I have mentioned in Intermittent Fasting (IF) in previous posts but I have never gone into any great detail about it and how I came to using it as part of my lifestyle.
In March of 2012, Andrew approached me with the idea of trying intermittent fasting and to be honest I thought it was crazy. Who goes without eating for significant periods of time? But at this time, for some reason or other, my body was stuck and I believe if memory serves me correctly somewhere between 135-140lbs, so I thought I’d give it a try.
I did some research and of course so did Andrew before approaching his clients with the idea and it turns out Intermittent Fasting has best results with Endomorphs like me. So I gave it a try, you can do anything for 10 days right? I have to admit the first few days were tough. I mean the cheat day was great but I gorged on so much that I felt gross…lol and not eating seemed painful because your mind is constantly thinking about food.
Here is the 10 day program I followed; it also came with specified training routines for each day. It’s from the Fat Loss Now Program.
Sunday: Cheat Day
Monday: Full Fast Day
Tuesday: 16/8
Wednesday: Full Fast Day
Thursday: 16/8
Friday: Warrior Diet
Saturday: Cheat Day
Sunday: Full Fast Day
Monday: 16/8
*notes: the only thing not allowed on the cheat day is alcohol, on the fast days I allowed myself a protein shake post workout as long as the workout was more than just cardio, meaning if it was a weight training day, other than cheat days all other food must be of the clean variety*
I noticed some serious improvement during the time that I was following this program, however I did find that the 10 day program seemed too much and later Andrew developed his own 7 day one which I preferred.
· There was a significant increase in my energy levels on fast days
· I found no decrease in muscle mass and in fact I could lift heavier on the fast days
· I even felt an overall more positive outlook after taking away the mindless every 2-3 hours of eating
· I became significantly leaner and I lost approximately 8lbs in total, not to mention significant body fat and overall inches
I continued to include at least one fast day per week even after we stopped those programs just to reset my body and make me feel good overall.
You may be wondering why I am bringing this all up again now and well there is a reason. I have decided to try these programs again or at least a variety thereof. In fact, I started yesterday.
I stopped eating at 10pm Sunday night, I had a protein shake and 1 cup of berries post workout yesterday at 3pm and I will eat my first meal today sometime around 10am. This is a 36 hour fast. I will continue with this all week, but for the remainder of the week, I will be doing the 16/8 fasting method. So I will fast for 16 hours, most of which I will be sleeping anyway and eating within an 8 hour window.
My reasoning behind starting this again now is because I have been feeling rather blah lately. I have been having stomach issues (IBS), feeling bloated and although working out as per normal just lethargic and tired. So I feel I need a reset, a way to get back on track and feel better, and since the last time I did this I felt so good, why not try it again.
There is a lot of controversy around this way of eating and it’s all a matter of personal preference. For me, it works so I’m ok with it. There is a book out there of anyone is interested known as Eat, Stop, Eat.
and there are some great articles to read as well for more information, I found Sara Solomon's articles interesting.
I’ll keep you updated on my progress throughout the week.
Until Next Time
Has anyone else tried IF and if so how did it work for you?
Intermittent fasting for twelve hours each day, and especially limiting meals or even snack after 7 Pm hours may pressure our body to depend on fat shops for energy throughout the overnight hrs. For most people, this is actually the increase they have to effectively as well as naturally drop how much they weigh into a normal range. So if you wish to Fast to lose pounds, then this is certainly an effective strategy.
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