The secret of weight maintenance?

I want to share with you the secret that has helped me maintain my weight at around 70Kg's, with a BMI of low 20's, for the last 30+ years! I call it the 50:50 programme.

There are 3 simple steps to the 50:50 programme (50% of the day body nourishment  50% of the day body Fast)

1. The Fast
Leave at least 12 hours between your last meal of the day and your first of the next.  I normally finish my last meal of the day at around 18:00 hours. My first meal of the day is taken around 07:30 hours. On Friday's and the weekend, when I go to bed later, I fit in a healthy evening snack no later than 21:00 hours. The timing of my first meal of the following day, breakfast, is adjusted accordingly. I allow myself only water or caffeine free tea, green tea, after my last meal of the day. This 12 hour fast enables my body to calm down, relax and settle the digestive process.

2. Sleep
During the Fast period I aim to get at least 8 hours of total rest, or sleep. During sleep, repair and detoxification of the body occurs naturally. My body can deal with the result of detoxification once I awake. Also during sleep, memory consolidation occurs along with the release of hormones regulating growth and appetite. Sleep allows your body to rejuvenate.
Do not make your bedroom too warm and avoid distractions such as TV's, games consoles and alike, as these will disrupt your sleep pattern.

3. Stay active
Staying active burns calories. I carry out weight bearing exercise 3/4 times a week, walk, run, and try to keep up with my 9 year old son! I also train Wing Chun Kung Fu. My exercise regime has been varied over the last 30 years but has always included weight bearing activities, be that weight training or body weight exercises.
What you do to stay active will depend on your abilities, roles and responsibilities. If you schedule your day you will find time to exercise. You can also build activity into your daily routine: take the lift instead of the stairs, get off the bus a stop earlier or take a walk during your lunch break. There is no excuse for not trying.

In this post I have only touched the surface of this subject. So to sum up, by maintaining the 50:50 programme you can attain a healthier more energetic life.

I haven't discussed the aspect of food. I eat around 4-5 times a day, 3 main meals and 1-2 healthy snacks. I am not obsessive about food but on the whole, choices are healthy. By manipulating food choice, portion size, and type of activity, you can either lose weight or increase healthy body weight, depending on your goals.

As I said at the start, this has worked for me for the last 30+ years. If helps you then take it and use it. I'm happy to help.