Intermittent Fasting: A Primer

I have been so busy lately, but wanted to write a little bit about intermittent fasting. I have been doing it regularly for three weeks. I do not say this lightly, it has TRANSFORMED the arc of my weight loss journey, it has helped me feel better and given me freedom.

Fasting is biblical, for those of you who are into that stuff. It’s something we are admonished to do. People in the Bible did it when they were seeking God’s wisdom about different situations. I have fasted before, but it’s never been with any kind of purpose or focus.

Meanwhile, the stark truth is that in general, humans eat too much. Specifically, we eat too much food that is heavily processed and stripped of important nutrients. When we eat food that our bodies were not designed to eat, it short-circuits the wiring in our brain. It makes it difficult for our brain to receive and interpret signals. Frequently, we *feel* hungry when we are, in fact, thirsty. We eat when we are bored or happy or sad. Food has ceased being what it was designed to be—fuel for our bodies.

So, then, what is intermittent fasting? According to Nerd Fitness, “intermittent fasting is not a diet, but rather an eating pattern.” It’s not about going all day denying yourself all the food. I do not follow a set calorie plan per day. At the beginning of the week, I set a protocol. Big word for eating plan. I decide what I’m going to eat everyday. I include snacks. (Snacks during the fasting period should be 50 calories or fewer.) If I am not hungry, I don’t eat my snack.

The next question is, how much do I eat? I aim to eat when I am kind of hungry, kind of not. I aim to stop eating when my stomach feels comfortable.

I know. Not much of an answer. Honestly, it took me a little time to figure this out. I don’t do it perfectly at every meal. I have had a couple of meals where I have ended up eating too much. I aim for progress, not perfection.

Okay, so then what? I have two meals a day and I eat well at both those meals. Here is what my day typically looks like:

7-8 AM wake up

7:30 AM drink 8-12 ounces of warm lemon water

8:00 AM Slim

11:00-Noon Coffee with 2 tablespoons of whole milk

2:00-2:30 Salad—romaine lettuce, cherry tomatoes, 1/2 an avocado, cheese, red bell peppers, chick peas

3-4 Slim

6-8 Dinner—(as a for example) chicken breast, 1/2 sweet potato, veggies


I can tell you, I do not walk around hungry. I typically have far less food than I used to eat. I have had to downgrade to half a sweet potato because I was throwing most of my potato out.

Now. I sometimes have one serving of dark chocolate, but I plan that as well. I have eliminated sugar and flour from my diet. I honestly don’t miss it.

I do use other Plexus supplements. I haven’t listed them because they don’t add to my caloric load.

I will also say, I haven’t felt tempted to eat sugar, even when I’ve been around it. That has never happened before.