As some of you know, 2 months ago I started (yet) another experiment: intermittent fasting. I wrote an introduction here, if you’re interested about the nitty gritty, in today’s post I will just jot a quick update.
Cravings
In a rather surprising turn of events, I started to have moderate cravings. They usually occur in the fasting window, obviously, and they are triggered by other sensory exposure to food I am attracted to. For instance, if I’m in the fasted window (between 6PM and 10AM) and I get to smell some tasty food, I have cravings. There is a subtle change, though: it’s not an intense craving, more like a fresh acknowledgement of some tasty food waiting for me. It’s like, because I eat less, food started to be more likeable. The potential food seem more tasty, probably because I can’t have it. Of course, I’m not giving in.
Weight Loss
I still don’t measure the exact weight, but I can tell just by looking in the mirror (and by putting on clothes which used to be fit, but now are loose) that I continued my trip to the thin land. It’s not spectacular, but it’s constant and I’m quite satisfied with that. My goal is to adjust my metabolism for the long term, not to shave a quick 4-5 kilos (and eventually put them on later). The fact that the weight adjustment is slow confirms that my body started to slowly burn its fat reserves and it’s doing it on a regular basis.
Energy and Exercise
I am still training (long walks and runs) and I can see some improvement here as well. It’s not spectacular, but it’s there. I average 10km/day (combined waking and running) and I feel great, no fatigue, no sore muscles, no joint pains, nothing. I intend to increase mileage starting May and also put some sleep deprivation on the plate. Will see how this goes.
Overall Conclusion
So far, this intermittent fasting experiment is going really well. I’m glad I was able to keep it even during not so supporting conditions (for instance, when I had to drive more than 4-5 hours continuously, I planned in advance my dinner stop, packed a bag with food, stopped at 5PM, ate my dinner and then continued to drive).
I really think this experiment has the potential to become a lifestyle, with all the attached benefits.