How did I start Intermittent Fasting?

On December 7, 2021 I had my annual physical. Due to the raging pandemic, I had actually skipped going in for my annual physical (and eye appointment, and dentist appointment…) in 2020. So, it was almost two years to the day since my Dr. had seen me. After taking my vitals and updating my chart in his computer, he turned to me and told me that I had gained 25 pounds since the last time I saw him. This moved my BMI out of the “Overweight” category, and firmly into “Obese.” Hearing my Dr. tell me that I was obese had a real impact on me. I felt a little hopeless, so I just asked him point blank: “What can I do?” He looked at me and said “stop eating so much.” I laughed as if he was just breaking the ice and making a joke. I expected he would follow up with some real nutritional advice. He didn’t laugh with me. He said, “No, really, studies are showing a lot of success with Intermittent Fasting.” “What is Intermittent Fasting?” I immediately asked. I knew a lot of diets. Since my early thirties, I had tried several of them: the South Beach Diet, going Vegetarian, going Vegan, increasing my exercise, the Zone Diet, low carb, and probably a few others I’ve forgotten. I had just never heard of “Intermittent Fasting.” “You restrict the amount of time you eat each day. The most common choice is to pick an 8 hour window that you will eat, and then eat nothing outside that window. You can have water, black coffee, or plain tea outside the window. Many people start by just cutting out breakfast.” I was taking in all of this new information and not understanding it. “Skipping breakfast? But don’t you have to eat breakfast? Don’t you have to eat three meals a day?” He leaned in a little and said “No, you don’t. You can just skip eating breakfast.” It was starting to click for me, “So, I just start each day with brunch at noon? They should just call it the “brunch diet” – that sounds better.” He gave me a little nod and said, “OK, then the brunch diet it is.” And that is how I started – my Dr. told me that I needed to lose weight and that people were having success with Intermittent Fasting (IF). The very next day, I skipped breakfast and only ate from noon to 8pm. I started reading up on IF online, and saw that I was on a 16:8 schedule. It was working for me, and after a few weeks, I just naturally started eating my brunch at 1pm instead of noon and was finished with my dinner by 7pm. Now I was on an 18:6. I was seeing results, so I read some more. I read “The Obesity Code” by Dr. Jason Fung a little before the Holidays, and it really clicked for me. The explanation of why all the other “eat less, move more” diets I had tried had failed was spot on. For me, understanding the WHY of something really helps me stay committed. After Christmas, I decided to go on a 72 hour fast to ring in the New Year. I had never done anything like that before, and I surprised myself by being able to do it. Then, I started to transition from 18:6 to One Meal A Day (OMAD). I started to see even better results at that point. That brings me to today – hitting my first goal: having lost 25 pounds. All the weight I had put on during the pandemic is gone. I can comfortably fit back into all my old “before times” clothes. I’ve donated all of the “fat clothes” I bought over the last two years to Goodwill. It felt really good. Now that I have met my first goal, I have three left – two intermediate milestone goals (hitting the merely “Overweight” BMI & then the “Healthy BMI”) and then my goal weight (a weight in my “Healthy BMI” range that I felt my best at in my twenties). I’m feeling confident I can reach them by late summer this year, and then maintain at my goal weight for the rest of my life. I’ve never felt that amount of confidence on a diet before. What does OMAD look like for me right now? It’s a 22:2 schedule – I don’t rush my one meal of the day (usually around 5pm to 7pm). I break my fast with some diluted Apple Cider Vinegar and then a glass of homemade Kale based smoothie (One head or bunch of Kale, Chia Seeds, Flax Seeds, Whey protein powder, two bananas with peels, one cored apple, ½ a skinned fresh pineapple, 1 cup of wild blueberries, 2 cups of water – makes about 5 or 6 servings). Then a handful of raw, unsalted nuts (brazil nuts and walnuts) and a small appetizer as I prepare and cook my meal. The meal varies, but it’s homemade and all whole foods and unprocessed. For me, sweet potatoes are a staple starch and broccoli a common vegetable as sides to a chicken, steak, or fish main. Lastly, I have a little dessert to be completely satiated. I’m not counting calories, or weighing anything, or making any calculations. I just eat this meal slowly, and stop when I am not hungry anymore. Over the past two months, I’ve noticed that the amount of food that I need to eat to reach feeling full has decreased. During my fasting period, I have water, black coffee (cold brew is less bitter) and plain green tea in the morning. In the afternoon, I have hibiscus tea and add a lemon wedge to my water. After dinner, I’ll have chamomile tea. That’s it. That’s how I got here and how it’s going. I’m sharing this because I see that many people lurk and read and sometimes start by posting and asking questions. This has been successful for me so far, so I wanted to share. If you are interested, I’d share my top three tips: (1) talk to your Doctor about your current health and your wellness goals, including a healthy BMI; (2) read “The Obesity Code” by Dr. Jason Fung; and (3) appreciate that slow, steady, sustainable weight loss is what you want. There is a lean, healthy version of us all, and I think that this is the way to get there. Good luck!