FIRST WEEK OF INTERMITTENT FASTING

Last week I shared the idea of moving breakfast to lunch and only eating two meals a day. Normally the first week of starting something that goes against the society norm is difficult to say the least. I’ve heard it all from, “You’re skipping the most important meal of the day!” to ” You know if something sounds so farfetched, it’s because it is!” But after doing my due diligence in changing the way I eat and somewhat changing what I eat, I’ve found many doctors, health practitioners,  and naturopaths are all agreeing that using intermittent fasting as one of the best things we can do for our health.

Many paths lead to the same goal.

Since many doctors, naturopaths, and health practitioners are expounding the benefits of intermittent fasting, they also have their own way of interpreting what intermittent fasting should look like. I chose the path of Dr. Joe Mercola. He suggests the 3-8-3 principle. Which boils down to this:

• Don’t eat 3 hours before going to bed.
• Sleep 8 hours.
• Eat your first meal 3 hours later than you do now.

So for the last eight days I’ve been following this path.

Upon waking I have a cup of hot lemon water (clean water, juice of one lemon, 2 drops Thieves oil, 7 drops pure stevia),

Then I do my workout (we’ll talk about that in an upcoming post).

After my workout and before 12 PM (I started out waiting till my stomach growled which was about 10:30 AM then just kept prolonging it), I drink about 64 ounces of water and take my vitamins ands supplements.

When noon comes around I have my largest meal which includes a garden salad, cheese, some good protein, a piece of fruit, some grain free bread, and some chia seed pumpkin pudding. I top it all off with a cup of coffee with some of my homemade coconut milk creamer.  It’s a filling lunch and I’m not hungry till dinner time which is around 5 PM.

Dinner includes another salad, topped with seeds and nuts, quinoa or amaranth, and a bowl of whatever soup I make for the week. Then I am done until the next day.

Last Saturday we even went out for lunch and I had my same kinds of foods plus I had a scoop of peanut butter ice cream. That was the only meal I had that day.

Oh, that’s right we haven’t talked about the weight loss. I started this on New Year’s day. Today is January 8th and in 8 days I lost 9 pounds and dropped a dress size.

Am I hungry?

No.

Am I stressed about food?

No

Are my cravings gone?

Yes, all of them. For me this is huge because I just realized that I haven’t had any chocolate in 8 days nor did I crave it.

Do I have energy?

I have so much energy now that I can’t sit still. I have the kind of energy I had as a kid.

I feel amazing. The bloating is gone. It’s amazing to get on the scale every day and see the numbers going down by the day. Before when I tried to lose weight, I would lose 3 pounds gain one back, lose another 3 pounds gain one back. During the entire 8 days, my weight has steadily gone down. What’s really amazing about this is I started feeling better the second day of doing this. It’s like I can feel the pounds drop off my body.

More Perks

I’m not tied to my next meal and not worried about needing to write down everything I eat or count my calories. I’m not sluggish in the mornings. I haven’t had any sleepiness after my meals. I sleep for 8 hours a night. For the last eight days I haven’t had any heart burn either. I’m not obsessed with food anymore.

I feel like a normal person now. Only my normal is totally opposite of the mainstream health regimes.

Is this something I’m staying with? By all means a resounding “Yes” and now my husband is onboard as well. It’s so much easier when we’re both doing the same thing.

If you’ve tried everything else and it didn’t work, trying the 3-8-3 principle might just save your life. I know it has for me.

Wishing you Wellness For a New Day!

 

Benefits of Intermittent Fasting

Fasting Bolsters Brain Power

Beginner’s Guide to Intermittent Fasting

24-hour fasting plan