Why can’t I lose weight? I’m eating under 1600 calories, which isn’t much for my size. I am eating low-carb. I am exercising. I am cooking from scratch with lots of vegetables. I am eating healthy snacks. I feel like I am starving a couple hours after eating. Why? Why? What can I do? What am I to do? What is wrong with me? Why do I keep failing? Is this just how it will be forever?????
Sound familiar? It was my life up to 3 months ago…..
Then 12 weeks ago my cousin Mindy had posted about intermittent fasting and something told me to ask more. Now I had no interest in fasting. I do it once a month for religious reasons and it kicks my butt. Last year I had hired a health coach to help me lose weight and she asked me if I was interested in fasting as part of it and I gave a most definitive “not a chance.”
For some reason Mindy’s post intrigued me. I was at whit’s end trying to lose weight, nothing was working. I felt defeated. I was considering surgery or one of those diet plans that involve little food, prepacked crap and a whole lot of money I didn’t have. However, I knew it wouldn’t be sustainable. I knew, from previous weight loss, that if it isn’t something I could maintain forever, I would not be able to maintain forever.
Mindy told me about the book “Delay, Don’t Deny” and added me to the facebook group. I read EVERYTHING I could get my hands on. Learned about clean fasting and started the next day fasting for 16 hours (drinking water, no food or flavoring) and eating for 8.
At first I ate everything I could when my window opened but, I would get full quickly. It took 3 weeks to feel okay doing it and I eventually moved my window to 18 hours fasting and 6 hours eating. I heard about people doing longer fasts up to 72 hours, but I said no way, not ever, not me.
Well, one day I accidently ended up fasting for 24 hours. I realized that I did just fine. That my body mostly said it was hungry out of habit and out of boredom. I was letting my body control my hunger, not me.
So I decided to challenge myself and ended up doing a 44 hour fast and it was amazing! Not amazing because of not eating food, amazing that I could teach myself that food is nourishment not just something to do because I like it, want it, crave it and am bored.
I have done several more long fasts, (not beyond 44 hours though) and I regularly fast 20 hours and eat in a 4 hour window now. It is freeing and I have lost 3 inches off my waist in 3 months. And I look and feel better. My eyesight has improved, I have lost the dark bags under my eyes, I have less pain, I sleep better, my hair is thicker and stronger, I have a lot more energy and no after lunch slump, I have better focus and concentration, and I get a lot more done in a shorter time. It is pretty darn cool.
Now, you might say “but you are starving yourself, of course you are losing weight” Nope, not starving. I have done starvation dieting and it was horrible and I gained weight and never felt good. I am feeling great and am able to eat things that I want, and I do! I eat with my family and don’t feel like I am deprived or guilty. That is so awesome!
This is a way of life, not a diet, it is sustainable and FREEEEEEEE!!!!!!! It has changed my life! I feel proud of myself and free of the diet cycle. My quality of life and health are improving.
I recently read the Obesity Code by Dr Jason Fung. He is a kidney doctor and had a lot of diabetes patients who were dying of kidney failure. He started looking more closely at diet and calories and food and made some discoveries that changed how he treated patients. He found the calorie in calorie out method is not the whole story and is leading this diet cycle that is killing us. He has now treated hundreds of patients and have been able to help them solve their health and diabetes issues within a few months. It is an incredible book! Life changing! Made me feel less like a loser! So, read this book!
Gin Stephen's is a teacher that struggled with weight her whole life and did every diet known to man....she spent thousands on trying to solve her obesity issues and then she finally found intermittent fasting and really introduced the world to "clean fasting." I have been following her podcasts and posts and been a part of 3 of her facebook groups. Her book and protocols are more of what I follow. And It is FREE...no packaged crap...no money (I save money) It is awesome.
I hate people telling me about diets, but if Mindy hadn’t, I wouldn’t be where I am today and would be considering surgery….Thank goodness Mindy took the chance!!!! Thank you Mindy!!
So if you are interested, a book that will change your life is “The Obesity Code” and “Delay don’t Deny.” And ask me questions xoxo
and here are some links:
https://youtu.be/VIhhrYjVhOk
