Yesterday I had a meeting with a close friend. He invited me to lunch. I had not seen him in probably 2 months or so, so I was happy to get together. My friend, let’s call him Steve, is a really physically fit guy, a very muscular guy.
I am fasting, but I decided to just have a small meal with him, it was a social thing, so I ordered a bowl of tomato soup. Fits within my diet, and it did not bother me that it was during my fasting time. The doctors that I follow online who are advocates of IF say that it is OK to break your fast for such social events, just eat something that is healthy, so that is what I did.
The meeting was “interesting”. It started out with “Wow, Bob, you really look great, the best I have ever seen you look. I can see that you have lost weight, and your color is very good!” I thanked him and he asked me what is going on with me health-wise. Steve has been a big supporter of my heart surgery and other health issues, so he had an interest in how I am doing.
I explained to him what I am doing with the keto diet, Intermittent Fasting, etc. He seemed very angry. He told me it was all a fallacy. He said that I am not doing the right thing. I explained to him that it is working well for me. I told him how I am no longer using insulin, no medication for diabetes, lost 16 pounds in the past 4 weeks. He said 16 pounds is nothing, if I was serious about it, I should be able to lose 15 pounds per week on an ongoing basis. “I’ve done it, Bob, that is what you have to do too”.
It got a little heated because I firmly believe that what I am doing is working very well for me. Steve started telling me about a friend of his in the States, Charlie, who is built about the same as me, about the same weight, etc. “I have been all over Charlie for 10 years that he has to work out, he has to do x, he has to do y,” I explained to Steve that it is unlikely that Charlie will listen to him, and he asked why. I told him it was because for somebody like me if I look at Steve and I see this very muscular, physically fit guy, and he is preaching at me how I need to do this and that… I think about how I have tried every possible solution over the years, and I am different than Steve is. What works for him has not worked for me. I explained to Steve that if this Keto thing keeps working for me, Charlie would be much more likely to listen to me, because we have similarities and we can give each other hope. When we look at Steve that is the “impossible hope”. After I told him that, he started to understand where I was coming from.
Our argument eased to a discussion and I explained a lot of what I am doing. He said he went from thinking I was 100% wrong to think that as unconventional as it sounds, he now thinks I am 80% right.
After about an hour of this “give and take” I invited Steve to come over to the house and we talked more about diet and such. I showed a video of a doctor that I follow online. Steve’s eyes became sparkling. He said that after seeing the doctor, he didn’t find it all that unconventional and he finally seemed to understand. That made me happy.
Steve is a good guy, and I like him a lot. For a while during the early part of our discussion/argument at the restaurant, I thought that our friendship may be coming to an end. I am so glad that it worked out, though.
We all have that one person who has the answers for everything until they are shown the facts and proof. There is and has never been a bullet proof diet that works for everyone because everyone is different. Glad he learned more in the end. It will open his mind for future things.
That is true, Brent. I hope that my friend continues to keep an open mind.
Bob, glad it all worked out, and that your friend was reasonable in the end. Would you be willing to post to link to the video from the doctor you are following?
Hi Mike – Next week, I plan to have a week of posts about this doctor, his videos and such. I will tell you his name is Dr. Jason Fung. There are lots of videos by him and about him on YouTube if you search!
This is the Dr. and that I follow: https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&v=63-570X9goI
I’m surprised your friend that’s into fitness wouldn’t know about intermittent fasting. Maybe he believed in the old myth that you have to eat six meals a day. I’m glad to see that it is working for you. I do it as well, although I’m not as strict as you are about carbs (most of the time, anyway).
Ha ha, Kevin, you are exactly on the mark! He kept telling me that the most effective thing I can do is eat more often – 6 meals per day as you say. He also was very against fasting because “it will burn all of your muscle!”
I went for about 9 months limiting carbs but not strictly. Now, I am very strict about it and it is doing good things for me! 🙂
That six meal a day thing is what bodybuilders believed for years. I used to believe it. But it has been shown to have no scientific merit.
It all comes down to what works for you. What works for you may not work for me. I have tried the Keto diet before. It worked, but I couldn’t stick with. Lately I have been at 1500 cal/day, and nothing has been happening. So I dropped to 1000 cal/day, and I’m starting to drop
That is true, Michael! One thing that I did not mention about the conversation yesterday was that my friend kept saying “you have to do what works for you” but then he would go on to say “you have to do what I am saying”. Somehow that did not add up to me! 🙂
Interesting Bob. I use a microfast diet where I skip the evening meal and only eat between 8am and 2pm. It’s called 18/6 diet the 18 being the fast period. Works a treat for me, don’t miss the skipped meal and eat less during my eating window. Lost 24kgs and have now stabilised my weight.
As you say you need to go with what suits your body and your mentality.
Interesting Michael, sounds like we’re doing very similar things. Sounds like we’re also experiencing similar success! Congratulations to you.
If someone is really a friend, you can discuss a difference of opinion and agree to disagree and remain friends. I don’t expect everyone to share the same opinions that I have in every aspect of life. I just assume they don’t understand, and I also assume, they must think the same of me. Remember in an argument, “Those convinced against their will, are of the same opinion still”.
Hi Bruce, I think another fact is that my friend cares a lot because he is a good friend, it is because of that care that he had concerned.
Who is the doctor you follow online Bob>
Hi Jim, his name is dr. Jason Fung. Next week I’ll be posting a lot of information about him on this site.