“You want me to go how long without eating?” I remember thinking this the first time I was introduced to fasting as a weight loss strategy. I couldn’t dream of skipping a snack, let alone a meal. Forget a day’s worth of meals! And with good reason, my diet included some form of carb at nearly every meal and the corresponding dip that would come with the accompanying insulin spike would keep me jonesing for the next one.
Wow, what a difference a month or more of eating keto makes! After I attended a local meetup focused on LCHF (Low Carb High Fat) and Intermittent Fasting a month back, I decided to try my first fast beyond the day mark. (I’d fasted a meal or two every once in awhile while eating keto as I just wasn’t hungry and was busy with other things.)
So I started the fast after eating my favorite keto breakfast (eggs – like those shared in Have an Eggcellent Morning and my favorite keto muffins – come back tomorrow for that!). I had some coffee and water for the rest of the day and stayed busy with work and family. I hadn’t felt hungry so I thought I’d test it further the next morning by doing a high intensity interval training workout (like I detailed in Let’s HIIT it!) only drinking water and later coffee. I still didn’t feel hungry.
I stayed busy working through lunch and going to an evening church event. (I think having something to do is important when fasting. If you just spend the whole time thinking of not eating anything, you’ll be miserable.)
After the evening church event, I noted that it had been nearly 36 hours since I’d eaten last. I wasn’t especially hungry but felt that it was about time to eat. So I had some fried chicken and a salad and headed in for a wonderful night’s sleep.
I was so surprised. It was completely unexpected how long I could go without hunger. My body had become fat-adapted. It no longer was signaling me to find some carby food to shock some more fleeting energy into me. I could eat or not. My body had ample fat available to burn either way.
I’ve since used intermittent fasting as a strategy in enjoying special events (like my daughter’s birthday, friend’s 40th & anniversary vacation) without forsaking participation in any of the festivities. I simply enjoy the meal (or drinks) at the event and take the next meal or two off.
My progress continues unimpeded by life’s events. I’ve lost just over 30 pounds in two months! That’s about 3 pounds a week after that first week’s ten pound water loss. I’ve also started playing basketball weekly and joined my oldest son’s rugby practice recently. Just had to wait to hit 40 so I could kick it in to a higher gear! 😛
I believe intermittent fasting will be a good strategy in helping me transition from eating keto as a diet into eating keto as a lifestyle. Happy I found it before the holidays.
Consider trying it out; you might find that your appetite has moved from your belly to your brain.
Please like, share and comment below. I’d love to hear about your experiences with intermittent fasting. Have a good one!
not2long 