CONTINUED FROM AUGUST
Sunday, Sept. 1: Not a great start to the month as I had a late night protein bar. Well, I did go to the gym yesterday, but I also need to resist late night snacks. I did so well for most of the past year. Breakfast late in the morning was followed by a latte a little later, and then the fasting clock began for the first time this month at 12:24 p.m.
Sunday/Monday (Sept. 1 & 2): I went the rest of the day without eating, and this time I resisted those late night urges to snack. The fast was broken in my office my first morning back at work. Again, keeping busy helped me forget all about eating.
Monday/Tuesday (Sept. 2 & 3): I started the fasting clock in between classes after eating a chicken salad, but later in the evening after an 80-minute weights session, I decided protein was needed. I then had a hot chocolate, and the fasting clock started again at 8 p.m. The plan is to do some cardio in the morning and then have breakfast a little after 12. I ended up breaking my fast around an hour earlier than planned, but I’m happy with that considering yesterday evening’s weights session. I also didn’t make it to the gym in the morning, but that’s okay too.
Tuesday/Wednesday (Sept. 3 & 4): I started my fast at 12:57 p.m. Breakfast was 22 hours and 12 minutes later although I had one protein bar around 7 p.m. If I had been honest and started my fast again, my fast still would have been 16 hours long. I’ll cheat a little and call this a dirty fast of 22 hours 12.
Wednesday/Thursday (Sept. 4 & 5): I stopped eating for the day a little after 3 p.m. with a hot chocolate and half a cookie – I shared it with a student. That’s the kind of guy I am. At 8:30 p.m., I had a green tea latte, so this fast is another dirty one. Again, I don’t have a problem with that.
Thursday/Friday (Sept. 5 & 6): I started the fasting clock just before 1 p.m. but decided to have dinner. Thus, the fasting clock started again, this time just before 8 p.m. And I had a protein bar or two a little later. This fast is cancelled. Breakfast in the form of a banana smoothie was had about 12 hours later.
Friday/Saturday (Sept. 6 & 7): I then ate again when I arrived at Starbucks for my Korean lesson. The fasting clock started after my latte at 11:21 a.m. Perhaps too early. We’ll see. An hour of intense weights later in the day put rest to any plans to not eat again. The fasting clock started for real this time at 7:40 p.m. A small breakfast of a latte and a small banana muffin was started 16 hours and 23 minutes later.
Saturday/Sunday (Sept. 7 & 8): Another night meal following a weights session saw the fasting clock start later in the evening. The resulting fast was a shorter one, but it was not broken with a huge meal. Instead, I had a banana smoothie with a dash of protein.
Sunday/Monday (Sept. 8 & 9): A larger meal followed – a pretty big omelet at my favorite pancake place. The fasting clock started soon after, but I did have a green tea latte in the evening. Ignoring that, my fast was 17 hours and 22 minutes long. I broke that fast with a protein smoothie and then about an hour later I had a larger meal of cereal and mixed nuts.
Monday/Tuesday (Sept. 9 & 10): Upon arriving at work, I had a protein bar – am I consuming too much protein again? Then the fasting clock started at 11:21 a.m. Perhaps too early, but I feel I need a longer fast to help me get back into the habit. I did indeed have dinner again, and for some reason I felt really tired in the evening. Thus, my planned to workout was discarded and I watched TV instead. The fasting clock started for real this time at 7:19 p.m. That was fifteen hours ago, and I’m feeling good. However, I still have the sense that I’ve fallen off the wagon somewhat. I definitely have gained a little weight back, not all of it muscle. My fast was broken with a choc., coffee, and yogurt protein shake. I’ll have some solid food a little later.
Tuesday/Wednesday (Sept. 10 & 11): My last calories of the were a couple of snacks instead of a larger meal. The fast last 16 hours and 52 minutes and included 50 minutes of weights.
Wednesday/Thursday (Sept. 11 & 12): Dinner was had at home after a 21-minute run, and then I ate again just before midnight after a night out at an open mic. event with my guitar and some musical friends. The fasting clock is now just passing the 16-hour mark. The idea came into my mind to try make this the longest fast ever. Maybe. It wasn’t, but I was still happy with result.
Thursday/Friday (Sept. 12 & 13): Thursday was just a one-meal day, and breakfast Friday at around noon broke a fast of 16 hours and 15 minutes.
Friday/Saturday (Sept. 13 & 14): Because of a night out that included more beers than usual, the fasting clock didn’t start until 12:46 a.m. Quite a few too many calories were consumed as well. The fast started 13 hours ago, so I’m at least approaching a decent fast. I’m just trying to get through an hour at a time. I feel like I should try make this a longer one after all those calories last night. We’ll see. I decided to eat after 16 hours and 55 minutes.
Saturday/Sunday (Sept. 14 & 15): It was just a one meal day and the fasting clock started again at 6:20 p.m. It’s now the next morning and the 16-hour mark was just successfully passed a few minutes ago. I decided to end this fast with a banana smoothie after exactly 17 hours. Well, I feel I’ve returned to a more consistent fasting routine although a longer fast has still eluded me.
Sunday/Monday (Sept. 15 & 16): I had a solid meal a little after that smoothie and then a protein shake and a green tea latte just after an 80-minute weights session. The fasting clock started at 3:59 p.m. Eight hours later and bedtime, and I feel fine. Breakfast at work broke a fast of 19 hours and 20 minutes, and it was not a fast that began following a big meal.
Monday/Tuesday (Sept. 16 & 17): After class, I had my favorite kind of bibimbap and then a white mocha. The fasting clock then started at 5:44 p.m, a couple of hours before a gym session. Perhaps because of that workout, I ended up eating late at night. The fasting clock started at 12:43 a.m. It ended up not being a clean fast due to a protein shake before work. The resulting dirty fast was 16 hours and 21 minutes. It was broken with more of a snack than a meal, so all in all, a pretty low calorie day.
Tuesday/Wednesday (Sept. 17 & 18): The fasting clock started yet again at 5:31 pm. I’m now having a green tea almost five hours later at one of my favorite local cafes. I should have no problems resisting a midnight meal tonight. I spoke too soon! I didn’t eat a whole lot, but that fast was certainly broken and consequently cancelled.
Wednesday/Thursday (Sept. 18 & 19): The fasting clock began at 10:58 after the consumption of a protein bar. My earlier breakfast was my usual pancake meal. That turned out to be too early as I felt the need to eat again in the evening following an active hour spent at the gym. The fasting clock started for real at 7:16 p.m. My tentative and subject-to-change-plan is to not eat until after I finish work tomorrow. Well, I’ve made it past the 16-hour mark at least. Waiting until I finish class – over five hours from now doesn’t feel like such a good idea anymore. The fast ended 8 minutes short of 17 hours.
Thursday/Friday (Sept. 19 & 20): Thursday was pretty much a one meal day with a protein bar a little after that meal. The fasting clock started at 12:51 p.m. Going the rest of the day without food was surprisingly easy, and that fast is now over 19 hours long. It’s been a while since a longer fast has been so easy. I broke the fast just after 20 hours, and I really only broke it because the timing suited my schedule rather than because of an undeniable hunger.
Friday/Saturday (Sept. 20 & 21): A protein bar followed soon after breakfast coupled with a green tea latte and then I ate a meal in the evening. Breakfast at home in the morning broke a fast of 17 hours and 7 minutes.
Saturday/Sunday (Sept. 21 & 22): I had a Kit-Kat and a green tea latte as my Korean lesson got underway, and then I pressed start on the fasting clock. Eighteen and a quarter hours later, while not feeling particularly hungry, I began breakfast.
Sunday/Monday (Sept. 22 & 23): The fasting clock started just before 4 p.m. and another easy 18-hour fast ensued. Breakfast was had at home again and began with a delicious banana smoothie with a lot of cinnamon.
Monday/Tuesday (Sept. 23 & 24): My fast started earlier at 11:35 a.m. I had a latte at 5:30 because I expected to meet a friend for dinner, but a lingering headache resulted in me cancelling. The dirty fast continued then, and is still continuing as I type this just before 9 a.m. Twenty minutes later, a banana smoothie was constructed and consumed. If I had started the fast after that evening latte, my fast still would have been a decent one at just under 16 hours.
Tuesday/Wednesday (Sept. 24 & 25): I thought about making today a one meal day, but that didn’t happen and I I ended up having dinner in one of my favorite local cafes. The fasting clock started at 6:15 p.m. The resulting fast was 16.5 hours and included an hour of weights near its end.
Wednesday/Thursday (Sept. 25 & 26): The fasting clock started just before 1 p.m. again, but I ate dinner and then ate again at midnight. The fasting clock started again, but my fast was cancelled about 11 hours later when a latte and a protein bar were consumed. It was still not a bad day I think in terms of calories consumed.
Thursday/Friday (Sept. 26 & 27): I was quite hungry by dinner time though. I had a black tea latte after dinner and the fasting clock started at 6:47 p.m. I think I’m ready for this fast to be a long one. It wasn’t really. My fast lasted 13 minutes beyond 16 hours. Again, it was more my schedule than hunger that dictated my feeding time.
Friday/Saturday (Sept. 27 & 28): That breakfast may be my only meal today. The fasting clock started at 11:30, but I’m not making any promises. An hour of weights in the evening again hindered my fasting. I ate late at night and the fasting clock started just before midnight. It ended almost 14 hours later and after another gym session.
Saturday/Sunday (Sept. 28 & 29): Saturday was a one-meal day. A Hans Zimmer concert – and travel to and from it – certainly helped pass some time. It’s now 12:30 a.m., and my fast just passed the 10-hour mark. Breakfast was begun 10 hours and twenty minutes later. It felt to complete a longer fast again.
Sunday/Monday (Sept. 29 & 30): Again I started the fast around lunch time only to cancel it later at night. I did go about 11 hours without eating, but I only consider fasts of 13 hours or more to be legitimate fasts as far as this diary is concerned. I ate again in the morning. The fasting clock began later in the evening for the last time this month at exactly 6:57 following a hot chocolate and a protein bar.
Another mediocre month. There are a few days off, some dirty fasts, and some fasts under 16 hours or just beyond. I have gained a little weight, but some or most of that is I think muscle as my jeans are still loose and I’ve been doing longer and harder and frequent weights sessions. Still, I want to drop a few more kilograms. I need to return to longer fasts next month and increase the daily average with less days off and less dirty fasts. Also, a longer fast well beyond 24 hours has still eluded me. I know it’s physically possible and physically quite easy. It’s the psychological aspect that still gets me every time. Food is still on my mind more than it needs to be. Now, October begins.
Fasts by Length:
13:53
14:33
15:09
16:13
16:13
16:15
16:21
16:23
16:33
16:52
16:52
16:55
17:00
17:07
17:22
18:03
18:16
18:38
19:20
19:30
20:11
20:21
21:45
22:12
22:31
Average Fast: 17:47
