might start to believe there’s a God. Their charm coming in that they’re only with us for a short time. A cameo appearance on our calendar. The Power of Brevity. Here in Feb, gone by May. We have to wait for them…and then we miss them when they’re gone. We’ve grown up with these little fellas and know them well. However, I’ve just noticed something this year, in the year 2020, and that is that The Eager-Eyed Little Chicken Guy on the front of our packets has gone. He is no more. Cadbury’s now opting for a more demure talisman: silhouette of a cool bunny walking away.

Oh well,

Nothing and no one lives forever. However putting that aside I’m going to give you a tip. Actually it’s more than a tip. It’s advice. Wisdom, in fact. To get the very best Mini Egg Experience one must do this: place them in the freezer for an hour and a quarter before consumption. Seventy-five minutes exactly, not a minute either side. Almost frozen but not quite.

Almost Healthy. Almost frozen.

Balance is everything.

Timing, too.

Book recommendation: Food Rules by Michael Pollan.

*Article provided by Joe Archer (Health & Lifestyle Correspondent).

*Main image @GoodtoKnow are mini eggs the food to end all fasting?