Was reading Nia Shanks' website yesterday. One of her posts
shared an article by Brad Pilon, author of
Eat Stop Eat, about how he does IF. He basically said that fasting should "feel right" to you or you shouldn't do it. Then he shared his basic method for planning how much and how often to fast:
Quote:
- 5-7 times per week - fasts should be between 12 and 16 hours long.
- 3-4 times per week - fasts should be between 16 and 20 hours long.
- 1-2 times per week - fasts should be between 20 and 24 hours long.
- 1-2 times a month - fasts should be between 24 and 72 hours long.
Any longer than this and you’re looking at something you should do every other month at the most, and if it’s much longer than 72 hours you should consider doing so under medical supervision.
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And finally, he said...
Quote:
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...in my opinion IF is best used as a replacement for traditional dieting and excessive exercise for the purpose of weight loss, not an addition to it.
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I've read and re-read ESE a few times and this is the first time that last point really sank in. I think I'm really doing better now because I'm actually
eating well when I'm not fasting. Not overeating as well as not choosing low-fat or low-cal foods. I think the last time I failed at it was because I was stressing myself far too much with the practice of fasting.
I don't want to stop the IF because I'm overstressed, so I'm concerned with my level of exercise. I don't
feel like I'm over training. I exercise every weekday and am fatigued after my exercise, but I recover by morning and am ready to go at it again. I currently do Pilates three days a week and a cardo/weight training routine three days a week. A total of six hours of exercise. Plus I
rest on the weekends, which includes catching up on sleep. That seems to be a really crucial part of staying on track for me.
I love how I feel right now. Strong and confident. I think IF contributes to that just as much as my exercise efforts.
I finished a 14-hour fast today with a big salad of leafy greens, heirloom tomato, 4 strips of bison bacon, a whole avocado, and a dressing olive oil and lemon juice. So. Dang. TASTY! Tonight, one of my sons and I are going out to Elephant Bar for dinner. Already got it planned: iceberg wedge with blue cheese dressing, bacon and chopped egg, an 8-oz. top sirloin steak and a side of sautéed vegetables. And a gin and soda. It's exactly what I want! Today's calories will come in at just under my BMR, and about 700 calories under today's TDEE (I put in a two-hour workout this morning, fasted, and have been active all day). I look forward to seeing some good results on my weigh-in on Sunday.
Thursday will be my second DEXA scan. I did the first one a few months back. LBM was 152 lbs. and body fat was 51%. I actually weigh the same today as I did the day of the initial DEXA. I didn't start IF again until a few weeks ago because I was frustrated that I gained weight while eating like my doctor told me to eat. At first I really didn't want to lose a lot of weight because I wanted to see if my body composition would change. But now I want to go in weighing less, even if it's just a couple pounds. My clothes are fitting better, and people are telling me I look leaner. And I can
see separation between my shoulder muscles and trapezius. I can
feel my biceps and triceps, plus my abs. This is so exciting for me!
I'll post my DEXA results by Thursday evening. I really hope the numbers validate how I'm feeling right now.
