My experiment in fasting was a failure the whole way around. 100% failure!
Ok, maybe not a total failure. But mostly a failure!
I have been doing intermittent fasting for the last few weeks and after reading the book Fast like a Girl, I decided that I wanted to do a longer fast! I was gung ho and decided to aim for a 36 hour fast. I gave myself an out if it was just too difficult. I gave myself permission to stop at 24 hours and make it an OMAD fast, which is one meal a day if I needed to. Maybe that was my first hint that failure would arrive on my doorstop!
I made it through the day just fine. I admit to thinking about food on occasion. However, for the most part I didn't miss food at all. After work I headed outside and picked mulberries and then I rushed back into the house so that I could start to process my bounty. I ended up making 3 batches of jelly and 2 batches of syrup, about 30 jars canned in total. All was good with my fast as I approached hour 24.
And then the unthinkable happened. I was starting to clean up the kitchen and I picked up a pan that I had made jelly in. Without thinking, I swiped my finger through a line of jelly and popped my finger into my mouth. It tasted so good, but immediately I realized my mistake with my mindless taste. I had messed up my fast with that simple taste of the sugary jelly goodness. Furthermore, while I hadn't been really hungry or thinking about food, the taste spurred my tastebuds, body and mind (mostly the mind) to all of a sudden want food. I NEEDED food, or so I thought.
Sooooo, I made myself a grilled cheese and ate some of the mashed potatoes that I made for Jason's dinner. I failed to reach the magic 36 hours. Not a total failure though, because I did make it 24 hours. I was disappointed with myself, but ok with what I did.
I couldn't wait to step on the scales. It was going to be fabulous for sure! Yeah.....about that......I gained a pound! I kid you not! I gained weight! Isn't that a hoot! (Not really, but I have to laugh!)
So I learned a few lessons about my longer attempt.
* Remove myself from food and I really don't miss it.
* A single taste will start the mental game telling me to eat.
* Cooking dinner for Jason and then expecting me to not eat is just not going to happen.
* Surprisingly, that grilled cheese and mashed potatoes filled me up completely and I actually even felt stuffed.
* I CAN make it a OMAD without too much difficulty.
Will I try it again? The 36 hour fast? That is debatable. I like the concept of burning the fat. But while someone else is in the house eating, well I'm just not sure it is for me. The One Meal A Day? Yes, I probably will. I think doing the same 16:8 fast is not a long term plan. Our bodies get used to the same things and I think that switching it up to have a no fast day and /or an OMAD day is good for the body. So I will probably do it again, even though I gained a pound. Maybe that one pound gain was an anomaly.
But hey, I have a medical test coming up in 2 weeks and I can't eat after midnight for the test that is at 12:45. I'll be in the office until about 3 or so and then I have a 1 hour drive home. So I won't even get home until 4 ish. I will most likely just wait until dinner at that point so it will be a forced OMAD. That will be the perfect chance to see if I end up gaining again! :-)
My thoughts came to me while I was fasting and going through this process. And that is, is it even possible to get enough nutrients to function efficiently if one does an OMAD fast?
Lots of food for thought there.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed fasting but I had more luck with weight loss with the 5/2 diet.
Our bodies and cravings are funny things ehh?
I love Mindy Pelz and her enthusiasm. Longer fasts are a mental game. I typically find the weightloss takes a day or two to show up after a longer fast.
ReplyDeleteBreaking a fast with carbs is not ideal. Carbs make us store fat because they make our body release insulin, which is our fat storage hormone. Still, the carbs make the body hold onto water instead of flushing out the system. I wouldn't be surprised if you lose that pound and more this week.
I have heard that any length fast (including OMAD) is only effective for a short time if you don't vary your fasting either in length or changing the time of day. I can't imagine getting enough calories to sustain your activity level in one meal. I think you are wise to just throw in a longer fast from time to time.
I think experimenting with it is definitely a good idea. Whatever you do, it needs to be sustainable over the long-term. I do well with the 16:8 plus 2-3 no dinner days. Which strictly speaking are more about the calorie allowance, I try to stay between 900-1100 cals on ND days and if I stick to it, that’s when I lose weight. My husband and I do this together which definitely helps. I lost 30 lbs in 12 weeks, still another 70 to go. Didn’t you say that you’ve been losing weight on the 16:8? So maybe that’s all you need.
ReplyDeleteI have been doing longer fasts (up to 41 hours) but started with 12 hours and stayed there quite some time, increasing only a little at a time. It definitely takes time to get used to it, physically and mentally. I am re-reading Gin Stephens' "Fast. Feast. Repeat" book, and it has a lot of useful information to help choose a fasting schedule that works for you.
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