Fasting- Should You Do It?

Everyone keeps asking me about fasting/intermittent fasting... Is it safe? Aren't you hangry (hungry + angry)? WHY do you do it? What are the benefits?

Okay WELL, what I do is I skip breakfast almost every single day. I do not at all believe it is “the most important meal of the day”. Did you know that cereal companies actually made up this very well known phrase? Let. That. Sink. In. I actually feel my best when I wait until after noon to break my fast (usually around 1-2pm) and then stop eating around 9pm.

One thing I've noticed about myself is that my body/brain gets full on *triggered* if I stay up too late, and my sweet tooth comes in full force. So if you're like me and have no self control after 9:30 at night, just go to bed! You're not hungry, you're tired. Know the difference.

I’ve been doing this 16:8 (some days 14:10) pretty consistently for about a year now, about 5-6 days a week, and feel that I am most productive before I eat, I have less brain fog, I’m more creative, and I really enjoy just sipping on coffee or tea. I think it’s super important to give your digestive system a significant break from doin’ it’s thing, because we shouldn’t be eating from the moment we wake up until it’s time to go to sleep... a good solid 14-16 hour fast does wonders. Ya have to try it. Apparently fasting is super beneficial to your immune system, too, and now that I think about it, I don’t think I’ve been sick this past year... I listened to a podcast episode (I think one of the Genius Life episodes with Max Lugavere but I can't remember) and the doctor who was on talked about how fasting *in simplistic terms* starves bad gut bacteria, and promotes mucus creation for the good bacteria in your gut to live off of.

When I fast, I only drink water, unsweetened tea, black coffee, or sometimes bone broth. In my coffee, I like to add a scoop of Vital Proteins collagen, which is so so good for your hair, skin, nails, bones and joints, and mixes so easily into hot drinks. I don't really like putting it into tea though because I feel like I can kind of taste it, but it is flavorless so it may be psychological lol.

I have only once fasted for over a full day, it was about a 38 hour fast, where I stopped eating dinner that Sunday night at 7ish and then didn't eat again until Tuesday morning at 9ish. If you prepare yourself for a fasting day, it's truly not hard. Have drinks and broth available, drink LOTS of water, keep yourself busy, and then you'll realize that hunger really only comes in waves of when you're used to eating. If you're used to eating breakfast at 8am and you decide to fast, your hunger may seem overwhelming, but it passes after a while! AND THEN you're just "normal hungry" come lunch. I was so amazed because the Tuesday morning that I decided to break my 38 hour fast, it really seemed like a normal Tuesday morning. I was not this hangry miserable person! I really think that hunger is just this hormonal thing that comes in waves because of routine...

Anywho, reach out to me about your experience with fasting, I'd love to hear about it!

Later alligator

-Lucy