5 lbs. Exactly 5 lbs. Gotta admit I didn’t expect that. It’s been exactly 2 weeks since I started this intermittent fasting thing and I hopped on the scale this morning. I figured if anything I’d have lost maybe a pound or so, but certainly not 5. And when you take into account the time of year I chose to do this challenge, that makes it all that more impressive I think. So that got me to thinking… how?

Well from the get go I speculated that it would simply come down to math. limiting the time in which I could eat, I’d simply not eat as much. And I think that’s what happened. There may be some physiological changes going on too that I haven’t taken into account, but weight loss comes down to calories in and out so I’m guessing that’s the key here.

So how has it been going you ask?

Not all that bad, really. I thought I’d be really hungry by the time that first meal hit, and sometimes I am, but for the most part, it’s not that big of a deal. And the foods I eat haven’t really changed either, sans for some holiday weekend indulgences. I’m not sure this is something I’d keep up for the long term, but it beats the hell out of going low carb for quick weight loss. It’s something that will almost certainly go into my toolbox when working with my clients. And more than anything I’d like to use it in certain circumstances for a short time to really drive home what it feels like to be hungry. I eluded to this in my last post, but I really do think it’s extremely important to understand what it feels like to actually be hungry. However, with all that being said, I do miss breakfast.

Struggles

It hasn’t been entirely without it’s share of tough times. For instance, I made my girlfriend, Megan, a breakfast burrito last week. Like, the real deal breakfast burrito. Flour tortilla. Eggs. Cheese. Cilantro. Salsa. And then I broiled it in the oven to crisp it up. I wanted that thing pretty bad, but instead had to sit back and just sip on my coffee. So that kinda sucked. There were a few other instances of this happening over that holiday too, but this example probably was the hardest.

I’ve also had several mornings where I thought about cheating and having at least some cottage cheese or a Greek yogurt thinking that one day wouldn’t hurt. But I’ve fought that temptation and can say I’ve stuck to the plan almost to a T.

Last, but not least, exercising (be it swimming, biking, running, or lifting) on an empty stomach sucks. One day I had an hour bike ride on the indoor trainer planned for the noon hour, after which I’d eat at 1 pm. I shut it down after 45 minutes because I felt so terrible. It was low blood sugar for sure and I decided that it wasn’t worth it to suck it up and stick it out. I ate a bunch immediately and then took to the couch for another 45 minutes before I started to feel better. But that only happened once so it may have been a fluke.

Good Stuff

I often discuss with my clients what it is like to really savor and enjoy your food to help prevent overeating. For example I like to say “You know that first sip of coffee in the morning and how freaking good that tastes? But by the end of that cup or even onto the second cup, it’s lost its luster hasn’t it?” It’s a way to make them self aware while eating. Well, that first bite of food at the first meal is really, really good. I’ve found myself enjoying food and it’s flavors more than ever. And I think that’s really cool. To appreciate it rather than to just eat to eat is something everyone should experience. Although a quick word of caution here is to remember to not eat until your bursting at the seams. It’s tempting. Trust me. But if you can keep that in check, you really do find yourself truly enjoying the meal.

So all in all it’s going pretty well. I’ll check back in at the end of the next 2 weeks to give you my final numbers (before and after weight and body fat percentage) and my final take on the whole experience, but for now, it’s a mostly positive one.