In case you haven’t read my posts about fasting, I’ve been doing intermittent fasting since January of 2019. I am not doing it for weight loss, at all. I have an Autoimmune Disease which can be greatly impreoved by intermittent fasting. I decided I’d try fasting to see how it felt and to my surprise, I really enjoy the benefits. I no longer need to take heartburn medication as I have for 20 years (if I eat too much spicy foods, onions, or eat like a maniac all day then I would get heartburn). I have almost completely cured my persistent and uncomfortable bloating that I’ve had for YEARS. I have way more mental clarity all day and more energy in the mornings.

I used to be a chronic over-eater and was straight up addicted to food. This became an obsession for me for a large part of my life. Over the years I’ve delved into mindfulness, meditation, self-love, and have an amazing therapist who has taught me how to feel my feelings and to cope with them. I believe all of this plus more has helped me to no longer struggle with food. Before I began fasting, I still would eat somewhat constantly, snacking whenever I wanted (largely as a way to not restrict myself as I did for so many years). This kept me in a state of being somewhat addicted to food still. I would frequently be thinking about food, feeling tired after eating, and eating really late right before going to bed and the second I woke up basically. I believe fasting helps me to get my mind to switch off from eating and onto other tasks, such as….life.

I no longer focus on weight and it is extremely freeing from the person I used to be, who constantly struggled with food and weight and the shame cycle that persists with that. It seems like since I no longer focus on weight, it has caused me to lose a lot of weight. I didn’t step on the scale for a while and I did recently to weigh my puppy and I had to do a double take at the scale! It said 113. I haven’t been that weight since…..maybe before high-school. I assumed my scale was broken. I actually had eaten pretty lightly that week due to being very stressed. The next week, my appetite revved up and I ate a lot of food. So my weight went back up to what is has been lately 122-124. This still is WAY less than what I’ve ever weighed as an adult. It feels nice because clothes fit better and I like not stressing about food and weight. I no longer attach my self-worth to how thin I am. I think giving up that type of thinking FIRST and loving myself so much deeper than skin level, has caused my weight to lower healthfully and to naturally stabilize.

I’m sure most of it is Intermittent Fasting, but also that I don’t think about food hardly at all anymore. I sometimes forget to eat and I never did that before. Food used to be my only source of happiness and enjoyment. Now I have other things, and I am so glad I am at peace with this aspect of my life that once ruled me.

*In general, I fast 13-15 sometimes 16 hours each night/morning*