For the last few weeks, we have been taking an in depth look at June’s Diet of the Month, The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting by Jason Fung, MD and Jimmy Moore. And, in order to get a real feel for what intermittent fasting has to offer, I have been following one of the regimens included in the book, giving you the chance to see what intermittent fasting looks like up close. (For more information about the particulars of my plan, check out this post.)

Today will not only be the last day of this little seven (eight?) day experiment, but also my last 24-hour fast day. To tell you the truth, I almost skipped it. The first two 24-hour fasts were no cake walk and I wasn’t exactly eager for a third. But! For the sake of really giving intermittent fasting a fair shake, I stuck it out and am now sharing with you, dear readers, how it went. Take a look!

Breakfast: Skipped. Had my usual coffee with half and half. Didn’t feel particularly hungry this morning, but also not feeling well.

Lunch: Skipped. By 11am, I was super hungry and had some pho broth with fresh herbs. Still feeling really hungry.

Snack: I made it until about 2:45 and then just had to eat. I had a hard boiled egg, about 2/3 cup of bran cereal, and a string cheese. An hour later I felt really gross. Nauseous even.

Dinner: Chicken, half a serving of tater tots, mixed veggie salad topped with avocado and thousand island, and apple slices.

Well, the 24-hour fasting days certainly haven’t gotten any easier. Technically, this was about a 22-hour fast since I didn’t quite make it to dinner time. Though it was a nice change to not wake up with a growling stomach, it was definitely rumbling by late morning and continued to do so until dinnertime. The snack gave me a short reprieve, but notice it came at a price; I really felt awful about an hour afterward. Though Fung often states in The Complete Guide to Fasting that the body adjusts to fasting and that hunger is largely in the mind, it certainly feels quite physical to me!

So for my nutritional intake today, I got in about 1050 calories with 54% from fat, 28% from carbohydrate, and 18% from protein. Given how I felt today, I did not particularly seek out physical activity, aside from my typical daily routine. As with all previous days while on this regimen, I have consumed an amount of calories that would certainly result in weight loss over time. Tomorrow morning I will weigh-in and see what my total weight loss for the week is. Should be interesting!

As we get closer to wrapping up June’s Diet of the month, I’ll be taking some time in upcoming posts to discuss my thoughts on intermittent fasting and The Complete Guide to Fasting, in particular. I’ll share with you some of the things I’ve learned along the way–both pitfalls to avoid as well as tips for success–so stay tuned!

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Breakfast: Skipped. Had my usual 2 cups of coffee with half and half. I woke up particularly hungry this morning and found myself really wanting breakfast.

Lunch: Cottage cheese with raspberries and green salad with avocado and bacon. Still trying to follow the book’s nutrition recommendations that emphasize natural fats and unprocessed, whole foods.

Snack: Spoonful of peanut butter.

Dinner: Cheesy Cauliflower and apple slices. I was surprised by how filling this rich cauliflower dish was and couldn’t finish what I’d served myself.

So as mentioned above, I woke up really hungry this morning. Really. Hungry. I wanted breakfast big time. I stuck to my guns though, and I’ve found that if I can get that cup of coffee going first thing, it really does help to get me through that breakfast hour without stealing someone’s toast.

As for the rest of the day, though I enjoyed my meals and was satisfied after eating, I would find myself uncomfortably hungry within two hours. Typically, I like to eat about every four hours–breakfast, lunch, an afternoon snack, and dinner. So having this near constant feeling of hunger is not the norm for me and puts me on edge, to be honest.

As far as the numbers go, today I got in 1268 calories with 59% (!!) from fat, 20% (!!) from carbs and 21% from protein. Holy smokes, that is a high-fat, low-carb day if there ever was one! And, like every other day so far, I’ve managed to consume an amount of calories appropriate for weight loss without particularly trying. Though I feel super hungry throughout the day, I often end up feeling fuller than expected when I do eat. For exercise, I walked our toddler a couple miles in the stroller and had decent energy for that. I’d definitely say that I didn’t feel as lousy today as I have on other days.

I didn’t hop on the scale today but will be sure to do one final weigh-in to see how my weight has changed over the course of the week. Given how low my caloric intake has been, I certainly expect to have lost at least a pound or two, but it will be interesting to see if there is any additional change due to the low-carbohydrate and intermittent fasting elements of this diet.

Okay folks, one LAST day to go as I take The Complete Guide to Fasting for a little test drive and it will be my final 24-hour fast! Wish me luck and I’ll let you know how it goes tomorrow!

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Second 24-hour fast day–let’s do this!

I decided to start my day with a super-charged cup of joe famously known as Bulletproof Coffee. Have you heard of this? Popularized by keto folks, this is not your regular cuppa. Though the recipes vary a bit, Bulletproof Coffee is essentially a cup of strong coffee that’s been blended with heavy cream, clarified butter, coconut oil, and MCT (medium-chain triglyceride) oil, or any combination thereof. While it is not low in calories by any means, it does check the boxes for those following a liquid and/or fat fast and is meant to get someone through those challenging days when your regular java just won’t cut it.

In honor of June’s Diet of the Month, The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting by Jason Fung, MD and Jimmy Moore, I decided to test out the version found in their recipe section, which combines 1 cup of coffee with 1-2 tablespoons heavy cream, 1-2 tablespoons butter or ghee (clarified butter), and 1-2 tablespoons coconut oil. I went with the lesser amount of each of those high-fat additions, gave it a good whisking with my Aerolatte, and took a swig.

Oh my word. I know some people are nuts about this stuff but I about gagged on it! Mind you, I am both picky and simple when it comes to my coffee. Just a plain cup with a bit of half and half. For lattes, just give me a plain double. No sugar. No syrups. No whip. Nothing fancy. So I might be the last person who should be reviewing coffee drinks. But seriously. No way. On a more positive note, my husband liked it fine and was willing to drink about half a cup.

Okay, enough of that. Let’s get on with the rest of the day, shall we?

Breakfast: Skipped. Tried Bulletproof Coffee but did not like it. Went with my regular cup with half and half.

Lunch: Skipped. Feeling really hungry and just generally lousy. I had a cup of the pho broth with fresh herbs, which helps for sure.

Afternoon: I was feeling so shaky and fuzzy-headed that I decided to eat around 2:00. I had a chicken apple sausage, half an apple with peanut butter, and a partial serving of Triscuit Thin Crisps.

Dinner: Grilled cheeseburger on a whole wheat bun and mixed green salad with thousand island dressing.

This second fasting day was tough. Adding to the difficulty, however, was the fact that I decided to do one of my regular weight lifting workouts despite the fact that I was fasting.

One of the claims made by Fung in The Complete Guide to Fasting is that while fasting, individuals can still have great workouts and even better energy levels. His rationale is that, when in a food-deprived state, the body has developed natural responses that allow a person to be a better hunter/gatherer and that humans would not have survived famines and other hard times were this not the case. Regardless of whether or not this is true, I certainly did not experience such benefits in my own training and energy levels today. I would say my legs felt weaker while performing squats and I was pretty much worn out for the rest of the day.

As for my nutritional intake for the day, I landed at 1176 calories, 46% from fat, 33% from carbohydrate, and 21% from protein. Typical of this fasting regimen, I continue to consume an amount of calories that would most certainly result in weight loss over time. My fat intake continues to be high with a low percentage from carbs. Oddly enough, however, my weight was up 1 pound today, for a total net loss of 1.8 pounds. Still nothing to sniff at as the week is not yet over and I’ve lost over 1% of my body weight.

We’re getting close to the end of our week-long experience with The Complete Guide to Fasting and it has certainly been eye-opening. I will finish out the week with one more day following the 6:18 eating/fasting schedule and one last 24-hour fast. Tomorrow I will be sharing a recipe for Cheesy Cauliflower that promises to be both tasty and satisfying when Mac n’ Cheese is off the menu–we shall see!!

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So let’s take a look at Day 4 and see how it went. After my first 24-hour fast, going back to the 6:18 schedule seemed like child’s play…

Breakfast: Skipped. My husband, bless the man, got up early and made waffles and bacon for the boys. So much for child’s play! I had my usual cup of coffee with half and half.

Lunch: Sausage, scrambled eggs, buttered whole wheat toast, strawberries. Obviously channeling some of that angst from having missed out on breakfast…

Snack: Tablespoon of peanut butter and 1/4 cup bran cereal (Odd choice, I know. I’ve had weird cravings for high fiber, whole grains.)

Dinner: Grilled steak, Caesar salad, slice of French bread

I can definitely say that after the full day of fasting yesterday, the 6:18 schedule was a lot easier–despite the man filling up the house with smells of breakfast deliciousness! I missed digging in with everyone else, but sat at the table with my coffee and still enjoyed their company and the sight of faces sticky with maple syrup.

Throughout the pages of The Complete Guide to Fasting, the authors repeatedly talk about the importance of staying busy and avoiding food situations when you’re fasting. These past four days, however, have really proven how impractical that advice may be for those of us who spend more hours in a kitchen than in an office. As a wife and mom to four boys, avoiding food is simply not an option. Not only that, but I spend a quite a bit of time fixing meals, clearing plates, wiping milk mustaches, sweeping up Cheerios, and any number of other food related tasks. I think anyone who is considering intermittent fasting either for weight loss or health should take a clear-eyed look at their own daily grind to gauge whether or not fasting is a realistic option.

My calorie intake for the day ended up at 1484 calories with 59% of calories from fat, 19% from carbs, and 22% of protein. Still an amount calories appropriate for weight loss with a high percentage of fat and low percentage of carbohydrate. To my surprise, the scale was only down 0.2 pounds this morning, for a total of 2.2 pounds since I started the regimen. I would have thought that after the 24-hour fast, my weight would’ve dropped more than this (if only due to water loss and such).

Alright! We are half-way through this little experiment with intermittent fasting. Day 5 is Sunday and around here, Sunday is a day of REST. So I will not be skipping any meals. I will, however, stick with 3 meals and limit snacking as much as possible. I will also be testing out one of the recipes from The Complete Guide to Fasting, homemade pizza with a cauliflower crust!

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So here we are. It’s Day 3 and I will be attempting my first 24-hour fast of the week. For the last couple days, I’ve been following an intermittent fasting regimen from June’s Diet of the Month, The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting by Jason Fung, MD and Jimmy Moore. Though Days 1 and 2 were a 6:18 schedule in which I basically skipped breakfast but had lunch and dinner as usual, today will be my first attempt at an all-day fast, going from dinner on Day 2 to dinner on Day 3 without eating. Let’s see how it went!

Breakfast: Skipped. I’ve now become fairly dependent on those morning cups of coffee to get me through to lunch and today is no different.

Lunch: Skipped. Following Fung’s recommendations, I have made a batch of bone broth to drink whenever hunger strikes and I’ll tell you now, I’m thankful to have it. Even better, I made Vietnamese pho which I absolutely adore. I make a small mountain in my bowl out of freshly chopped herbs (yes, those are allowed on fast days) like Thai basil, mint, and scallions, pour over the aromatic broth, and then pretend I’m not fasting.

Dinner: Time to eat! Appropriately enough, I decided to make breakfast for my first meal of the day–scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage, toast, and fruit. Once again, I ended up feeling full sooner than expected and didn’t clean my plate. Loved every bite, though!

I won’t lie, the 24-hour fast was hard. I was hungry for most of the day and fixing meals for others while abstaining was brutal. I may or may not have been crabby. I’ll plead the 5th on that one. Another unpleasant side effect was this kinda fuzzy feeling I had off and on all day. In The Complete Guide to Fasting, many of the testimonials describe feelings of euphoria that these people felt when fasting. Last I checked, euphoria refers to feeling super good and I can tell you, that is not what I had going on. I felt straight up lousy.

Coffee and bone broth were definitely the heroes of the day. I do not think I could have made it through to dinner without them. Coffee with half and half makes the morning possible and my mugs of pho with fresh herbs seemed a bit more like food than simply another liquid, which was much appreciated.

As for numbers, I managed to get in 884 calories with 52% from fat, 24% from carbohydrate, and 24% from protein. Once again, a very high percentage from fat and very low carbohydrate. This calorie level is much lower than I would typically recommend and would obviously result in weight loss over time. Speaking of weight, mine had not changed this morning, so still down 2# from my starting weight. After a day of fasting, it will be interesting to step on the scale in the morning.

Day 3 is done and so is my first 24-hour fast! Day 4 will be a return to the 6:18 routine. Will it seem easier? What will my appetite be like following a 24-hour fast? Check in tomorrow as we continue our discussion of June’s Diet of the Month here at The Diet Oracle!

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So let’s take a look at how Day 2 of my intermittent fasting (IMF) regimen went. Day 2 will be a repeat of Day 1 in which I skip breakfast, have lunch and dinner as usual, and no snacking after dinner. I will also continue, per Dr. Jason Fung’s recommendations, to focus on whole, unprocessed foods, natural fats, and limited refined grains.

Breakfast: Skipped. I drank a couple cups of coffee with half and half. I woke up pretty hungry and making breakfast for the boys didn’t help…that cinnamon toast smelled soooooo good.

Lunch: Today I made a BELT salad–bacon, egg, lettuce and tomato–with honey mustard dressing. Added some shaved Pecorino Romano for good measure, too. Yesterday I realized that I really needed to shift more calories to lunch to see if I could prevent the relentless hunger I’d experienced Wednesday. Doing so really helped!

Snack: Almonds

Dinner: Firecracker Zoodles! This was my first time using zoodles (spiralized zucchini) in place of pasta and they were alright. I definitely think they need a strong sauce to keep them palatable after the first few bites. This spicy sauce fit the bill perfectly! I think a lemon cream sauce might also work nicely. I’ll be sharing the recipe for Firecracker Zoodles soon, so stay tuned!

I should also note here that I ate less at dinner than anticipated. Given how hungry I’ve been, I thought I would once again want more than I had served myself, but I actually ended up eating less. I felt really full about 3/4 of the way into my plate of zoodles and couldn’t finish.

Once again, I carefully measured and journaled my food intake using the SparkPeople app and ended up eating 1386 calories with 59% from fat, 21% from carbs, and 20% from protein. Using this 6:18 intermittent fasting regimen in which I have a 6-hour window for meals followed by 18 hours of fasting, I continue to consume an amount of calories appropriate for weight loss without particularly trying to do so. This is, of course, one of the benefits of IMF offered by Dr. Jason Fung in his book.

In addition, because I am putting down such a high percentage of fat, I do believe that this has contributed to my feelings of fullness at mealtimes. Though I certainly still struggle with feeling super hungry throughout the morning and halfway between lunch and dinner, I am surprised by how quickly I feel full when I do eat.

As for weight change, today’s weight was down 2# from yesterday. Given my low carbohydrate intake, I really am not surprised. Most of this is likely water weight due to the low-carb nature of this fasting plan. What will be interesting to see is how my weight will fluctuate in the coming days and to what extent the scale will pop back up once I resume my normal eating routine.

Onward to Day 3…my first 24-hour fast! Technically, my fast has already begun since I will be fasting from dinner on Day 2 to dinner on Day 3. I have to admit, I am definitely nervous. I’ve already been struggling with hunger and I’m pretty sure tomorrow will be no cake walk. But we shall see! Check in tomorrow to see how it goes!

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Here we go! Day 1 of intermittent fasting (IMF)! If this is your first visit to The Diet Oracle, this month we have been taking a look at The Complete Guide to Fasting: Heal Your Body Through Intermittent, Alternate-Day, and Extended Fasting by Jason Fung, MD and Jimmy Moore for June’s Diet of the Month. Today, I will begin a week-long test drive of one of their recommended regimens to see what intermittent fasting is all about. (If you’d like a quick snapshot of the plan I’ll be following, check out my previous post, Intermittent Fasting: Ready, Set, Go!

My first IMF day will be a 6:18 routine, which means I’ll be skipping breakfast but will have lunch and dinner as usual with no snacking after dinner. I’m typically used to eating breakfast in the morning along with either some coffee or chai tea. Though I’m not usually ravenous first thing, I do like to eat by 8 or 9am at the latest. Completely skipping breakfast is not part of my usual routine.

So here is how the day went.

Breakfast: Skipped. I had two cups of coffee with half and half, which is pretty much par for the course for me. (Fung encourages up to 6 cups of coffee per day on fasting days.) While I do occasionally enjoy a chai tea with whole milk and a teaspoon or two of sugar, sugar is a no-no on fasting days.

Lunch: I made a yogurt bowl with Fage Total Greek Yogurt (the full-fat kind), berries, almonds, and unsweetened coconut.

Snack: I had 20 almonds along with some unsweetened tea. Feeling rather spartan, I must say.

Dinner: Steak Fajita Lettuce Wraps (recipe from the book) with cheddar cheese and homemade guacamole.

All in all, I would not say I felt great on my first day of IMF. I had a nagging headache for most of the morning and was really hungry by lunch, so much so that I reeeeeally wanted to keep eating beyond what I knew should have been enough. I tried to wait it out, but ultimately ended up feeling hungry pretty much all afternoon.

I tried the book’s recipe for Steak Fajita Lettuce Wraps for dinner and those were good! Nothing exceptional, it’s just hard to go wrong with steak fajitas topped with cheese and guacamole. I finally felt those hunger pangs go away, too. I personally like lettuce wraps, so I didn’t miss the flour or corn tortillas at all.

For exercise today, I walked my toddler for a couple miles in the stroller. I would say I felt a bit more gassed by the hills than usual, but perhaps that’s just a coincidence.

Though Fung does not particularly wish individuals who are following his plan to measure their portions and crunch numbers (he simply suggests eating until reasonably satisfied), I wanted to see what a day of fasting would look like on paper. Using the SparkPeople app, I dutifully measured and logged my food intake and though I will be discussing all of this in greater detail down the road, I’ll just briefly note here that my calorie intake for today came to 1416 calories with 59% coming from fat, 23% from carbs, and 20% from protein. Fasting or not, for me this would be a calorie level appropriate for weight loss purposes. This is also probably the least amount of carbohydrate I have ever eaten on a given day.

Alright! Day 1 is done, on to Day 2! Check back tomorrow to see how my second day of intermittent fasting goes!

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