In the past few years, intermittent fasting seems to have become a health fad, but I really think it reflects more of our great-grandparents’ eating patterns. I’ve affectionately started calling it “The Farmer’s Way of Eating” because it really compliments the lifestyle. Imagine your great-great-grandfather: He wakes up at dawn, enjoys a cup of black coffee, then heads out for morning chores. He breaks his fast around 10am with a hearty brunch and then gets back to work. Maybe he eats a sandwich for lunch (if he’s hungry) and will later sit down to a good dinner with the family. And then he’s done eating for the day! No midnight snacks needed because he’s in bed early to get a jump start on tomorrow. When I thought of my ancestors, intermittent fasting didn’t seem much of a “fad” to me anymore.
I’ve mentioned a few of my lingering health issues off and on here on the blog: blood pressure stuff, my inability to curb my sugar impulses for long periods of time, sleeping issues, bloating, stress, some weight gain, etc. My overarching goal in trying this lifestyle was to see if I could reverse some of those issues. Weight gain was last on the list – if I lost weight, I’d be thrilled (obviously), but I’d be equally happy if I could get good sleep and have my blood pressure back in a healthy range.
I officially started on August 9, 2021 and just hit the three month mark last week. A few things I’ve learned so far:
DELAYED GRATIFICATION IS AN IMPORTANT LIFE SKILL.
There are different versions of IF, but I chose the 16:8 method because it seemed the most logical. (I begin eating at 10am and end at 6pm.) The first few days took some effort as I adjusted to this new routine. Like most people, if I was feeling a little hungry, whatever the time of day, I’d help myself to a little something. Even at night, I had gotten into the habit of cozying up in bed with a book and a “midnight” snack.
Those first few days, I had to give myself some tough self-talk as my head whined about being “hungry”: You have never truly been hungry a day in your life. You trained for and ran a half marathon. You birthed six children, one naturally! You can do hard things. Certainly, you can hold out just a little bit longer before breaking your fast. And surprise, surprise: I lived to tell the tale!
That delayed gratification lesson is so important for physical, mental and spiritual reasons.
MY RELATIONSHIP WITH FOOD IS CHANGING FOR THE BETTER.
During the past 18+ months, I had adopted really bad eating habits. Intermittent fasting helped me focus on eating nutrient dense, full meals vs. grazing on whatever is easy all day. I actually sit down to eat now! Get ready for my duh moment: when you eat nutrient dense meals, you feel full longer and don’t feel the need to snack.
I’m eating well and nothing is off limits except the things I have sensitivities with, like dairy products. I’ve dramatically changed my sugar cravings and while I still have homemade cookies and treats here and there, I don’t feel like an addict anymore. I’m more in tune with my body and I’m learning the difference between real hunger and when I’m just bored/stressed/emotional. All steps in the right direction!
MY SLEEP HAS GREATLY IMPROVED.
Before IF, I would lay in bed forever with to-do lists and what-ifs and all the things running through my head. At one point, it was so bad that I remember pleading to God to please just turn off my brain for a little while so I could get some sleep. Post IF, I’ve done a complete 180. When my head hits that pillow, I am OUT. I am finally getting deep, restorative sleep – maybe for the first time in my adult life?! – and it’s lifechanging.
MY HEALTH ISSUES ARE IMPROVING.
My blood pressure is decreasing in the right direction, my bloating is reducing and surprise of all surprises, I’ve lost almost 15 pounds!
The best part of intermittent fasting is that it’s not really a diet at all. It’s a lifestyle and one that I can maintain indefinitely without feeling like I’m missing out or restricting myself unnecessarily. I’m so grateful to have found something that works!
This is really interesting. I’ve never made the connection with farming but your points make sense. I also wrote it off as a fad and as i hosted friends who eat like this, as something very inconvenient. (How can you have friends over for a meal when they wont eat!) Im glad it’s yeilding so many health benefits for you as well.
I completely agree that when people put diet over relationship, everyone suffers. I generally try to keep to the 10am-6pm time frame, but if my son makes pancakes for breakfast and can’t wait for me to try it, you better believe I’m going to eat it, even if it’s only 8:00am, ha! Or with your example, when we get invited to eat with friends, I’m having too much fun to even look at the clock! Other people may have more serious reasons for being strict with the plan, but I try very hard to make health just a part of my life and not an idol.
Thanks for sharing your experience with this — super fascinating. And NOTHING compares to getting good sleep on a regular basis! So glad you’ve found something that’s working so well!
(Also, major kudos to you for sticking it out. The hardest part of any major diet change is staying with it long-term, so I’m definitely impressed!)
Sleep is HUGE! I was pregnant or nursing for over ten years (with various degrees of survival sleep) and then more recently, had a bout of what I’m guessing is anxiety/stress-induced insomnia. So this new deep, restorative sleep makes me feel like a whole new person, ha!
The sleep improvement is very interesting