Dieting for Dionysians

 

It's occurred to me more than once that the diet that I follow might appeal to other Dionysians for several reasons, so I'll briefly share it here in case anyone finds it useful.  I've been doing this on and off (mostly on) for the past year and I can see myself sticking with it indefinitely.

 

I've been doing what's called intermittent modified fasting or 5:2.  The idea is to pick 2 non-consecutive days of the week in which you'll have a very limited amount of calories (500 if you're a woman, 600 if you're a man).  On the other 5 days out of the week you eat without any restrictions -- whatever you want and however much you want.

 

What conventional benefits does this offer? 

--Pretty steady weight loss, if you have extra weight to lose. 

--Reduces your risk of age-related diseases.

--Speaking from my own experience, an immune system of steel.  In spite of this last year being the most stressful and terrible of my life, I haven't gotten sick with a cold or flu once.  Short periods of fasting allows your body to go into repair mode.

 

Why do I think this would appeal to Dionysians? 

--Because we thrive on periods of excess, which would make any other diet pretty much impossible.  I don't know about you, but I drink a lot of wine, and at best your conventional diets will allow a glass of wine with dinner. 

--If you follow a very devotional path or perform serious ritual or trance then you probably are no stranger to fasting anyway.  I do things in bursts.  A day of fasting or modified fasting is a short burst of will-power.  It seems incredibly easy and natural to me. 

--The ease in which this would accommodate any other dietary restrictions, taboos, etc, since it's based not on TYPE of food, but calories.  To even call this a diet feels misleading--it's more like you're rearranging WHEN you eat instead of WHAT you eat.

--Flexibility. You choose 2 days out of the week to do this, and it doesn't have to be the same days every week. Arrange it on or around your devotional days, festivals, or social activities as you see fit.

--Knowing and owning your body. Dealing with moderate periods of hunger puts you in touch with your body.  Having control over your weight is liberating.  You get a clearer sense of how food and lack of food affects your consciousness and energy.

--Did I mention you can still drink a lot of wine?  I usually schedule my "fast" days on my work days when I'm not drinking anyway.