Sexy Beast

Well today’s fast has gone well. But I am feeling hungrier than normal. Maybe my breakfast wasn’t suitable. But no headache, no moodiness, and I’m feeling pretty great! (So Far J)

 I’m also staying hydrated. This is very important! OOOO!! I also went and bought a new tea!! It is SO good!! My love grows fonder with every sip. Kidding--- but really... It’s some good tea.

Gum Challenge… not a challenge. I have had two pieces. That’s it! Yay! Not as hard as I thought it would be. But I have been really busy all day so maybe I’m just distracted. This is a good thing. Distraction is a must when I’m fasting.

 ß My sister sent this to me today. Love it!!

Pretty fitting for the day. I went to a music store today to pick up a CD and was hit on. Most women would be thrilled or at least cool about it… but me - nope… I get all awkward and embarrassed, turn red, and make a run for it.

 He walked right up to me and said "Excuse me ma'am, I don't mean to creep you out but you are beautiful, I just wanted to tell you that. Your husband is a lucky man." And he shook my hand. I was stunned and probably the color of a tomato... so I think I told him "thank you" but I can't be for sure. I was so taken aback. But anyway the guy was obvious about it and I think that's what threw me off. Maybe there is a difference between younger men and older men. Usually the guys (probably early and mid twenties) kind of beat around the bush to find out if you are interested or not. But this guy was in his 30's. Maybe men who are a little older are also a little more confident and feel comfortable just straight out telling you what they think. Who knows!? Well, probably there are a lot of people who know but I'm not one of them. I'm kind of a nerd like that.

Today I saw a recipe for sugar free chocolate chip pie. Yum! The picture shows it topped with ice cream but I think wipped cream sounds better. While I browsing around the health food store (after picking up that awesome tea) I came across Healthy Top. Wipping Cream made from Almonds and Cashews. Cool!! I had to get some - I can't wait to try it :) :) :)  

I have high hopes.

Then there's the tweet I read today. All I can say is #PureTruth

Off Day ... Off Week? - Maybe just Off.

Off

I’m having an off day. Maybe it’s an off week. These holidays mess me up... mainly because we didn’t have to come into work on Monday. So I'm feeling a day behind. Also, I didn’t get to bed early enough last night and had an early morning workout today. Last night I totally didn’t think to make my lunch, this morning when I left home I still didn’t remember… so I came to work with no food. I ended up with the peanuts from the snack closet. Too many peanuts can make this girl sick but for now I’m holding up.

Tonight I have soccer practice with the Pre-K and K kids but I have like zero energy. I’m hoping to pep up a little so that I won’t be a boring coach. I want them to have fun but they are so young and a lot of the games I come up with don’t work out right because they don’t yet understand the concepts. Add in that I don’t have kids of my own (so I have very little understanding of the little ones and their minds) and you can very well see how some soccer practices are a real challenge for me. Being in Texas and it being 90+ everyday also makes practice rough and frankly pretty draining. But perspective is everything so it sounds like I need to change mine. J Smiling is always a good start.

I’m reading a new book on intermittent fasting but I haven’t gotten very far into it yet. I’ll let you know what I think. However, I instantly noticed a problem with it. The product descriptions boasts “Lose 30 lbs in 30 days” and to me that just isn’t healthy. I’m all about weight loss but I like to see it done in a healthy way. I’ve tried losing weight in various unhealthy ways and it just isn’t a good thing- not physically and not mentally. But we’ll see… maybe it will have some useful info that I can share.

Tomorrow starts a new fast. I feel like it is similar to yoga in that you always look to better your practice. The goal is not to be finished or to be perfect but rather to improve. Tomorrow my goal is to cut back on the gum chewing. It seems like such a simple goal but I think it’s going to be harder that is seems.

Cheerio and toodle-oo!

Bikini Ready - Someday

 

I didn’t fast yesterday. I said I was going to but really, I knew I wouldn’t stand a chance. I don’t have good enough self control yet to fast while I’m at home. I did try to keep myself busy all day which is something that would need to happen if I did choose to fast while at home… like on a Saturday or Sunday.

I was reading Brad Pilon’s blog today and he talks about finances and how you can easily relate that to your eating.  Spend less than you earn. Burn more than you eat. So if you are in debt then you need to save and cut back on your spending. If you are in weight debt, carrying extra baggage around the middle, then (duh) you need to cut back on your calories. It doesn’t matter how you do it just as long as you are running a deficit. So you can eat an Atkins diet, you can go on Weight Watchers, you can even do IF- but the one thing that these all have in common is that they allow a calorie deficit. Don’t we all wish there were an easier way?  A way that we could eat lots of rich yummy foods and still lose weight or for that matter never gain any of that weight but that would be like spending lots of money on “stuff” and our bank account never show it.  So maybe a better lesson and the one I have to learn anyway is this- I should eat food in a way so that it is healthy for me because I care about my body and to appreciate the things I already have because there are people out there with far, far less.

It’s also bikini season and every time I see a cute two piece I always wish I would’ve worked harder, eaten better, stuck with it longer. One day I will have that sexy bikini body and I’ll go to Victoria’s Secret with all sorts of confidence and buy that stellar little bikini that I have been eyeing. Sure  I’ll change my mind a million times on which one I want but at least I’ll be confident and confidence is the real goal. And yea there are plenty of people who would argue - "oh you should be happy with they way you are and you don't have to be lean and toned to wear a two piece and blah blah blah" - but if people had to, forced to be honest, a lot more of them would trade their current body for a fit one. And no, I don't neccesarily mean a model's body (although that would be nice) I just mean a nice fit toned body. Yea okay... I said it. It sucks but that is society. The fit folks have it easier. They can wear what they want and look fantastic and most likely they feel great and they feel sexy. Besides being fit and in shape is usually a sign that a person is healthy and that, to me, is very important.

 VS Bikini - One day.. one day.

T G I F

Fun Friday!

I work at an office so Fridays are like the best days ever - every single week. I love them and I get so pumped up!! J

Thursday’s fast went very well. I guess my body adapting to it. But I did notice that later in the evening I was hungrier than I have been. I had a feeling I would be since I woke up hungry that morning. One thing I learned from Dr. Berardi’s  book is that sometimes people can obsess over food when they are fasting. It takes over their thoughts. That kind of happened to me yesterday but I think it was because of the increased level of hunger I was experiencing. I’m not sure why I was extra hungry. I haven’t really changed the ways I’ve eaten. I cut out dairy products but I didn’t eat much dairy to begin with.

I have also decided that working out before I start the breakfast to breakfast fasting doesn’t make me any hungrier than if I don’t work out. This is another clue that my body is adapting. This morning I worked out in a fasted state and I have yet to notice any extra energy. I thought there was supposed to be a little boost in energy when you worked out in a fasted state but maybe that is only for some people not all people. I have the normal amount of energy as being in a fed state.

So when I fast I am allowed black coffee, tea, water (duh), and diet soda and even a couple of pieces of sugar free chewing gum. Chewing gum. Yea. I'm like a gum chomping machine. I eat like 5-8+ pieces. I think this might be ruining me. Maybe not "ruining" me but I do think I need to cut way way way back. I don’t chewthat much on a regular day. Or maybe I do. I know a lot of people think it’s a disgusting habit but man- a habit it is. I really love me some gum. However, on fasting days I will limit it to 2-4 pieces.

Today I broke my fast with toast, 1 tsp peanut butter, and a protein shake. I use Veg Protein for my shakes. For lunch I had veggie stir fry with steamed rice. I’ll eat a protein bar later to balance out my carb and fat ratio. I had some dark chocolate earlier so my fat ratio is a little too high right now. I’m no pro but pretty sure the high fat high carb combo is a no-no.

This will be my last free weekend for the next 6 or 7 weeks. Summer school starts soon and I coach my nephew and niece’s soccer team and they have games every weekend except this one so I will be pretty busy. Except this weekend… I plan to chill and cook. But I promise to keep it healthy. J

This is what I plan to make.

Sweet Corn and Jalapeno Hummus

Sweet Potato Quinoa Cakes with Blackberry Salsa

Starting the Day... Hungry and Bummed

 Hungry and Bummed

This morning I woke up and was feeling pri-tee hungry. I ate well last night so not sure why I was so hungry. This morning I had a good breakfast - protein shake with soy milk, toast with peanut butter, and a V8, came in around 375 calories. But waking up hungry has me worried that today’s fast may be tough… I may face more hunger than I have the past couple of times.

I had planned to go to the gym this morning but since Thursday isn’t normally a morning gym day I completely forgot to set my alarm. L I was so bummed. But if I have to look on the brightside… at least I got some extra sleep and I am feeling good and rested.

I read Brad Pilon's book Eat Stop Eat and he has an idea that is simple but really hit home for me. We eat when we get bored because we are using food as a stimulus to replace mental stimulation. So this tells me that I need to find ways to keep myself busy. Not only when I am fasting but also on feeding days. During school I'm really busy and do much better with my eating but during off periods I tend to fall off a bit. Also, on days when it is slow at work. Tomorrow is likely to be one of those days. It is the Friday before a long weekend so a lot of people are out all day and those that are left will likely leave between lunch and 3pm. That leaves me here, twittling my thumbs, trying not to gobble down food. So tonight my homework will be to gather up very important things to do so that I will stay busy J Or maybe someone up here will have a project that I can work on.

Either way… I’m up for a challenge.

Little Bamboo hasn't grown much but still loves some good ole H2O... I'm always happy to share

Maybe Little Bamboo needs bigger living space.

Lacking

Protein! Yesterday, after looking back at my lunch photo I noticed I didn't eat any protein. In fact I think most of my lunches lack protein. So to fix this I added in a Boca patty to today's lunch, 13g protein, and something about it made my lunch feel a little more complete. Now, I understand that this could just be all in my head but maybe adding in that protein really did give me that something that I've been missing. 

I feel good today and I am ready to face tomorrow's fast. I have a kindergarden graduation to attend after work so that will keep me busy for a good part of the evening. My workout plan is to go in the morning before work. I would like to do pump, the weight class, but it gets really full so I may have to choose a different activity.


Things I've learned from fasting (so far)

- I really do have the power to choose what goes into my mouth

- I will eat food without thinking about it.

- I've learned that there are many habits I need to work on.
   a. A short breakdown
       1. controlling what I eat on non-fasting days
       2. getting in more protein and fat to balance my carb intake 
       3. skipping the mid morning and mid afternoon snacks.
           (I know I dont need the "mid" snacks but they are habit so I tend to eat these regardless of whether or not I'm hungry.)ßMajor Issue.

I found this on Pinterest. I want to be this strong and this lean.

No grumble

Monday’s fast was superb. I didn’t get hungry and my mood was stable. I finally got super tired around 8pm but I also went to be late the night before and got up early for the gym so that should be expected. I need to get more sleep on the days I go to the gym early and especially if also plan to fast. Another thing that I did was drink extra water during the day and I wonder if that helped. I normally leave work having downed about 56-72oz but yesterday before I left I had 96oz. So that may have helped stave off any hunger.

My breakfast this morning was around 400 calories but that was an accident. I had a protein shake with Silk and some oatmeal but I added some apricot jam to my oatmeal and that was the “accident” part. Meaning I added it and it wasn’t originally part of my ‘plan’.  I am trying to focus on sticking to a post fast plan so that I don’t go overboard. Breakfast tends to be a high calorie meal for me. I didn’t plan on have a snack between breakfast and lunch but I caved and got fat-free pretzels. I’m not “pro” fat-free whatsoever but that’s the only thing in the snack closet at work that is vegan (other than peanuts which make me sick to my stomach when I eat too many)  and actually I may need to take a closer look at the pretzel ingredients to make sure they are dairy free. This leads me to a whole new point of conversation…

The snack closet.

I hate that closet.

It’s an evil place for someone who has a sweet tooth and is trying to slim down. I’ve said before that I have to keep our mint bowl full at work… well I also have to keep the “snack closet” full. I actually have to do this and it is terrible. It is basically a closet full of chocolate candy and other junk food. But as of last Sunday I am transitioning from vegetarian to vegan and the snack closet will no longer be my kryptonite… basically because hardly anything in there is dairy free.

Score for me.

Snack Closet

But as for sticking with a plan, I realize that I need to take it more seriously and so from lunch forth I shall stick to my plan. Do I want flat abs and a healthy body? Yes. Yes I do. So! I shall be serious.

Lunch was so yummy. I shared a picture of my soup after I made it  and my dad texted me back and says “I hope it tastes better than it looks”. Thanks, Dad.  He’s right though… soup just isn’t very photogenic. BUT it tasted SO good. The batch is rather large so good thing it is tasty since I will probably be eating it all week J



Lunch:

Granny Smith Apple

Celery

Homemade Hummus

Kale and White Bean Soup

The soup recipe came from the Skinny Bitch cookbook. I had to add some ground black pepper and when I eat it again I will for sure add cayenne.



Gettin Real

~Being Honest with Myself~

So today begins another round of fasting. I am looking forward to it. Like I’ve said before, it empowers me. I feel so bold - strong - confident. It’s almost like a new adventure each time. I get a little nervous before it starts, there is built up anticipation, then it’s like a battle throughout until I finally reach the end. It isn’t always a battle against not eating as much as it is dealing with the side effects like moodiness and lack of energy but it is getting so much easier and those side effects aren’t present as much these days.

            This is another breakfast to breakfast fast that began with a protein shake made with Silk, a side of toast, and a V8 Energy. It came out to about 400 cals. I also did body combat this morning. I didn’t wear a heart rate monitor today but I normally burn 550-600 calories in that class.

            I am beginning to think that working out in the morning on Mondays makes my Monday fasts harder than my Thursday fasts because on Thursday I don’t work out in the mornings. That would be the most obvious reason to me. However, I only have last week to compare so we’ll see about this week.

            I have a friend who has started fasting too and she loves it as much as I do. I will try to get her to do a guest post so that she can share her way of going about things and dealing with some of the side effects.

            Now on to the whole honesty thing I mentioned in this post title. Yuck. Well I’ve notice I eat way too much on the weekends. It isn’t always or necessarily junk food because sometimes it is just too much of any food even healthy food. And I love to cook and bake. Especially bake. But I also like to cook. I made Rice Krispies to share with my family (nephews, niece, my dad, my mother in law), then I made hummus and homemade corn tortillas, I went to a local whole foods store and bought some really awesome new foods... I love to create food and try new things but I think that is my downfall. I need to focus on eating smaller portions. Fasting hasn’t ‘made’ me want to eat more - I have always had this problem. I think during the weekdays I do very well because I am on a set schedule but on the weekends I’m not on any schedule plus I have food available at all times. One of my goals of fasting was/is to learn to eat when I am hungry so I in truth need to make that my focus. I have always agreed with the thought that once you recognize you have a problem you can begin on working towards a solution. Hopefully now I can begin on making a serious conscious effort on working towards getting handle on this issue. J  

            My husband is thin and while most young men (he’s 26) are naturally thin he has a particular way of eating that I wish I could adopt. It is very basic and simple. He eats when he is hungry and he stops when he is full. SIMPLE. But still so hard for me. Intermittent fasting, I hope, will teach me to eat more like he does. I think it will take some training, literally I think I will need to train myself, but I think it is totally doable.

Cheers! To a new day!

< Wuyi Oolong from Republic of Tea

Feeling Strong

I'm on top of the world!!

Thursday's fast went so well!! I was so happy with how great I felt all day. At work - I was alert, I wasn't moody, and I felt really good. It was a nice change from the last couple of fasts. I did crash in the later part of the evening. I was sitting at home and 8:00 pm rolled around and I became very sleepy. But that was the only time I felt bad. I didn't go to yoga after work as I had originally planned because I had some errands that had to get done. Plus I would so rather work out in the morning rather than after work. It's easier when I just wake up and get it done and over with.

This morning I went to body pump which is a weight lifting class. I increased some of my weight and this was the first time I have done this class while I have been fasting so it was a challenge but it felt great. Plus it sparked my appetite just in time to break my fast. I was out of eggs this morning so instead of having my usual veggie omelet I had a blueberry waffle and a morning star tomato and basil patty. Another weird combo but it works.

This is me trying to look strong because today I am feeling super tough and strong!!  

 

Keeping up with the Kalories

Wow. What a super lame post title.

Well this is my 3rd fast. I'm going breakfast to breakfast again. My breakfast was 400 calories and contained an egg, oatmeal, banana, and a morning star grilled "chicken" patty. I ate this weird combo in order to get a good carb/fat/protein ratio. It's a little after my lunch hour and I'm feeling good.
My friend tried a lunch to lunch fast and she really liked that method. I may have to give it a try.
But anywho! I thought I would share with you my method of keep up with my calories. Its all about balance and making sure not to under or over eat.

My method of keeping up with calories:

So sometimes I have to explain to people that fasting isn’t starving. Just because I go 24hours without food doesn’t mean I will go into starvation mode, doesn’t mean I will shrivel up, doesn’t mean I will evaporate into thin air etc. I need to lose about 15 pounds… that’s 52,500cals. Trust me… I’m not starving. We as humans because of our busy lives and various schedules work on a 24 hour periods but our bodies don’t. Okay so a common idea behind fasting is that your body needs a break from eating but you still need to make sure you are getting enough calories the rest of the time. Like I said I don’t think our bodies work on 24 hour periods like we do but we have to learn to put some parameters on it so there will some kind of focus. So I think looking at cal intake within a 7 day period would be a good start.  I have a job where I sit all day so I don’t really need too many calories. I can maintain my weight at 1600/day. Since I am trying to lose weight I aim for 1400/day and I also workout regularly. So in a week’s time – 7 days – I would need around 9800 calories.  To make sure I get enough I track it and keep up with it as I go making sure I am getting enough or to make sure I’m not over eating. So far my week looks like this.

Mon (fasting breakfast): 350

Tues: 1,700

Wed: 2,000

Thurs (fasting breakfast): 400

Total: 4,450

That leaves me with 5,350 for the rest of the week.  If I break it down that is about 1780 for the weekend. This is a good thing because I am more likely to eat more on the weekends.

I try to stay within very close proximity of this because it’s important to stay nourished but not to over indulge. I think the biggest danger for me is over eating. If I don’t watch it close enough then I would over eat the day before the fast and the day after the fast.

Once I get more used to this style of eating I don’t think I will have to count calories as meticulously. But I think it is important when you're trying to learn how to balance your feeding days with your fasting days.

Remember: I'm no expert so if you have any questions regarding health or diet... go find an expert. Anything I do or say on this blog is strictly for my own purposes and should not be regarded as advice for anyone else.

Red Flag

Weird. Sad. Big Red Flag. Sometimes, when I’m fasting, I’ll go to grab something to eat… like a mint from the giant bowl I have to keep at my desk. (I’m a receptionist so yes I actually do have to keep them there and fully stocked.) And I’ll stop myself and think… oh wait no! no. no. no. I can’t eat. I’m fasting.

BUT HOLY CRAP! Isn’t that awful! I almost put food in my mouth without even thinking about it. I’m glad fasting has made me realize this but geez! I hate that I actually do that. Can you imagine all of the unintended calories that sneak their way into my diet without me even noticing? Well I’ll tell you who notices… my butt! I need to work having more discipline. I think fasting will help achieve this goal.

Tomorrow starts a new fast! I am looking forward to it. I feel so empowered by fasting. I think I will stick to doing it breakfast to breakfast for right now.

A little easier

Well I would say this fast went much better than the one last Thursday. However, I didn’t sleep that well. My bladder kept waking me up... I went about 3 times in the middle of the night. I drink more fluids on a fast to keep me feeling full so that must be the explanation. Oh and at 5am my diva belly checked in to tell me that she was hungry and insisted I eat. I told her to hush up but she kept me awake for a good 20 minutes.

When I woke up at 6:30 I felt only a little hungry but I didn’t really have an appetite. I didn’t feel like eating. I did choose to eat though because I knew if I didn’t then I wouldn’t have energy for work. A lack of energy is why I didn’t get my butt up to go to the gym this morning. Plus I was tired from all of those bathroom trips. I am hoping to get passed this sleepy moody phase soon. Patience. I need patience.

 Overall I really feel like the breakfast to breakfast works better than dinner to dinner. I think because it allows me to have more energy during the day while I’m at work. Or maybe this fast just went better than the one on Thursday so I may should try a dinner to dinner again just to see.

Dr. John Berardi wrote a very interesting book about his personal experiment with fasting. Its a free downloadable book and is only about 80 pages long. Click here to read it.

This is a little of what he has to say about some of the pros of IF.

What Are The Big “Takeaways”?

I think there are four main takeaways that readers of this book should come away with.

1.    Trial fasting is a great way to practice managing hunger. This is an essential skill for anyone who wants to get in shape and stay healthy and fit.

2.    More regular fasting isn't objectively better for losing body fat. While my IF experiments worked quite well, the intermittent fasting approach (bigger meals, less frequently) didn't produce better fat loss than a more conventional diet approach (smaller meals, more frequently) might have.

3.    More regular fasting did make it easier to maintain a lower body fat percentage. Intermittent fasting isn't easy. However, I did find that using this approach made it easier for me to maintain a low body weight and a very low body fat percentage vs. more conventional diets.

4.    Intermittent fasting can work but it's not for everyone, nor does it need to be. In the end, IF is just one approach, among many effective ones, for improving health, performance, and body composition.

Want to read more

Trying something different.

Pre Breakfast Workout:

Class was at 5:15am. It was a drencher! So sweaty… but I guess that means I worked hard! And I did… I’m already feeling those back kicks and the plank, and the iron cross with a crunch, and all of those punching combos. But it’s good. I really needed that workout and I love LOVE l.o.v.e. that class.

Breakfast:

I had a microwaved egg with sweet orange pepper, zucchini, and white onion (veggies diced), then I topped it with picante. I also had a multi-grain sandwich roll. Those are the flat buns that are 100 calories and sometimes have little holes all over them and the ketchup will get on your hands and you’re like WTH! . . . They toast really well (I like my food burned crispy). Oh and then I will admit I had some junk food. I found these chips and they taste like onion rings. I’m in love... or addicted... Anyway I did have some of those too. So my meal for the day came to 342 calories.

10am:

Feeling good. I’ve had tea. Maybe too much or maybe not. I love the Republic of Tea and I have a small collection so I like to try different ones throughout the day. So far I’ve had Honey Ginseng in the tea bag, All Day Breakfast loose leaf, and Wuyi Oolong loose leaf. So far so good.

1pm:

Now I’m getting a little growl in the ole belly but not too bad. I’m feeling a little sleepy, maybe sluggish is a better term, but this means the moody phase is right around the corner. But hopefully since I am expecting it this time it won’t be so bad. While on my lunch break I took some time to plan out tomorrow’s meals. I’ve read that it’s good to have plan so that you don’t accidently overeat or panic and in consequence make poor food choices.

3pm:

            I am tired but not like the first time. Last Thursday at the 3pm mark I could barely keep my eyes open and I was in slow mo. My guess is that difference is this fast is breakfast to breakfast whereas the last one was dinner to dinner. So at least I have eaten already today. So 3pm last time was at about the 18 hour mark and the 18 hour mark for this fast will be at 1am. I will already be in bed by then so hopefully I will get to skip that awful period or at least not realize it because I will be sleeping.

4:30

            Ouch. Feeling hungry. My stomach is trying to assert itself. Water is helping though and I keep clenching my teeth so I might chew some sugar free gum in a little bit.

Evening:

            It’s hard cooking for my husband and smelling his food and seeing him eat when I’m hungry. But I keep reminding myself that this is something I WANT to do not something I have to do. I find strength in that.

I’ll post again tomorrow morning after I see how my sleep is tonight. I’m wondering if I’ll be restless or if maybe I’ll sleep really well. I wanted to go to the gym in the morning but honestly my energy level is low. I know this normal the first month. My body just needs time to adjust.

Ouch!

Ouch! This weekend has been rough on the waistline. I was overloaded with chocolate on Friday at work due to it being my birthday. Then Saturday I had beer, Mexican food, and cake for my sister’s graduation. Today I went to see my grandma for mother’s day and was fed some wonderful lemon bars. So I feel like my 1^st fast went to waste. However, it’s that time again. Time for another fast. This time I will go from breakfast Monday morning to breakfast on Tuesday morning. I’m anxious to see how changing it from breakfast to dinner will affect my mood and energy level. Monday morning I will do body combat, this is a cardio kickboxing class, and Tuesday ... well I haven't decided what to do on Tuesday. Normally I would go to an evening cardio class but this Tuesday I have to go to a coaches meeting so I'll have to go to the gym at a different time. We'll see how it goes!!

What is IF?

Intermittent Fasting, according to my interpretation, is going an extended period of time without eating. Most of people fast everysingleday… when you sleep you are fasting. If you go to bed at 10pm and wake at 6am and eat breakfast -break. fast.-  then you have just completed an 8 hour fast. There are many many many different ways to fast.

Here is how Adam Bornstein describes it on his blog. I cut out a lot of his post so please visit the link if you would like more detail.

http://www.livestrong.com/blog/the-end-of-dieting/

Alternate Day Fasting (36-hour fast/12-hour feed)
With this plan you simply eat every other day. So on Monday, you'd eat within a 12-hour window, say 8am to 8pm. Then you'd fast overnight on Monday, and all day/overnight on Tuesday. You'd eat again from 8am to 8pm on Wednesday..

Meal Skipping (Random)
Some IF proponents believe we should behave like our ancestors did. As humans evolved to get their food randomly, so should we. This plan stresses Paleo-type food choices while randomly cycling daily calorie intake, along with skipping breakfast or dinner several days a week. This variation is a favorite of the Paleo crowd.

Eat Stop Eat (24-hour fast, one or two times per week)
On this plan, made popular by Brad Pilon, you fast for a full 24 hours once or twice per week, while eating sensibly the rest of the week. It's flexible: You can choose whichever 24 hours you want. Want to fast from breakfast to breakfast? No problem. Prefer to fast dinner-to-dinner? Go ahead.

Lean Gains (16-hour fast/8-hour feed)
This brand of fasting--created by Martin Berkhan--is based on an 8-hour feeding period followed by a 16-hour fast. In this approach, it’s recommended that you follow a diet that’s high in protein, cycles carbohydrates, and has you eating the bulk of your calories during the post-exercise window.

For example, on this plan, you'd fast from 9pm on Monday night until 1pm Tuesday afternoon. If you're going to exercise, you'd do so Tuesday afternoon, consuming 10g BCAAs (branched chain amino acids) before training. Following training, you'd eat 2-3 meals before 9pm, with your biggest meal coming right after exercise. The fast begins again Tuesday evening until Wednesday at 1pm, and repeats every day.

Warrior Diet (20-hour undereating/4-hour feed)
While not technically an intermittent fasting plan, it's very close. On this plan you eat very lightly for the first 18 to 20 hours of each day, working out during this period of under eating. Then, you'd eat the majority of your daily intake within a 4-6 hour over feeding window. Most place their over feeding window at the end of the day as it's more convenient for family dinners and after work training sessions.

1st 24 hour Fast Finished!

Breakfast
I normally start breakfast at 6:30am. I’m not usually hungry right when I wake up. But it takes me about 15 minutes to prepare and then like 15 to finish up. I go through these strange phases and I will eat the same thing for weeks then change it to something else. Lately it has been an egg, with chopped onion, red bell pepper, zucchini, and turnips greens or kale (whichever I have at the time). Then I add hot sauce.. maybe just like a tablespoon or two. Then I mix it all up and microwave it for a minute forty five. This comes out to be right under 100 calories. Then I will have either toast or something to land me another 100 cals.
THIS morning I actually woke up hungry! What the heck. Maybe because my mind knew I would be skipping it. Not sure. So I got up and made some green tea and just concentrated on getting ready for work.
Once I left my house, 8:10ish, I started feeling kind of sleepy and zoned out.

10am break
I normally would have some diet hot chocolate with 2 creamers so that lands me at about 45 calories. I usually have a snack too. I try to stay under 150. Lately I’ve been having a pumpkin cereal bar (they totally rock) and they are 120 calories.
Today. Golly Golly! I am tired, zoned out, and quite frankly a little moody. Everything is getting to me. The dumbest things like my hair gets in my face or I drop my pen on the floor. BUT … I know from doing research that this is exactly how I should be feeling. It takes a few weeks to get used to it so until then I just have to really focus. Really remember the reason why I am doing this and most importantly remember that after three weeks or so I should have tons of energy.
Yeah.. we’ll see. Right now I just have a headache.

Things I am looking forward to
1. Friday is my birthday = Taking my twin brother his birthday cake. I think he is making me some egg salad. Going to see Dark Shadows with my friends.
2. Saturday is my sister’s college graduation. = Seeing my grandma, eating cake, and eating Mexican food. Score! (Oh and getting to see a beautiful and intelligent young woman, sister, daughter, wife, mother of 3, graduate from college)
3. And saving the best for last.. I can’t wait until 9pm…when I can have food again. J

These things are allowing me to unfocus on this headache! Headaches make me think unwords are word words.

Lunch
Normally I would have an oatmeal packet, a small granny smith apple, and a yogurt cup. I love my oatmeal and apple and yogurt cup. Lunch was sad. So sad. BUT I went and ran some errands and tried to keep myself busy. Headache is now gone and I’m not hungry. I had a little bit of growling belly around the 12pm mark but it went away after a few swigs of clear stuff. As in H2O. . . come on guys.. I can’t drink liquor on the job, although… that would be a good way to make quite the first impression. But most likely it would be one that I would get fired for.

3pm break
I had an energy peak between 1:30 and 3pm. Then it went downhill. I haven’t been hungry expect for this morning.. until now. I am really feeling hungry now. I am also back in the moody sleepy phase. I wish I could crawl under my covers and go to sleep. At this time of day I normally consume 150-200ish calories. I don’t eat anything specific – just any random snack. I try to make sure it has a little of everything – carbs, fat, and protein.

Evening
Yoga went really well. I was tired and didn’t feel like going but I am SO glad that I did. Plus fasting made me feel a little chilly all day and the yoga room was 80 degrees so it felt really nice. My energy level picked up too which is really what I needed. I definitely feel accomplished and I’m glad I made it through. I won’t lie… it was a little tough especially after 3pm. I took a nose dive at 3pm. At least on my next fast I’ll know to expect that. I’m anxious to see how I adjust to this over time.

But finally.. It’s that time. Time to break this fast.
I’ll make my oatmeal and put the chocolate icing on my brothers cake!!!

Waterwaterwater

Water. Super important. So I've been told. This should help me fight the growling belly, the headache, and will help me handle any stress that comes along with cleansing. Water.

And sometimes I share my water with Little Bamboo.

Pre-Fast

Okay, tomorrow is my first fast. This week I have been averaging about 1500 calories and have been doing moderate to high cardio. Today I ate a little extra at about 2000 calories. I had my "last meal" at 9pm.

So.. here's the plan. This particular fast will be a 24 hour fast. I've read that 24 hours is a good starting point.. kind of like a test. Tomorrow I will take in only liquids until 9pm. At that point, since it will be so late, I will probably eat maybe so oatmeal and an egg... I'm still working on that detail. But I don't think I could sleep if I tried to eat something too heavy. I plan to do yoga tomorrow evening in my fasting state.

I will get my stats posted later. My height, weight (not looking forward to that), age, and my measurements.

The goal of fasting, my goal, is to lose weight slowly and become leaner. I also am tired of living or rather eating according to a clock. I want to train myself to learn when my body actually needs food. To do that I am going to have to feel hungry.
I'm sure as my experiment matures my ideas and goals will change.. maybe not. Who knows!? But hey.. that's why I'm experimenting.

Okay.. Here I go!

Disclaimer

I am not a doctor nor am I a health expert. You should check with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. Any methods I follow and any statements I make will be from my own interpretations I make from any independent research I choose to do. Please do not take anything I say or do here as advice for yourself. If you choose to follow or copy my methods then that will be at your own risk. Again, it is important for anyone starting a diet or exercise program to first check with their doctor.