February 20, 2020

As previously mentioned, the best diet for you is one that you can stick to. The one that you can stick to is likely going to be one that is commensurate with your current lifestyle.

Your current lifestyle involves, but is not limited to:

• Your job
• Your social circle
• Your family
• Your house
• Your local area
• Your financial status
• Your current health-status

Now, the primary inputs your body needs, in some fashion or another are:

• Good Nutrition
• Movement
• Good Sleep

You need to be consistently doing these things right to some degree to be able to successfully lose weight over an extended period.

Okay cool. Just go for a jog three times a week, stop eating biscuits, give up beer and wine, and be in bed by ten o’clock.

Easy!

Except we all know that it isn’t.

You’re fifty years old. Let’s say your life revolves around your children while also caring for two elderly parents. You’ve also never been much of an athlete, never been to the gym, you used to run when you were twenty-something. Twenty-one? Twenty-two?

Now, you’re a member of the local pub and spend your evenings there because that’s where your mates are. In fact, that’s where everything is, all the local events are held there. You have worked at a desk all your life. For half of the year it’s dark when you wake up and when you get home so you’ve never been much of a sleeper, especially after a couple of pints after work. Work is far so you always drive but the pub is across the road so it’s not much of a walk. Maybe you get around twenty minutes of walking daily. Sometimes twenty-five.

Also, because you’re constantly being pulled between a rock and a hard place with your kids and your parents, who live apart, you just don’t have enough time to cook properly. You snack just to keep going, you’re always stressed and tired so you crave sugary snacks and, the more you eat, the more you crave.

Maybe you’re not even aware that you’re doing all of this to such a degree until reading this.

Maybe you’ve always been overweight. Maybe much of the above rings true, except you’re twenty-five.

The thing is, if I told you that you need to limit your calories to 1,500 per day and you need to eat meals that are 50% protein, 30% fat, 20% carbs and strictly no sugar or alcohol, does that sound do-able to you?

It might sound like a good idea, but what is a carb and what is a fat anyway? How do I measure them? What is a calorie? What about greens? Is avocado a fat or a protein? Is red meat bad? Can I eat vegan biscuits? Those are healthy right? What about Quorn? All I know how to cook is curry, isn’t that just carbs?

We have a lot of work to do…

So, if you can stick to what I am about to tell you then, pretty much whatever you eat, you’re going to lose weight. Re-education takes time and changing your lifestyle takes even longer. If all your friends are unhealthy, the chances are that you will be too.

Remember, everything affects everything! So if you lose weight quickly at the beginning, it’s going to motivate you to want to lose more as the complements fly in, you feel better day-to-day, you can move around better, you can sleep better, you feel less stressed and lethargic, you feel sharper and your memory improves and you feel less like a farm animal and more like a wild human!

Wait!

Don’t skip to the good part just yet. Let’s just prepare you a touch.

At WildLife, we love methods that have stood the test of time. We’re going to prepare some delicious and nutritious bone broth!

If you don’t already have one, buy one of these bad boys (a slow cooker). Genuinely the cheapest one will do. You probably don’t need one if you have a halogen or induction hob. They’re just a bit safer to leave unattended.

You’ll also need some zip-lock bags to put them in. I like these ones.

Also, make sure, throughout the week, you just don’t make any food-and-drink-related plans on Monday and Tuesday evening.

Go to the butchers and get a piece of your favourite meat, whatever it is. It could be any cut of steak, organ meats, a whole chicken, stewing lamb, pheasant, goats brain, monkey intestines, emu ears, kangaroo claws, eye of newt. Anything.

But! Before you leave, make sure you ask for some bones! Preferably cow’s bones with lots of marrow. My butcher gives them to me for free. Make sure you have at least 2 kg but the more the merrier. They were going in the bin anyway.

Also, make sure you have roughly:

• 2 Onions
• 4 Celery Sticks
• 4 Carrots
• A bottle of apple cider vinegar
• Your favorite herbs and spices. I use:
  • Quite a few cloves of garlic
  • Fresh mint
  • Fresh coriander
  • Salt
  • Turmeric Powder or root
  • Ginger powder or root
  • Black pepper (great to combine with turmeric)

Start as early as you can in the day to prepare your bone broth.

It looks like it has a lot of steps but I have broken everything down as much as possible. It's not an exact science by any means. All you're doing is throwing some stuff in a pot and cooking for as long as you can.

1. Get all your bones and put them in your slow-cooker or a big cooking pot.
2. Empty out your apple cider vinegar. If all the bones are not completely covered, top up with cold water and mix. This step draws more nutrients out from the bones by breaking them down. Leave them there for at least an hour. Don't worry, your final broth won't be vinegary!
3. While everything is soaking, quarter the onions and crush the garlic (no need to peel). Roughly chop the carrots and celery. Also, prepare any herbs or roots you’re going to add. I typically chop ginger and turmeric roots into smallish cubes.
4. When vinegar soaking is complete, add in all the chopped ingredients and any herbs and spices you like. Don’t forget the salt! Make sure you keep tasting throughout the flavouring process to tailor it to your palette. This is what makes a good cook!
5. Fill the pot with as much water as it can take, cover and bring to a gentle simmer. Because it’s so full, I have to set my slow cooker to “max”. It takes quite some time so you could use kettle water to speed it up.
6. Now, wait… you need to leave the bones cooking for 24-48 hours. The longer the better, until the bones go soft. I have left mine for even 72 hours with delicious results. You can leave the slow cooker unattended, providing you have added enough water and you have made sure that the maximum boiling point will not cause it to spill over. I actually turn mine off at night time and then back on the next day. Do whatever works for you.
7. When the broth is in its last hour, put in your chopped fresh herbs, if any.
8. Allow to cool. You can sieve out the solid bits if you prefer. Personally, I leave them in.
9. Transfer to your individual packages for storing in the freezer. Each package should be a small portion because you’re going to dilute with water to heat it up. With the water, you want about a mug’s worth. Leave some out to bring with you to work on Monday.

Have your last meal as early as you can. Prepare that lovely steak you just bought from the butcher. Or, save until a later date. Once you’re done eating, stop. Try to avoid a sugary dessert this time.

Today, you’re going to fast. Bring as many portions of broth with you as you can if you can store them in your work fridge. You’re going to drink them at work.

Also, if you can, try to get as much real sunlight as you absorb, as early as possible. It will help you sleep.

Make a nice tea or coffee and drink ad libitum throughout the morning. This will keep the morning grumbles at bay. Adding milk is fine but don't drink caffeine past 1 pm as this will affect your sleep.

At breakfast, when everyone comes in with stuff from the bakery, you’re going to join them. Except, you’re going to get one of your portions of broth and just add boiling water. Mix a bit with a spoon, allow to cool to avoid tongue-burning and enjoy. You can eat the bits if you left them in.

Make sure you tell your colleagues to make sure they stop offering you stuff! It's only for a while, not forever! If people resist you, tell them politely that soon, you'll be back!

Okay. Now, the hard part.

Your tummy might be a bit grumbly now because this is when you normally eat. Your body has started secreting hormones to make sure that it gets food and digests it in the right way. Digestion starts long before any food has touched your mouth. It’s like clockwork. This process will break after a few days. You just have to educate your body clock that it isn’t going to be fed as normal now.

If you can, go for a walk and avoid them. Your goal is 30 minutes. This will keep your metabolism working and burning fat. It’ll also help with the hunger. If you’re still hungry when you get back, you guessed it: Have a mug of bone broth.

Make sure you stop caffeine as early as possible. It ruins your sleep quality, even if you don’t feel it. If you don’t want broth, just drink lots of water. If you’re struggling with only plain water, add some salt and a squeeze of fresh lemon, or drink fizzy water. If you are really struggling with that, then any sugar-free drink will do.

NOTE: IT ABSOLUTELY MUST BE SUGAR-FREE. THIS IS LITERALLY THE ONLY RULE HERE!

Check the back of the packaging for carbohydrate content. This must be exactly zero grams. I really do not advise this step but, to get started, it can help some people as a last resort.

NB: It’s totally normal to wee a lot and even have slightly altered digestion, regularity or fluency over the next few days.

Wow, look at all the time you’ve saved by not having to eat or cook. You can go for a walk now. If you don’t like walking, find something to listen to or someone to join you. It’ll make it much more enjoyable.

Ok, so the first time you fast, sometimes sleeping can be a little difficult. That’s why you need to make sure you have walked and moved around a bit during the day. The early-morning sunshine would have helped too, as would limiting caffeine consumption as early as possible. Wind down properly, limit TV and screens and just enjoy the relaxation. Have a herbal, bedtime tea if you like. Make sure it's not black or green-tea based.

You’re still alive. Check yourself up and down. Have you wasted away? Are your legs still attached? Have you grown an extra limb? God? Is that you?

Feel free to rinse and repeat Monday exactly the same. You’re going to make it, I promise you. Just keep moving! Sitting in one place because you feel tired isn’t going to help you. You need to keep your engine running to burn fat.

I’m not going to lie to you, this is the hardest day.

Believe it or not, you’re still going to be alive by this day, and maybe even looking way slimmer already. Let’s say, normally, you were eating 2,000 calories per day, you’ve just not eaten 4,000 calories. That’s 444 g of your own body fat. In a perfect world, that would be coming straight off your body. Where else would it have come from?

You’re not malnourished because you’re drinking your delicious bone broth! Your body doesn’t need the actual calories because, if you’re still following me here, they’re already right there, on your body. You’re carrying your lunch everywhere you go!

Today, however, it is going to be dinner time. Still fast at work but cometh 7 pm, it’s dinner time. If you planned to socialise this evening, do it!

Eat whatever you want, whatever you have been craving. Splash out, think of all the money you’ve saved.

However, a word of warning, your eyes are going to be bigger than your stomach. Make sure that it’s good food that you’re eating because you won’t be able to eat a lot of it. But sure, have desert!

You’ve bloody earned it! Feel proud!

From here on, continue like Wednesday. Fast all day and drink bone broth. You’re a pro at it now.

In the evening, after 7 pm, eat and drink whatever you want.

Do whatever you want. Try and skip breakfast, but if you’ve got plans, by all means.

Rinse and repeat the above. You should have week's worth of broth. If you get bored of this flavour, make another.

In reality, you can modulate the timing of the 7 pm window to suit your needs and sanity. Just keep it consistent!

If you keep this up. You’ll lose weight and a lot of it!

By being consistent here, you’re doing a ridiculous amount of calorie restriction, necessary for losing weight in the long-term. You’re also not losing out on your social life. I didn't suggest that you limit any of your favourite foods. You’re enjoying your food even more than before!

My dear father had been overweight for his entire adult life. More than 40 years. Now, he looks like a slim person at 62, simply by following this protocol. He’s lost 12 kg in 6 months and if I’m being honest, he could have lost it faster.

Frequently, he says: “Do you know what? I just don’t feel like eating”.

This rhythm has boosted his metabolism and removed his appetite.

He doesn’t even need the broth now.

Slowly, he’s learning about good food, but he’s still lost the weight eating his favourite diet of bread and cheese.

“I want to be buried with a block of cheese.”

– Father Nicholas

As I said, everyone has problems. He suffers from plantar fasciitis which I wouldn’t wish on anyone. For exercise, all he did is moderate walking until the painkillers had worn off. He has only recently taken up some moderate physical training, twice a week since he is lighter, abler and more motivated, given the results. Now he can touch his toes. Everything affects everything.

If you’ve been overweight for a large proportion of your life, I guarantee you that this is your ticket out of here. Unless you have a pretty serious health condition.

Feast and famine was a natural occurrence for our ancestors. We’re in the age of the feast where companies make up whatever they want to make us consume as many low-quality, high-margin products as humanly possible. Think breakfast cereals. You might even argue veganism. My friend Ryan recently told me about this Edward Bernays guy. He's the reason we have eggs for breakfast.

Not health, but capitalism.

The problem is, you can’t sell fasting.

This is just one of the ancestral methods we coach to lose weight. This doesn’t need to be as extreme, depending on the person and their goals. The benefits of fasting goes way beyond weight-loss!

We can show you the way, help you stay on track and give you some accountability. These are practices that we’ve tried ourselves and know exactly how you would be feeling.