“Wow, you’re actually not a bear to be around,” my husband commented last weekend.
I was on Day 4 of my 5 day Fast Mimicking Diet. (I used ProLonFMD-Fast Mimicking Diet which you can google if you want to learn more).
I had timed my fast when Andrew was supposed to be out of town fishing in Virginia with his dad.
The last time I tried a new dietary challenge (Whole 30), I was an absolute nightmare to be around for the month. (Didn’t help that Andrew would eat ice cream and drink a beer in front of me as I was sipping on herbal tea to try to curb my hunger pains. Pure evil!)
When Andrew’s plans fell through (flooded rivers in Virginia following Hurricane Florence) and his dad came down to our house instead, Andrew was worried about my behavior. He threatened to ship me off to a hotel if I became unbearable.
But, as luck (fate, whatever) would have it, my fast went much easier than expected.
Sure, there were many times I was hungry but I just counted down the clock until my next “feeding” (now that’s an optimistic overstatement!). Oh, those 10 green olives they gave me for my snack are going to taste soooo delicious!
Then, when I was starting to get particularly grumpy, I broke down and made myself some herbal tea (also supplied). Sidenote: I am NOT a tea person but it gave me something to do while I watched the minutes slowly tick by.
I also thought about how for our ancestors, life was feast or famine. They didn’t have access to the junk food we have today nor refrigeration for that matter. You ate what you killed that day or you were relegated to eating grass and berries.
Then I’d think about those darn hungry kids in Africa.
Ah, what wimps we are about food. The first sign of a craving or a tummy rumble and off we race through the drive thru or open the nearest bag of chips or reach for the donut that some well-meaning colleague or client brought to the office because, Heaven Forbid, we feel hungry…EVER.
Although the carbs and calories continued to decrease over the five days, I surprisingly felt hungry less frequently as (I suppose) my body adapted to less food.
The verdict? Well, I did end up losing five pounds and supposedly, my genetically high cholesterol levels will drop as well. Still waiting on my lab results to confirm that hypothesis.
Post-fast, I am eating much healthier, less frequently, and in much smaller portions. I’m limiting my carb intake and have all but cut out “obvious” sugar such as sweets and baked goodies. I’ve also limited my much loved red wine to the weekends or special occasions.
Why did I want to fast in the first place?
Well, I had been reading a lot about the health benefits of periodic fasting and intermittent fasting on lowering cholesterol, inflammation, regenerating stem cells, reducing the risk of cancer, diabetes, heart and autoimmune diseases, not to mention overall longevity and maintaining a healthy weight.
After all, the food choices I make today will affect my future health and quality of life. Why would I want to steal from my future self by my poor dietary choices today?
So, I felt like I needed a major kick in the butt to get me started on a healthier eating path. Nothing like a good ole’ five day fast to get the party started, right?
Plus, I like a good challenge. (50K anyone?)
Plus, if I could shrink that darn belly fat that just will not go away (thank you, Jill and Drew!), all the better.
I went to my doctor for my annual physical and wellness check the day after I finished my fast armed with the book about the fast (The Longevity Diet by Dr. Valter Longo) thinking I would have to “educate” her on the benefits of periodic fasting.
But, much to my delight, Dr. Chen replied that she had just heard Dr. Longo speak about his research and she was planning to promote the Fast Mimicking Diet (FMD) to her patients as well. Guess I turned out to be her guinea pig patient!
I’m actually planning to do the FMD again the end of this month (for maximum benefits, protocol calls for monthly low calorie plant-based fasts for the first three months, then semi-annually thereafter as a periodic “reboot” of the body).
I will keep you posted if you are interested in my little food experiment.
Kristen “I’ve Stopped Stealing From My Future Self” Marks
P.S. Another way you can stop stealing from your future self is by getting your estate planning affairs in order and decide who you would want making financial and medical decisions for you should you become incapacitated or even temporarily indisposed. Call our office and we can discuss your options: 850-439-1191.
