Welcome to my second month of intermittent fasting! If youâve been interested in the fasting lifestyle I hope that my experience here in the beginning is useful to you. This post is the third in a series, so if you want to start at the very beginning, click on over to Month Zero â Iâll wait.
I don’t own a scale, so don’t expect to see my weight often. But I can tell you that the last time I weighed I was at the very top end of a healthy BMI at 5’3″ however I am physically larger than I want to be. I used to be a size four (top and bottom), but am more like a six on top and eight or ten on the bottom. I haven’t battled weight all of my life – only recently, so most of my clothes are too small, and some are too big and tent-like (when I was immediately postpartum and needed something to hide under).
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Month two was January in my world. So far I really like fasting in the winter because I can feel my jackets fitting better. I gave in and bought one jacket in my current size just so I could close it properly. Otherwise I leave jackets open and add a scarf if I need to.
Current plan is 16:8; everyday I fast a minimum of 16 hours. Started with the same eating window I used last month; 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
3 p.m. – Open window with greens, have dinner with family, then a carb snack before 11 p.m.
I am not getting hangry at the end of my window now, and have started closing my window after dinner a few nights each week. I can definitely tell the difference between wanting to eat out of boredom or needing to eat. I hope to cut out the midnight bacon snacking – it’s not nutritious, but it could be worse.
Early January – I reiterated to Mister Jupiter what I was trying to do and why. Not that he didn’t understand, but because he would still make me lunch (which I always ate because I like eating with him). I got my mind back on track, and started puzzling out the best IF plan for me. So far 16:8 is still a good plan when I can stick to it.
Late January – I didn’t feel any different, but was increasingly pleased with my afternoon salad. I was craving greens most of this month (especially raw Brussels sprouts) so I made salads to break my fast. Suddenly I realized that my underwear wasn’t fitting right…they were too big! That same day I got dressed and realized that my jeggings were fitting better at the waist. This qualifies as a non-scale victory! Next step – cleaner eating.
The struggle in month two – Staying honest to my window. I often broke a fast at midnight with a handful of chocolate chips, or something salty.
The success in month two – I’m shrinking! I took my measurements at the beginning of this year as a baseline, and in four short weeks of non-perfect fasting I have already lost one inch at the ribcage (goodbye back fat!), and a half-inch at my hips – small, but enough to change the fit of my underwear and pants (or pants and trousers if you prefer British English).
††Goal Pants â Still waiting in the closet.
Meanwhile a pair of usually-too-small capris are fitting with minimal muffin top!
Big non-scale victory with this realization – photo below. These pants are size 8 with a generously elastic waistband. Too bad it’s too cold to wear capris…
I knew that I was having a hard time sticking to 16:8 (which is a generous IF protocol!), so in the middle of the month I downloaded Zero to help me track my fasting hours. As the month progressed I got better at fasting longer (by 30 minute increments). This app really helped me stick to my window. The image above shows my first week tracking with Zero, not my first week intermittent fasting.
The end of January was tricky because I had three midday socials in a row. For the first I just had hot tea (my companion said “You’re fasting?! Cool!”), the second I adjusted my window to have a nice lunch, and the third day’s window was also adjusted for a special lunch. Both days I had lunch I ate when I wasn’t hungry, and was tired and sluggish for the rest of the day. Midday meals are NOT my friend despite years of being told that I need to eat all day.
If you’re new here and want to try fasting for your health too, grab a copy of the Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung, and a copy of Delay, Donât Deny by Gin Stephens if you havenât already. Both are available on Audible and I re-listen to each audiobook often (especially when I am tempted to break a fast for a small nibble).
â Ready for more? Here’s Intermittent Fasting for Autophagy and Designer Denim, Month Three
Lady Jupiter 