If you’ve read any of my content from this page about fasting, you may notice that I lean heavily toward extended fasting, rather than shorter, intermittent fasting.
One of the main reasons for this was because years ago, I read that some of the health benefits in regard to your body healing itself and autophagy were greater over a prolonged period, and this allowed the body to detox quicker, which is what I had been after when I began to fast.
The other part that I was not keen about with intermittent fasting was that you would begin to transition into ketosis on your fasting day and deal with some of the side effects of that for one day (which is the worst part of fasting), then go back to eating normally. Then have another uncomfortable fasting day a couple of days later.
I’ve always found that the worst part of extended fasting is in the first 2-3 days (can by longer depending on the person). By then, your body is adjusting to ketosis and you no longer feel hungry or are feeling any cravings. Headaches and other symptoms will start to subside too.
So Why Am I Going To Bother About Intermittent Fasting?
There are two reasons why. One is that I want to experience it so that I could share it with you, and two because I have a suit to fit into by October!!
The weekend just gone, I tried on a suit for an upcoming wedding, but have decided that I would go one size smaller than my actual size, because I am confident that the suit will fit me by then.
This is a bit ambitious I know, but this decision has jolted my motivation for me to “up the ante” on my weight loss goals and push a bit harder.
You can clearly see from the pic that the shirt is tight around my guts, the jacket is a bit hugging and I am also unable to button my pants up!
I’ve got my work cut out for me, that’s for sure!
What’s The Plan?
My plan is to embark on a 5/2 intermittent fasting regime for 2 weeks to see if I can increase my weight loss. I have only lost about 1 kg (2.2lbs) in the last month due to not being as disciplined with Keto as I was the previous month.
My 2 fasting days will be water or tea only for 24 hrs, the other 5 days I will eat as I normally would on the Keto diet. I will work my fasting days around social events, as we have a busy couple of weeks on the social calendar. I will likely fast on Tuesday and Sunday.
I also want to include 2-3 days of cardio workout at the gym, particularly the day after a fasting day, to see if my energy levels are affected and of course to burn more calories.
It Should Be Easy…
Having already been through a 7-day water fast in June and being on the Keto diet ever since, my body has already adjusted to being in ketosis. I’m expecting there should not be too many negative physical symptoms on my fasting days.
Also, knowing that I have been through such mental challenges on extended fasts of up to 10 days, I believe that 24hrs, without food, should be a breeze.
Current Weight
As of today (26/Aug) my current weight is 124.1kg (273.6lbs) which I will say is the lowest weight that I have been in 3 years and also marks the highest amount of total weight I have ever lost before. My previous best weight loss was around 10 kg from 105 kg to 95 kg (231.5lbs to 209.4lbs) which was kicked off from a 10-day juice fast in 2007.
According to the MyFitnessPal app that I use to track my calories for the day, my daily calorie intake should be 2560 per day to lose weight. This recommended calorie amount takes into account my current weight and as I lose weight, the amount of calories that would be recommended for me to consume, will decrease.
I will be recording all of my food and water intake, however, since being on the Keto diet, I generally go by how I’m feeling. If I feel the need to eat or drink then I will. If that means skipping a meal, then so be it. Sometimes I’ll eat a big breakfast and not eat much until dinner. There’s no need to eat just because it’s “lunch time.”
Your own body can let you know when you need to eat and you need to listen to it.
The Stage Is Set
I think the stage was set last night when we went to an All-You-Can-Eat restaurant last night for a birthday party. I feel that I was pretty controlled with my choices in terms of Keto foods, however, I did stray a bit and over-indulge. I don’t regularly go to these types of restaurants, but if I do I’m always about getting my money’s worth!
These are the types of things that are going to come up in life. It’s ok to over-indulge occasionally as long as you can pick back up and continue on the good path.
Please leave a comment below about your intermittent fasting experiences and any tips you may have for myself or anyone else reading.
