Intermittent Fasting: Day One

It probably wont be any surprise to hear that since meeting my boyfriend I’ve gained.... 15 lbs! Gasp!

Is that just the way #relationships go? Maybe.

But being in a relationship does NOT mean its ok to let go of your health and priorities. This week I’ve done a lot of digging and introspection to find the REAL reasons this weight gain has happened.

The reality is we eat a lot of sweets together.

And actually I’ve realized that for as much as I ask my boyfriend to not bring me sweets, I’ve been rewarding him for the act. Sound familiar?

I get so happy when I eat sweets, more happy than angry which comes across as a reward! Who woulda known right?! Last night I made my first bold action to stop this positive feedback process I started. And today I am starting an Intermittent Fasting (IF) eating schedule.

That move was to NOT sound interested or excited when he brought home Baklava. I didnt eat it, and acted like I forgot about it. Hallelujah, cus I actually love baklava.

What is IF?

IF has been around for centuries! There are still many cultural and religious ceremonies and celebrations that involve #fasting. It’s used to relieve and alleviate symptoms of disease. And from a personal perspective it’s also become a bit trendy in the health and fitness community.

IF involves abstaining from food for a certain period of time, usually 8-12 hours. Followed by meals consumed within another specified time window, usually 8-13 hours.

Why I Decided To Try It

On days that I work I’m insatiably hungry. As in, I snack all day, I never feel full and I feel so drained by mid day. I'm committing to a month of IF to see what changes occur in my energy, appetite, sleep, weight loss and sweet cravings.

My Fasting Schedule

As a registered nurse, my schedule can be really screwy with my life goals. I work 12 hour shifts with an hour commute each way, needless to say I get up really early... 4am on days that I workout before the shift and 5am on rest days.

On my days off work work I usually wake up between 7-8am. I don't set an alarm, instead I choose to wake up naturally to ensure I get enough sleep.

Because of this back and forth schedule I've decided to alternate between an 8-12 and 8-16 fast.

Work-> Work and Work->Off days I'll fast from 4pm to 8am; my last break at work is 4pm and I don't usually get home until at least 8pm.

Off-->Work days I'll start my fast 6pm to 10am; my first break at work usually being around 10am.

Of course life happens and I'm sure that this times wont always be rock solid but I'm excited to track and EXPECT better sleep, more energy, fat shed and reduced hunger cravings. Manifestation is everything, and I'm going to MANIFEST the 💩 out of this to produce positive results.

Day One Reflection

(1) The first thing I noticed today was that I got so busy I forget to eat in the morning! This is so unlike me! I've been a religious breakfast eater since as little as I can remember. Breakfast is the most important meal of the day and my grandfather DROVE THAT HOME! I remember one of our trips to visit my Aunt Mary in San Francisco and my grandpa's long talk at ihop about WHY I needed to eat my breakfast, I was in preschool, I thought he was crazy. Yet I wanted to be like him and the rest of the trip I begrudgingly shoveled oatmeal and fruit in my face each morning and have been doing the same (usually a meal replacement shake) every morning since.

(2) I broke my fast with this beautiful bowl of oatmeal:

1/4 cup rolled oats

1/2 cup almond milk

1/3 cup raspberries

1tbsp peanut butter

2tbsp Vital Proteins gelatin

1tsp honey

This 327 calorie breakfast was, for the first time, hard to finish ☺️ and it kept me full for a long 4.5 hours. At that point, I realized I was getting hungry, had no food in the house and booked it to the grocery store. I finally ate at 530pm, which was a recreation of a dish from Burma Superstar in Alameda. Their Fiery Vegetables with Tofu was amazing and my imitated version conatined green beans, braised tofu, red onion and a special stir fry sauce! I'll share pics and the recipe after I perfect it. This meal was really late, I forgot to eat and spent an hour

I definitely noticed that after this meal I had a surge of energy. I was talking a mile a minute with my boyfriend on the phone, poor guy! It was good energy though; I'm usually tired and ready for bed after I eat dinner

I found myself hungry again around 815, I gave myself some liberty and enjoyed a yogurt as my last meal of the day. I feel a little hungry right now, tomorrow I'll try to drink more water throughout the afternoon and see if that helps with the late night hunger.

What are your experiences with #intermittentfasting? Share in the comments, I'd love to hear your advice and tips!