Let me start by saying that my favorite meal of the day is breakfast. It energizes me in the morning and gets me ready for the day ahead. Even when I’ve finished breakfast, I’m looking forward to lunch, then to snacks – a whole lot of them, and dinner, OK, maybe two dinners. What can I say - I love feeding myself! 🤤😁
As you're already aware, I’m a dessertarian and see-fooder (aka. I see food, I eat it.). Ergo, I’m not one to diet.
However, recently my belly was getting a bit out of control and I needed to do something about it. Obviously, my stomach wasn’t able to stomach all that was coming in. Every time I opened my mouth, my belly would start screaming “Brace yourself! UFO’s coming!” (aka. Unknown Food Object) 😂
...
For my part, I just wanted to do the EASIEST kind of intermittent fasting. Why? Quite honestly, I didn’t really believe IF would work for me, so I was mostly doing it just to say “OK, I tried.”
In a talk with my hubby, I chose the 14/10 schedule to get started. Meaning, I don’t eat for 14 hours and then I do eat- all my food in a 10-hour window. Basically, my plan was to stop eating around 10 pm (dinner) and then not eat again until noon the next day. That boils down to simply skipping breakfast and late-night snacks.
But as it turns out, I cannot be without breakfast after a lifetime eating first thing in the morning, so the feeding window was altered to fit my needs – from 10 am to 8 pm. Worked like a charm.
Now while that may not sound that hard to you, I didn’t think I could do it. 🙄 After all, I love having some snacks and a fizzy drink while having a movie night, or for the sheer joy of eating.
Furthermore, the idea of not eating anything for 10 hours was really scary! Late-night snacks while watching TV? No! Breakfast in the morning? No! Can I at least get an egg or something? No! And so, I was sure – I’m going to die! Without food I’ll be even more tired, without my protein I’ll lose muscle, I’ll be even hangrier. 😳
But despite my fears, I decided to give Intermittent Fasting a go. After all, it’s no biggie if it didn’t work. Just another failed experiment to throw in the fad pile. Been there, done that.
...
You’ve probably heard of intermittent fasting before. Several research studies have found significant benefits to it. Do your own research as I’m no scientist and I have no intention of promoting it, but those benefits sound almost too good to be true.😏
I’m just sharing my experience. Here’s what happened when I tried intermittent fasting for a month.
1. It was tough to get into the rhythm, but after a week you should be accustomed to it. I’m not going to lie, I struggled at first.
2. For the first week, it was a euphoric experience when it hit noon and I was finally able to eat. I’m lying- it’s still like that. Ergo, I enjoy my breakfast even more.
3. I have more clarity of mind in the morning.
4. My stomach is less bloated – a big win (just look at the pic!)😉
5. No more intestinal issues – another big win.
6. Because the time period I could eat was shorter, I wasn’t eating anywhere near as much as I used to. This was one of the main advantages of intermittent fasting. The fact that I used to feel bloated suggests I tended to overeat. So, this was a welcome change.
7. My FB workouts became more intense! Undertaking IF started as my hubby was concerned with my health. I knew that exercise is good for me, so I pushed myself harder than I usually do. The good news is I didn’t notice any ill effect from working out, until exercising on an empty stomach- it’s not for me! It’s a try and error thing, find what works for you. But I even started FB Sweat while on IF.😎
8. I feel skinnier as I’m eating less and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I look leaner. Perhaps that was simply because I lost some weight, but I don’t know.
9. I’m still able to eat dinner with other people and going to dine in restaurants.
10. My immune system is fine, more than fine actually. I don’t do well in the summer heat and I’m at my lowest during that time. However, I didn’t get sick, so that’s a plus. I can’t tell whether my immune system has improved, but not getting sick this time of year is another big win.
11. I’ve started to enjoy having an eating routine. I’m more mindful about what I eat and when I eat it, and most importantly how much I eat.
12. Fewer craving and no more hangry attacks! Yeeey!
13. I have tons more energy.
14. I thought I’d be tired; I'm anything but.
...
I was also reading about preconceived myths that come with IF. From my own research and experience, I can tell:
1. Not eating for a few more hours than usual will NOT change your metabolic rate, meaning it won’t slow down.
2. You won’t automatically lose weight! It really depends on your total calorie intake.
3. You shouldn't eat as much as you want when you stop your fast. If you eat only ‘badly’ in your feeding window, then IF might not be good for you.
4. Don’t worry about hunger pains, as they won’t do you any harm.
5. Exercising on an empty stomach is fine, according to experts. It’s just not my cup of tea.
...
My goal was to use Intermittent Fasting for managing 24/7 cravings I have, my hangriness and overeating, being bloated and having intestinal issues most of the time. All that should lead to my ultimate goal – to clean my pallet and my stomach, so I can start eating intuitively.
After the first couple days of IF, I was like - I can’t believe it – I’m not dying. 😅 Shockingly IF was not nearly as hard I thought it would be.
I tried experimenting with a few variables (skipped days, bad diet days, cheat meals, fast-food, etc.). I wanted to see how well IF could overcome bad habits.
Reality check, IF is NOT a magic cure for overcoming ‘bad’ diet habits – it’s YOU who need to make an effort. Just because there’s no food forbidden and you can eat as much as you want/need during feeding window, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be more mindful about your food choices and portion sizes.
With that said, in spite of the ‘bad’ habits I kept, I didn’t lose my fitness gains and I’m still in good shape. Now that’s a pretty forgiving diet!😏
I gained so much confidence that I honestly felt I could do 24-hours if I wanted to – although to date I haven’t done so - because well, quite frankly, there’s just too much good food in the world and I love to eat. I love cooking too. 😉😅
I won’t be doing these threads anymore as I won’t be looking at the clock for my meals. 😉 I’m starting to chase my ultimate goal mentioned before – intuitive eating! 😊
Thanks for reading. Enjoy your meal… I mean – day! 😉
Intermittent Fasting - Month In - Review
Let me start by saying that my favorite meal of the day is breakfast. It energizes me in the morning and gets me ready for the day ahead. Even when I’ve finished breakfast, I’m looking forward to lunch, then to snacks – a whole lot of them, and dinner, OK, maybe two dinners. What can I say - I love feeding myself! 🤤😁
As you're already aware, I’m a dessertarian and see-fooder (aka. I see food, I eat it.). Ergo, I’m not one to diet.
However, recently my belly was getting a bit out of control and I needed to do something about it. Obviously, my stomach wasn’t able to stomach all that was coming in. Every time I opened my mouth, my belly would start screaming “Brace yourself! UFO’s coming!” (aka. Unknown Food Object) 😂
...
For my part, I just wanted to do the EASIEST kind of intermittent fasting. Why? Quite honestly, I didn’t really believe IF would work for me, so I was mostly doing it just to say “OK, I tried.”
In a talk with my hubby, I chose the 14/10 schedule to get started. Meaning, I don’t eat for 14 hours and then I do eat- all my food in a 10-hour window. Basically, my plan was to stop eating around 10 pm (dinner) and then not eat again until noon the next day. That boils down to simply skipping breakfast and late-night snacks.
But as it turns out, I cannot be without breakfast after a lifetime eating first thing in the morning, so the feeding window was altered to fit my needs – from 10 am to 8 pm. Worked like a charm.
Now while that may not sound that hard to you, I didn’t think I could do it. 🙄 After all, I love having some snacks and a fizzy drink while having a movie night, or for the sheer joy of eating.
Furthermore, the idea of not eating anything for 10 hours was really scary! Late-night snacks while watching TV? No! Breakfast in the morning? No! Can I at least get an egg or something? No! And so, I was sure – I’m going to die! Without food I’ll be even more tired, without my protein I’ll lose muscle, I’ll be even hangrier. 😳
But despite my fears, I decided to give Intermittent Fasting a go. After all, it’s no biggie if it didn’t work. Just another failed experiment to throw in the fad pile. Been there, done that.
...
You’ve probably heard of intermittent fasting before. Several research studies have found significant benefits to it. Do your own research as I’m no scientist and I have no intention of promoting it, but those benefits sound almost too good to be true.😏
I’m just sharing my experience. Here’s what happened when I tried intermittent fasting for a month.
1. It was tough to get into the rhythm, but after a week you should be accustomed to it. I’m not going to lie, I struggled at first.
2. For the first week, it was a euphoric experience when it hit noon and I was finally able to eat. I’m lying- it’s still like that. Ergo, I enjoy my breakfast even more.
3. I have more clarity of mind in the morning.
4. My stomach is less bloated – a big win (just look at the pic!)😉
5. No more intestinal issues – another big win.
6. Because the time period I could eat was shorter, I wasn’t eating anywhere near as much as I used to. This was one of the main advantages of intermittent fasting. The fact that I used to feel bloated suggests I tended to overeat. So, this was a welcome change.
7. My FB workouts became more intense! Undertaking IF started as my hubby was concerned with my health. I knew that exercise is good for me, so I pushed myself harder than I usually do. The good news is I didn’t notice any ill effect from working out, until exercising on an empty stomach- it’s not for me! It’s a try and error thing, find what works for you. But I even started FB Sweat while on IF.😎
8. I feel skinnier as I’m eating less and when I looked at myself in the mirror, I look leaner. Perhaps that was simply because I lost some weight, but I don’t know.
9. I’m still able to eat dinner with other people and going to dine in restaurants.
10. My immune system is fine, more than fine actually. I don’t do well in the summer heat and I’m at my lowest during that time. However, I didn’t get sick, so that’s a plus. I can’t tell whether my immune system has improved, but not getting sick this time of year is another big win.
11. I’ve started to enjoy having an eating routine. I’m more mindful about what I eat and when I eat it, and most importantly how much I eat.
12. Fewer craving and no more hangry attacks! Yeeey!
13. I have tons more energy.
14. I thought I’d be tired; I'm anything but.
...
I was also reading about preconceived myths that come with IF. From my own research and experience, I can tell:
1. Not eating for a few more hours than usual will NOT change your metabolic rate, meaning it won’t slow down.
2. You won’t automatically lose weight! It really depends on your total calorie intake.
3. You shouldn't eat as much as you want when you stop your fast. If you eat only ‘badly’ in your feeding window, then IF might not be good for you.
4. Don’t worry about hunger pains, as they won’t do you any harm.
5. Exercising on an empty stomach is fine, according to experts. It’s just not my cup of tea.
...
My goal was to use Intermittent Fasting for managing 24/7 cravings I have, my hangriness and overeating, being bloated and having intestinal issues most of the time. All that should lead to my ultimate goal – to clean my pallet and my stomach, so I can start eating intuitively.
After the first couple days of IF, I was like - I can’t believe it – I’m not dying. 😅 Shockingly IF was not nearly as hard I thought it would be.
I tried experimenting with a few variables (skipped days, bad diet days, cheat meals, fast-food, etc.). I wanted to see how well IF could overcome bad habits.
Reality check, IF is NOT a magic cure for overcoming ‘bad’ diet habits – it’s YOU who need to make an effort. Just because there’s no food forbidden and you can eat as much as you want/need during feeding window, it doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be more mindful about your food choices and portion sizes.
With that said, in spite of the ‘bad’ habits I kept, I didn’t lose my fitness gains and I’m still in good shape. Now that’s a pretty forgiving diet!😏
I gained so much confidence that I honestly felt I could do 24-hours if I wanted to – although to date I haven’t done so - because well, quite frankly, there’s just too much good food in the world and I love to eat. I love cooking too. 😉😅
I won’t be doing these threads anymore as I won’t be looking at the clock for my meals. 😉 I’m starting to chase my ultimate goal mentioned before – intuitive eating! 😊
Thanks for reading. Enjoy your meal… I mean – day! 😉