Ahhhh! I can't believe its been two weeks already!
My first day of #intermittentfasting (IF) was on November 15th and its already the 28th. HOLY MOLY! Have you guys ever lost track of time like that? There have definitely been ups and downs over the last two weeks and I'm ready to share an update about them.
Have you tried IF yet? Drop your initial thoughts about it in the comments!
The Pro's
(1) Less snacking! This was my biggest reason for starting. I feel like my eating had become out of control, especially on my 12 hour shifts at work! Whether at work or at home, I felt hungry all day. I felt like I was never satisfied, never full, always hungry.
Fasting has helped me drop the DEUCES on hunger! Peace out! I'm dead serious! At work I've been able to make it to my first meal without feeling hungry or anxious. My second meal is usually a snack about 2 hours later, and if I'm being honest, I'm not hungry but I know if I don't have this snack I wont be getting enough calories for the day.
(2) More energy! This was a biggie for me. On the days that I work in the hospital my energy used to spike around 10 am and dramatically fall around 2pm. That sucks because I still have 5 hours left in my shift after that! Eeeek!
I can say with the 16 hour fast and 8 hour meal time, my energy is much more stable and steady. And I haven't given up coffee. But there isn't the up and down and back and forth.
(3) What sweet tooth? Are you with me on this problem? Drop your fav guilty snack in the comments. My sweet tooth wasn't so much out of control as it was beyond control. I could abstain from sweets but once I did say yes, it was over.
This past week I've completely avoided sweets at work Hallelujah! If you work in the hospital you know how hard that is to avoid. There are literally: bagels, donuts, cake, cookies EVERYWHERE! Families love to reward #nurses with sweets and it can get out of control.
(4) Weight loss?! Ok so I haven't lost a TON of weight like people said that I would. I also don't think I have a ton of weight to lose! I started the first day of my fast at 149lbs and I tend to waver between 147 and 150. Today AFTER a workout and breakfast I weighed in at 145.5 ... and I do feel as though my tummy looks a tad big leaner. We'll keep an eye on this and see...
Cons
(1) Thanksgiving was a bust! I admittedly set low expectations for myself on thanksgiving. It was my holiday to work, and the potluck our unit puts out was insane! We ordered turkeys from Whole Foods and the break room was nothing but desserts. I also had family drive up from San Diego, included my fav person.... my sister! So I forgave myself for not necessarily sticking to the healthy eating that day! I did break my fast at 10am that day, but as had a small snack at 830ish pm that night instead of my usual end time at 6pm.
(2) My boyfriend was annoyed. He doesn't quit get yet why I wanted to try this fast. He also kind of just saw it as something that would place limits on him and eating too. He'll get over it.
To be completely frank, I don't think its limited him thus far. He came over on Monday night, I cooked dinner, I ate dinner early, he ate later at 9pm when he got here. It was fine.
(3) Feeling dizzy. The first time I worked out in the morning, before work, was an experience. I usually break my fast at 10am. To squeeze in a workout BEFORE starting work at 7am, I had to workout at 4am! By 9am that day I had a lot of nausea and broke my fast early with a banana.
It hasn't happened since, so perhaps drinking more water on the following days helped.
AND IF THOSE ARE THE ONLY CONS 👆🏽 THEN I'M STICKING WITH IT!
Here's my fasting routine:
I follow at 16:8 hour fast. I fast for 16 hours at night into the morning and eat during an 8 hour window of time.
Wake up and start the day with Matcha Green Tea
I just ordered Matcha Collagen to start drink after my workout on mornings that I workout.
Why? Basically the same amount of calories as the half and half I was using in my coffee, but now I'll get a healthy dose of protein instead
Breakfast at 10am
Snack/Lunch at 2pm
Snack option at 4pm
Dinner between 5 and 6pm
Vitamins ... I use the Essential from Ritual
Lots and lots of water and tea!
Why are you reading about intermittent fasting? Are you gonna try it? Let me know in the comments! Or tag me in your reflections when you share on FB or IG