My Personal Wake Up Call

I used to consider myself relatively healthy. As a physician, I kept myself fit and slim. I ate a balanced diet with lots of vegetables and fruits, and kept active with Zumba as the main exercise.

Being 5 ft 7 inches and 125lbs, I would be considered thin. However, a body analysis showed that 33.7% of my weight was fat! With that composition, I was classified as obese. Furthermore, my visceral fat index was 9, an index more than 10 means high risk for cardiovascular disease. This was my wake up call.

I was a typical TOFI (Thin Outside Fat Inside), with thin face, chest, arms and legs, but not much of a waist line. I did not need to loose weight, but I needed to get rid of the fat and gain muscle mass. So, I started my new diet and exercise regimen.

After much research, I started on a 15:9 Intermittent fasting diet and weight training. I will share the data on the diet and resistant training later. I also increased my protein intake, continued with fruits and vegetables but drastically reduced all fine carbs and sucrose. In 4 weeks, the percentage fat has reduced without much weight loss.

It has now been 6 weeks since I started the new diet and exercise. Intermittent fasting is relatively easy to adhere to, and with the resistant training, I feel physically and mentally stronger. The muscle mass probably will not be observable for now, but hopefully by summer, I will have some muscle definition to show off! As for the mental improvement, I think being able to restart blogging may be proof! (I am actually sitting down and focusing!) Now that I am used to fasting for 15 hours, I will try fasting for 16 hours.

*Even though intermittent fasting is relatively safe, it may not be suitable for everyone. Do consult with a physician whether this would be recommended for you.