Intermittent fasting. . .
It’s about time.
A few friends suggested that I might be just a tad crazy regarding the weight. I understand .. I am perhaps too concerned. But everything is relative, and as a practical matter, my wardrobe would significantly increase without my buying a thing if I could comfortably wear what’s already in the closet! So there’s that ~ the weight loss, and also I have come to believe fasting might improve overall health.
The intermittent fasting idea has been in the ether for quite a while with lots of articles, blogs and podcasts floating around. I got hooked via a specific podcast, but a Google search for Intermittent fasting brings up (can this be real?) “57,400,000 results.” Amazing. To give the concept some credibility, here’s a Johns Hopkins link, which I consider a reliable source, and a few quotes from the comprehensive article:
Intermittent fasting is an eating plan that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule. Research shows that intermittent fasting is a way to manage your weight and prevent — or even reverse — some forms of disease. …
With intermittent fasting, you only eat during a specific time. Research shows fasting for a certain number of hours each day or eating just one meal a couple days a week may have health benefits. …
Extra calories and less activity can mean a higher risk of obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease and other illnesses. Scientific studies are showing that intermittent fasting may help reverse these trends.
I started fasting thanks to a friend, D, who was on to it. (Thanks, D, if you are reading!) As work colleagues with the same love of food, in a work-at-your desk type of office, there was a good amount of diet talk. She swore intermittent fasting was helping her lose weight. I asked where she was getting her information; her answer: The Fasting for Life Podcast. The creators and hosts, Scott Watier and Tommy Welling, introduce the podcast as being “about using fasting as a tool to regain your health, achieve ultimate wellness and live the life you truly deserve.” A good pitch if ever I heard one.
I used to have some resistance to podcasts. I can’t just sit still at home and listen unless I am playing something designed to put me to sleep. It’s the same with audio books. And music. But I finally started listening while driving via Apple car play. Now, I listen to this podcast all the time. It seems there’s always something new to learn, even though they have produced 168 podcasts about this subject.
Watier and Welling are both in the health care industry, but came to fasting via personal experience.
They are convincing and relaxed. If you tune in, you hear a couple of pals discuss their experiences and/or articles they have recently researched. Although they frequently refer to scientific journals as the basis for their topics, the information is not in medical jargon, but rather, is an easy-to-understand conversation between them. The podcasts are each about 30 minutes long.
These guys talk a lot about OMAD (one meal a day) and “eating windows,” the period of time during the day when you allow yourself to eat. This is what I do, trying to skip breakfast. That can give me a window of 6-7 hours for food intake if I eat lunch at noon and dinner at 6. It is not that difficult.
I started listening to the podcasts somewhere in the middle, but have gone back to listen to the early ones, too. You can also hear them via the website, thefastingforlife.com, which additionally offers free material and paid challenges. The Fast Start Guide Mini Masterclass doesn’t do much to explain how fasting works, but does help you get going with it.
I will try to get into the “how” of this fasting process next time.
And, yes, the scale did creep down a little this week.