Intermittent fasting has been around for a while, but it has recently gained popularity. After a lot of research (and meal prepping!), I decided to try intermittent fasting for six weeks following, but slightly modifying, Thomas DeLauer’s Science Based Six Pack program, 16-8.

At first I was pretty nervous. I’ve always had a high metabolism and believed in eating every three hours. I believed breakfast was the most important meal of the day. And yes, I would get hangry often… So I started out easy. For the first two weeks, I fasted for three days per week, every other day. Since the fast is most effective if you workout within the last hour-ish of your fast, I set my 16-hour fast from 5pm to 9am, so I could workout from 7-8/8:30am. This timing was inconvenient because I felt like a granny eating dinner before 5pm, but I set my priorities and stuck to them. Fasting every other day sort of felt like I wasn’t doing anything, but it did allow me to get used to the concept and feeling. The hardest part of the first days of fasting were the wind-down hours before bed — BUT I realized that hunger was mostly in my head. It is so interesting to realize true hunger and the attachment we have to eating at certain times and how your brain thinks you’re hungry. With this shift, I began to not allow myself to get hangry. 

The in-between days I felt like I had a metabolism boost and was hungry all the time. But I was also thinking about eating and not eating ALL the time at the beginning of this experiment. Then there would be some days that I went even longer than the 16-hour fast and didn’t even realize because I was busy and my body was used to functioning without eating all the time. You should keep your body and your brain busy on fasting days; it definitely helps! 

The third week I fasted for three days in a row. I felt I was getting much more out of the fasting than doing it every other day. I felt a difference in my eating habits and getting used to what I needed to eat when.

The fourth, fifth and sixth weeks I fasted for four days consecutively. I started to incorporate having a few gulps of unsweetened cold brew coffee before a morning workout (you are allowed to have caffeine with no additives while you’re fasting), so this somewhat helped me replace the pre-workout I was used to having before each workout.

While I was fasting, I made sure to drink a ton of water with a tiny pinch of Himalayan pink salt for minerals and sometimes a squeeze of lemon juice. This helped keep my body hydrated, my belly not feeling completely empty and my brain busy.

The first Crossfit workout I went to without eating happened to be an intense cardio day. I felt like death, I won’t lie to you. My brain wanted to do everything 200%, and my body just said no, 80% is the most ya got (if that). Physically, my body was used to being fueled before and during a workout. But this is the point, right? You are getting your body used to pulling from a different source for energy –> Fat –> KETOSIS! And my body did slowly start to get used to this. When I wouldn’t eat before a cardio workout, I had never-ending energy. I could run an extra mile or do 100 extra sit-ups. I also felt like my overall recovery from a workout was much faster. The days we lifted weights were another story, though. While I had energy and clarity, my lifting capacity was diminished on days that I didn’t eat, no matter how good my form was. There was an easy 20-lb “ease” difference in lifting days while eating vs. not eating. And that’s a huge difference for a petite person!

After a fast, I would always have a protein shake or smoothie. So it was a light meal to not shock the system but included protein and lots of nutrients to refuel. I would always include my supplements with this first meal — my Amazing Grass daily greens, multivitamin, etc. Squeezing your normal daily food consumption into just 8 hours was super tough. I felt like I was eating so much more, and I was eating more animal protein to keep my body fueled for longer. This actually did help with my intense Crossfit workouts. My last meal of the day was huge. I felt I was overeating but that it was necessary. The last two weeks I was even ordering Fia’s Fresh Meals to make the prep easier and ensure I was feeding myself enough protein each day in preparation for my 16-hour fast. 

All in all, my experiment with intermittent fasting had some ups and downs. I felt good results related to cardio and lost my potentially unhealthy attachment to food. My goal wasn’t fat loss, and I didn’t have a ton to lose. I do feel my abs and arms got a bit more toned… I think that was partially from the fasting and partially from the increase in protein to my diet. Inside, I bet there were a ton of positive things going on that are not measurable.

The downside for me, personally, was that it made me think more than I had ever thought before about eating, what I’m eating, when I’m eating… Which is actually the opposite point of intermittent fasting. It’s supposed to make it easy for someone who wants to lose fat and is sick of traditional diets. I’ve actually never participated in yo-yo dieting before. I have consistently eaten very healthy my whole life, and as an adult, I had no choice to eat healthy to keep up with my active lifestyle. On my non-fasting days, I gave myself more excuses to eat bad — dairy, bad carbs, empty calories. And I didn’t like having this excuse. I enjoy living a consistent healthy lifestyle with moderation and occasional fun cheat meals.

I’m glad I learned about intermittent fasting and gave it a try. Before this experiment, I was living a pretty plant-based/plant-heavy lifestyle. Since I stopped fasting, I have found a happy medium that makes me feel strong and healthy. Ultimately I found that intermittent fasting isn’t for me. It’s not conducive to my intense workouts and heavy weightlifting. BUT, just because it wasn’t for me doesn’t mean that I wouldn’t recommend it. I would recommend it for those training for long distance runs or trying to amp up their cardio. I would recommend this for anyone trying to drop fat pretty rapidly. I would recommend this for anyone who is sick of temporary, frustrating yo-yo diets. If you’re interested at all, give it a try. See how you like it!