I've had a few people ask me about intermittent fasting (IF), so I thought I'd make an informative post on the benefits, and my own experience. I actually was extremely skeptical going into it. I read all these articles claiming that IF changes your hunger patterns, corrects insulin resistance and hormone issues, reduces inflammation, burns fat, and is good for your metabolism. All this, without losing muscle mass or crashing my adrenals? It sounded too good to be true. Since I began dealing with Lyme, I've been struggling with high levels of inflammation and weight gain. I would count calories, I had cut out gluten, dairy & sugar, I exercised, and I would lose NOTHING. It was absolutely infuriating. It's important to me that my body be as healthy as it can possibly be; a healthy body means a healthy immune system to fight Lyme.
According to this article (and many other well-documented articles) intermittent fasting:
- Changes the function of cells, genes and hormones
- Can help you lose weight and belly fat
- Can reduce insulin resistance
- Can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body
- May be beneficial for heart health
- Induces various cellular repair processes
- May help prevent cancer
- Is good for your brain
- May help prevent Alzheimer's Disease
- May extend your lifespan
I decided to do IF and a modified paleo diet after speaking with my doctor. At this point, the number on the scale was one pound away from being 30 lbs above my normal weight. I've learned to love and appreciate my body during this journey, and there was no self-hatred, but I knew something had to change. Paleo was a fairly easy transition. The fasting was what worried me. When I don't eat, I get a headache and feel shaky; plus, I have a difficult time ignoring hunger pains. After some research, I decided on 16:8 fasting. (It's recommended to build up to this, but I'm impatient and often and all-or-nothing kind of girl) Basically, I fast from 6pm - 10am (16 hours) and then eat between 10am and 6 pm (8 hours).
I started both IF and paleo on June 27th. The first few days were a little tough. The evening wasn't bad, it was the morning that I felt hungry. I had heard it gets better, so I decided to stick it out and give it a fair chance. Every morning I'd make my stevia-sweetened iced coffee and wait until it was time to eat. After a few days of figuring it out, my hunger patterns did change. Even better, the weight started falling off. Falling off so quickly I couldn't believe it. Ever since I started having kids at age 20, I've lost all the baby weight but it was never easy. I had to really work hard to lose it. In the first two weeks of IF and paleo I lost 10 pounds! I've also noticed major changes in my body; my skin is finally clearing up (during Lyme treatment it was out of control) and I definitely feel less inflammation. I also began exercising more regularly a couple weeks ago. I go to the gym before I've broken my fast, which I thought would be a terrible mistake. (I pictured myself lightheaded, dizzy and fatigued) But I actually have felt totally normal and energized. I also seem to be (knock on wood) starting to slowly build muscle again.
As of today, it's officially been one month since I started paleo and IF, and I've lost 14 lbs! I'm just about halfway to my goal. I feel good, and I'm fitting into a lot of my clothes again. The weight loss has definitely slowed down, and the last week was tough due to consuming a food I didn't know I had a sensitivity to (bloating and inflammation halted my progress for almost an entire week!) but I'm feeling great and happy with my progress.
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