Intermittent Fasting Explained

 INTERMITTENT FASTING EXPLAINED

The best way for me to explain how to get started is to share my experience with you. 

My first introduction to Intermittent Fasting was Chalene Johnson’s book, “131 Method”.

Although I found the eating plan too specific for my lifestyle, the information regarding fasting was fascinating, and easy to follow. So I decided to give it a whirl.

Now, if you have been following me, you know I push the whole “Stop Eating Three Hours before bed rule”!  (Trust me, you will sleep much better if your body is not trying to digest food while you are trying to fall asleep )

Back to the intermittent fasting schedule.  I did my math like this.  

I figured since I go to bed at 10 pm, that my last available time to eat is 7 pm.  My initial fast was from 7 pm to 9 am. That gave me a 10 hour eating window and a 14 hour fasting window. No biggie, since 9 of those hours I would be sleeping and exercising.

I awoke at 6 am, had my usual coffee with a teaspoon of cream, (since that doesn’t break a fast) and waited until 9 am for my first solid food. 

I usually ate light, but healthy food.  Hard boiled egg or grain free toast with peanut butter or cream cheese, some pork rinds.

1 pm - Lunch, vegetables, meat, low carb wrap or grain free bread

3 pm - Midday pick me up….always coffee with cream… NO sweetener!  Maybe some nuts or seeds

6 pm - Supper, meat, vegetables, salad or a low carb casserole

and maybe a low carb treat for dessert

I am done eating by 7 pm.

I kept my carbs in my range, (more about the carb range at the end)

That’s how I started! Now I practice a 6 hour eating window and a 18 hour fasting window.  I discovered my body didn’t need that 9 am start, so now I just push til noon.  My body, as well as my hunger has adjusted well to this fasting pattern. 

Some days it can bend a little bit either way, but for the most part it stays the same.

The benefits of this style of eating combined with my low carb food choices are weight management, enhanced mood, mental clarity, and more energy. 

So start off slow.  Work backwards 3 hours from your bedtime like I did. Begin with a 12/12 window, then after a few days try a 10/ 14 window, then try a 8/16 window.  And maybe even a 6/18!

Do what works for you!  Just remember NO grazing! Eat normal meals. Your eating window is not a “free for all food frenzy”…

This might go against what you’ve heard about eating frequency in the past. But the research is solid.  Skipping a meal won’t send your body into “starvation mode” or necessarily inhibit your fat loss goals. And although there’s nothing wrong with eating breakfast, there are major benefits to giving your body an extended break between meals.

Some believe that if you skip breakfast it will cause you to overeat throughout the day. Not so, studies actually show that individuals who skip breakfast do indeed eat more calories at lunch, but consume less total calories at the end of the day.

 

Let’s talk about The Carb Range real quick.

Here is the typical breakdown.

Keto is less than 10% of daily calories are carbs (less than 50g per day)

Low-Carb is 10-25% of daily calories are carbs (50-125g per day)

Just to put it into perspective>

The typical American diet is more than 250g of carbs per day! 

 

 

References: 

https://hopkinsdiabetesinfo.org

Intermittent Fasting Diet Guide, Dr. Becky Gillaspy

Undoctored, Dr. William Davis

131 Method, Chalene Johnson