An Experiment with Intermittent Fasting
One of the things I love about wellness is that it’s an ongoing journey; there’s no final destination. That leaves a lot of room for experiential learning. Last month I tried intermittent fasting for the first time for one week. I was astounded by how good I felt after just a few days.
Intermittent fasting is a pattern of eating. It’s about when you eat rather than what you eat. It’s a simple way to shake things up if you’re looking to burn more fat. I was interested in giving it a try because with the arrival of Spring, I felt like I needed a reset.
The basic concept is that your body is either in a fed state or a fasted one. When you are digesting and absorbing food, you are in a fed state, which can last up to five hours after the digestion process. During this process, insulin levels are raised.
Once the absorption is completed, you move into a fasted state, which can last up to 12 hours. This is an opportunity for your body to burn fat since your insulin levels drop during this time.
I have been an “eat every few hours” kinda gal for as long as I can remember. Periodically I would juice for 1 to 3 days, which is another good way to reset. What I love about intermittent fasting is there is no preparation to begin – no shopping or reading or program to follow.
Here’s how I went about it:
Determine the fasting and feeding windows: My ratio is sixteen hours in the fasted state and eight hours in the fed state. I have my first meal at 10am and my last of the day by 6pm. I eat my normal diet, which is plant-based with minimal amounts of processed food.
Define what can be ingested during the fasted state: I drink a modified version of keto coffee by blending strong brewed coffee with Laird Unsweetened Superfood Creamer (healthy fat) and a few twists of Himalayan pink rock salt (electrolytes) when I get up. I have another mid-morning.
Establish an appropriate workout schedule: I still work out in the morning in a fasted state. I have found no difference on cardio days. I do feel a little fatigued towards the end of boot camp sessions and plan to substitute Sweetened Superfood Creamer for the unsweetened one on lifting days to see if that helps.
Overall, the benefits have far outweighed any downside. I’ve been enjoying the simplified start to my days. In addition, it takes me less time to prepare food for the week. Other advantages include stable blood sugar levels with no crashes or brain fog, little hunger and my metabolism must have gotten a boost because I dropped a few pounds.
I loved the outcome of my weeklong experiment so much I decided to continue throughout the month of May. Keep you posted…
Journal Reflections: Try this – give intermittent fasting a try for one week. Make a note of how you feel each day and adjust until you find the right combination of timing, food and movement for you.