fasting

recently

Before you get into my info on fasting, I want to give you an update on where I currently am with fasting! I tried the 16 hour fasting for a while in Fiji, and initially though it was going really well for me. I felt thin and my digestion was amazing. But, I got a little sick after the first week, and realized going that long without eating while being in the Fiji climate was not good for me. I went back to just fasting for 12 hours- usually around 9pm-9am.

It is currently April, and I am back in the US, living with my mom and siblings. Right now, I do not have much of a schedule. Because of this, I am aiming to fast anywhere beyond 13 hours a day. This is considered a circadian rhythm fast. I will usually stop eating around 8pm and start up again anywhere from 11am-1pm. It works for me now, and I like it. I haven’t had any digestion issues since I have been home, so I am going to stick with this for now.

It is now the end of April, and I am 6 weeks into quarantining at home. I have been fasting pretty consistently for two weeks. I love doing it at home, and its working a lot better for me now that I am not in the heat sweating my ass off all day. Here is what my fasts have been looking like:

what is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is a meal timing schedule used for various health benefits. The three methods of intermittent fasting that are commonly used are alternate-day fasting, periodic fasting, and daily time-restricted feeding.

I am doing the daily time-restricted eating form of fasting. This means I only eat for 8 hours of the day, and fast for the remaining 16 hours. My schedule is usually fasting from 7pm to 11am daily.

the science

weight loss: fasting makes sense

When we eat, our gut breaks food down into sugar, and this sugar gets absorbed into our bloodstreams.
High levels of sugar leads to the release of insulin. Insulin is the key that unlocks our body’s cells. It unlocks our cells to allow excess sugar inside to be stored in the form of fat.

Basically, when you are constantly eating sugar, your insulin stays high, leading to the gain of fat.

When we go for long periods of not eating, our insulin levels go down. This means our cells have the opportunity to release fat into our bloodstream to be used for energy. AKA, we lose weight.
One of the other perks of having lowered levels of sugar in our bloodstream is lowering inflamation. Lowering the overall inflammation in our bodies can increase brain function, and protect us from cancer and athritus.

Intermittent fasting –> low insulin levels –> less fat and inflammation

On top of that, when you fast for a certain amount of time a day, you usually end up with a net calorie loss even if it wasn’t planned.

2. give your body a break

When we constantly eat, with no real break, your gut has no time to heal itself. So much takes place when we eat, and its extremely stressful on our digestive system. Giving your gut a break allows it time to heal itself.
Our intestinal epithelium is only one cell thick, allowing for water and nutrients to pass freely. This extremely thin intestinal lining is fragile, and can be broken when we eat. If it has no time to heal, bad bacteria can leak out of our intestines to the rest of our body, specifically the immune system. As you may guess, bacteria getting into your immune system leads to illness. Fasting can help prevent you from getting sick.

Intermittent fasting –> healed gut –> less sickness

why am i doing it?

I have done intermittent fasting before, I started after soccer season this previous fall semester. I fell off track during winter break (shout out mom for always having great snacks at home) because I had no will power to stop eating at night. But right now, I have a lot of control over what I eat and when because I do my own grocery shopping and have my own kitchen.

I think fasting will help eliminate the random gut issues I have, and also help keep me on a schedule with life in general. I am also hoping fasting will help me with mental clarity throughout the day.

my goals

The last time I fasted, I would usually make sure to fast at least a couple days out of the week, and I did it for a few weeks in a row. This time I am going to be more consistent with it. I want to fast everyday guarenteed for at least 12 hours. On top of that I want to ensure I am doing a 16:8 fast 5/7 days of the week.

So my schedule with for the most part be: fast from 7pm to roughly 11am. I know some days I will fast for a little longer or shorter, probably give or take an hour. I am not trying to be perfect with this, just consistent.

the app: Zero

To help me on my journey, I am using an app called Zero. It gives me a notification at 7pm that I need to start fasting. When this happens, I open the app and start my fast. This begins a timer for me, so I don’t have to keep track for myself. The app logs all of my fasts, so I can see if I have reached my goals, and check in with how consistent I have been. After each fast, I also log how I felt during the fast. I usually leave myself a little note about how I felt, and an emoji.

Zero also gives options for different fasts I can do, which is cool, but I currently do not plan on fasting for more tgna 16 hours a day, haha. I can also check my overall history, and see what my fasts look like weekly.

I love this app because its free and holds me accountable, but doesn’t make me feel pressured into being perfect with it.

where i am at after 8 days of semi-consistent fasting

It has gotten easier every day that I fast, and some days are harder than others depending on how hungry I get. I hope to be more and more consistent as time goes on so that it becomes a habit, and I don’t have to track it anymore.

Here are my stats: