I started out earlier this month skipping breakfast, but as I researched things, I extended the fasting time a few more hours on either end until I ended up at about a 16:8 breakdown. The second week was a little tougher than the first week, but not too bad. I was sick all the third week and ended up perma-snacking for some reason (and gained a 1.5 pounds back), but this week was so easy, I feel ready to take things to the next level.

I’ve decided to ease into things with a single fast day on Wednesdays. I don’t have any students Wednesday afternoons – so if I end up tired, fuzzy, or grouchy, I won’t inflict it on the little ‘uns 🙂 If all goes well, I’ll put in a second day if needed. But I’ve lost a pound a week just doing 16:8 and eating as normal during the 8 hours, so it may be unnecessary, at least from a weight loss perspective.

Thanks for your comments, Merry. I am finding this whole experiment fascinating. We’re always told not to skip meals or we’ll be so ‘starving’ we’ll inhale everything in sight. That is just the opposite of how I’ve been feeling. As I mentioned above, I haven’t actually started 5:2 (or even 6:1). I started out with 14:10, because that was what I heard about first. That turned out to be so easy, it became 16:8 without my even noticing it.

I don’t attempt to artificially control my intake, or make different choices about what I eat. I’ve always preferred ‘healthy’ foods, exercised moderately and eaten small portions. If that was all it took to avoid weight gain, as most people seem to believe, I would never have been overweight to begin with. Something else was at play here, and IF seems to get to the root of whatever that something is. I haven’t spent much time in the science behind IF section, but when I get a chance I will enjoy looking into it.

Science aside, I watch the golden leaves swirling against the brilliant blue sky, I see all around me life slowing down, entering the quiet, peaceful and dormancy of winter, waiting for spring. It mirrors the change I feel in myself – the old falling away, replaced by new-found, or just rediscovered, strength, confidence and peace.

That isn’t quite right. I said I didn’t try to artificially control what I ate – not that I don’t like to. I deliberately decided to change only one factor at a time – in this case, just the meal timing rather than the meals themselves – to see how that affected my well-being – not only weight, but mood, energy, sleep, etc. If I changed multiple factors, I wouldn’t know what to attribute the results to.

I’m sortof ‘into’ self-experimentation and data gathering. It’s also how I know I’m correct in what I said above and hadn’t really been kidding myself. I don’t expect anyone else to believe me, but if I hadn’t done the numbers so many times myself over the years, I’m not sure I’d believe me either.

The second reason I haven’t changed what I am eating is that I am looking for a life long solution – not a short term fix. This is such a simple, clear, flexible plan, and he closer I keep to my normal, family routine, the more likely it is that I’ll be able to stick to it – no matter what life throws at me.

So menus are planned, weekly shop is done.

Bring it 🙂

Thanks, BB for stopping by and checking in on me 🙂

I’m doing a bit of a happy dance today. I have the day off! I put an out-of-office on my email and I’m not even going to look at it until evening.

I’m not doing nothing though. I am painting my kitchen, cleaning windows, washing curtains and getting started on my Christmas baking.

Oh, and I need to carve my pumpkin, too!

That was a ‘fast’ week, in more ways than one 🙂 Things are still going well for me. I have reached the point where IF is starting to feel automatic. Yesterday I didn’t even notice the start of my eating ‘window’ had arrived an hour earlier and though as I’ve gotten older my appetite has decreased significantly, I get full even more quickly now than I did before.

All that means if that I need to take more care to ensure everything I eat is ‘worth it’. I don’t mean in terms of ‘health’ or ‘nutrition’ – contrary to common opinion, not every overweight person eats poorly or lives on junk food. I certainly don’t now, or really at any point in my adult life. Nope. I mean make sure it’s food that feeds body *and* soul.

One thing has really increased though, and that’s my thirst. I had read this might happen, but it’s been more significant than I expected. Not a big deal, but definitely noticeable.