Lifestyle | Health | Fasting | Food
5 Things I Learned In My First Year + Of Intermittent Fasting
Quick summary: I love it!
I started Intermittent Fasting [IF] over a year ago and this is my take on it: me, my body, and my issues. Your results may vary :)
Intermittent Fasting, or as I tell others, “I changed my eating schedule” is a way to schedule eating and not eating times. I almost never tell anyone I am doing Intermittent Fasting as that too often leads to an “I know more about that than you and let me tell you why it’s bad and won't work” kind of interaction….UGH! I don’t see myself as one who fasts, but rather as one who stops eating at certain times — and those times are subject to change.
My good friends and my family are also into this as they saw the changes in me, my body, and my energy levels — but more about that as I progress through my take-aways.
1 — It's a lifestyle; not a diet
We do have an obesity epidemic in much of the world and selling commercial diet products is big business. But from my take [and yes I have tried some “diets”], they signal food restriction and obsession about what products we are eating and how many calories are in everything. Diets seem aimed at making one feel guilt, making weight loss the only or top reason for doing that “diet,” and more of what I have come to see as “diet-negatives.”
Too many diets come as a one size fits all — and frankly, that ain't my thing. I eat well, most always have, buy as much organic food as I can, and take “good” supplements [more on that in an upcoming story.]
And from all I’ve read, diets become yoyo activities as the weight rarely stays off — so a new diet is tried — etc. — and many gain back more than they ever lost.
I had read some research on Intermittent Fasting and loved what I was reading, and after a long time of thinking about this, I decided to give it a try. To be honest, what I liked back then were the non-weight aspects of fasting — but losing weight was also on my mind.
When some friends started an IF group online, I joined and started my IF journey. At first, I could not go more than 10–12 hours without food, but that changed. It seemed my body fell in love with an 8-hour eating schedule and so that’s what we have stuck with — me and my body [for most of the time.]
It has been a lifestyle change. I no longer need to know when I stopped eating or when I can/want to eat again. My body seems to know that on its own. Yes, there are apps one can set, but for me, that’s like being on a diet. Eat Now! Stop now! UGH!
I found that in this new lifestyle my food preferences changed frequently and I went with that. I’d make a list of what I thought I wanted for my Costco trip only to have my body look at the different foods and say “I want this.” I have learned to trust my body over our many years together, so I went with the I want this food item — not what was on my list. No food is off limits!
Which leads to #2
2 — Listen to your own body and experiment to see what fits you
Too many articles on IF tell you to skip breakfast. Well, that did not sit well with me and my body. We love our morning bulletproof coffee [contents vary by the day] and we love love love breakfast. In my eating, breakfast is always included!
My body tends to stop wanting food somewhere between 2 and 5 PM. So that’s when I stop. Yes, I know those “others” tell you differently — but this is me and MY body. You will find your own eating schedule. And yes, stopping at what is considered so “early” can lead to oddball “issues” but I’m flexible. If I am at a party, or with family, I may eat later. I’m not rigid about my schedule! And as most of my friends and family like brunch and happy hour foods, it fits perfectly [most of the time.]
What I eat is what I have always eaten. And yes, that includes donuts, cheesecake, ice cream, and pizza! There is no “bad” food in this lifestyle! I love carbohydrates and will always eat them. And lest you want to say that’s unhealthy — let me remind you, it’s my body — and it’s my very healthy body!
What went on for me and my body during the first few months was increased energy, loss of body fat [and then weight loss], increased flexibility noted when doing yoga, and feeling more content and happier. [And having to buy jeans that were 3 sizes smaller! And some new bathing suits…And….]
I have had to rethink amounts of food pretty frequently. I am active and often find I need to increase my food intake. If I am feeling hungry late evenings, I know I did not eat enough. I am not one to subject my body to bad hunger pangs — so if I am that hungry, I EAT! Others force themselves to wait it out…again, that ain’t me.
I have varied the types and amounts of foods, the times I have eaten or stopped eating, and found what works for me — at least for a while. Then I need to reassess all factors. It’s never going to be a “this is it” kind of thing for me. For others, yes, they find a system and stick with it. My body has never been like that. Pay attention to what YOUR body is telling you!
Overall, I think my results have been great — for me — and I had some time periods where I was totally off any kind of fasting schedule…cataract surgery, travel, just feeling off and not wanting to fast, or feeling yukky [cold and dark outside] so I put hot chocolate in the system at all hours.
Once the weather and daylight changed, my body told me it was ready to go back on its eating schedule. Yes, I gained back some weight during the off-schedule time, but it’s dropping as we get back onto our “schedule.”
It may always be a tweaking thing for me….as life usually needs tweaking..or at least mine does.
3 — Listen to what others say but don’t be quick to decide it’s correct for you
You’ll read articles that tell you all you need to do is skip breakfast or skip a day or whatever…but that may not be for you. You’ll also read about how hard it is to “stick” with it, but that’s diet mentality talking — think lifestyle and adjusting! People are adaptable, people can change, people can think! Don’t listen to all the critics. You decide what works for you. Being a cynic, I think much of the “it may be bad for you” kind of press is coming from the diet industry. After all, IF is free and their diet plans can cost you big bucks!
In my head, there is no correct way to do this, and no incorrect way. Some tell me I am not doing it “correctly” as I vary the times I eat, skip a day or two, or even a month of fasting. Others tell me I ought to be eating fewer carbohydrates. I ignore them — or say thank you — and then ignore them. In my head, the language goes like this: “I’m older and healthier than you and I know my body, you don’t.” [I do not say this aloud.]
But I am saying it to you here: “You know your body! No one else does!”
4 — It’s not a competitive sport
If you join any IF groups online, you’ll hear of people eating one meal a day [OMAD] — that’s their thing — it might be yours as well, but maybe not something to try at first…You’ll hear others say you must eat a plant-based diet, or only Keto, or only or only, or only, in addition to the fasting…Don’t rush in and treat it like a competitive game — again, think “my body, my lifestyle” choices.
Weight loss might not happen as fast as you’d like. I found that to be a common “complaint.” But when you think of it as a lifestyle and not a diet, your weight is somewhat irrelevant. It will start falling, but what I have seen are people starting to eat fewer and fewer calories and trying to fast longer and longer hours in an attempt to speed up weight loss. That is a recipe for putting your body in starvation mode — and then it hangs onto every calorie it has. If you do try IF, be gentle with your body and don't try to push it into what it isn't ready for. And please, try to not think “weight loss” as the primary reason for trying this. Think “lifestyle” instead!!
Like the title of this section says, it is not a competitive sport. You need to experiment and find what works for you. You are not competing with anyone — not even your own self.
5 — It’s ok to fall off the fasting, it’s not something to kick yourself about
When I first started IF, I told myself it was not a do or die kind of thing. If I was too hungry, it was ok to eat. If I had days or weeks of being way off my normal eating routines, it was ok to eat when I was hungry or to eat with the people I was with. If I was cold and sort of hungry before bedtime, it was ok to have a cup of hot chocolate or a snack. In other words, it’s all ok. That’s why the “my way or the highway type folk” have issues with me…and not just with eating. C’est ma vie!
If you fall off your fasting, which I have done frequently, just get back on your eating schedule when you can. It’s not a “bad” thing and it is nothing to feel guilty about. There are enough other issues in our lives to worry about, eating should not be one of them.
Hmmmm — time for me to get some cheesecake…..
