Intermittent fasting has been on my mind for awhile. On a normal day, I naturally fast 17 hours. Usually, I finish eating dinner by 7pm and then don’t eat again until noon the next day.
Why did I do an extended fast? I don’t need to lose more weight but I was interested in gaining more mental clarity and gain the benefits of autophagy.
So, I initially targeted a 36 hour fast but it ended up being 48 hours.
Day One
My fast started after my meal at 7pm on Tuesday and I did my normal fast into Wednesday. At that time, I weighed 164.6.
I played golf Wednesday late morning and felt good on the golf course and played pretty well. During that time, I kept my mind off of eating by being active.
There were instances where I craved food, especially when my mind knows I would have eaten at that particular time. At that point, I would feel hungry
When I got home late from working Wednesday afternoon, I watched some TV and then went to my bedroom to read before I fell asleep around 9:30pm.
Day Two
When I woke up Thursday morning at 36 hours, I weighed 162.0 and felt normal. I felt fine until I got to the office when I started feeling less energy.
At this point, autophagy is supposed to kick in and I wanted to see the effect on my mind and body. So far, I had nothing to report.
I was busy doing hypnosis sessions on Thursday. At 3pm (45 hours), I no longer had hunger.
At this point, I think I could have gone longer, but since it's my first time, I only did 48 hours. I went home and didn't rush to eat.
Interestingly, I weighed 163.4. I somehow gained weight during the day.
I made a normal dinner. I ate my meal and felt fine. I had a chicken dish with mushrooms in a white sauce.
At about 8pm, I got the runs. Not pleasant. I think I should have eaten something different and eaten a little at a time. I think my body was resetting at that point.
Summary
Overall, a good experience, although I saw no increased mental clarity or any physical signs of autophagy. On Friday morning, I weighed 162.4
I intend to do more intermittent fasting in the future. I want to do a 72 hour fast to better feel the effects I was hoping for.
When I first thought of 72 hours, I was very hesitant, but noticing my lack of hunger at 45 hours, I could have done it.
I find it fascinating that your body can improve by NOT eating!
Whether you do a Mediterranean Diet, Keto Diet, Weight Watchers or any of the many diets out there, you can benefit from intermittent fasting.
To read more about my weight loss journey, click here.
