I Fasted 16 Hours a Day For 1 Week — Here’s What It Actually Felt Like

In this article today we will present you the story of the intermittent fasting (IF), and the first thing that comes to mind when I hear the words intermittent fasting (IF) is deprivation, which sounds almost unthinkable for a serial snacker like me. However, after a detailed study of IF, I quickly learned that there is a wide range of benefits associated with this, such as weight loss, blood sugar reduction, improved cognitive health and memory, reduced inflammation, energy, curbing sugar cravings, and also improving sleep.

So there are several major protocols that can be followed, such as Plan 5: 2 (eating normally five days while eating only 500 to 600 calories for the other two days), then an alternative fasting, where you switch between periods of consumption zero-calorie food and drinks and actually eat full food and then the most popular fast, which I decided to plan 16: 8 (16-hour fast and eight-hour feasting time). What I have tried is a 24-hour post in the past, where I failed, so I was curious to see if IF it would be otherwise.

Because if we eat continually, then our body will always be in “food”, which tells our brain that we should not use our stored energy, but it is also great to rest from eating so often, so our bodies can focus on other processes, such as regulating hormones, reducing stress and reducing inflammation, which is why this is a major challenge. Also, another great challenge for me is maintaining my muscle mass, because I have a thin frame naturally, so for many years I practice to get muscle and build strength.

So, below is a personal account of my week-long intermittent fasting experience:

-Day 1: Am I Alive?

The first day I woke up at 5 am surprised by pure anger at the thought that I can not eat until noon, but I made a decision to wisely use my time and go to yoga at 9 o’clock, although I can not say with certainty that this was a big deal, because during the hour I felt a little dizzy, but I would say that he helped my mind and took some of the time to not think of eating. Because I ate the last meal at 8 o’clock. last night, my yoga class was about an hour, and ending at 10.05 am, I spent a good part of the time when my mind (and stomach) was not so focused on consuming food, then I ate avocado and egg sandwiches around noon, I sorted it out the water was religious and I ate macadamia nuts around 3: 30-4 p.m. and I finished the night with a cup of tea and pop chips at 8 o’clock. And so I survived the first day.

-Day 2: Headaches Galore

On the second day somehow I was fast asleep at 14 o’clock because I woke up with a headache, so I tried to drink more water, which did not help much at all, but also made me nervous, because every five minutes I was from my bed so I use the toilet. Then I eat the avocado toast at 10 o’clock to help get rid of this headache, which did nothing, even though I’m 100 percent sure that I was drinking at least one gallon of water before noon I will get rid of this headache, but a headache has won it fight. Then I had lunch confessions with a handful of macadamia nuts and today I did not feel as hungry as I did yesterday, which was strange to me, because I’m always hungry, but I’m not forced to eat, but I listened to my body and ate it what I needed at that moment. And then at 8 o’clock, I ate a light salad of spinach with eggs, grated cucumber, little cheese and hemp seeds thrown into olive oil from the lemon.

-Day 3: Feeling Refreshed
The third day I woke up with a feeling of dizziness, but I felt refreshed and well rested, which was absolute percussion for me because I always had problems sleeping at night and, most importantly, no headache, no hunger. However, I think that this feeling stems from the fact that I did not eat before going to bed and what I am extremely impressed is my lack of eating habits, because as I said before, I am a serial snacker who can eat chips at any hour, every day of the week, and the fact that I did not have any urge to grab the bag is quite emotional. In periods of 12 hours I ate two bananas and made fresh green juice at home, and I ate a full meal about 45 minutes later.

-Day 4: Feeling Like the Hulk

While on the fourth day I woke up so much energy that I decided to take the class HIIT, because as a competitive athlete, and I’m not new to lifting weights by any means, however, I was ready to train heavy exercises on an empty stomach. But I entered the open mind and I felt great and I was surprised how much energy I had, that even I was able to increase my weight without any problem, there was no dizziness, no slight feeling. I reached a gallon of water before 4 o’clock, which is pretty impressive and today I had more energy than I ever had. I eat avocado and salmon toast with eggs, spinach, and pecorino cheese on a fresh baguette.

-Day 5-7: Smooth Sailing

In the coming days I was going to rhythm, quite smoothly, also the energy was 100 percent and I felt easier and more aware of what and when I eat, what is the game changer. I also learned how to control my desires and to remain disciplined, I learned to enjoy waking up and wait a bit before I consume food that makes me alive and aware of what I eat during the day, and I also think it helped me to enjoy my food more. I do not lose weight, but I notice that my body is much weaker and more toned, that is, I actually got a little more muscle, which is great, and most importantly I sleep even stronger, and this is the biggest truth because my mind is clearer. And finally, I can see that the intermittent fasting becomes part of my life, because the results are there, I cannot deny it.

Source: Female Fit Body