I kept hearing about the benefits of intermittent fasting as it’s become a buzzword. Even my brother suggested that I try it, but I always resisted because I’m a big foodie and thought it would be torture. I finally decided to give it a go because both of my kids are getting married at the end of the year and I don’t want my belly fat ruining the wedding photos.
Intermittent fasting is when you select a certain number of hours during the day as your eating window. You can eat whatever you wish during that time. Fasters usually skip breakfast and don’t eat until noon and then stop at about 8 p.m. It’s called 16:8.
Watch my video about how I am making it work
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I normally eat dinner between 5-6 pm so 16 hours would mean ending my fast at 10 am. The purpose of intermittent fasting is to reduce the calories you eat during the day but during your window, you can eat to satiety. While you are fasting, you can drink zero-calorie drinks like water, plain coffee, or tea. It’s a lifestyle rather than a diet and you never have to count calories, keep a food journal, or show up for weigh-ins.
It is believed that intermittent fasting will improve your blood sugar control and increase your longevity.
What you eat is still important
The idea of intermittent fasting is more about when you eat but I believe that what you eat is key if you want to lose weight and remain healthy.
You could spend your 8-hour window eating junk food but that wouldn’t do you much good. I watched several YouTube videos about intermittent fasting that implemented the Keto diet, but I wasn’t keen on eating massive amounts of eggs, hunks of fatty bacon, or too much red meat. Keto is a low-carb eating regimen that also eliminates grains and starchy vegetables.
One benefit of avoiding starch in the Keto diet is that starch turns into sugar which can mess up your metabolism. However, cutting out food groups is not very sustainable in our society which is carb obsessed. It’s difficult to go to a restaurant and order a meal without some sort of grain, or starchy vegetable. Besides, who wants to give up potatoes, pasta, or corn on the cob? I don’t. Instead, I eat them in moderation.
My preferred style of eating could be referred to as Keto-Med as it incorporates the Keto and Mediterranean diets. Rather than go heavy on fatty meat I focus more on eating fish, and chicken with some lean meat. I use a good extra virgin olive oil or avocado oil than butter.
Below are some examples of foods you can eat on a Keto-Med-style diet:
- Fruits: apples, bananas, berries, oranges, peaches, pears, tomatoes.
- Veggies: broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, cucumbers, leafy greens.
- Whole grains: barley, buckwheat, quinoa, rice, oats.
- Healthy fats: Olive oil and avocados
- Protein sources: eggs, fish, legumes, meat, poultry, nuts, seeds, and hard cheeses.
On a strict Keto diet apples, bananas, peaches, pears, grains, and legumes are avoided. However, they contain essential nutrients like potassium in bananas or fiber in grains that older people especially need. On the other hand, some of the foods that Keto avoids can cause gas and bloating so in my particular case, I go easy on them as well.
Eating real food is key to losing weight with intermittent fasting
The best way to stay healthy and maintain your weight on any diet is to eliminate processed foods as much as you can. That’s not always easy but it makes a huge difference. It is especially important to cut back on sugar in all forms. Even healthy sugar substitutes can create sweet cravings. Although dark chocolate with 70% plus cacao has health benefits if you eat one piece per day.
The nice thing about intermittent fasting with a Keto-Med-style diet is that you don’t have to feel guilty if you eat a little Birthday cake or have a pizza occasionally. Deprivation only causes you to want it more.
The process of getting started with 16:8
During my first few days of intermittent fasting, I thought I was going to starve waiting for 10 am to roll around. But I drank water and stayed busy, so it wasn’t a hard adjustment. Now it’s easy and I feel better overall because I’m eating less. After a few weeks, I started to notice that I was losing a little weight.
Intermittent fasting causes the body to exhaust its sugar stores and starts burning fat. It prolongs the period when your body has burned through the calories consumed during your last meal. At that point, it burns fat. It causes a metabolic shift that affects your entire body and brain. This can protect your organs from chronic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease, age-related neurogenerative disorders, IBS, and cancer.
Making fasting work for your lifestyle
If your schedule gets in the way you can always adjust your eating window or just skip it for the day. Changing your eating routine occasionally is purported to be more effective for losing weight in the long term. If you are invited to a special breakfast, you don’t have to be a party pooper. Go ahead and eat it with everyone else without guilt. You may want to stop eating earlier that evening.
Be cautious before you start any new eating routine
Intermittent fasting is not recommended if you have certain health conditions such as Type 1 Diabetes or an eating disorder. Always consult your doctor before getting started and reconsider it if you experience side effects such as anxiety, headaches, nausea, or other symptoms.
Update at 8 months into my “fasting”
I have lost weight around my middle so my intermittent fasting is working. However, I did make a small adjustment. Eating lunch at 10 am was getting in the way of my day so I decided to take a more Italian approach to eating.
In the morning, around 9:00, I have 2 cups of coffee with milk, a dish of plain yogurt, and 2 Oat Balls that I bake ahead of time. They contain bananas, nuts, sesame seeds, and dark cocoa powder. At noon I eat a satisfying and balanced lunch, which is usually a big salad with protein like tuna or chicken.
At night I may have some type of protein with vegetables and I don’t worry if I have a little pasta, rice, corn, bread, or potato. I just don’t overdo it. I find this to not only be more convenient but much more enjoyable.
Over the holidays I gained some weight because I wasn’t paying attention to portion control. It’s so important.
The best way to eat for women post menopause
This book called “The Galveston Diet” was written by a gynecologist in her 50s named Mary Claire Haver, MD, who has also had extensive training in nutrition. It incorporates intermittent fasting but gives tips to make it work for older women. Watch her YouTube channel, here.
I would love to know your experience with intermittent fasting if you have tried it yourself and I will update this post with my progress. Please leave a comment below.
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