Losing Weight: I was Intermittent Fasting and didn't even know it!

by Wendy, Retirement Enthusiast

Fasting

Fasting

Intermittent Fasting can help you lose weight. In 2014, a study found that intermittent fasting can help lose up to 8% of body fat in only 3 to 24 weeks. A BIG PLUS is that the weight loss is usually in people’s midsection, goodbye Fat!

Intermittent Fasting also helps anxiety and depression… and can even help prevent Alzheimer's. Big WOW there.


I don't eat breakfast, as I don't even get hungry until noon or so. Sometimes I do breakfast with Mom (out for early doctor appointments) but not normally. This is simply my norm. I know its important to eat breakfast to start the day off on the right foot, but I just don't.

SO today, I read this article that talks about the three different types of fasting. Big WOW — I am fasting! I am not losing weight but also haven't gained weight in years… who knew?

What is Intermittent Fasting?

This is a new pattern of eating, not dieting.

16/8:  You eat only in an 8-hour window, leaving the other 16 hours in the day for fasting.

This is what I do and yet never realized it's considered fasting. Many people (like me!) choose to skip breakfast and eat their meals between noon and 8 pm, or 1 pm to 9 pm. Works for me!

Eat-Stop-Eat:  With this fasting idea, you fast once or twice a week, but you’ll do so for a full 24 hours.

This is a bit more difficult but is doable. I used to fast for one day week (during Lent a few years). I remember being hungry at lunch when everyone was going out to get lunch. Instead, I walked and walked until I got out of the food mood, and went back to work. All good. Ate at dinner — so I fasted from dinner to dinner. I bet it would be more difficult now when retired, and home all day.

I did this fasting for lent — but also loved knowing I could overcome my food-brain! I can do this!

5:2: Here you eat regularly for 5 days and fast for two (nonconsecutive) days. However, on the fasting days, you’re allowed up to 600 calories.

This is an interesting idea… you can eat, just be mindful of the only 600 calories you are allowed on your fasting day and make it worthwhile. I'm not a big eater — bet I could do this one too.

Why Fast?

You will simplify your food-brain, thinking about when to eat, rather than what to eat. I like that — its easier to limit the times you eat, compared to watching every food you eat. You should, of course, eat well during non-fasting periods, but the good thing is you don't have to bother counting calories.

Intermittent fasting is also free, flexible, and simple. And, it costs nothing… only paying attention to the times you can eat.

How Fasting Affects You

Fasting seems, to me, to be perfect for retirees! As always, it might be a good idea to discuss it with your doctor first. People with diabetes, heart conditions, and if you are on blood pressure medication should talk to their doctor first.

During fasting, insulin levels drop and human growth hormones rise. This makes fat burning easier (not sugar burning). This increase in growth hormones can also promote muscle gain… something any retiree could use.

There are also changes in cells and genes to help protect against diseases and promote cell repair – this also flushes out toxins.

Intermittent fasting can increase new neural and nerve cell growth improving overall brain function. That's a big benefit! It has also been linked to decreasing the symptoms of anxiety and depressions and may even reduce the risk of developing Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s.

Do your own research if you care to, but do consider fasting for your aging program!

Anybody else "fast" out there?


Source: Neurocore Centers

Comments for Losing Weight: I was Intermittent Fasting and didn't even know it!

Click here to add your own comments

Fasting
by: Sherry/ NC

Well, yeah, fasting causes your stomach to shrink and therefore you aren't as hungry! Less food, small stomach, lose weight.

You can also lose weight by not eating as often and not eating as much as usually do when you do eat. Gradually stop eating all of those high fat foods and eat more fruits and veggies raw and cooked without
butter. Drink lots of water that will fill you up, also.
Start walking everyday. I love walking it always makes me feel better. Fresh air, birds singing, ppl walking their dogs many benefits.

You can do it!

intermittent fasting
by: Cy

I have been fasting since 2017. I had hypothyroidism and found I couldn't lose weight and felt just awful.

I found a fasting group on FB and learned of a book called Delay Don't Deny by Gin Stephens. I ordered the book and began to read couldn't put it down its an easy read easy to understand. I began fasting the next day.

I have successfully lost 25 pounds and kept it off its been a little over 2 years since I started. I feel great lots of energy and enjoy the freedom fasting gives me and best of all its free. What freedoms fasting has given me I am at my goal weight and so happy. My hubby is my fasting partner and he has lost 30 pounds and no longer takes high blood pressure medicine.

I highly recommend fasting. :)

Intermittent Fasting
by: Leaking Ink

I have been doing Intermittent Fasting and following a clean Ketogenic-green diet for almost 9 months now.

I am a longtime Type 2 Diabetic with Hypothyroidism. I am highly insulin resistant. I like to watch Dr. Eric Berg and Dr Jason Fung you-tube videos about this.

To date, I have had the following health improvements:
lost 31 lbs (with more to go), no longer on insulin shots, Nateglinide, Blood Pressure medicine, or Statin drugs. (I do still have to take Metformin, but hope to eventually be able to get rid of this also).

My thyroid, A1C, and other markers continue to slowly, but steadily improve. I no longer have joint pain or restless legs. I can walk without pain now, and I can easily go up and down stairs. My Acid Reflux/GERD is improving, but is still there. I did not get sick at all (for the first time) last winter.

Personally, I like following this way of eating. I usually do a 16/8 Intermittent Fasting where I eat in an 8-hour window with two Ketogenic meals a day. Then I fast the rest of the time. I’ve also done a few longer fasts along the way.

I have found that, for myself, it is much easier to fast once you are in ketosis and then get fat-adapted. I don’t eat breakfast either, but I do drink a cup of Green Matcha Tea with a teaspoon of powdered electrolytes in it sometimes in the morning.

This supposedly doesn’t break your fast, and I guess it’s true, because I can still lose weight...though I am one of the unlucky Ketogenic dieters who doesn’t lose weight fast due to my health issues.

As Dr. Berg says in his videos, "you have to get healthy first to lose weight, NOT lose weight first to get healthy."

Intermittent Fasting
by: Carol, Canada

I do not do fasting but my adopted daughter did the intermittent fasting and she lot a ton of weight.

She was very careful doing it and when she did eat she stuck to the keto diet. She was very pleased with the amount of weight she lost but has gone off the diet now as she said it was too hard. If she starts gaining, she just goes on it again for a bit.

Fasting
by: June, Ga

Worked with a guy some years ago who fasted every Monday. That was his prayer day. He prayed silently during his work day. He dropped weight like crazy just from that one fasting day.

Click here to add your own comments

Join in and write your own page! It's easy to do. How? Simply click here to return to Retirement Trends & Retired Voices.