I'm not one to follow trendy diets - actually I'm not one to follow any diet at all. I find diets overwhelming and ineffective for me. Every time I've tried following a specific diet or counting calories I end up giving up and falling back into my old and sometimes worse habits than before I started.
All that being said, there is one thing that has helped me with my relationship with food, and with my health journey. Intermittent Fasting. I consider IF to be more of a lifestyle habit rather than a diet; and I think that's why it works so well for me. I also don't force myself to fast all the time.
Intermittent Fasting is "...an eating plan that switches between fasting and eating on a regular schedule." (via). There are a number of different time frames and types of fasts that can be included in this too, so it isn't necessarily the same for everyone who tries it. For me, I try and follow a 12-12 fast or a 16-8 fast; depending on the day. This means that on some days I eat regularly for 12 hours a day and some days I eat regularly for 8 hours a day. I like to switch up my fasting durations based on my schedule so that I can still stick with IF but I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. It's also important to know, I don't fast every single day. Take Thanksgiving for example, I'm definitely not fasting on Thanksgiving; absolutely not.
I first got into IF after hearing about it from some people on Instagram. I thought the concept sounded easy enough and from what people were saying, they felt so much better once trying it. After researching IF, I decided to give it a try. It took a few days to get used to it, but what I discovered was that it not only helped me stop the boredom eating (especially during quarantine) but I also felt less bloated and overall just felt better. It makes sense, see IF helps burn stored fat in your body. When you eat everything your body doesn't use is stored in your fat cells, and it's only when you are fasting that you're fat cells can release that stored energy so your body can burn it off (via).
Makes sense right? I thought so too. The thing is, getting into IF can be really intimidating. If you're like me, you like to research any type of new health regime and trust me, there is a ton of information out there on IF. Some people love it, some people hate it, and everything in between. I also didn't even know where to begin. How was I going to keep track of my fasts? How was I going to know how to choose a fast to start with?
That's where the app Zero saved the day! If you're thinking of trying Intermittent Fasting or even if you already do it but want to keep track of your fasts, this app is perfect! You can select from a few pre-set fasts like the 16-8 or even a fast based on your circadian rhythm, or you can customize them to fit your schedule. You can also log your fasts, and how you feel after each one. Logging how I feel after each fast has been great! It allows me to see which fasts really work for my body and my lifestyle and which ones maybe aren't the best fit, or don't leave me feeling as great as I could.
Overall, IF has worked really well for me, and fits into my lifestyle really well! So, what do you think? Do you think it's something that might work for you? Check it out and give it a shot! If not, no worries, there's something out there for everyone! Health and fitness are so personal, so don't stress if something that works wonders for everyone else doesn't have the same effect on you! Just focus on you and your body! Let me know if you like intermittent fasting or if you're going to give it a shot!
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