Intermittent fasting is a diet system I’ve known about for some time, but failed to follow after a few tries. Making this an official trial, I’ve finally made some consistent progress, though I actually started about a week and a half early. First, let’s go over what intermittent fasting actually is.
Breaking Fast
When we eat the first meal of the day, we’re breaking our body’s current state of fasting, hence the name “breakfast.” While the biology and science is certainly over my head, the gist is that the fasting state has many benefits.
By setting intended fasting and eating periods during the day, the body can stay in fasting mode as long as desired. The fasting window varies, but I’m currently trying a sixteen hour fast with an eight hour eating window. I actually started with a fourteen/ten split, but worked my way up an hour each week. Doing this helped me get an idea for my schedule over time. I’ve been shooting for an eating window between 11:30 AM and 7:30 PM.
The fasting window can vary either longer or shorter depending on needs. Some people even follow a one meal per day plan to maximize the fast.
Benefits So Far
The reason I started fasting was primarily in hopes to lose some weight. I’m about 10-15 pounds heavier than I want to be, and I know my eating habits could certainly be improved. I’ve accompanied intermittent fasting with meal tracking in an attempt to maximize success.
I’ve had some back and forth with my success in weight loss, but I believe this was mostly due to bad food choices over the fasting process. I was down about 3.5, but back up to where I started after a roommate’s birthday led to few to many pieces of cake.
Some unexpected benefits have been better energy levels and mood. I can’t say for certain the level of impact fasting has had on my energy as of late, but lately I’ve been feeling good while actually waking up earlier than I had in the past. For a few weeks, I was feeling pretty lethargic through most of the day, but lately I’ve felt much better for longer.
In terms of mood, I’ve been feeling a lot more calm and happy, even given everything going on lately. I typically lean pretty positive, but before starting fasting I was starting to get frustrated and stressed with work. There are certainly a combination of factors that are leading to feeling better, but I like to think this has had an impact.
Expectations
While I don’t think I’ll lose every pound I want, I hope to lose at least five pounds by the end of the trial. Pairing this with watching my diet should present the results I’m looking for.
One thing I didn’t plan on until starting was to layout a better daily schedule to accommodate meals. I’m still struggling to get out of bed as early as I want, but my sleep schedule is getting more consistent. My hope is to wake up consistently at or before 6:30 AM. It’s a big step away from rolling out of bed with five minutes until work.
Trying Out Before Buying In 
One thought on “Finally Fasting”