I have just done a thirteen hour fast.
Wow, I feel like I should have a medal now or something, it sounds pretty impressive doesn't it? With all of this talk of 5:2 and intermittent fasting in the low carb paleo world I thought I'd do the N=1 test and give it a go, that's a posh way of saying self experimentation. And really all of the paleo and primal guidelines are based on N=1, bio individuality, that's a posh way of saying listen to your body and do what feels right.
When I first heard about fasting I felt intuitively that it's probably an okay thing for men to try but not women. Maybe that comes from my romanticised primal ideas of men being out hunting for hours and women back at camp with the leftovers and fossicking for nuts, seeds and berries and subsequent nibbling on them. Maybe it's because when I don't eat for a while I get dizzy, maybe it's because I may be dealing with some thyroid and adrenal issues myself. Or maybe it's because I have been told that breakfast is the most important meal of the day - maybe your day will be ruined if you don't eat it, who knows? Pre primal I was a big snacker, grazing is good for your health right? (Wrong). I had three square meals with three snacks in between and I don't think that is far removed from what is still considered the norm hey?
One of the big things I noticed when I started eating more fat in my diet, and less grains and sugar, was that I was full for longer. I would eat my breakfast of lets say eggs, avocado, mushrooms, spinach and zucchini cooked in butter or coconut oil with my bulletproof coffee at 7am and I was just starting to think about lunch six to seven hours later. This was ground breaking and liberating stuff for me. No need to pack snacks (prior I would have got nauseous and shitty when hungry) when I left the house. I also found out that having breaks in between your meals gives your digestive system a rest, a chance to detox itself and to repair, that makes sense right.
I can't remember a time when I have fasted (maybe at school for a fundraiser - remember the 24hr famine?!) or skipped a meal, I seriously thought it was a recipe for disaster or for pigging out at the next meal. Anyway, as a result I definitely have an overtaxed digestive system, I am in the process of healing a leaky gut and with hindsight have been dealing with chronic digestive issues for years. Sorry guts.
So how did I do it? Well I only decided to try the fast this morning when I woke up so I already had ten hours of fasting up my sleeve hehe. My last food was at 8pm last night and I'll make some 'food' what can I call it...how about 'brunch' before I have to go to town to collect my daughter from kindy. I am aiming for fourteen hours but I will wait and see if I am hungry by then. I am surprisingly not hungry which I am encouraged by, I think this is a sign my hormone leptin is being heard. Maybe this means I am a fat burner now and not a sugar burner? This morning at the bus stop Sam said 'Mum have you farted?' I said no and he said 'ugh it's your breath is stinks'. I had brushed my teeth. Maybe what he meant to say was 'Mum, maybe you are in ketosis?' Who knows?
Would I do it again? I think so, maybe I will try and do a weekly fast mainly to give the system a rest. There is definitely some science to back fasts such as the 5:2 and the Alternate Day Fast, clinical trials show that reduced caloric intake several times a week reduces circulating sugar and fat levels and reduces blood pressure, oxidative stress and inflammation. Another study found that as fasting is a mild form of stress that it stimulates the body's cellular defences against molecular damage and therefore improving longevity. Having a break from food for 14-16 hours can have the same effects and can easily be done even daily I suppose. I also read somewhere else that fasting reduces visceral (abdominal fat).
On the downside, I missed out on breakfast with the family and will have to get the pan out twice today. I also like routine and so this change in the routine has thrown me a bit. I definitely missed my coffee. Although I have to say it was nice to do my yoga on an empty tummy and not be squashing my bacon and eggs during child's pose!
What do you think? Do you fast?
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