I have already shared on this blog that I gained a lot of pandemic weight and the struggle to lose it once we returned to regular 'programming' has continued.
Exercise wasn't working and I am too much of a foodie to diet.
So I joined the fasting trend!
I decided to go straight into the 16:8 method which in hindsight may not have been the best approach; 16 hours of fasting and an eight hour window to eat. I should have eased into it. However I was surprised at how my body took to it. It wasn't always easy but it was less of challenge than I thought it would be. My diet didn't change, though I did eat more fruits and vegetables.
Below are short diary exempts of my experience.
Day 1 to 3: I think I can do this! I am surprised how am I functioning for the first three hours of the day!?
Day 4 to 7: The last hour before 11.00am is hell in my body and in my mind. I have to work on getting my brain to trust me and focus on everything else. On the weekends hungry creeps in at 9.45am; at work I can distract myself but at home I feel helpless. It affects my mood. The funny thing is when do I break my fast I eat very little and feel satisficed quickly. Why? I use the early morning hours to get my daily intake of water that immediately get my stomach moving; this is good because less bloating. Hardly any in fact.
Day 7 to 14: I am still hungry in the last hour. I feel better able to handle it this week. My mornings are not sluggish because I am awake by 6.00am. WIDE AWAKE. no sleep in sight. I think I will add exercise to my morning routine. I eat breakfast late so yogurt or a smoothie can work for me at lunch time.
Day 14 to 21: This week the pangs made me hangry. I lost my temper a few days ago. On days when I am really busy I break my fast at 12.30pm and sometimes I break it as early it as early as 8.30am due to the fact that I will not eat again till I get home in the evening. My bloating is gone. My water intake has increased. I still struggle with sleep. Four hours and I am done ...my brain is charged.
Day 21 to 30 : Is it strange that by the time I get to eat I don't want to eat anymore? I take three bites and if I am exhausted from work I tend to eat less. I can have cupcakes on my desk and chocolate and not be tempted to eat them. My body now waits for 11.00am. We have established trust...lol..
After 30 days there was NO weight loss. I was sad but not sad. I still accomplished something. I felt less bloated throughout the day. I was no longer tempted to eat just cause food was near me. I had more energy in the mornings despite not eating in the early hours. This totally changed my perception that you need coffee as a mood and energy boost in the morning. My body was fine with out coffee till 11.00am. . My sleeping habits are still odd but the hours wake are reducing. I watched some videos and heard that this was due to hunger, once I can regularly consume the right amount of food in the eight hour period it should get better.
QUICK UPDATE: Four more weeks later and there is weight loss, I can tell from my clothes. I have not stepped on the scale in case I get disappointed. My hunger pangs have reduced drastically. My body is patient it knows it will eat eventually. I am heading home from Zambia for the holidays but I am going to keep going!
Feel free to comment below if you are on the journey, would love to hear your thoughts.
These are videos that I found really helpful.
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