Davina McCall talks to Woman about why she’s changed her attitude towards exercise and how you really can achieve her amazing body
EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW
Mum of three Davina McCall has always been in incredible shape, and at 56 years old she has the kind of body that 20-somethings would envy. But looking good is no longer Davina’s top priority. After trying fad diets she’s discovered a way of eating that works for her, as well as finding a new, incredibly important motivation for staying in shape.
Are you still intermittent fasting?
I am and I find it really works for me. I fast from 8pm until 10am, so that’s a 12-hour fasting window. The good thing is, I sleep through most of the fasting time. I also know that if I really want to have a snack at 10pm I can fast until 12pm the following day, although that is a bit trickier.
I don’t get hungry because I’m so used to it now. Having the eating window has made me realise that I used to snack all night, even if it was on healthy foods. I was probably taking in 300 to 400 more calories than I actually needed.
You also used the Zoe app to work out the best things for you to eat.
I wore a glucose monitor for two weeks in the testing phase of my Zoe journey, which shows which foods spike your glucose. I already knew that sugar didn’t agree with me but it is hard to stay away from it completely. Now when I have a snack, rather than having something carby like crisps or something sweet, I have nuts. I had some blueberries today and I know that fruit is sweet, but I didn’t have any nuts with me and at least blueberries have got some fibre in them.
I have bags and bags of nuts in my kitchen and all of them are great, but almonds and walnuts are the best. I’ll only have a small amount, not a great big handful.
This is all a long-term way of eating as opposed to being on a ‘diet’?
Absolutely. I have lost a bit of weight along the way, probably around a kilo, but I didn’t start doing any of this for that reason. I did it to look after my body. Of course, I’ve tried all sorts of diets in the past as everyone has, but I always found that the things I tried to cut out were the things I ended up craving most. Then I’d go back to eating ‘normally’ and all the weight went back on. I’m in it for the long game and the way I’m eating at the moment suits me. I feel great, and I also feel like I’m at the weight I’m supposed to be.
Do you weigh yourself often?
Almost never becau
