My Experience with Beginning Intermittent Fasting

Usually, whenever I make some kind of change it's either I change a lot of things at once or I don't do it at all. What I've been doing lately wasn't exactly meant to be this way, but it's worked out nicely. Since I quit smoking, I figured I'd start working out. Since I started working out, I figured I'd give this intermittent fasting thing a shot. Since I started doing IF, I figured I'd make what I do eat within my day's eating window count and be relatively healthy because I won't have an opportunity to eat at all outside of that window. (All IF is is basically putting everything you eat into an 8 hour eating window every day and not consuming any calories outside of that time frame.)

Ever since I've been doing all this, I feel tremendous. My mind is far more alert and focused than I thought could happen without drugs (i.e. adderall and the like), and it's free. My body feels better overall, like I can control it instead of the other way about, and more energetic and efficient (if that makes sense). And both my mind and body easily "start up", so to speak, rather than more or less idling lazily without being able to get going whenever I'd like. I don't think any one of these changes would have worked to make me feel like I do at present on their own, but it took doing them all together for this to happen.

And because it's lifestyle change, it's really not as hard as it sounds precisely for that reason. This goes for any such change. It's almost comparable to imagining yourself as a different person; there wouldn't be a conflict with how you feel, what wants and needs you have, the certain views you hold, etc., right now. You would just be that other person, feel however they feel, want what they want, hold their views and so on, and that's that. Making a lifestyle change is basically doing exactly that, except you get to keep the same body and memories. So don't let it scare you if you've ever thought about doing anything like that. It's not as hard as it seems. Life's so much better when you try new things.

For a detailed overview of what IF is, how it works, and the science behind it, read The Beginner's Guide to Intermittent Fasting on NerdFitness.com

But if you need some guidance getting started, A.B. Dada, the owner of 7BuckTees, came up with his own two week self study for whoever wants to try out IF. It acts as a guide to what your body and mind should be going through for the first two weeks of sticking to IF; as such it is very encouraging.

Intermittent Fasting: Day 1
Intermittent Fasting: Day 2
Intermittent Fasting: Day 3
Intermittent Fasting: Day 4
Intermittent Fasting: Day 5
Intermittent Fasting: Day 6
Intermittent Fasting: Day 7
Intermittent Fasting: Day 8
Intermittent Fasting: Day 9
Intermittent Fasting: Day 10
Intermittent Fasting: Day 11
Intermittent Fasting: Day 12
Intermittent Fasting: Day 13
Intermittent Fasting: Day 14