As a drinking man, this post is my
approach to eating, drinking and fasting. Last week’s, Type
2 Nutrition #439, describes the original 1964, “The
Drinking Man's Diet.” The premise of both is that, as Robert Cameron wrote
in 1964, “Most everyone has a drink now and then.” My contention is that it is
not necessary, when either dieting or fasting to give up alcohol completely.
This should allay the fear, or excuse, for not trying it.
In this 2004 Forbes Magazine piece, commemorating
the 40th anniversary of its original publication, Cameron was
described as a bon vivant. It’s hard
to know at this point whether he was or not, but his little pamphlet is replete
with humorous references to various spirits in conjunction with the
“high-life.” Reading it today it sounds more like a parody of the ‘50s, but in
context, it could very well have been the way some people lived.
In any case, while today’s business
man or woman no longer indulges in a 2-martini lunch, it is fair to say that
“most (sic) everyone has a drink now and then,” many at home before or with
dinner. It has been justified, or rationalized, as a way to relax and relieve
stress. There’s a social aspect to it: a chance to sit down with one’s spouse
and “communicate” (LOL). As a result, perhaps based on today’s mores, medical
advice websites tout the “health benefits” of “light drinking,” usually defined
as 1 alcoholic drink per day for women and 2 for men.
Okay, so that’s my set-up. I like a
drink. I consider myself a light drinker, fitting the guideline above. I drink
spirits (scotch, bourbon, vodka, etc) on special occasions. We go out for
dinner on average once a week. In a restaurant I will often have one or
sometimes two cocktails, depending on the bartender (the amount of the “pour”).
We entertain at home much less often these days, but if we have people over for
dinner, I will make just one for me and any guests who will join me. When I make the drink, one is always enough.
LOL
On a daily basis, I drink wine at
home. When I am NOT fasting, my Way of Eating is generally to eat Very Low
Carb: to have just coffee with cream for breakfast, to have, if any, a very
light lunch – usually a can of kippered herring – and then to have a small
supper. Supper is a portion of protein with a low-glycemic vegetable, either
roasted in olive oil or tossed in butter, or a salad. Daily food intake is about 1,200 kcal: 100g
fat, 60g protein, and 15g carbs. In addition, I have two 5-ounce pours of red wine, the glass then filled with seltzer:
a “spritzer.”
I describe my non-fasting daily
eating routine as Very Low Carb, One Meal a Day, or VLC/OMAD. When I am “fasting,” I have the same
“breakfast,” I skip lunch, and for “supper” I have just one red-wine
spritzer.
If I am working at “hard labor” (in
the garden), I will drink diet ice tea sweetened with liquid stevia. For
electrolyte balance, I will supplement it with pickle juice, or a large cup of
bouillon. For any oral fixation
impulses, especially after supper, I will make a “cocktail” of 1 Tbs of Bragg’s
Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV), a few dashes of bitters, and 5 drops of liquid
stevia, stirred (not shaken), the glass filled with ice and then seltzer.
The ACV cocktail is satisfying and
is said to be good for blood glucose control too. Who knows? I’ve been a type 2
for 32 years and my A1c is now 5.0%, so I would say that I have my
“progressive” disease under control. I do it with just a Very Low Carb diet,
intermittent fasting, red wine and Metformin (750mg twice a day).
My “Drinking Man’s Liquid Fasting Diet” is about 300 kcal/day,
equally divided between “breakfast” and “supper.” Macronutrient Distribution is
detailed in Type 2 Nutrition #410. It is Protein: 1.2g; Fat:
16g; Carbs: 5.7g and ethyl alcohol: 18g. Last year, I lost about 60 pounds following
this “Liquid Fasting Diet.”
I have been losing
weight eating Very Low Carb since 2002. I weighed 375 pounds at the start and
twice got down to 205, then stalled and regained some. In early 2017 I started
my “Liquid Fasting Diet” to break the log jam. It was not a “water-only” fast, though. It was this “Drinking Man’s
Liquid Fasting Diet,” as described. I generally ate 4 days and fasted 3
days a week. So, this would make my WOE a VLC/OMAD/4-3
DIET. Cheers!
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