How I Used Intermittent Fasting To Lose 15 Pounds and Regain Control of my Eating Habits.

The year was 2020 and stepping on a scale for the first time in 3 years, what I saw staring back at me was a number that I hadn’t seen before. For the first time in my 30 years on this planet, I had passed the 200 lb mark. Now, I am roughly 6 feet tall and have been middle-of-the-road skinny-fat for as long as I can remember. I am an avid runner but always have had no control when it comes to portion sizes or calorie intake in general. I always viewed my running habits as a way to make sure I could eat like a total idiot, and at least maintain the weight I was accustomed to, in this case about 190 lbs. This cycle has allowed me to continue to eat like a teenager as I aged, but like all good things it was only a matter of time until that ended, and apparently, that was at the tail end of 2020.

So, coming to the realization that running was no longer going to cut it as a way to maintain my weight I began looking for some alternative options for maintaining a healthy weight without being reduced to kale salads and broccoli. I spent the next 2 months reading everything I thought might lead me to the answer, and none of what I found fit what I was looking for. First I looked at Keto, and realized I just don’t like fats that much. Vegetarianism was an option, but I simply can’t give up bacon, and the other I will call them flavor of the month diets just didn’t fit either. Then I stumbled upon a Reddit thread touting the benefits of intermittent fasting. The concept was simple, pick a period to not eat, and then get to eat whatever you want during your eating period. I was all-in.

After doing a hefty amount of research I decided to start with a very simple, and somewhat mild 12–12 eating and non-eating period. This meant that I could eat between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. which seemed simple enough. I quickly realized that this was less intermittent fasting, and more me trying to get out of having to do anything outside the ordinary, so I switched to the common 16–8 setup. I would eat between 12 p.m. and 8 p.m.

The first few days were ROUGH, there isn’t another word for it honestly. I had been starting my day with a bagel, egg, and cheese, sandwich for the better part of 2 years, along with a big cup of coffee with extra cream and sugar. Going cold turkey from that to nothing for breakfast and a cup of coffee with a splash of milk and honey was no cup of tea. I was hungry, like ravenously hungry for the better part of the first two weeks. That meant hunger pangs as lunch approached and scarfing down huge portions for both lunch and dinner in an attempt (foolish as it may have been) to hold me over until the following day at 12 p.m. Also, did I mention that I was miserable to boot? Yeah, well, that happened. Then, at about the two-week mark something amazing started to happen, I was getting less hungry.

As I crested the two-week mark I found myself not only less hungry in the morning but also far more clear-headed. Gone were the mornings where I felt like I was mustering my way through a fog. Most mornings by the time I had finished my first cup of now tolerable coffee I was wide-eyed and ready to get to work. At the end of the third week, I decided I would weigh myself to see how things we going. I had lost almost 3 lbs! In reality, I had changed nothing aside from adding a 16 hour fast into my days. I was still eating relative crap for lunch, and portion sizes that would have made medieval kings jealous for dinner, yet my weight was going down, I was hooked.

I maintained this intermittent fasting regiment for the next 3 months, and while the weight loss began to plateau at a point, I eventually found myself back to my desired weight of just under 190 lbs. Now I use intermittent fasting on a semi-regular basis as a way to maintain that healthy-ish weight, without having to give up eating the things that I truly enjoy.

I guess in the end, like all things in life, everything in moderation. While I am certainly not a doctor, and this article is in no way to be taken as medical advice, intermittent fasting might have something to offer someone reading it as it did for me. The science is still out on just how effective intermittent fasting really is, but some of the more recent studies are promising. Everyone is different, but it worked for me, and who knows, maybe it will work for you too?