Blog Post #6: Intermittent Fasting - BIG UPDATE!!

Good morning everyone!!

Welcome back to my blog, I hope you have all had a wonderful week!

I am here to update you on how my last 3 weeks have been while trying to Intermittent Fast. I started intermittent fasting on February 1st and during the first week, I didn't mind this eating habit, however, I began to fall off of the habit by the end of the first week. I started intermittent fasting by following the 16/8 method, where I would fast for 16 hours, and eat for 8 hours between 12-8pm. I didn't have any issues waiting until noon to eat, however, I found it very difficult not to eat anything after 8pm. I live with my friends in a student house, and they often would make snacks after 8pm, which was very difficult to decline. I was able to strictly follow this diet from Monday, February 1st - Friday, February 5th, but then I sort of fell off track on Saturday, February 6th. 

Below you can see my results from my first week of Intermittent fasting:

I decided to go home (3 hours from my school house), to visit my family, as my grandfather is sick. I found it extremely difficult to follow the routine of Intermittent Fasting, as I was not making my meals, so my family would eat later than I was hoping. My mother would also make breakfast, and I found it would have been rude to decline the food that my mom made me. While I was home, I decided it would be beneficial that I continue Intermittent Fasting for an extra week, to truly track my results and progress.

When I came back to my house at school, I got back on track with Intermittent Fasting. I had been home for a week, and my roommates and boyfriend had bought a bunch of treats to have a paint day on Monday, February 15. I decided that I would eat the treats and track them in MyFitnessPal, but I had to stick with the fasting period. I did this all week, I didn't eat as low-calorie, but I still was able to Intermittent Fast for the most part. I found my results disappointing. I actually went up in weight and didn't lose anything, even while intermittent fasting.

Below you can see my results from my second week of Intermittent Fasting:

I realized through Intermittent Fasting, that it is not a simple as "only eating from 12-8pm". From my personal experience, I do not think one can simply lose weight by eating in a certain window of the day. I believe that there are many other factors that contribute to one's success with Intermittent Fasting.

I did a bit of research as to why Intermittent Fasting may not work. First, I found that sometimes people
jump into the extreme of Intermittent Fasting too quickly. Sharp (2020) states that you should ease yourself into Intermittent Fasting, as you may fall off easier if you make yourself uncomfortable. She recommends starting with a 12/12 fast, where you can then ease into a 16/8 fasting ratio. This tip could make Intermittent Fasting more maintainable and less of a mind thing. If I allowed myself to eat from 11am-11pm, I likely would have had a much easier time. She also warns you not to eat too much or too little during your fasting period. Sharp (2020) says "Recent research suggests that restrictive diets often don't work because we tend to become so emotionally (and physically) starved that when we do allow ourselves to eat, we go hog wild and overeat in a fit of deprivation. Any diet that has you preoccupied with your next meal is a recipe for a binge." This explains that the restriction and extreme fasting right away can make you want to eat more during your eating periods. She says it's important to change your mindset of "treating yourself" during your eating hours to choosing nutritious foods that will keep you full during the fast. I also did not drink enough water, which may have satisfied my food cravings, as Sharp (2020) explains.

So now what?

On Monday, I had planned to start Keto, but being in school and living with my housemates who make food together, I think it will be extremely difficult to stick with keto. So, I have decided to try the Weight Watcher diet approach (without paying for actual weight watchers). I have been doing some research on this type of diet, and it seems to be a very effective, healthy, and easy diet to follow. As a student who has a busy schedule, I would like my last diet to be something that is manageable. I already have a Weight Watchers scale that I weigh my food with, so I would like to try tracking my food in points rather than calories. So, first, what is the Weight Watchers diet?

Healthline describes Weight Watchers as one of the most popular diets in the world, where you are using a point-based system that is assigned to foods based on fiber, fat, protein, sugar, and calorie contents. This diet is great because no foods are off-limits, but you can decide what you want to eat based on its points. So, if you're smart and eat foods from the 0 point foods list, you can eat more than if you eat unhealthy foods.

I have downloaded the app called iTrackBites, which is a knockoff version of the WW app. It calls your points "bites", and it's free! In this app, it calculated my daily Bites of 39 per day, so I will be using this app to track my food, rather than in MyFitnessPal! So, starting Monday, February 22, I will be starting to track my points rather than my calories as well as my moods and results (as I did before) to see if this type of diet works for my body.

I will update you next week on how the Weight Watcher diet goes!!

Thanks for checking in, see you next week!!

- Jenna :)

Resources:

https://greatist.com/eat/intermittent-fasting-mistakes#if-mistakes

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/weight-watchers-diet-review

https://slapdashmom.com/weight-watchers-freestyle-zero-points-foods-list/