intermittent fasting
to improve your heath and longevity

My son recently visited and I couldn't help noticing how healthy he looked. "How are you staying so slim?" I asked him. He told me that he was doing intermittent fasting.  He was healthy looking and said that he had lowered his cholesterol by 100.

Of course, I immediately began to research intermittent fasting.  I started doing the fast a week and a half ago.  I will have to wait until I have done the fast a while before checking my cholesterol. I have lost five pounds though.

Positive things about intermittent fasting

1. You can eat what you like

2. You can eat out and not have to count calories.

3. Intermittent fasting reduces insulin resistance.

4. It can reduce inflammation in the body.

5. In studies done on rats, it was shown to delay alzheimer's disease.

6. It appears to help patients on chemotherapy tolerate the treatments.

6. Your brain appears to be healthier during intermittent fasting.

7. It is not as difficult as it sounds. It is easy to follow.

I love intermittent fasting

How to fast

It is simply eating and fasting cycles, but there are various approaches you can use. You drink water even during fast cycles and can drink other non-sweetened drinks.

• You can eat normally for five days and fast two days a week. They do not have to be two days in a row, just two days out of seven. This method is not for me. I am pretty sure I would have a difficult time going two whole days without eating.
• Another way is to eat for 8 hours a day and fast for 16. This is what I am trying.  I started with by fasting 14 hours a day and moved up to 16. You can start with less fasting time if you like.  I do drink plenty of water during my fast periods but nothing else. I begin eating about 1:00 every day. I usually break my fast with a healthy meal such as fruit or a smoothie. I can also eat a "regular meal" if I like. This might be sausage and waffles. I haven't done that in years, but on the intermittent fast I am not so careful. I try not to overeat and honestly don't feel like overeating now. I seem to get full easily
• Okay it has been a while.  Now I don't eat after 6 in the evening and fast for 18 hours.  Remember, you will be asleep for a lot of your fasting time.  At 12 noon I begin my eating and again stop at 6 pm.  So pick what works for you. It is a great way to get healthy.

How I felt while fasting

The first week, I was hungry during the last few hours of my fast. I ignored it and trudged on. The last few days, I have not been hungry and found myself wanting less to eat during the eating cycle. 

I have plenty of energy. 

I sleep well. I read that some people are not able to sleep well while intermittent fasting.

I am sure there will be much more for me to learn about this subject and I will try to keep you informed. I am truly a beginner at intermittent fasting.

What will the results be

I am not sure how it will turn out after I have fasted for a while. I feel good now.

It seems that it is a good idea to talk to your doctor before you begin intermittent fasting or any change in your eating pattern.

Pay attention to how you feel. If you feel good, then you can continue the fast/eat cycle. If you don't feel good, then you should stop and go to something that works for you. If it will keep my cholesterol and triglicerides low, then I will continue to do this. Once you have done it a few days, it becomes easier.

I am doing intermittent fasting -- impressions and progress below

The above fasting that I was doing was for 16 to 18 hours of fasting daily. I felt good about it.

Then, I talked to my son who told me that it is a good idea to kick off the fast with a few days of 24 hour fasting. So, I decided to backtrack a little and do it. It works like this: You eat a small healthy meal in the morning and then fast  (remember to drink water as you like) until they same time the next morning and eat another small meal..... So it is my second morning. I was hungry when I went to bed last night, but when I woke up I was not hungry. I ate a bowl of chia oatmeal with raisins and cream and maple syrup. Now I am on my second day and I feel good. I plan on going from my two day jump start to an 18/6 hour fast/eat schedule. I know that I will be healthier doing this if the information I am reading about IF (intermittent fasting) is true. 

The book I am reading is called "The Complete Guide to Fasting" and has comments from many doctors who agree with the plan. There are healthy recipes in the back of the book. If some of you would like to try the fasting also, you can comment about your feelings and results below. 

It is almost lunch time now on my second all day fast, and I feel fine. I am not hungry or tired. I truly appreciate any comments you want to add to my quest for a healthy body.

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I felt that I might not be getting enough protein in my diet, so I decided to add some. I used Sneakz organic protein powder to make myself a chocolate shake.

Recipe:

1. Put 1 cup of almond milk (other types of milk work also)  into a blender container
2. Add one scoop of sneaks chocolate protein powder.
3. Add 1 tablespoon each of chia and flax seeds.
4. Add about 10 frozen sweet cherries (optional)
5. Add 1 banana (optional)
6. Add about 3/4 cup of crushed ice (use enough ice to make the shake the consistency you like)

Blend on the smoothie cycle of your blender. Sometimes I blend this twice to make sure the seeds are well ground. You can always omit seeds if you don't want them, but they are such a healthy addition to a smoothie.

This reminds me of a chocolate milk shake. It is so good and keeps me full for a very long time. I drink this shake almost everyday. It is loaded with nutrients and healthy ingredients.

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Creamy Peach Smoothie Recipe:

1    pink lady apple, washed, seeded unpeeled
1    Cara Cara orange
1    small banana
1    cup frozen peach slices (they will heap up a little)
1/3 C heavy cream
1 T chia seeds
1 T flaxseeds

Put the fruit and into the blender. Use the smoothie cycle. Once it is blended well and nice and juicy, add the seeds and blend again.

You can add some water of you want, but I didn't and it was delicious. I did eat it with a spoon though--like a yummy desert.

This is so good. Since I am doing intermittent fasting, I need good fats in my diet. When I am doing my cholesterol diet plan, I don't add dairy, but on fast days some cream is good for you and makes the smoothie taste so good.

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"So why does fasting have such a positive health impact? During the fasting phase, many cells die and stem cells turn on, which starts a regeneration process and gives rise to new, younger cells, study author Valter Longo, PhD, recently explained to Health. “It sounds too good to be true, but it’s not,” 

I found the above quote on a page entitled "What is intermittent fasting"  (http://www.health.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-diet)

Another good site is found at https://jamesclear.com/the-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting

Okay, I have been doing this fasting for a while. Am I perfect at it? NO!. There have been some days when I was so tempted that I ate everything that wasn't nailed down. The next two days, I did a 24 hour fast and then allowed myself two hours to eat and did another 24 hour fast. Then I started back on my 18 fast, 6 eat program. the two days of "pigging out" didn't cause weight gain. I am now able to wear a pair of pants I haven't had on for three years. I am excited about this.  I feel well and healthy. For me, intermittent fasting is a good thing.  I am still having my "budwig meal" often and a smoothie as a first food after I break my fast. DId I mention crunchy granola in the afternoon...

If you have a story about your progress or feelings on this, there is space below to write them.