How to do Effective Intermittent Fasting the (South) Indian Way?

Following up from the previous two articles, inspired by BBC's Peter Bowes, I have set upon to find how to do this on a regular basis instead of an aggressive 5 day calory-reducing intermittent fasting.

A good research yielded very doable diet plan for an avid South Indian food follower like me. 

According a website called diet burp, this is how we start:

Personalising a South Indian diet plan for weight loss

To make a south Indian diet plan for yourself, follow the following steps

• Calculate your BMR (Basal Metabolic Rate) to know your basic calorie requirement.
• Calculate your BMI to know how over weight you are and how much you really need to lose to be healthy.

I started with my own.

My height: 5'10 inches, age: 44 and current weight: 72 kgs.

My Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is now 1460 cal/day

My Body Mass Index (BMI) is now 18.5% - 25% - Normal 

My Body Fat Index (BFI) is now 18.3% - Average, fitter range would still be in 14 - 16%

To maintain my current weight, I need to be taking in 2007 cal/day, which I believe I am overdoing a bit as the weight steadily is increasing the last two years from 67 kgs to the current 72 kgs.

To loose an approximate 0.5 kg/week, I need to bring the calorie intake to as close as possible to the BMR - around 1500 calories/day.  

By the above calculations, I should be able to loose 2 kg/month and 4 kgs in two months and get closer to my earlier weight, but yes, this is not intermittent but all 30 days in the month.

Aggressive it might sound, but in total resonance to Peter Bowes' clinical trial suggestions.

Now the suggestions from the Diet Burp website:

South Indian Diet Plan for Weight Loss (1200 calories)

Food Item	Amount	Calories (kcal)	Protein (g)
Early Morning Lukewarm water with lemon	1 cup
Tea (without sugar)	1 cup	35	4
Marie biscuits	2	56
Breakfast Ragi ganji/Rava ganji	1 glass	100	2
or Idli with Sambar	2 no	150	4
or Neer dosa with Coconut chutney	2 no	150	3
Mid-morning Fruit salad	1 m bowl	40	-
Green tea (without sugar)	1 cup	35	4
Lunch Ragi ball ( 2 no ) /steamed rice	1 bowl	200	6
Koshimbiri	1 bowl	30	2
Bus saaru	1 bowl	50	3
Cabbage palya	1 bowl	50	1
Evening Green tea (without sugar)	1 cup	35	4
Wheat rusk	2	120	6
Dinner Chapati (without oil)	2	200	6
Bhendekai gojju	1 small bowl	100	4
Curd	1 small bowl	30	1.5
Total	———	1131 kcal	45.5 g

The above mentioned South Indian diet plan for weight loss is a sample plan for how a 1200 cal South Indian diet plan for weight loss looks like.  

Of course you can add up a lot of options based on the right choice of veggies. like for example instead of Bhendekai gojju with Brinjal / Onion / Tomato etc.

I, on my part, replaced the tea with black coffee with no sugar (10 cal) and morning breakfast with a cup of skimmed milk and 4 spoons of oats which adds up to 125 calories (Milk -100 cal and oats - 25 cal) which is better than Idly and Thosai.

The benefits of Indian Regular Controlled Diet as against Intermittent Fasting

- Multiple options of cuisine and food

- Not intensive 500 cal/day, 5 day course for a month

- But a regular food-life style pattern

- Can be cooked at home or eaten at restaurants, unlike the intermittent fasting food regime which Peter Bowes claims cannot be cooked but needs to be ordered

- Flexible calorie intakes in relation to the improvement in weight loss

As per the recent findings of how Indian subcontinent owing to its veg-based diet has far lesser obesity and obesity-induced diseases, it is imperative that we turn to our traditional ways of creating a sustainable food style.

Keeping the compelling scientific findings from the clinical trials of Peter Bowes, I believe this is really important to lead a disease free, healthy ageing life just by following simpler and efficient calorie intakes - 1000 - 1500 cal/day.