Where am I

I have been practicing intermittent fasting for more than a year now. After doing this for a while I had lost enough weight and felt that I was at a good place. So I have stopped it for now. I did gain a few pounds from my low but I am comfortable where I am currently.

Let me recap for people who haven’t read my earlier blogs on intermittent fasting and my weight loss journey. I won’t go into all that again but will just provide a quick recap. I did have a lot of positives in this journey of mine and feel that I have a tool that I can use any time to tackle the weight issues if I ever get them.

Recap

I started on this more than a year ago. How did I start well that I am not sure. I had a chat with my brother and family about the weight issues and eating healthy. One of the things in the discussion was about this intermittent fasting. I had nothing to lose, well, let me back up I did have to lose my weight though. So, I resolved to give it a try.

“I did not want to touch 100kg that would be psychologically devastating for me.”

I was hovering around 210–215 pounds, which equates to 95–97 kg depending on the days some days it was on the lower side and most of the days it was at the higher one. I did not want to touch 100kg that would be psychologically devastating for me. I preferred to stick to the lower one for discussion sake and for communication to friends and family, not that 5 pounds mattered much in that number.

One day I started by eating nothing after a particular time I don’t remember exactly but I think it was 8 PM, was tough initially as I had some late-night snacking habits. Next day after I woke up I wasn’t feeling very hungry I eat my breakfast early so wasn’t very hungry that way. There was a good number of hours that I did not eat anything.

“I increased the gap to 18 hours eating nothing for that period and just having my two means in that 6-hour window.”

Slowly I increased this gap by eat earlier in the evenings, I did not change my breakfast times. As I gained mental strength, I increased the gap to 18 hours eating nothing for that period and just having my two means in that 6-hour window. Details are present in the other blog I wrote so wont go into it.

I came down from 215 to 155 and was feeling very good. I felt 155 pounds was a healthy weight so I stopped the fasting and went back to 3 meals a day. I did gain a few pounds initially but the weight stabilized at 162–165. I am ok with the current weight and don’t think I need to go further down though I do have this and can go back to it anytime.

Benefits recap

There are many, losing weight is the biggest one of them all. As the calories you take in are reduced your weight starts going down. The more you have a gap between the last meal of the day and the meal the next day the better it is as autophagy kicks in after a certain time.

“Lesser you eat, lesser is the insulin that is released by the body and that results in reducing the inflammation in the body”

Insulin resistance is improved. Your body is not sending insulin after everything you eat. So lesser you eat, lesser is the insulin that is released by the body and that results in reducing the inflammation in the body. Studies have also talked about increased lifespan but I am not commenting on that yet.

Key question for everyone, should I do it.

Intermittent fasting is not for everyone especially for people who have a chronic condition, I am no doctor so this would have to be discussed with your doctor before anyone starts on it. The key is starting slowly though, don’t try to fast 2 days or 3 days immediately get used to it. 10 hours of fasting in the night is perfectly doable. Increased that slowly to 12 to 15 and further. You can make those adjustments.

“If you feel any side effects then be a little cautious and listen to your body.”

If you are feeling dizzy or lightheaded don’t do it, eating healthy is very important so don’t skip on good stuff. Feeling hungry initially is perfectly fine and you can take care of it but if you feel any side effects then be a little cautious and listen to your body. You may also feel a little tired initially or have low energy but as your body gets used to it this should go away. If it doesn’t then stop and consult a doctor before you go back on it.

It can also cause a little muscle loss if your protein intake is less. You may also feel constipated as your food intake has reduced so your stool volume may also go down. Some cases may experience diarrhea, I did not but I am stating what I read initially about it.

Make sure you are eating healthy, fasting doesn’t mean going back an eating trans fat or friend food, though occasionally may not make a difference. Drink plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated. You can survive without food for a long time but water is another ballgame. Lastly listen to your body and act.