My Intermittent Fasting Results
Fasting has allowed me to cut calories and still eat large meals
by Stephanie Higgs | 8 March 2022
I am sure if you have ever researched diets or weight loss programs you have come across Intermittent Fasting. I want to discuss my experience with Intermittent Fasting and how and why I started.
I am going to be honest.
When I was young, in my teens and twenties, I never had problems maintaining a healthy weight. I have always been active. In my late twenties I had fertility issues. I won’t bore you with the details but I spent my late twenties and most of my thirties in and out of the OBGYN and on and off fertility medications. The rollercoaster ride was worth it because I was able to have 2 beautiful children. By the time my youngest son was born I was 36 years old and had gained 60 lbs.
So being the active loving girl I'd always been I thought that I’d be able to go back to the gym and the weight would come off like it did with my other pregnancies. WRONG!
My metabolism wasn’t bouncing back because I was now in my late 30’s and as you age your metabolism slows. I fought for 2 years. I worked out and I counted my calories. Some weight did drop but not enough that I felt comfortable in my own skin. I did A LOT of online research and found Intermittent Fasting. It worked.
I am going to be honest.
When I was young, in my teens and twenties, I never had problems maintaining a healthy weight. I have always been active. In my late twenties I had fertility issues. I won’t bore you with the details but I spent my late twenties and most of my thirties in and out of the OBGYN and on and off fertility medications. The rollercoaster ride was worth it because I was able to have 2 beautiful children. By the time my youngest son was born I was 36 years old and had gained 60 lbs.
So being the active loving girl I'd always been I thought that I’d be able to go back to the gym and the weight would come off like it did with my other pregnancies. WRONG!
My metabolism wasn’t bouncing back because I was now in my late 30’s and as you age your metabolism slows. I fought for 2 years. I worked out and I counted my calories. Some weight did drop but not enough that I felt comfortable in my own skin. I did A LOT of online research and found Intermittent Fasting. It worked.
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Why Intermittent Fasting
Fasting has allowed me to cut calories and still eat large meals. I love dinner and without fail, always overate. To be honest I was never good about eating breakfast in the first place so this eating pattern was not a hard adjustment for me.
There were several other possible benefits to fasting I discovered doing my research that made me decide to give intermittent fasting a try:
Be sure to do your own research. Mainly because some of the studies are on animals and some of the studies are on a small group of people. In other words, there is no concrete evidence that Intermittent Fasting has all of these benefits BUT if intermittent fasting has the potential to have any of those benefits I was willing to give it a try.
I have been fasting now for almost 4 years. I have personally noticed some of the benefits, such as:
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Essentially Intermittent Fasting is about when you eat. It is an eating pattern. There are a few choices:
I have not tried the 5:2 diet or the Eat-Stop-Eat so I cannot give you any first hand knowledge. What I will say is that you have to choose an eating pattern that fits into your lifestyle. As a mom who has to cook everyday for others I am able to easily adhere to the 16:8 Fast.
Fasting has allowed me to cut calories and still eat large meals. I love dinner and without fail, always overate. To be honest I was never good about eating breakfast in the first place so this eating pattern was not a hard adjustment for me.
There were several other possible benefits to fasting I discovered doing my research that made me decide to give intermittent fasting a try:
- Controls blood sugar and reduces insulin resistance.
- Possible fighter of inflammation
- May improve heart health, improve blood pressure and Cholesterol levels
- May boost brain function
- Aids in weight loss and boost metabolism
- Increases growth hormone secretion (HGH)
- Delay aging and extend longevity
- Aid in cancer prevention
Be sure to do your own research. Mainly because some of the studies are on animals and some of the studies are on a small group of people. In other words, there is no concrete evidence that Intermittent Fasting has all of these benefits BUT if intermittent fasting has the potential to have any of those benefits I was willing to give it a try.
I have been fasting now for almost 4 years. I have personally noticed some of the benefits, such as:
- Weight loss
- I feel that the signs of aging have slowed (less crows feet, tighter skin)
- I recover faster from hard workouts
- I have low blood pressure and Cholesterol (but that could also be the result of a healthy diet)
What is Intermittent Fasting?
Essentially Intermittent Fasting is about when you eat. It is an eating pattern. There are a few choices:
- 16:8- Fasting everyday. Only eating in an 8 hour window, fasting 16 hours. Your window is up to you. I personally stop eating at 8:00 p.m. and eat again at 12:00 p.m. You can choose a window of eating that works best for you.
- The 5:2 diet- Eat normally 5 days a week. The other 2 days restrict your calories to 500 a day for women, 600 a day for men.
- Eat-Stop-Eat: A 24 hour fast once or twice a week. Fast from dinner one day to dinner the following day.
I have not tried the 5:2 diet or the Eat-Stop-Eat so I cannot give you any first hand knowledge. What I will say is that you have to choose an eating pattern that fits into your lifestyle. As a mom who has to cook everyday for others I am able to easily adhere to the 16:8 Fast.
Where to start if you're considering intermittent fasting
As I researched Intermittent Fasting, I kept running into articles stating that fasting wasn’t as effective for women as it is men. Of course I did an eye roll and wasn’t deterred. What I discovered is that if you are a woman and want to try fasting you must start slow. You cannot jump into a 16 hour a day fast.
And there are some situations when fasting may not be for you:
And there are some situations when fasting may not be for you:
- If you have any medical conditions or are on any type of prescribed medication consult your doctor before trying to fast.
- If you are trying to get pregnant, are pregnant, or breastfeeding
- If you have ever struggled with an eating disorder.
If you are not on any medications and in good health here are some pointers on how to start slow.
Week 2- Stop eating 7:00 pm – eat at 10:00 am
Week 3- Stop eating 7:00 pm- eat at 11:00 am
If you start getting headaches, dizziness, or overly fatigued you should back off the number of hours you are fasting by an hour or two. Wait a few weeks and try by the hour again. You most likely tried to fast too long too soon.
I will also say that I have not experienced any harmful side effects from fasting. Every person is different and fasting my not be for everyone.
BUT if all you are feeling is hunger, try drinking a large glass of water. It will fill your stomach. Will you feel some hunger in the beginning? Yes, but the longer you fast, the more your body will adapt and the hunger pains will go away. Your body will not go into starvation mode by only skipping one meal. That takes longer than one day.
Another very important factor to fasting properly is what you eat when you come off the fast. I eat protein with fruits/vegetables high in fiber. Something like 2 eggs with sautéed kale and an apple. It is extremely important to include protein and fiber to give yourself the feeling of satiety or fullness. I try to consume 20 grams of protein and 8-10 grams of fiber in the first meal. I then eat normal meals the rest of the day and stop eating after dinner.
If you are using Intermittent Fasting for weight loss it is still important to eat whole healthy foods. I don’t eat any food that I cannot read the ingredients.
Now, I have to be honest--I have days I cheat. I have days where I want breakfast and I eat outside my normal healthy diet. Everyone should enjoy a cheat day every once in a while but I always go back to fasting the next day.
- Start by not eating after 7:00 pm or 8:00 pm. Then eat your normal breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This may be a struggle. Once you’ve gone a week without eating after 7:00 progress to the next step.
- Stop eating and 7:00 pm or 8:00 pm. Don’t eat breakfast until 9:00 am. This is a 12 or 13 hour fast. Try this for a week. If you can maintain this pattern for a week you keep pushing back the hour you eat by 1 hour.
Week 2- Stop eating 7:00 pm – eat at 10:00 am
Week 3- Stop eating 7:00 pm- eat at 11:00 am
If you start getting headaches, dizziness, or overly fatigued you should back off the number of hours you are fasting by an hour or two. Wait a few weeks and try by the hour again. You most likely tried to fast too long too soon.
I will also say that I have not experienced any harmful side effects from fasting. Every person is different and fasting my not be for everyone.
BUT if all you are feeling is hunger, try drinking a large glass of water. It will fill your stomach. Will you feel some hunger in the beginning? Yes, but the longer you fast, the more your body will adapt and the hunger pains will go away. Your body will not go into starvation mode by only skipping one meal. That takes longer than one day.
Another very important factor to fasting properly is what you eat when you come off the fast. I eat protein with fruits/vegetables high in fiber. Something like 2 eggs with sautéed kale and an apple. It is extremely important to include protein and fiber to give yourself the feeling of satiety or fullness. I try to consume 20 grams of protein and 8-10 grams of fiber in the first meal. I then eat normal meals the rest of the day and stop eating after dinner.
If you are using Intermittent Fasting for weight loss it is still important to eat whole healthy foods. I don’t eat any food that I cannot read the ingredients.
Now, I have to be honest--I have days I cheat. I have days where I want breakfast and I eat outside my normal healthy diet. Everyone should enjoy a cheat day every once in a while but I always go back to fasting the next day.
