CONTINUED FROM JUNE
Sunday, July 1: It’s 11:10 am and 14 hours since last night’s last night’s Mum’s 80th birthday dinner ended. I certainly ate more than usual, but it wasn’t quite at the levels of an obscene buffet, and the eating was spread out over two hours. Hence, I felt full but not completely stuffed. I’ll still aim for a fast longer than 16 hours though. I’m having my morning coffee now, and last night’s big dinner should make the rest of the fast quite easy. The fast ended at the 16:46 mark with a banana bread flavored protein bar.
Sunday/Monday (July 1 & 2): A few unnecessary snacks in the later afternoon reminded me I still have a weakness for yummy snacks. Dinner was completed by 7 pm and the fasting clock was consequently restarted. A 75-minute weights session began at 7:15 a.m., and I broke my fast with a protein shake at 11:26 a.m., 16 hours 24 minutes.
Monday/Tuesday (July 2 & 3): I consumed a big dinner and some naughty dessert, but the real temptation came later around 9:30 pm when, feeling stuffy with a head cold, I failed to resist eating some chocolate. Now it’s just after 9 am, and I am having a nice healthy green tea. I am still eating more than I need to despite completing 16 hour fasts, and I am still thinking about food more than I need to and should be. I still have some work to do, It’s now 11:43 am, and it’s been 17 hours since dinner. If I had not snacked last night, I could happily break my fast now, but alas, it’s only 14 hours and 12 minutes since than sinful snack. I’m watching some TV (The Terror) to help pass the time. The 16-hour mark was finally successfully passed at 16:12 since that snack and 19:06 since dinner.
Tuesday/Wednesday (July 3 & 4): Another big dinner, but those cannot be avoided these days. I didn’t snack before bed and I exercised before breakfast. I’m at the 14-hour mark, and I have a banana protein shake for the end of my fast. I anticipate no problems making to past the 16-hour mark. Success! Now, how much longer can I last? I broke my fast at 16:36.
Wednesday/Thursday (July 4 & 5): Another pretty big family dinner that was completed just after 7 pm. Thursday began with exercise. I’m back from the gym and the fasting clock says 14:55. I broke my fast 16 hours and four minutes after dinner.
Thursday/Friday (July 5 & 6): Dinner was done with for another day before 7 pm. Just before dinner, I made tomorrow’s breakfast – a chicken and cheese sandwich. The plan is to eat it after 11 am on the bus to Sydney. I also bought a protein shake to go with it. I’m looking forward to consuming those very much! Another pre-breakfast gym session is panned for early Friday morning. The morning workout happened, and I’m now home at the 14-hour mark. And that sandwich and protein shake were consumed on the bus as envisaged 16 hours and 41 minutes into my fast.
Friday/Saturday (July 6 & 7): Another big family dinner with lots of chocolate afterwards both at the restaurant and at Liz’s place. I failed to resist, but that’s OK. That late chocolate, however, made a 16-hour fast difficult. I only made it to the 15:13 mark, which was 17 hours and seven minutes after dinner.
Saturday/Sunday (July 7 & 8): I ate very little today and that included just the one main meal: Nando’s Chicken with Craig. I just finished a hot white chocolate and the time is 6:10 pm. Hopefully, that’s the last of today’s calories. I fly back to Korea Sunday night, so that makes sticking to this dinner/fast/lunch schedule difficult, but once I’m back in Korea, I can really try to get serious about this fasting business.
Not eating much during the day came back to haunt me as I snacked at night first on the bus with a chocolate and coconut energy bar and later at Liz’s on some crackers and cheese. Now 10 am Sunday morning and I’ll probably eat quite soon. Well, I never planned to do this 16 hour thing everyday, and these rare days with family are the days I shouldn’t get too carried away with fasting. This last week as home should be viewed as practise for when I return to Korea and to my regular schedule. I plan to increase minimum fasts from 16 hours to closer to 17 and to fast longer perhaps once or twice a week. More food was consumed than I needed, but it’s my last day in Australia for at least a year. That still doesn’t excuse the sausage roll and two chocolate milks I had at the airport. The real fasting begins Monday night.
Sunday/Monday (July 8 & 9): Flying back to Korea tonight and arrive in Seoul Monday afternoon around 3ish. I booked a meal on both legs (Sydney to Malaysia and Malaysia to Seoul, so there is no need to buy food during my 4-hour stopover. My inflight meal was served soon after takeoff. Not hungry at all because of the airport sausage roll and milk chocolates. My second inflight meal on the first flight, which I must have ordered by mistake, was also consumed sans hunger. It was not until afterwards that an invaluable life lesson was learned: I do not have to consume food offered to me even if I have paid for it. Sunday has been a disaster food wise, but hopefully it is a disaster that I will learn from and be motivated by. Now at Kuala Lumpur airport, and it’s 6 am Sydney time. Food will not tempt me while I’m here, but I might have a hot chocolate. Famous last words, but who could resist roast chicken dance flavored Twisties? Certainly, not I who lives in a Twistyless country
Monday, July 9: My Kuala Lumpur to Seoul inflight meal was consumed by 10:05 am Korean time. I’m going to try fast from now as punishment for such a terrible Sunday. Did I mention I bought some chicken Twisties before my flight left? I viewed it as my last snack ever, but in all probability, I lied to myself. The past is history. Onwards to infinity and beyond. The five-hour mark was just passed, and my flight is about fifty minutes from landing. I next ate 9 hours 35 after that morning in-flight meal. I resisted eating at the airport and at Seoul station.
Monday/Tuesday (July 9 & 10): I resisted snacking before bed. It’s now almost 9 am, and the fasting clock is just shy of 12.5 hours. I’m having my morning black coffee, and then it’s off to the gym. I just made it past 16 hours. Sixteen hours and two minutes to be exact.
Tuesday/Wednesday (July 10 & 11): I finished eating before 8 pm with an eye to tomorrow’s free lunch at 12. It’s now 9 :24 am and the fasting click is at 13:38. Due to a two-hour class at 10, I’m sure to have no temptations between now and that free lunch. I was wrong; temptation came in the form of an offered cookie. It would have been rude to refuse, so I accepted, but delayed eating it until the 16-hour mark had safely passed. Regarding lunch itself, I ate too much.
Wednesday/Thursday (July 11 & 12): Wednesday night was one of those nights when I needed to forget all about this fasting business. A later dinner with some friends resulted in a little wine, a huge calzone at an Italian restaurant I had been meaning to go to for ages, some later snacking, and some chocolate milk before bed.
The snacking and especially the chocolate milk could have and should been avoided though. I’ll skip breakfast which will put the fast at a little over 12 hours. Well, I didn’t skip breakfast exactly. I had a coffee and some office snacks. More snacks between lunch and dinner added to the tragedy. I had thought that fasting while at home in Australia would be more difficult, but I think i was wrong. Having said that, it was I think a pretty sleepless night on Tuesday night that set the scene for a few days of no exercise and perhaps even today’s transgressions. I will not exercise today, but I really should tomorrow. At exactly 7:30 pm, I finished my post-dinner black tea latte and the fasting clock started again. Can I make it the free lunch at noon tomorrow? And let’s not forget that I can refuse that free lunch. In other news, I felt bloated again today after dinner and after snacking. It’s a feeling that was largely missing from my life last week. I still have a long way to go to reduce the amount of food I eat and to resist succumbing to the eternal and ubiquitous temptations of yummy things.
Thursday/Friday (July 12 & 13): I almost made it to class without eating, but with 15 minutes to spare, I opted for a sandwich and a black tea latte 14 hours and 17 minutes into my fast. Not a total disaster.
Then plan was then to skip lunch, but that also didn’t happen – total disaster. The good news is I made it to the gym after class, and I started my next fast a little earlier.
Friday/Saturday (July 13 & 14): No snacking before bed got this fasting weekend off to a good start. It’s now 9:20 am, and I’m 15 minutes past the 15-hour mark. Since I’ve been home for this entire fast, it doesn’t feel like I’ve done any fasting. I caved after 16.5 hours with a protein shake and some nuts. I felt hungrier afterwards.
Saturday/Sunday (July 14 & 15): I started fasting around 5 pm. That’s risky on a Saturday night, but I have no plans to go out. I made it to bedtime; it’s now just after 7 am, and there’s only two hours left until the 16-hour mark. I’m approaching 17 hours, so I can mark this fast a success. I broke my fast after 17 hours 21 minutes, the longest this month so far.
Sunday/Monday (July 15 & 16): I started my fast just after 4:30 pm, my earliest ever start. It’s 8 pm now, and I’m savouring an iced green tea. I think the hot weather is making these fasts a little easier, but I think I need to extend them. I’m now quite comfortable with the idea of a 16-hour fast. Here’s my plan for tomorrow: exercise before work – cardio; calves; and abs, skip the free lunch after work – I finish at noon, and break my fast at around the 21-22 hour mark or later with perhaps another green tea after work. That sounds entirely doable. Well, the morning gym workout didn’t happen, but I have an excuse (long story). The good news is it’s now 8:40 am and the 16-hour mark has been successfully passed again. I made it through class and again saved a food present for later. I went to the gym when my fast was at the 20.5 hour mark, and I finally broke my fast after 21 hours and 45 minutes.
Monday/Tuesday (July 16 & 17): Breakfast was quite big after that long fast. I had a protein shake a little later and a small dumpling dinner, the last of which disappeared from view at 7:50 pm. I felt hungry before bed, but I resisted. I also made it to work and finished my morning classes without eating. I just passed the 17-hour mark quite easily, and I felt pretty good. Another 90 minutes passed and it was time to eat. I could have gone longer, but I do spend a lot of time in cafes – they’re all much cooler temperature wise than my apartment. I could have broken my fast with just a latte, but I’m happy with today’s 18.5 hour fast.
Tuesday/Wednesday (July 17 & 18): An iced lemon tea instead of a latte was consumed after my weights session. I bought my dinner earlier in the day, and it’s waiting for me at home. I’ll try consume nothing else besides that and the rest of this delicious iced-tea latte. I went to bed without snacking again.
Wednesday/Thursday (July 18 & 19): I made it through both my 2-hour classes without eating. It’s now 3:40 pm, and I just ordered breakfast.
Thursday/Friday (July 19 & 20): My eating window was less than two hours, and my fast began around 5:10 pm. It’s now 8:50 Friday morning, and I’m just 20 minutes away from reaching the 16-hour mark. Easiest 16-hour fast ever. I broke my fast at the 21 hour 20 minute mark. This heat is I think really helping to make all this easier.
I finished my light evening meal (a banana muffin and a black tea latte) at exactly 5:59 pm. My aim is to not eat again until after my class finishes at 3 pm. We’ll see. Well, I didn’t make it past 3 pm, but I instead had a really small meal/snack (a black tea latte and at 12:24 pm which ended an 18:25 hour fast.
Friday & Saturday (July 20 & 21): I exercised after class and had dinner around 5 pm. The fasting clock began its journey to 16 hours + at 5:45 pm after a wee bit of dessert in the form of some milk and chocolate. No night snacking again, and I broke my fast after 17 hours with a protein shake and a sachet of nuts.
Saturday & Sunday (July 21 & 22): I had a delicious peach iced tea at about 2:30 after a nice solid weights session. I’m aiming to have dinner around 5ish, and that should be it until tomorrow. I finished dinner, which was essentially my only meal today, around 6 pm, and it was a glorious chicken pineapple burger with fries.
Then the fasting clock started again. It’s now 9:30 am Sunday morning, and I’m just 30 minutes from the 16-hour mark. I’m currently consuming a morning black coffee, the first one for a while. I was tempted to buy some food while walking past my favorite cafes and restaurants that line the street that leads to my uni, but I resisted. Not having food with me in the office helped me to complete my preparations for next week’s classes quite quickly. I’m done with my prep, and my fast is at the 19-hour mark, and it’s almost over. My fast ended just a few seconds shy of 19 hours 20.
Sunday/Monday (July 22 & 23): I had a green tea latte, a sachet of nuts, and an unnecessary but nice chocolate cookie. I finished those at 2:40 pm, too early to start the fasting clock again? Maybe, maybe not. Only one way to find out. Later, I had a long evening nap partly due to the heat – it was 38 degrees in the late afternoon, so now I’m awake at 2:20 am. That’s certainly the first time I have stopped eating for the day for reasons other than illness. I also don’t feel particularly hungry, but again, that could be due to the heat. I really need to get my air conditioner fixed. I managed easily enough up until yesterday, but no more. The good news is I made it through until lunch and took advantage of the free lunch provided.
Monday /Tuesday (July 23 & 24): A sachet of nuts a little after lunch, and then dinner was another freebie in the form of a cream cheese bagel and an iced Americano at a meeting for next week’s English camp. That was all consumed by just after 5:30 pm which was when the fasting clock started again. The rest of the fast was pretty easy. I next ate at 12 noon on Tuesday. A pretty easy 18.6 hours.
Tuesday/Wednesday (July 23 & 25): Just the two meals on Tuesday and no snacks. Wednesday’s fast was broken at lunchtime.
Wednesday/Thursday (July 25 & 26): Dinner, despite no weights today, ended up being just a chocolate protein shake. The taste was the temptation rather that the protein. I had bought a vegetable sandwich to have with it, but found I wasn’t that hungry, so I saved it for tomorrow. It’s now 7:25 am and I’m past the 12-hour mark. I don’t feel hungry at all. I haven’t weighed myself in about 5 days. I’m looking forward to doing that as I think I’ve lost some weight. I certainly no longer feel as bloated as I used to. Odd day. I had a few errands to run during lunch, so I didn’t eat during my lunch hour. I did, however, eat a cookie that was offered after lunch at around 1:20. That technically broke my fast at the 18 hour 38 minute mark.
Thursday/Friday (July 26 & 27): I next ate a light sandwich at 5:30, which was 22 hours and 41 minutes after last night’s protein shake. I would have waited for dinner had I known and end-of-camp dinner was on for around 7 pm. I did resist a large meal though and ate a relatively small one. After dinner, I had a slow beer with colleagues and staff later in the evening. I forgot to set my fasting clock for once. That’s Ok. It was a lovely evening with some real wonderful people … friends. Also, I resisted a piece of pizza at around 11:15 pm. That is so unlike me, but yeah, I just wasn’t particularly hungry, and I wanted to stick to this fasting thing as much as possible despite. I had a latte at 9:30 am while waiting for a doctor’s appointment at 10:30 which broke my fast.
Friday/ Saturday (July 27 & 28): I then didn’t eat until 7 p.m. My dinner was a relatively small bagel sandwich and a green tea latte which I consumed very slowly. I finished it at around 7:30, and the fasting clock began again. It’s now 9:20 am and my fast is almost 14 hours old. I have a meeting with my TNKR student at 11, so my plan is to have a light breakfast after that at around 2 pm. I had an iced Jeju green tea as my TNKR session was about to start. I exercised after our session, and then broke my fast at 3:46 with a yummy vegetable omelette that came complete with a pancake and potatoes. That was my meal at the day. In other news, I checked my weight at the gym and my weight is 91.9. The lowest it has been in well over a decade perhaps.
Saturday/Sunday ( July 28 & 29): A huge nap after I got home from dinner. I think it’s the medication I started yesterday. It’s now 9:30 am, and my fast is already at 17.5 hours. Buoyed by yesterday’s surprisingly low scale number, I think I can fast for longer than normal today. I also need to get outside and go for a long walk with some of my favorite music – even though it’s very hot today again. I’m passed the 22-hour mark, and I’m not starving at all. I could eat though, and I’ll do that soon. I’ll try for another one-meal day. And that’s what happened. I broke my fast with a chicken avocado wrap and a cafe latte, and that’s all I ate.
Sunday/Monday (July 29 & 30): It’s almost 9 pm now, and I have no desire to eat anything. I’ll try drink a decent amount of water though. I hope to go to the gym early in the morning before the first day of camp starts at 9 am. I’m looking forward to it. I did indeed make it to the gym, but time was short. Lunch broke my fast, and it was a delicious lunch, too. A great way to start this new summer children’s camp.
Monday/Tuesday (July 30 & 31): A free cheese bagel and an Americano were gifted to me around 5 pm, and that was the last of today’s food. Breakfast was consumed 18 and a half hours later.
And that’s it for the month. If i can keep this up for another few months, I should see some drastic changes… maybe.
Fasts in Order of Length:
14:16
16:02
16:04
16:15
16:23
16:33
16:36
16:41
16:46
17:02
17:07
17:19
17:21
18:25
18:32
18:35
18:38
18:40
19:06
19:06
19:19
19:44
20:21
21:20
21:20
21:45
23:41
Average Fast: 18:15
CONTINUED IN AUGUST
