Disclaimer: I am not a Doctor. All information presented here is for informational purposes only and are my opinions. You should ALWAYS consult a doctor before starting any kind of diet or exercise program/routine.
This Picture is of me (rolls and all!) when I finally decided to do something about my ever so slightly gaining waist! I am at the heaviest I have ever been in my life here. I was tired of carry a little extra weight on my mid section and I decided it was time to do something about it!
Enter Intermittent Fasting....I first heard about Intermittent Fasting from this crazy idea called Water Fasting. It was this this crazy idea where people would only drink water for days or even weeks on end! See...the reason I got this way in the first place is because I have always had this slightly unhealthy attachment to food. It's not that I have ever had an eating disorder, or that I would emotionally or binge eat; I just have always had cravings for all the foods that are not good for you and hate the foods that are good for you.
Let's start by talking about what is Intermittent Fasting? In the most basic terms possible to describe it, it is where you fast for a certain amount of hours and only have an eating window of another certain amount of hours. A couple of very popular protocols are 16:8 and 20:4. This is where you would fast for 16 hours and have an 8 hour eating window. Or fast for 20 hours and have a 4 hour eating window. When you first hear about it it sounds EXTREME, but if you sit back and think about it for a moment, it's not. If your eating window is from 2pm - 10pm, this means you did not eat anything after 10pm and you are usually asleep for the next 8 hours. Then, it means skipping breakfast (contrary to popular belief, it is good for you) and having a late lunch.
During the 8 hour eating window you should only eat two meals. During the 4 hour eating window you should only eat one meal. These said meals should be a high fat, low carb meal. Avoid snacking between meals!
Tip #1: Avoid labels that say reduced fat, no fat, etc. With these labels, they removed the fat but added chemicals!
Tip #2: Remember, SUGAR, turns into carbs! Drink water as much as possible instead of soda, diet soda, or other flavored drinks.
Tip #3: Try to eat Grass fed meats, and all organic, pesticide free foods. Above all Eat Real Foods! When shopping, stay to the outside of the grocery store...the inside of the grocery store has all the processed foods, cookies, chips, etc.
Tip #4: Try to do some kind of exercise daily for at least 30 minutes.
Here are some useful resources I found in my journey and research:
Dr. Fung talks about how he has used this with his patients, even diabetic patients for them to get off their medications. Personally I do not recommend you try this without doctor supervision, especially if you have any kind of Insulin Sensitivity.
As I said at the top, in the disclaimer, you need to seek doctor supervision. Personally, I did not. For me, I am a relatively healthy person. I do not have any kind of diseases (diabetes, high blood pressure, etc), I don't even get sick often with the common cold or flu. Because of this I decided, that since my goal is to just lose some weight, then I should be fine. So far it has been working out well for me.
Also Chris Krueger, has a wealth of knowledge on his YouTube Channel.
In this article, I wanted to give you a basic overview of what intermittent fasting is, and a couple of resources to point you in the right direction. I hope this has been helpful! If so, please FOLLOW, UPVOTE, COMMENT, and RESTEEM to show your appreciation and want for more articles like this.
I didn't want this article to get too long. Be looking out for more articles on some of my challenges so far, as well as updated progress and photos.