I have been doing IF for years and never really noticed a difference in my weight or body. I recently came across some videos on YouTube by a doctor who specializes in women and fasting. I was blown away by what I learned!
For more than a year, I would fast from 8 pm at night until 12 noon the next day. I just figured, more than anything, this was helping me to maintain my weight. A few months ago, I changed my eating window to 1pm to 7pm. This was not much of a change, but I figured every little bit helped.
I also recently started my second sugar fast of the year. I don't find this difficult even though I LOVE SUGAR! I think the reason it isn't difficult is because I've already taught my body that it doesn't always get what it wants, when it wants! This time I am doing an 80 day sugar fast and I am about halfway through.
Image by Tumisu from Pixabay
My husband then suggested I try the Keto diet and cut out all carbs. I saw an immediate impact on the scales and lost about 6 pounds. I am overall in good health and slim, but I still would like to lose a little weight (around 10 pounds total). After a few days, nothing was changing. I have also been doing some workouts and walking about 4 miles three times a week from the start of the year.
Some of the videos I have watched say you can have an insulin resistance if you can look down and see your belly. That has always been my trouble spot, so I was working to see if I could shed some weight off my mid-section and work on my insulin resistance (I had never heard of this before!)!
So I started researching how to flatten my belly and work on my insulin resistance. That's when I found videos by Dr. Mindy Peltz. She talks about how women's bodies respond differently to fasting and even has a book I plan to buy called Fast Like a Girl.
I then watched her video about 5 mistakes people make while fasting and I learned a lot! I learned that my fasts were too regular and my body was used to them. I also learned about the 36 hour fast and that sounded like something I could do! I've never fasted longer than 24 hours, so I thought this would be a challenge.
Image by Gesina from Pixabay
Today I ended my first 36 hour fast that I actually went 42 hours instead of 36. My body was fine and not super hungry and I was pretty amazed. It does look like our bodies need a shock to the system to not be able to get used to our normal behaviors in order for them to change!
I'm amazed at how different my jeans fit over the last few weeks! It is definitely a mental struggle to fast for longer periods of time, but if you start out slowly (like doing intermittent fasting at first or a sugar fast), I think it's pretty doable!
If you're interested in fasting to be healthier, leaner, and balance your hormones, do check out Dr. Mindy! I'm really glad that I found her page and videos!
Do you do intermittent fasting??
If you study full water fasts, you will see that after 3-4 days, the body's hunger ends completely and eventually you understand that what you thought was hunger actually wasn't real. The hunger that most people experience in their lives is the result of belief systems and is to some extent created purely as a result of them. Most people can fast for 30-40 days before their real hunger begins and it is at that point that they should eat (or risk injury/death). The benefits of this are many, but if the person combines this with meditation and introspection they can catapult themselves into a much free-er, happier and healthier life - since they can much more easily release patterns and habits that are not serving them.
It's important to do proper research before doing this, though, as everyone is unique and has different needs - plus there are details that are important.
Thank you for leaving such a thoughtful comment! I have heard of people fasting for 40 days for religious reasons. I have never fasted longer than the fast I just finished (42 hours) and it wasn't really that bad. I didn't feel hungry until I ate. It was kind of weird. I don't think I'll be participating in a 30-40 day fast anytime soon, but it does sound interesting what you can learn from it!
You are welcome! The longest I have done is 2 weeks and I solved some of the issues I was having with my body in that period. I definitely recommend trying. :)
Lauren Lockman on Youtube and Dan 'The Life Regenerator' McDonald are worth watching on Youtube for this topic.
Thanks for the recommendations!! I will definitely look into them!
i did 41 days once, along with meditation & introspection. i feel gratitude for having had the opportunity to do that. i don't see to have the courage to repeat though, not even for a few days!
Whoa! That is a really long time!!
and very healing!
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