Welcome back to the No Sweat Insider's Guide to Intermittent Fasting for Weight Loss and Health.
Part 3.
In Part 1 we discussed what IF is and what it was not.
It's eating in a window and it is not starving yourself crazy.
In Part 2 we learned of two approaches to beginning.
There are other ways to fast but I'm outlining the simplest and the ones that I tried.
In Part 3 we're going over how to break your fast and what to do in your eating window to continue to support your body's energy systems.
Also it is really important to check with your doctor before trying any new program.
So how do we break a fast?
Well for sure it's not loaded with carbs.
You just zip through your last fuel.
You depleted all your stored fuel.
You accessed the fluff and you have during your fast been running on high octane fuel from your fluff and other things.
When you head back in to awaken your digestive system you want to go gently easy and mindfully.
You might start with a hot beverage.
There's something about a hot beverage that comforts the digestive system.
Some folks like hot bone broth like chicken or beef broth.
I like to have that creamy coffee that I've been waiting for all day to break my fast.
And with that creamy coffee I have a small amount of mixed nuts.
Eat slowly and savor them.
Not just throwing a handful in the mouth.
This starts up my digestive system and prepares me for a meal.
The fat and protein in this combination do that start up slowly.
Now my choices for what comes next have evolved over four years and in that first year,
That first 12 months,
I took copious notes on every morsel I ate and I noted how it made me feel.
This inquisitive mindset is a really good one to adopt so that you too can have a personal playlist of fast breakers that work for you.
You want to experiment.
Be sure and experiment.
But protein is a hard and fast must-have ingredient.
A couple of ideas from my fasting community that folks like are peanut butter on apple slices,
Cheese and crackers,
But that is if you have restraint not to eat the whole box of crackers with a block of cheese,
A protein shake,
Eggs on toast.
I like a chicken drumstick sometimes with cucumber slices,
Avocado toast,
Peanut butter and crackers.
Experiment.
Notice.
Take notes.
Be present.
I look forward to my creamy coffee and I make sure I sit down to savor it.
Ah,
Delicious.
This sitting and savoring is key to the success of IF.
If you are distracted and not paying attention to how your body feels,
You're going to miss out on a key piece of the whole puzzle.
I liken it to understanding a new language.
For instance,
My baby grandson is pre-speech,
But at 15 months he can communicate most of his needs because we listen to him like detectives trying to figure out what he needs,
What he wants,
What he desires and what he doesn't want.
So this part of the fact-finding section demands keen attention.
Thus,
When I broke my fast early in my journey with breakfast food,
The old standby cereal and milk,
Oh my goodness,
My system blew a gasket.
My eyes grew so heavy I couldn't stop yawning and whoa,
I fell asleep.
I passed out.
The carb overload of those simple carbs and then the crash that followed,
It was really crazy.
I wrote it down and I did not repeat that meal at that time again.
In part four,
We'll discuss where a good time to eat cereal might be.
Anyway,
Learning is like that,
Trial and error.
Now,
Some of us in the IF community like to eat how we call restaurant style.
We'll have a fast breaker item,
Which is like your appetizer,
And then we'll have a main and a salad and maybe a dessert.
This style we like to call one meal a day or OMAD for short.
But in the early days of fasting,
You may find yourself having a second meal later on or TMAD,
Two meals a day.
I did this in the beginning.
I would have a small mini meal later after my first meal,
Maybe a bowl of stew or a chunky soup or a half a sandwich or maybe some tuna wrapped in lettuce.
But as I got further into the life of fasting and paid attention to my tummy,
It warped into just one beautiful meal regularly eaten in a window with all the components I need for my day.
Sometimes it was just one hour of eating.
Sometimes it was a window of four.
But please know that does not mean that you're eating and drinking from minute one to the last minute of that four hours.
It might look like a creamy coffee and nuts at one o'clock and then a salad at three o'clock,
Followed by a hot entree and then dessert if it's on the menu,
And I would close my window at four.
That does not mean I'm drinking creamy coffee,
Creamy coffee,
Creamy coffee three and four times.
It does not mean I'm eating for that entire time.
It just means I'm eating within that window.
That is a real important part.
Some days,
Often in fact,
I'll break my fast at 20 hours with a coffee and then two hours later I'll eat my meal and be done.
Bam,
Window closed,
Mouth closed.
If you are easing in to fasting with 17 hours from 7 p.
M.
To noon and you have your fast breaker,
You might right then want your meal.
And maybe before you finish your eating for the day,
You will desire to fit in a small second meal,
Maybe at five or six,
So you're done by seven.
That's up to you.
On weekends,
I sometimes do eat two meals in my eating window.
It is flexible and it depends on how you feel.
It's all up to you.
I mean,
Come on,
After all,
We're all adults.
This is not recommended for children.
As long as you're paying keen attention to what you're eating and how you feel as you are eating,
And paying attention to eating high-quality nutrients,
Pizza,
Beer,
Ice cream,
Loads of pasta,
Candy,
Well,
All these items will fill back up your liver stores and rob you of nutrition that you need.
And since you're eating less,
You need to make sure that it is high-quality.
It will also make your fast the next day very difficult if your eating window the day before contains low-quality nutrients,
Fats,
And sugars,
And simple carbs.
On the other hand,
If you are eating quality food,
Protein,
Vegetables,
Fruits,
Grains,
You will start to feel pretty powerful.
Like running a car on low-lead fuel versus premium,
It matters.
So these are the broad strokes of how to break your fast and what to eat.
It is highly beneficial to take notes.
What can I say?
I'm a research and data gal,
So if you can reflect on what you just ate,
Like,
Oh,
That chicken and veggies made me feel so good,
My stomach's not roiling and gurgling,
It is highly beneficial to take notes.
The next day's fast is going to be easy if you fill yourself with good nutrients.
In the end,
You are the adult,
You know.
Chips and chips ahoy do not satisfy the nutrient demands of a body striving for high health.
You,
As an adult,
Are free to eat what makes you feel your best.
You will begin to feel something called appetite correction making its appearance in your life.
Maybe for the first time ever.
This is what happens when your body,
Well fed with nutrients,
Begins to be satisfied with less food.
It's crazy,
It's wonderful,
And it's how we are designed.
So come back for part four where I go into this with more detail.
Also in part four,
I will cover important topics such as,
I want candy,
Where's my cocktail,
Date night eating,
Eating out late at night,
And other topics.
Feel free to leave me questions in the reviews.
This is my passion and I would love to answer your questions and help you discover the freedom of food.
Come back soon for part four.
This is Jackie.
Thank you for listening.
