Hey everyone. I have written mains recently and I have observed so many things. The experience itself teaches us so many lessons and makes us think. And one thing I have noticed predominantly is the issue of overweight among the aspirants. And not just overweight but obesity. UPSC can be a long journey for most of us. Mental issues affect our eating and sleeping habits. The sedentary lifestyle, sitting for many hours throughout the day can make our legs weak and body older biologically.
Personally, I have reduced 20 kgs of weight before Prelims, but turns out I have gained 6kgs again during those 3 months for Mains. I have been harsh on myself for gaining weight. Especially when I can feel it sitting at the study table. It felt embarrassing. It doesnt stop with me. Similar stories have been shared by many of our friends across different threads on this Forum. I see young UPSC aspirants losing hair not just because of stress but lack of good nutrition. Personally I feel more confident when I am healthy physically and mentally. Both reinforcing each other.
This problem has no divisions. Men, Women and others-everyone face it. I realized there is nothing to be embarrassed about it. We have to be healthy. We deserve to be. We cant sacrifice our health and sleep. Many reports are saying non-communicable diseases like Diabetes and heart diseases are on rise among us youth!!
Let us create a thread in this community where we seek all-round development to crack this exam. There is a dearth of such discussions in our field. Forum provides us with a great place to start and mainstream this aspect of our journey during the preparation. I hope all of you participate everyday on this thread. All the fitness freaks can help people like me, maybe I can help others about how I lost 20kgs, we can motivate each other, track progress, share knowledge, food habits etc...Since the mental and physical issues are both correlated, this thread is not strictly limited to just physical health. However, the idea surrounds the physical health issues and is based on it.
Lets do this!
chamomile,brownianMotion
chamomile,
Imomf,
Anybody doing intermittent fasting ?
I am doing and trust me it gives amazing results. I have done like for 2 months post prelims 2021 and have lost 3kgs w/o any exercise except for brisk walking/jog for like 20 mins.
But intermittent fasting requires strict following of routine because once you break that it gets way too hard to get back to it.
I am doing and trust me it gives amazing results. I have done like for 2 months post prelims 2021 and have lost 3kgs w/o any exercise except for brisk walking/jog for like 20 mins.
But intermittent fasting requires strict following of routine because once you break that it gets way too hard to get back to it.
Same. I study well when I am fasting. Have been doing it on and off & the "data" is irrefutable for me that fasting improves my productivity.
@Dead Man you r right in saying that the window has to be increased GRADUALLY..... honestly,it varies with each one of us.....broadly,u need to remember to follow certain process i.e. start having a meal which gives u satiety,do not consume very less , a calorie deficit state keeps us in a hunger state and this forces us to snack.....take a small amount of concentrated source of fat like butter(please remember fats consumed in small quantities is not harmful for us,infact it helps in increasing satiety of the meal) .....keep a cheat day once in a fortnight......with continuous IF on a daily basis(barring cheat days) u should be at the 18:6 frequency! GO AT UR OWN PACE!And plz NO STRESS! Stress makes us hungry.......Happy fasting! And stay happy!
People pay a lot of emphasis on what you eat during the fast and what you should do when you break the fast. Any suggestion on that front? Can we have lemon water during fast period?
THE_MECHANIC,ThunderstormSame. I study well when I am fasting. Have been doing it on and off & the "data" is irrefutable for me that fasting improves my productivity.
Yeah. I feel so good when I am fasting and my productivity during fasting period is good. Else I always feel a lot sleepy when my stomach is full and have concentration issue.
But what I have issues is that am I consuming enough food that my body needs? Like in a 6 hr window I cannot eat enough food and that leads me to sometimes think that only 8 hour window is good and 6 hr window is not good health wise. Any suggestions? @imomf
Anybody doing intermittent fasting ?
Yess..and it actually turned out to be beneficial..! Last year i researched a lot about intermittent fasting(saw lot's of videos) and read few articles....Decided the meals and what to eat what not to eat chart..i gained a lot of weight while preparing for prelims but now I am on a good track ...! But in addition to it I also do skipping and meditation which is the best substitute of all the physical workout i guess...
But yes..one needs to be very particular about the diet..! Well I got results (lost 4kgs) last year..and currently following the intermittent chart..i hope soon..I will achieve the desired target..:)
MachineGunJoe,How do you guys even push it to 18 hours in intermittent fasting? Its insane and sounds brutal!!!! How many meals do you even have during those 6 hours? so its 12 to 6? I cant even focus on what i am studying when I am that hungry! I am hardly making it to 14 hours!!!!
Heard of the ranveer show...that runs on YouTube? BeerBiceps wala... There is an episode with Luke Cautinho talking about intermittent fasting and all things health. Must watch it is. Will post the link if I find it. It will address your query...
My 2 cents - fasting is not about pushing your body into unease. Progress slowly. Our focus is to build health... Not starve ourselves. Do it like this - start with x hours of fasting, where x should be greater than 8, assuming you sleep for 7-8 hrs atleast. Then gradually increase half hour every 2 days. Drink water when you feel hungry during your fast. I don't think eating during this kind of fast would be a good idea.
In the video that I mentioned above Luke has actually mentioned about other kinds of fasting methods...full day fast once in a week, or once a fortnight. Try them if you want instead of everyday fasting. Fortnightly fasting for full day has some spiritual benefits too...people do it on what is known as 'ekadashi'... Some do it on purnima...and you don't have to be religious to do it actually. Anyways I m no expert at all this..you can reasearch more if you are interested.
How do you guys even push it to 18 hours in intermittent fasting? Its insane and sounds brutal!!!! How many meals do you even have during those 6 hours? so its 12 to 6? I cant even focus on what i am studying when I am that hungry! I am hardly making it to 14 hours!!!!Heard of the ranveer show...that runs on YouTube? BeerBiceps wala... There is an episode with Luke Cautinho talking about intermittent fasting and all things health. Must watch it is. Will post the link if I find it. It will address your query...
My 2 cents - fasting is not about pushing your body into unease. Progress slowly. Our focus is to build health... Not starve ourselves. Do it like this - start with x hours of fasting, where x should be greater than 8, assuming you sleep for 7-8 hrs atleast. Then gradually increase half hour every 2 days. Drink water when you feel hungry during your fast. I don't think eating during this kind of fast would be a good idea.
In the video that I mentioned above Luke has actually mentioned about other kinds of fasting methods...full day fast once in a week, or once a fortnight. Try them if you want instead of everyday fasting. Fortnightly fasting for full day has some spiritual benefits too...people do it on what is known as 'ekadashi'... Some do it on purnima...and you don't have to be religious to do it actually. Anyways I m no expert at all this..you can reasearch more if you are interested.
Here is the link
Crazy thanks a lot!@MachineGunJoe you can try dryfruits..it prevents insulin spike(my father does that although he is not on intermittent)And also you can try foxnuts(roasted)..a great substitute in case you are super hungry ( i started having it few days ago)
will surely explore those. because i seem to have lost touch with intermittent fasting. Thanks@MuffinHow do you guys even push it to 18 hours in intermittent fasting? Its insane and sounds brutal!!!! How many meals do you even have during those 6 hours? so its 12 to 6? I cant even focus on what i am studying when I am that hungry! I am hardly making it to 14 hours!!!!Heard of the ranveer show...that runs on YouTube? BeerBiceps wala... There is an episode with Luke Cautinho talking about intermittent fasting and all things health. Must watch it is. Will post the link if I find it. It will address your query...
My 2 cents - fasting is not about pushing your body into unease. Progress slowly. Our focus is to build health... Not starve ourselves. Do it like this - start with x hours of fasting, where x should be greater than 8, assuming you sleep for 7-8 hrs atleast. Then gradually increase half hour every 2 days. Drink water when you feel hungry during your fast. I don't think eating during this kind of fast would be a good idea.
In the video that I mentioned above Luke has actually mentioned about other kinds of fasting methods...full day fast once in a week, or once a fortnight. Try them if you want instead of everyday fasting. Fortnightly fasting for full day has some spiritual benefits too...people do it on what is known as 'ekadashi'... Some do it on purnima...and you don't have to be religious to do it actually. Anyways I m no expert at all this..you can reasearch more if you are interested.
Muffin,
MachineGunJoe,
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