Intermittent Fasting Journey

For more than half a year now, I have been doing intermittent fasting. I actually did not intend on joining my husband to this kind of "torture" until one incident that accidentally prompted me into going through fasting. It was the holiday season last year and as such, we schedule to meet up with friends, family, and everybody special to us. I miscalculated the time I ate that day, during our commute, I was really, really hungry and I thought of stopping for a snack on our way to the restaurant. But I thought we were just a couple more minutes away from the meeting place but then we got caught up in the traffic jam for hours. By the time we got to the restaurant, I was already famished. I didn't think I'd still be able to carry my daughter or our bags, or even walk for that matter.

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But to my surprise, I was able to survive. Our food was not served right away when we arrived so I had to prolong the hours of hunger I was already enduring. I was still able to mingle, and joke around, and have a great time even when I was already feeling so starved. I was surprised that my body could still be able do that. You know, act normal even when my stomach was already grumbling. I used to endure that kind of feeling back in the day when I was still young when my family couldn't afford three meals a day.

Another surprising thing that night was that I was able to taste and actually enjoy all the food that was served to us. I usually go on full panic mode when there are a lot of food in front of me and I end up not being able to enjoy any of the food or miss out on some special recipe on the menu. That's why I never go on buffets. I feel like I will not be able to enjoy my money's worth because I'll just end up feeling bloated without being able to taste all of the food. But after going through that forced diet, I was able to enjoy that all the food that was on the table.

I realized that I could be able to last that long (I think I was on fasting for almost 14 hours, I guess) without food. That's when I decided I wanted to try to check if I could last a 16 hour fasting. The next day, I intentionally went through fasting for 16 hours and enjoyed a feast for 8 full hours. After two weeks, I challenged myself to go through 18 hours of fasting then 20 hours, and so on and so forth.

After two months of IF, I have already lost half of the year to date weight loss target I set for myself. But what I love most about intermittent fasting is the fact that I am not limiting myself to how much food I eat. I have removed the guilt that I feel whenever I indulge on the food I love (chocolates, donuts, banana cakes, and so much more). And not feeling guilty when I give in to my cravings is a wonderful feeling. I have found freedom in a way. Of course I steered away from chips, instant noodles, and soda, and filled my eating time with fruits, veggies, and all those good stuff. But when I do get cravings especially when my monthly visitor is nearing, I don't feel guilty as long as I only eat during my eating time.

I have learned to control myself and set a strong will that fasting time IS fasting time. No exeptions. My husband and I now has a motto. Hunger is only a state of the mind. Our mind has a powerful way of tricking us that we need to eat but we really don't have to. We have enough stored energy to fuel us through the day. And with me being a work at home mom, I can say that 2 - 4 hours of eating time alone can give me enough fuel to make me do all the tasks that I need to do.

Intermittent fasting is not just a diet plan. It is actually a lifestyle. A healthy one at that. My husband and I learned to trust our body to take care of itself. We leaned how to listen to what it actually is trying to tell us. My former boss used to tell me that it takes 21 days to form a habit, six months to form a lifestyle. I'm not sure where she got that, but it stuck in my head. It kinda made sense to me why employees are regularized in their jobs after 6 months. Not sure if that's the reason behind it though. But right now, I can say that my husband and I has already formed a healthier lifestyle. I'm glad I chose to join him. Now he can carry me in his arms with ease (LOL) but more importantly (and surprisingly at that), I can also carry him in mine. Literally and figuratively. Intermittent fasting has made the two of us strong and healthy together.