The first thing that comes to mind when I hear the term Intermittent Fasting (ie: IF) is deprivation. It sounds virtually like a jail sentence to a serial snacker like myself. After doing extensive research, and following my favorite person, Shaun T on his IF journey, I quickly learned there's a broad range of health benefits associated with fasting, including weight loss (especially stubborn lower-belly fat), lowering blood sugar, improving cognitive health and memory, decreasing inflammation, increasing energy, curbing sugar cravings, and better sleep.
There are a few choices of fasting one could follow, such as the 5:2 plan (eat normally for five days while eating only 500 to 600 calories on the other two days); alternate fasting, where you switch between periods of consuming zero-calorie foods and beverages and actually eating whole foods; and the most popular fast, which I decided to follow, is the 16:8 plan(16-hour fast and an eight-hour feasting period). There is also a 24-hour fasting option, however, I think I've tried that in the past in the form of the "starvation diet", which I failed at miserably.
Sydney Axelrod, an NYC registered dietitian at Mount Sinai, told POPSUGAR, "If we're constantly eating, then our body will always be in the 'fed' state, which tells our brain we don't need to use our stored energy aka burn fat. It's also great to take a break from eating so often so our bodies can focus on other processes, like regulating hormones, decreasing stress, and reducing inflammation". As a person who eats every two hours, I was sure I would fail miserably at any fasting.
Another great challenge for me is maintaining muscle mass. I have been weight training for years to gain muscle and build strength. However, Korey Rowe, a certified personal trainer at Dogpound Gym, said, "You'll have to fast a very long time (72+ hours) for your body to begin breaking down muscle tissue. The key is to strength train in the morning (during your fasting period) to boost human growth hormone. That particular hormone shifts your body into a fat-burning state while forming new muscle and maintaining mass while experiencing favorable changes in body composition". However, strength training in the morning is virtually impossible for me to do, as I have no weights at home and depend on the gym for my weight lifting. I still decided go give it a go, and keep to my regular evening workout routine.
Here is how my first week of IF looked like:
Day 1: Am I Alive?
I woke up at 5 a.m. this morning, and while cooking my boyfriend breakfast I literally had an internal meltdown at the thought of not being able to eat until noon. . I ate my last meal at 8 p.m. last night, and it seemed like a lifetime before I could eat. I usually eat breakfast by 9am and have eaten at least two snacks by noon. What the fuck was I going to do? By 10am, my stomach was talking to my rib cage and I was not focused on any work tasks, even though I was drinking so much water I would have welcomed a catheter! At the strike of noon, drank my protein shake like I hadn't eaten in month and almost threw it back up. Rest assured, THAT would not happen again! I had an Acai berry bowl around 2pm and an HelloFresh dinner at 7:30pm. Holy Shit! I survived the first day!!
Day 2: Enter The Headaches
Around 9am the headaches started. I tried drinking more water, which didn't help much at all. In fact, it only made me more annoyed because I was now going to the bathroom every 5 minutes, I swear. I'm almost 100% sure I drank at least one gallon of water before noon to try and kick this headache, but the headache won that fight. I had a protein shake at noon, (and took my time drinking it) had a handful of almonds for a snack, ate some chicken and veggies for lunch around 2pm and dinner at 7:30pm. I didn't feel as hungry today as I did yesterday, which was weird for me because I'm always hungry, but I didn't force myself to eat. I listened to my body and ate what I felt was decent at that moment. But that headache!!! That was rough.
Day 3: Feeling Refreshed
I woke up today feeling ah-mazing! I felt refreshed and well-rested, which for me is an absolute perk because I've always had trouble sleeping through the night. No headache, thank goodness, but the hunger pains still arrived on target around 9am and had me counting the hours until noon. However, my bloating has diminished immensely already. I was still having some cravings, but even they have started to go away. I broke my fast at noon with an Acai bowl and was pleasantly full for a few hours. I had a handful of mixed nuts around 3pm for my evening workout energy, and was perfectly fine until dinner at 7pm. As I mentioned before, I'm a serial snacker who can eat potato chips at any hour, any day of the week. The fact that I hadn't had a single urge to grab a bag is pretty damn impressive.
Day 4: Feeling Energized
I woke up with low energy, but I'm pretty sure it was because I ate my last meal at 7pm. However, by around 10am, I actually began to feel energized! I drank even more water, peed even more, (which now I'm beginning to get used to so...) the hunger pains are not starting until after 10am and the headaches and faint feeling have vanished. I'm still HANGRY around 11am, but hey, I'm still a newbie here. BUT, I'm feeling pretty darn amazing.
I broke fast at noon with a protein shake and an apple, lunch at 2 pm and chicken ceaser salad for dinner at 7:30pm.
Day 5-7: Smooth Sailing And Slightly Emotional
Now that I was in the groove, it went rather smoothly. I felt lighter and more alert. I'm more mindful of what and when I eat, which is a game changer! I've learned how to control my desires and stay disciplined. I literally have no cravings for junk food at all, and for the first time in YEARS, haven't had any chocolate or candy, and have eaten only healthy meals all 7 days. I'm actually enjoying the wait before I consume food. There's something about having an empty stomach for just a little while that makes me more alive and conscious of what I'm eating throughout the day. I also think it's helped me enjoy my food more. I didn't lose any weight, but I do notice my body is a a lot leaner and more toned. In fact, I gained a little more muscle, which is awesome. Not sure if I'm sleeping better yet, but my mind is definitely clearer. I can see intermittent fasting staying a part of my life, because there's no denying I have felt and seen the results and I'm loving it!
xoxo Stasia
