So I completed my Vegan August Challenge and liked it so much I have decided to keep it going through September. For this month I am adding Intermittent Fasting. Intermittent Fasting (I.F.) is where you voluntarily abstain from eating or drinking anything with calories during a specific timeframe each day. There are several ways of doing this. My particular route will be approximately an 8hr eating window where I can consume up to 1600 calories and a 16hr period where I no longer can have any calories. (I still drink tea and water).
Day 1 Welcome to the white knuckler
I actually did I.F. for about two months last year and was surprised by the amount of energy I had after getting through the first couple days. But the first couple of days, wow. What makes it worse are my work hours. I work from 130pm to midnight and have a job that can be very stressful. When I get off work I am insanely hungry. So avoiding food when I get home is difficult. I tried to meditate on the issue and what came to me was that perhaps I am not really hungry as much as I am seeking comfort and relief from the stress. Since I couldn’t eat Saturday the first of September when I came home I just went to my room and played some music. It helped a lot but it will take a while not to reward myself with food when I come home.
Day 2 “Hello Rubber, I’m the road. Nice to meet you.”
So, Sunday was the Irish festival. I go every year. (I have a post about it up if you want to see some pictures.) Every year I have gone I have gotten fish and Chips or maybe some bangers and mash (sausage and mashed potatoes). This year between the Vegan thing and the fact that when I got to the fest it was past my eating window, this year was going to be a no go. And the smells, how would I handle the delicious smells? What kept me strong were the men in Kilts. It’s like a broken record, every year I see the guys in Kilts and I think “You know, next year, I am going to reward myself for having gotten my weight under control and get a kilt and wear it to the festival. Then the next year comes around and I haven’t lost anything and it’s rinse/repeat. So I would see the kilt guys and I said “No, this year is different” As far as being over the hump of cravings, I am not there yet, but usually by about the third or fourth day it is better.
Day 3 Location, location, location
I live in a house with four people, One of my housemates Frank is a marvelous cook. (he’s also a very talented photographer and contributes all the wonderful Sicily posts). Franks cooking milieu is the grill. The guy grills and smokes meat with the best. So tonight he made brisket. So I got a double whammy, tender juicy beef that was made after my eating window. So I could conceivably fall off two wagons at once. So knowing the potential minefield the kitchen posed. (albeit, a gloriously delicious minefield) I decided to go to my room and work on the blog. I have made three posts so far, (this is number four) so I guess my manic hunger-frenzy is at least finding a productive outlet. So I am thinking this might be a good key for staying strong: You can’t eat if you’re not where the food is!
I was supposed to get my weigh in today, but the gym closed early for the holiday. In August I lost six pounds. (maybe a little more since I didn’t get to check. I will be able to go on Tuesday and will report on what I found out on the next post on Saturday.
BTW I really, really like all the feedback from these posts. If you have any questions or comments about Intermittent fasting or veganism. Please feel free to comment. I am far from an expert but if I don’t know I’ll tell you I don’t know and maybe at least I can point you in the right direction.
