For the past two weeks I have been experimenting with Intermittent Fasting and I highly recommend it to anyone in currently good health. Intermittent Fasting is exactly what it sounds like: daily fasting. You eat only one or two meals a day within a narrow window of time.
You may start eating later in the day and finish eating earlier. The idea is to fast for 16 to 18 hours a day, thus giving you a 6-8 hour window of time to eat. The belief is that Intermittent Fasting brings us closer to our ancestors’ eating habits. They couldn’t be guaranteed a steady three meals a day so it was necessary to go several hours between eating. Their bodies had to adjust to these short periods of famine by burning fat reserves for energy.
After about two weeks of only eating one or two meals a day, I saw huge self-improvement in so many areas:
- Better relationship with food
- Eating only when hungry
- Disinterest in eating junk food
- Weight loss
- No muscle loss
- More energy
- Less time spent every day on fixing meals/ thinking about food
- More clarity/ concentration
- Spending less money on food
My body quickly adapted to fewer meals. I’m not eating breakfast until four to six hours after I wake up and I feel fantastic. I used to wander around my house eating whenever I was bored, constantly looking in the refrigerator for snacks just to have something to do.
Now I’m looking trimmer, not eating junk food, and only eating when hungry.
I’ll eat one or two large meals a day, which gives me the required nutrients, but my caloric intake isn’t exceeding the calories that I’m burning every day. There are also spiritual benefits to Intermittent Fasting. Before I started I was eating more often than I was hungry. I’m now able to recognise when I am truly hungry and realise that just because my stomach is rumbling doesn’t mean I need to have food.
I’ve noticed a greater sense of smell, more energy, clarity, and concentration. My meditation sessions are more intense and I feel better on the whole because my body is lighter. Less food means less energy spent digesting, so I feel alert, energetic, and focused. After I eat a heavy meal, I’m much more aware of my body and the feeling of sluggishness as I digest.
Overall I have become more mindful with Intermittent Fasting as well as more in tune with my body. The mental benefits are almost as great as the physical. Intermittent Fasting may not be for everyone and you should consult a doctor before you start any kind of new diet plan.
Here are my steps to success that you can use as a guide after you have spoken with your doctor.
- Set goals for yourself.
- Create a meal plan.
- Start slowly.
- Drink lots of water, unsweetened tea, and coffee to suppress appetite.
- Don’t listen to your stomach; listen to your body.
- Set a window of time to eat and don’t eat outside of that window.
- Try not to think about food and focus on other things.
- Remember that you’ll be able to eat soon. The discomfort you feel is only temporary.
- Eat healthy, whole foods.
- Don’t starve yourself. Get all the nutrients you need.
- Spend time meditating while you fast.
- Don’t feel like you need to advertise your new diet experiment.
- Understand that when hunger pangs hit they will only last a few moments.
- Know that within a couple of days your body will adjust to the new eating schedule and won’t release the hormones to tell you you’re hungry as often. If you are patient, you will succeed.
- Have confidence.
Those are my tips for you to get started. I wish you the best of luck and all the success in the world as you begin your journey.
Fasting is great and it has many positive effects, just like most things, it just takes a bit of dedication and practice.
The coincidence is that I am also writing an article about it and will post it soon.
I will also post a link to yours post so I can focus more on the mental stuff.
I have been thinking about getting into this, thanks for the post.
Can I ask though, in your list of benefits you put no muscle; what do you mean by that?
Thanks
CG
Oops. Should have been "no muscle loss" - fixed now. Thanks!
I'm on a fast day today! I do mondays and tuesdays.....have been for a couple of months. It's making a big difference to the cost of quality food, my well-being, my weight and hopefully I'm getting some of the more hidden benefits too. You can feel a bit woozy on occasion but I see this as a challenge for increasing mental discipline. I try to drink lots of green tea and water. Great post :)
Quality food costs sounds like a good reason to fast. It is a discipline though.
I am also an adept of fasting, I always feel food taste better after!
Good post! Would love to see a follow up on this post were you go more into the types of nutrients, preparation of your meals and the possible long term effects.
Keep it up!