While there may not be a unified theory of optimum health, I am still searching for the most essential activities so we can use them, make them into habits, and forget them so we can do what we do in our lives.
Are you with me? Good, because I want to tell you about this innovative use of the body’s clock based on impressive research that began on mice and expanded to humans. This is effective and could be the best way to reclaim our biological order..[1]
The template I'm giving you is a simple visual record of your eating times so you can make use of the circadian principles I’ll describe below. It’s not sexy. It doesn’t amuse. You might post it on a social media platform but, unless you post it with a catchy tune it will go nowhere – just my prediction. So why are you care about a template? This simple activity could break a weight plateau or inability to focus/sleep/get more done. It is incredibly simple and effective.
Make a copy of the PDF template and put it in a convenient area where you are thinking about food, like your kitchen. Then all you do is enter a dot in the correct square when you take in food, snack, and/or drink including coffee and tea. Only water gets a pass.
Within a week or two, this change could perk you up so you can re-engage with an overall healthy program. Remember...
Your actions affect your health, but your
health affects your actions.
You want to begin to corral your food and fluids for the day into a smaller window between 8-12 hours. By confining every bite into a narrow window, your body will adjust, improving digestion, sharpening your metabolism, clearing your thoughts, and soothing your sleep. These are all signs your body has been inflamed and this eating pattern reduces inflammation. All that all adds up to breaking the weight plateau.
I don’t want to discourage anyone from eating healthy and nutritious food but, apparently people in the studies were instructed to eat and drink whatever they wanted. It should be good to know you don’t have to count carbs or calories. The caveat: sweets and anything addicting are metabolic disrupters and will make your attempts to stick to a schedule a struggle. Keeping these sensible suggestion in mind, you should be able to enjoy your food and the companionship that goes with it.
Choose a time frame that you can adhere to. Consistency is important because you are resetting your biological clock.
How to start: For a couple of days or more, simply go about your normal eating pattern but record everything that passes your lips by just making a dot on the approximate time of the correct day. When you’re ready, begin to shorten the time you are taking food/fluids in a day. As you do, you will notice the "dots" will become more concentrated - meaning your eating window is reducing. Maybe you can delay your morning coffee and breakfast. If that’s not practical work on the other end of the schedule and eat your evening meal or snack sooner.
I want to emphasize that you will be beginning to wield your natural biological circadian timing to your advantage. As you gradually shorten the “intake window” you will actually flip some of your genes “on” and others “off”, making the transition easier as you progress. This is really cool, if you ask me. If you haven’t become familiar with the word, this is the meaning of epigenetic: the process of switching genes on and off by your habitual actions. This is why an activity may become enjoyable even when it was something you had to force yourself to do, initially. Your genes will adapt to new routines, so be sure to choose a good supportive routine.
I honestly couldn’t believe it could be such a game changer. After gaining a few pounds over this winter I used intermittent fasting and small windows of time for main meals (but I didn't count snacks!). I didn’t seem to be getting anywhere. The trick for me was counting coffee (black is my preference but it still counts) and the tiny treats of nuts and/or cheese in the evening. Now I can see why it didn’t work so well. I was cheating and didn't realize it.
Please give this very simple food schedule some of your attention. Remember, no carbs or calorie counting is necessary!
We all have questions, so ask your questions below and we’d really like to hear a report of your experience.
[1] The Circadian Code: Lose Weight, Supercharge Your Energy, and Transform Your Health from Morning to Midnight, Satchin Panda, PhD
