What is IF?

Hi,

I’m back with a new fad to attempt. I know I get suckered into everything. I am aware at the naivety deep inside me to the wonders of ‘get skinny now’, ‘millions have done it’. Actually… I do this all for you, the reader. I am such a generous giving soul.

This latest ‘trend’ is IF, intermittent fasting. It is exactly what it sounds like. Short stretches of hunger, that have an affect on the amount of fat your body is-- using… eating… getting rid of. I don’t know the terminology.

This is a great article with all the technical details… http://jamesclear.com/the-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting

As always, I am going to discuss the ‘how it affects me and those that surround me’ details, not the medical terms.

I first heard about this a few years ago when a girl friend of mine, known for doing crazy things to lose weight, started IF and dropped an amazing amount of weight. We all scoffed at the unhealthy method and vowed we wouldn’t go to that extreme for weight loss. Bah!

Fast Forward to the end of 2016, when we all gained what we lost in early 2016 and we needed something new to try. Thus, the research began and the above article appeared. Now we’re one week into this IF thing and I like it. I actually love it. It is the easiest program I have tried. I reserve eating for 6 hours, from 1pm-7pm. The hustle of the morning is eased without the need to eat. The hustle of the day is eased without the calorie counting and restrictions on my diet. I still pack my lunch full of healthy options, but hardly have room for everything, which leaves me only eating the veggies/fruit and proteins. During the week it’s tricky with pick-up and bedtimes, once this week I had to miss dinner, because it was just too late (the following morning seemed to drag on FOREVER).

My body is getting used to the routine, the first couple of days my belly was in a weird (and uncomfortable) knot. I think it could be a long-term resolution.

Now my opinion; it’s the same BS that has been spun a hundred different ways. I have always been told to drink more water (which is the only thing you can consume to curve the hunger pains (do you curve the feeling or curb the feeling? Like change it’s direction or put something in its way??), and I do with this program. I have always been told to give up eating early in the evening to go to bed empty, this is exactly that. The only change is the start time, which I don’t think is any different then if I slept in till noon.

So… the internet said it was a good idea so I am doing it. I want to lose 50lbs this year. Whewf!