September 2018 Intermittent Fasting Diary!

CONTINUED FROM AUGUST

Saturday, Sept. 1: I did a couple of errands in the morning before breakfast. I then intended to break my fast, but the small cafe I particularly like was full, so I took that as a sign I should continue my fast a little longer. It’s now 17 hours and 46 minutes since I last ate. I don’t think I’ll wait much longer, but who knows? I’m not feeling all that hungry, but food is certainly on my mind. I made it to 18:27. A nice start to the intermittent fasting month of September.

Saturday/Sunday (Sept. 1 & 2): A green tea latte and a protein bar followed at around 3 pm. I started the fasting clock at about 3:10 pm, but I think that might be too early. We’ll see. It’s now 11: 30, and I’ve been fasting for just over 8 hours. About to go to bed without snacking, but I think breakfast will be pretty big and pretty early. I’ll aim for around 9 am. I woke up 7:40, and the 16-hour mark had already been surpassed, and I don’t feel hungry. I had breakfast at 10:30 – a rare home breakfast – which broke my fast after 19 hours and 13 minutes.

Sunday/Monday (Sept. 2 & 3): I had a little more cereal about 30 minutes after breakfast because I was still hungry. Should I have resisted? I had a green tea latte at around 2:30 while I read and updated various parts of this site. Dinner was a chicken baguette, and that was it for the night. I broke my fast the next morning with a Subway breakfast thing 18 hours and 43 minutes after dinner.

Monday/Tuesday (Sept. 3 & 4): My next meal was a bagel with peanut butter and banana, a lovely combination. The last thing down my throat was a post-workout protein shake which I had soon after 5 pm. It’s now almost 11 am, and it’s Americano time. My fast is at the 17:37 mark. I lasted until 18:56, and then had the same breakfast subway thing.

Tuesday/Wednesday (Sept. 4 & 5): Dinner was my usual favorite chicken and avocado wrap, and that was it for the day. The fasting clock started again at about 5:15 pm. I had breakfast at home, breaking a fast of 17 hours and 43 minutes.

Wednesday/Thursday (Sept. 5 & 6): A protein bar after class and then a later dinner (a salad and a green tea latte) after a nap. The fasting clock started at around 8 pm. I have class tomorrow until about 4:30 pm. Hopefully, I can go to the gym early in the morning and continue fasting until at least the break between classes at about 2:50 pm, or maybe even after the second class. Certainly, more people are noticing I’ve lost weight. This intermittent fasting thing is sure working for me! The 16-hour mark just passed by and it’s just after noon. I have a class at 1 pm. I’m hungry, but a couple of errands and an Americano should see me through to 1 pm. I made it past my last class. Total fasting time: 20 hours and 50 minutes.

Thursday/Friday (Sept. 6 & 7): Thursday ended up essentially being a one-meal day. Breakfast was dinner, and I had a little dessert in the form of a green tea latte and a cookie at 7 pm. It’s 11:08 am, the 16-hour mark just passed by, I’ve already exercised for the day, and now I’m sipping on an Americano which allows the fast to continue a little longer. Exactly 20 hours after last night’s final nutrients, I downed a protein shake and then ordered a cafe latte and a cookie.

Friday/Saturday (Sept. 7 & 8): Some mandu a little later, and I finished eating before 5 pm. It’s almost midnight now, and I’m feeling hungry. Luckily, my fridge is bare. I had breakfast at home 19 hours and 18 minutes after I last ate. 1918 – the year World War 1 ended.

Saturday/Sunday (Sept. 8 & 9): Dinner was at a wine tasting fundraiser event for (Teach North Korea Refugees (TNKR). I was part of the musical entertainment, playing solo guitar. I finished dinner before 6 pm and my third and last glass of wine perhaps around 6:20. Then at a bar near home, I had a non-alcoholic beverage at 9:30 pm. That’s when the fasting timer commenced. Fifteen hours and 16 minutes after that beverage, I broke my fast with a protein shake and an energy bar. Less than 16 hours, but if I ignore that 9:30 pm beverage, it was still a decent fast, so I’m satisfied with that. I can’t let this fasting thing take precedence over my social life.

Sunday/Monday (Sept. 9 & 10): A green tea latte just before 3 pm should be it until a later-than-usual at around 9 pm. I naughty snickers bar just after 6 tied me over before my 9 pm dinner. I still felt hungry walking home at about 11:30 and thought seriously of snacking. I resisted though, as I recalled yet more recent friends noticing I had lost a lot of weight. Now’s not the time to go off the rails! It’s 9:20 am now, and I think I can make it until well past 3 pm when my only class finishes. I had an Americano upon arriving at work, and now I’m off to class. Unless a student forces me to eat something in class, I’ll make until at least 3 pm. Breakfast was begun at 4:10 pm, right by my gym, ending a fasting period of almost 19 hours.

Monday/Tuesday (Sept. 10 & 11): The only other food consumed on Monday was a protein bar at around 7:15 pm following a weights session. It’s now 10:44 am – the fast is at the 15.5 hour mark.

Digression: I feel OK as in not particularly hungry, but last night and this morning I had thought about eating. I guess a day or two break from this won’t hurt, but I’ll also try take things day by day. Today, after those recent temptations, will still be a success in terms of reaching and surpassing the 16-hour mark. And tomorrow is another day. As I have said a few times, I am seeing results, I’m not the only one, and it’s not like I’m permanently hungry. The plus site of longer fasts is that those delayed meals taste better and can be eaten guilt free. I think part of me still wants to eat when I’m bored or just to enjoy something yummy when my body doesn’t need those calories. After almost three months, I still have a way to go in terms of my mindset towards food glorious food.

I had breakfast at exactly 12:15 pm with a subway breakfast avocado thing and a protein shake which  ended a fast of exactly 17 hours. My stopwatch stopped either as a result of my mistake or my iPhone’s, so I took a screenshot of the time instead of the fasting length. I hope you don’t mind.

Tuesday/Wednesday (Sept. 11 & 12):  I finished dinner just after 6. A treadmill session before breakfast and then I broke my fast with a pretty big meal after 17 hours and 43 minutes after fasting. I hit a new low weighing myself before breakfast and after exercise. I actually started the fasting clock after that big breakfast at around noon, but I doubt I’ll go the rest of the day without eating. I am up for trying a longer fast eventually, I’m just not sure if today will be the day.

Wednesday/Thursday (Sept. 12 & 13): I actually started the fasting clock after that big breakfast at around noon, but I doubt I’ll go the rest of the day without eating. I am up for trying a longer fast eventually, I’m just not sure if today will be the day. Sanity prevailed, more because I felt like doing some work in  a cafe at 7 pm where I ordered a small green tea latte and a banana muffin that was about the size of a cupcake. I think I could have gone the rest of the night without eating though. Another time perhaps. After our first band practice after our summer break, we stopped by a bar to choose songs for our next gig. Everyone else had beers, but I was good and just had water, which allowed my fast to continue through to the morning. The 14-hour mark just passed. Unsure if I’ll exercise before breakfast. I didn’t, but I also didn’t exactly have breakfast.

An Americano accompanied me to class and I got through my two classes (four hours). By then my fast was around the 21-hour mark, and I felt OK. I walked around a bit and read on the subway before setting a new fasting record, beating my previous record by three minutes and passing the 24-hour mark for the second time. Funny thing is, I think I could have made it to bed time. I am up for a 36+-hour fast one day.

Thursday/Friday (Sept. 13 & 14): The fasting clock started again mere minutes after it had stopped.  I did a few errands and made it to the gym before breaking my fast with a protein shake after 1 pm, ending a 17.5 hour fast. I recorded my lowest weight again, so that’s inspired me to keep going. I’d like to lose a few more kilograms, and then I think I’ll lighten up on this and see how things go. I also watched a few videos last night about fasting.

Friday/Saturday (Sept. 14 & 15): Some food at 4:30 pm. Shall I stop for the day? There’s an energy bar in my pocket. Can it wait until tomorrow? I compromised: I saved the energy bar for tomorrow and opted for a hot chocolate instead at a nearby cafe. I love my cafe reading and website time. The plan tonight is maybe go to a bar to watch a band full of friends without ordering anything. Perhaps a little rude, but I can live with that. My plan for the morning is a gym session, and hopefully another long fast. I’m collecting my keyboard from last week’s venue a little after 2 pm. I hope to make it to then without eating. The fasting clock started the second that hot chocolate was history. The time was 6:46 pm.

The 12-hour mark was obviously passed at 6:46 am, and 12 hours feels like an achievement in itself as when in the past I snacked before bed, I think I rarely went 12 hours without food. It’s now a little later, and my fast is approaching 15 hours. Now at 17 hours 45, and I feel OK. Off to the gym now to weigh myself and have a light workout. Instead of the gym, I ran an errand that needed doing. I picked up my keyboard from last week’s gig restaurant. I had an Americano along the way, and now I’m back home. Last night’s hot chocolate was 20 hours and 47 minutes ago, and I don’t feel particularly hungry. It’s just that the clock and food are on my mind a lot. I read for a while in bed and then went to the gym. I finished my weights session some 23 hours after last nights hot chocolate and I felt like I had plenty of energy. I even considered seriously not eating at all today. I changed my mind and instead decided to more gradually work my way to something like a 36 hour fast. I’ll try after I get a few more one-meal-a-day days under my belt, literally. Today’s fast was the longest to date: 25 hours and 4 minutes after last night’s hot chocolate and over 26 hours since I last ate.

Saturday/Sunday (Sept. 15 & 16): Since I had breakfast at around 8 pm, I don’t think there’s any danger of snacking before bedtime.  The 13-hour mark is now approaching. Since I have eaten less these past few days, I’ll take multi-vitamins from now on the days I eat just one meal.

Digression: The long fasts described in the following videos were all undertaken under medical supervision for medical reasons – don’t try this at home, kids. Actually, Dr Alan Goldhamer, the speaker in the second video, does say in a later video that the safest fast to do at home sans supervision is the kind of intermittent fasting that I’m doing. Regardless of some skepticism, I still found the videos quite interesting. Here are two of them. The second one describes some pretty yucky side-effects: a taste of vomit in your mouth, joint pain, increased body odour, and a sense of impending death. Vivid dreams and a state of euphoria sound pretty cool though. But yes, I’ll pass on those unless I find my self in a position where one is recommended by a doctor. That doesn’t sound too likely as I gather this hasn’t been endorsed by the wider medical community. The studies about fasting reducing the side effect of chemotherapy are certainly very interesting and very important if true.

Digression Over: Back to Sunday morning. I have some work to do for this week’s classes that could take a couple of hours. I bought some coffee yesterday after my kitchen was devoid of it for the last couple of weeks, so I can have an Americano a little later. I’ll certainly have no trouble making to the 16-hour mark, and that seems to now be a cemented and painless habit provided social events don’t interfere, and that’s fine if they do every now and then. I skipped the Americano and had a chocolate protein shake laced with coffee. And that ended a fast of 17 hours 56.

Sunday/Monday (Sept. 16 & 17): I had some dried mango after that protein shake. Just couldn’t resist as they are so delicious. My last food of the day was consumed a few hours later: a green tea latte and a small banana muffin. It’s probably better to just have one really healthy meal instead of two smaller ones with dried fruit and muffins. It’s still a lot less than I used to eat in a day, and I’m on top of the fasting in terms of fasting. It’s now almost 11 am, and my fast is just over 18.5 hours, and I feel pretty good. I received another comment today, but another person I hadn’t seen for a few months said nothing. I am taking names. I also watched a few more fasting videos both last night and this morning. I’m still finding the topic fascinating, which helps with motivation. I am considering also a monthly video report. I started on an Americano and while drinking it decided today’s fast was over. The time was 12:09 pm; the fast was 19 hours 51.

Monday/Tuesday (Sept. 17 & 18): An energy bar, a few handfuls of sultanas, and a coconut/mango smoothie finished the day’s calories just before 4 pm. It’s 10:30 pm, and this is the most tempted I’ve been to snack at night. I have some of these in my fridge courtesy of a generous and gifted friend. Keto recipe, so I can eat them guilt free tomorrow after my fast ends, but I would love to eat them all now.

The temptation was resisted, it’s morning now, and my fast is at the 17.5 hour mark. Mission accomplished, but I wait some more before breakfast. I’m at work and am approaching the 20-hour mark. I’m about ready to eat! A flatbread subway breakfast avocado thing broke my fast which lasted 20 hours and seven minutes. Then I ate one of the above.

Tuesday/Wednesday (Sept. 18 &19): I saw this article shared on Facebook this morning“Study Fasting for 72 Hours can Regenerate the Entire Immune System of Humans.” With next week’s holidays, I think I might give this a try. I ate another of the above a little later in the afternoon plus a few more handfuls of sultanas. I’m now sipping on a green tea latte just before 6 pm, and then the fasting clock will begin again. I’m thinking of a cardio session later tonight, but that might just be a fantasy. Yeah, it didn’t happen. It did happen in the morning though, and I recorded my lowest weight afterwards.  It’s almost midday and the fast is around the 18-hour mark and rising. In other news, I bought some sea salt last night in case I really do a prolonged fast (48-72 hours) next week. I made it through class and back home to my neighbourhood without eating. It’s now 3:30 pm, and breakfast has been ordered. I’m very excited about that. The fast lasted 21 hours and 46 minutes.

Wednesday/Thursday (Sept. 19 & 20): After my 3:45 pm breakfast, I had a couple of keto chocolate things for dessert, and that was it for the day. The fasting clock started again just before 5 pm. After band practice at around midnight, I found myself in a bar with my bandmates. I didn’t want to drink alcohol, so I ordered a tonic water instead only to realize later it contained calories and sugars. I had just assumed tonic and soda water were the same beasts. lesson learned. If I forget that innocent mistake, my fast lasted 17 hours and 20 minutes. I decided to have breakfast at home just after 10 am with some cereal, some dried mango, and a nice good old-fashioned cup of tea.

Thursday/Friday (Sept. 20 & 21): At 10:50 am, I had a little more dried mango, and then I started the fasting clock again. I may not go the rest of the day without eating, but I might. I’ve done a few 24 hour fasts now, but none have started so early in the day. It might be good practice for multi day fasts. I ended up having a light dinner just before 6 pm and just under 7 hours since breakfast. My schedule feels thrown off, but I think I’ll be back on track tomorrow, not that I was really that off track. A protein shake in the morning and then a piece of sugarless toast with peanut butter and cheese.

Friday/Saturday (Sept. 21 & 22): I just might try going all day Saturday without eating. And I just might not.  A nice green tea latte at 4 pm after my gym session, and I’m looking at finishing eating for the day at around 4:45 pm. That I did, and that was now 19 hours ago. I’m debating whether or not to have breakfast now or later. I waited a little longer and then really enjoyed breakfast.

Saturday & Sunday (Sept. 22 & 23): I had a protein shake and some peanut butter toast a couple of hours later. I finished those at 2:38 pm. If I can go the rest of the day without eating, this will be the earliest I’ve started a fast. Four and a half hours later, and I’m sipping on a green tea. I think I can get through the night quite easily. I also drank quite a lot of water after an afternoon gym session, so I’m certainly hydrated. I’m home and my fast is at the 7-hour mark. Unfortunately, my stopwatch reset itself. I think there’s a bug that manifests itself when I use the countdown timer in conjunction with the stop watch. Anyway, I feel fine. I certainly could eat something, and there is food in my cupboards and fridge that I am trying not to think about. I just thought about the food in my fridge. I resisted and broke my fast after 20 hours and 13 minutes.

Sunday/Monday (Sept. 23 & 24): I again finished eating before 3 pm – 2:55 to be more precise. That last meal was a bagel sandwich with egg, ham, and cheese; a green tea latte; and a protein bar because I’m quite sore from yesterday’s weights session. I’m not 100% sure I can go the rest of the day without eating, but I’ll give it a shot. Well, I’ve made it to 11 pm, and although some food would be wonderful right now, I can make it until I travel to the sleep land, and when I properly wake up, the 16-hour mark will have passed. That’s exactly what happened. I’m going to watch a little early morning TV to help me get beyond 17 hours. A nap helped move things along.

Monday/Tuesday (Sept. 24 & 25): I had a protein shake a little later just after 1:30 pm.  I’m going to try fast for the rest of the day. It sounds difficult, but I’m only starting my fast 80 minutes before my previous earliest start. I made it to the bedtime, and I walked 20 kilometers yesterday after that protein shake. It’s now almost 10 am and this fast just passed the 20-hour mark. That 36-48 hour fast that’s on the back of my mind probably won’t happen today, but I think I can drag today’s out a little longer. I ended up making it past 4 pm, finally breaking my fast after 26 hours and 35 minutes.  I also walked 30 kilometers since my fast started. If that didn’t burn some fat, then I give up.

Tuesday/Wednesday (Sept. 25 & 26): I finished “breakfast” just before 4:30. I restarted the fasting clock, but when I arrived home about five hours later, my body was screaming for food. It was perhaps the hungriest I’ve felt since I started all this three months ago. Not surprising really.

The fast clock started for the second time today at 9:39 pm, and I am pretty sure this fast will be the minimum 16 hours, if that. I made it past 16 hours, and I’m looking to have breakfast about 17 hours after last night’s late lunch. Breakfast started after a 17 hour 13 minute fast and the time was just before 3 pm. Food really does taste better after a fast.

Wednesday/Thursday (Sept. 26 & 27): About an hour later, I had a kind of dessert – smallish protein shake and a dark Snickers, which should be the last calories of the day. I went to a bar in the evening and drank three of these calorieless and sugarless club sodas :

While I wasn’t tempted by alcohol, I arrived home later than planned (about 1:40 am) and felt quite hungry as it had been 9.5 waking hours since I had last eaten. I seriously thought about eating and then restarting the fasting clock. I resisted, and by the time I got up, the hunger had pretty much dissipated and the 16-hour mark had been surpassed. I did some work at home before breaking my fast after 18.5 hours in my favorite cafe.

Thursday/Friday (Sept. 27 & 28): Next was dinner at about 5:30 pm, and that’s it for the day I hope. It wasn’t. Still feeling hungry, I had some cereal at home thirty minutes later. That’s it for the day for sure. The fasting clock began again at 6:17 pm. Two hours later and I regret that cereal dessert. In hindsight, perhaps I should have delayed dinner by an hour or two. Results from all this are showing and pretty much everyone I know in my neighborhood and at work have commented. I’m keeping a list, and it’s growing.  Stay the course and make it so. I had another Club Soda in a local bar after band practice, but I think I’ll have a few beers on Saturday night before our gig.  Now, it’s Friday morning and I’m sipping on a black coffee as the fasting clock approaches 15 hours. I broke my fast after 17 hours and 24 minutes with a chocolate protein shake laced with coffee, the most delicious drink in the world.

Friday/Saturday (Sept. 28 & 29): It’s 2:15, and I’m off to the gym for a weights session and to weigh myself for the first time in 8 days. Fingers crossed for some weight loss… Slight gain of 250 grams, but my jeans feel looser, so I’m fine with that. There may have been a slight body composition change for the better, or maybe I just retained more water today. 5:11 pm, and I’m having dinner at home. I later resisted free pizza at Zoe’s house jam party! I next ate just before 11 a.m.

Saturday/Sunday (Sept. 29 & 30): Dinner with my band is booked for 7:30 p.m. It’s now 11:10 a.m. I’ll try make it to then with perhaps just a latte after my upcoming workout. The workout and the latte happened, and I’m on track to not eat before 7:30. It’s almost 6 p.m. now, and I should have quite an appetite by dinner time. Dinner was great and was finished by about 8:30 pm. I had a few wines during and after. I think I finished the last one around 11 pm. The fasting clock wasn’t set as it was the last thing on my mind, but I got a couple more comments about my weight loss. I had breakfast at 2:32 pm, not technically a 16-hour fast because of the wine, but that’s not the end of the world. I did have too much wine though which resulted in not the best Sunday morning.

Rest of Sunday/September: The last calories of the month were contained in a green tea latte and a cheese and ham quesadilla from a cafe. Not particularly authentic and also not that much in terms of quantity which I saw as a plus. I finished them by about 7 p.m., and the fasting clock started again.

I’m happy with how September went – I stuck to the fasting and lost around 3 kilograms. I hope I can keep this up for another few months.

Fasts in Order of Length:

15:16
16:48
17:00
17:13
17:14
17:20
17:24
17:27
17:43
17:43
17:56
18:27
18:30
18:42
18:53
18:56
19:13
19:18
19:46
19:51
20:00
20:07
20:13
20:50
20:51
21:46
24:25
25:04
26:35

Average Fast: 19:19

CONTINUED IN OCTOBER

 

Comments

comments