Living Lighter

This week started a bit rougher than the last, but after a couple of days, things settled back in. Some mornings started to become a bit of a struggle until I hit the end of my fast. First, I want to discuss the app I’ve been using to keep track of fasts.

There’s an App for That

If you can think of it, there’s probably a mobile app, website, or similar tool out there, if not several. I heard about the app Zero on a podcast with one of its creators. There are a few options for fasts, as well as the ability to make custom fasts. Upon hitting a button, the fast starts and ends. There’s a timer that counts down during the fast, letting you know how much time is remaining.

I enjoy having the app because I only need to remember to do two things, push stop and push start fast. The former I rarely have to worry about, as I remember to do it with my first bite during breakfast. I do frequently forget to start my fast, but I set up a reminder message shortly after I typically finish dinner. If I completely fall off track, I can always fall back on the window of 11:30 AM to 7:30 PM with only little variation day to day.

The real benefit I find in using the app is having an external system tell me when I can eat. I find myself craving a boredom snack far too often. I’ll open a cabinet when simply walking near the kitchen for any reason. During my fast, I know to move along and ignore my craving, and snack guilt free off the fast.

Begging for Breakfast

Having my breakfast start much later in the morning has gotten more difficult in the past few days. Admittedly, I think an unengaging project at work has something to do with this. I tend to forget my hunger when focused on a task or project, but when droning along, my mornings have become a bigger struggle. It’s far from the only factor, but the effect is still there.

I’ve managed to stay consistent though, and have completed the full 16 hour fast each day, if not longer. Sticking to the 11:30 to 7:30 window makes remembering easy, but having the app makes compliance easy.

My energy levels haven’t been as consistent as last week, but my poor sleep schedule certainly had an impact. Waking up actually hasn’t been too bad, even after a late night, but getting up and moving has taken longer. I’ve found myself laying in bed waiting to get up for up to 30 minutes on a given morning. I hope returning to a stricter schedule will help.

I’ve seen some progress in weight loss as the scale above shows, and I hope to keep seeing consistent progress. If I can get under 160 over the next two weeks, I’d be quite happy!

During this trial, I’d like to try out is an extended fast up to something like 40 hours. Doing so by skipping eating for a day. I want to look into pros and cons beforehand, but I think this trial is a better time than any.