Another week down, and with it another trial. Intermittent fasting is something I’ve long meant to try and am glad I finally did. At first it felt as though I didn’t make as much progress as I wanted, but looking back, five pounds was my goal. Overall, I really enjoy the process.
Results
Over the past few weeks, there were a lot of variables thrown into this experiment, but in the end I’m really happy with where the pieces fell.
The easiest place to start is weight, an easy to measure metric. One of the initial drivers of fasting was an attempt to cut some pounds I’ve been carrying since the holidays. I was hovering a little over 170 lbs for a few months, but now am down to 165, as shown in the photo about. I’ll still fluctuate between 164 and 168 depending on a few factors like recent meals or time of day.
A place I’ve seen significant growth is my eating habits. I have a tough time keeping the habit of meal tracking, but fasting is much easier to maintain. Paying attention to when I’m eating, often impacts what I’m eating. Keeping a dedicated eating window keeps me from eating as much junk food. It’s rare to be craving a salad at 11 PM.
The area that I am most happy with are my energy levels and motivation. It’s hard to say what has shaped this, but over the past month, I’ve felt better about many things in my life. Even on days I don’t want to, I push myself to do a workout. If I can only squeeze in a five minute ab routine, it’s better than nothing.
The motivation doesn’t stop at fitness either. I’ve been writing more in my free time. Just this week, I streamed on Twitch for the first time in months. Even with a mediocre sleep schedule, I don’t have the same lethargy I woke up with for what felt like months. Just this morning I woke up at around 4:30 AM after going to bed around 10:30 PM and struggled to find sleep. Throughout the morning, I’ve felt surpringly ready to take on the day ahead.
Challenges
The benefits have been great, but there have certainly been a few struggles over the trial.
A few times, I found myself staring at my fast timer waiting for the second I could finally eat. This typically isn’t a problem if I can keep myself busy throughout the morning. A few times over the weekend though, I have a few hours to kill before I can eat with nothing planned.
This did reveal a eating habit that needed some work which is eating to address boredom. Now, even during my eating period, I’ll check in with myself if I’m eating with purpose or because I’m bored.
Another problem I faced was the conflict between social opportunities and fasting. While it only occurred a few times over the trial, I did have to decline some invitations from friends. Of course, these opportunities were reduced due to quarantining. Even still, having to decline popcorn while watching a movie with roommates is a bit of a bummer.
In the past, especially in my college days, I enjoyed a late night diner visit to spend time with friends and have a tasty bite. A fix I’ve found for addressing this is to shift the fast to allow the eating window to fit any social events. This, of course, works only in cases of planned events, but also butts heads with my previous challenge. An alternate solution would simply be to join but not eat.
Even still, I think these problems are just par for the course. The latter of which is probably for the better. If health goals are the priority, then social opportunities are second to them.
What’s Next?
Intermittent fasting seems destined to join the few trials I plan to maintain in the long run.
For my next trial, I’m tackling an element I haven’t trialed in some time, finance. As a challenge, I am looking to match the money I save to whatever I spend, excluding rent and utilities. I recently paid off my student loan, and with that I have a much larger disposable income. Before I let myself get too carried away, I want to reign in possible lifestyle creep. By effectively doubling the price of every purchase, I don’t think that will be too hard.
Trying Out Before Buying In 