Lately
I have been seeing quite a few magazine articles and Facebook posts about
‘Intermittent Fasting’ (IF). It seems to be pretty popular now. IF is a way of
eating which alternates between periods of fasting (but water and other
non-calorie beverages are allowed), and eating normally. I am going to come
clean and admit that I have been practicing this on and off for about 4 years.
I just didn’t call it by any name back then, nor did I tell anyone.
Four
years ago I was 38, recently had a baby, and was staring 40 in the face! I also
had a breast cancer scare (thankfully nothing was wrong) and I found out that I
had genetic high cholesterol (despite having a low body weight, lot’s of exercise,
and a mostly vegetarian diet). I was looking for a ‘fountain of youth’ and
started my research. I came across quite a few articles about the benefits of
fasting from a longevity and disease-prevention view. Here is an article worth
reading, http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/04/04/regular-fasting-may-boost-heart-health/.
My research also led me to some spiritual benefits of fasting as well. For
example Buddhist Monks stop eating for the day at noon. Ayurveda also believes
that digestion is strongest at mid-day so it can be healthy to fast during the
second part of your day.
For a
long time, I did a 24-hour fast every Monday. It felt great. After awhile I no
longer felt hungry and I definitely didn’t feel weak. I find it so funny how
people think they will shut down if they go a few hours without food! That is
psychological. Towards the end of my fast I would do some gentle yoga and
meditate. I was calmer and also a bit leaner too. Recently, as my daughter got
older and started to ask questions, I was concerned about giving her the wrong
message about food. Also, it was difficult trying to come up with reasons to
not have lunch plans with friends. Remember, this wasn’t ‘mainstream’ back then
so I kept it to myself. Also, I started teaching a lot more classes and
training more clients, so I was concerned about my energy level (that was
really unfounded because my energy was still very strong). I used to fast from
breakfast on Monday until breakfast on Tuesday. Eventually I gave it up.
Suddenly
I see articles about IF everywhere I look, and I realize that I miss it. I am
starting it again, but this time my fast will be from lunch to lunch. It fits
into my lifestyle much better as I can have lunch with my daughter and friends
even on the fasting days.
Now
that this practice has become a popular diet plan, there are two main ‘schools’
of Intermittent Fasting. Brad Pilon, author of ‘Eat Stop Eat’ (http://bradpilon.com/) suggests two 24-hour
fasts during the week. Martin Berkhan of Lean Gains, (http://www.leangains.com/) has a program
popular with the bodybuilder crowd, which is a daily IF of 16 hours followed by
an 8-hour window to eat. He also recommends amino supplements, which is not my
scene. While reading these sites, do not forget to read about the actual science
behind these theories, http://www.ajcn.org/content/86/1/7.full.
I am
not a big fan of any mass-marketed ‘diet plan’ since many of these are gimmicks
to make money. If you are interested in IF, read about it from as many sources
as you can and then develop a plan that fits your lifestyle. Here is a great
summary article from Livestrong.com, http://www.livestrong.com/article/286088-intermittent-fasting-to-lose-weight/.
For
me, this works well both physically and mentally. It gives me a sense of calm,
it is a bit meditative, it frees my body to listen to natural hunger cues, it
prevents mindless snacking, creates a calorie deficit for the week so I can
still enjoy restaurant meals on weekends, it is easy, and it even saves money!
So,
starting this week I am going to do two 24-hour fasts. The first one will start
Monday after lunch and end Tuesday at lunch. The second will begin Thursday at
lunch and end Friday at lunch. On the weekends I will do a 16/8 IF for both
days since it fits well with my lifestyle. I will eventually drop the second 24-hour
fast on Thursday-Friday since once a week is best for the long-term. Next month
I will post about this and at that point decide if it works for me or not. I
think it will since I do remember how wonderful I felt in the past.
Anyone
else up for this challenge?
XOX
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intended to replace the advice of a physician. No action should be taken
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