People often ask me why I don't "just eat small healthy meals" instead of fasting to lose weight. They say that if I can have the will power to not eat at all why can't I use that will power to not eat the foods that can make us fat. Use that will power to avoid those foods all together.
Seems reasonable enough...to someone who has been skinny their whole lives. To someone who doesn't struggle with food addiction or eating emotionally or dieting. For someone who hasn't yo-yo dieted their entire lives.
The reason those of us who need to lose weight, need to lose weight in the first place is because we struggle with eliminating certain foods from our diets. If we didn't, we wouldn't be overweight in the first place. It is hard for us, they don't understand how hard.
The reason my "will power" is so strong during fasting is because anytime I feel hunger or think about eating I know that when I do eat, I can eat what I want. Anything I want. I can eat foods that are forbidden when on a diet. That is how I do it. I think about the meal I am going to have. A BIG meal with lots of wonderful, favourite choices. If my choices were to have a hamburger and fries every time, I would still lose weight with fasting.
But here is the even better part about fasting...
I don't choose a hamburger every time...I don't eat all junk everyday...not because I am making a "healthy choice" but because my body asks for healthy things too because it wants it and makes me want it too. I do eat junk too though, because I also like junk. I like french fries and chips and chocolate and cookies and cake. I eat those, I eat those regularly. I also have a ton of veggies in a day and love fruit. I enjoy healthy fats and protein. I have a well balanced diet but I also get my treats.
That is how I am able to fast. I think about my treats. I know I will get them. I know they won't make me fat. I enjoy them and celebrate that I never have to give them up.
Patience can = Freedom too.
Tuesday, November 22, 2011
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Yes! After about a year of exploration, I have found that having a shortened eating window of 5-8 hours works best for me. While that window is open, I can eat whatever I want in moderation and still lose weight. It may not work for everyone, but it works for me.
ReplyDeleteJenna, Im now on my 3rd week of Fast 5...it seems to get easier and easier with each passing day. Youre right when you say that you can get through the fast just by remembering that you arent in a 'food bondage' anymore,,and that you can eat whatever you want,if you wait a little while longer. Freedom, especially during the holidays is especially rejuvenating. I hear everyone else saying,,'Oh i shouldnt eat that' or 'Nope, better not have that or Ill have to go run ten miles'...Im NO longer a part of that bandwagon! I just wink to myself and delight in my treat in that window of eating. Obedience to the fasting = freedom forever! Thanks again for your wonderful blog! Happy Thanksgiving!
ReplyDeleteI have to tell ya Jenna that I just shared this on my facebook page!! The 'talk' around my town is I binge!!! I told my mom..'how come no one said anything to me when I was 260 lbs and binging on food all day? How come they didn't tell me I was killing myself that day I was rushed by ambulance...I can't remember what I ate earlier that day but that night I ate tons of chicken wings (probably 20), 5 slices of pizza, plus a HUGE bowl of ice cream with melted peanut butter and chocolate chips poured on top of it, PLUS two large bags of popcorn smothered in butter..hmmmmmm..I guess that is not binging but what I'm doing now is???? Go figure!!!! lol....I'm the healthiest I've been in my entire life, mentally, emotionally, spiritually, and physically and all people can say (my mom gets it all the time) is I must be binging...I will take my dad's quote..'I don't give a shit what people think'...
ReplyDeleteAmen Angela!
ReplyDeleteI also had a huge problem with over eating. I guess I still do. But the fasting helps to keep it at a minimum. When I think of fasting and how I eat now, I often think of that childhood game, go, go, STOP.
One person standing in one side would yell go, go, go, go, go..... And the children on the other side would run until they yelled STOP! It is like that in a way. Over eaters will always do well with intermittent fasting because they still get to over eat and lose weight...the difference is that now they are over eating once a day rather than all day every day!
I know I eat at least my daily intake in one meal. But then I stop. I am essentially using my weakness as a strength to get me through. My desire for large amounts of food helps me eat nothing at all...how ironic.