You probably know I started experimenting with my diet.
Are you ready to know how my diet experiment developed? I want to introduce you to my dieting results. The canonical 8-weeks of diet have finally come to an end on friday night and all I can do is just wonder at how amazing the results are.
Results
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I lost 6 kilograms in the first 2 weeks of dieting, and the “transition” felt really natural and flawless.
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My waistline size decreased a lot (I dropped 4-jeans-sizes) and it still keeps going down. Needless to say I had to renew half of my wardrobe. That feels wonderful, and you know what? No loss in overall strength occurred!
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I was amazed by what it feels like to live the day far from useless and counterproductive needs. I did never expect to be able to stay focused for many hours at a time, with no need to eat, without yawning, without feeling stressed or unfocused. Concentration at its best.
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If you’re a student, this eating strategy / plan work wonders. It will literally change your life.
Intermittent Fasting is also effective for muscle definition.
Also, I had never seen my abs so clearly before. Now I can. And this is why this experience is totally liberating.
Some thoughts after this experience
We are grown accustomed to bad habits. We are programmed to live in a bad way. That’s why we can try everything out there on the market and still being looking for an effective method to reach our goals. Intermittent fasting really liberated my life from a bunch of physical and mental clutter. There is no need to count calories; to obsess about macro and micro nutrients. If you do that, it’s just because you like to eat healthy, and I totally respect that. Apart this case, Intermittent Fasting frees you, in every sense.
I just eat the stuff I need, when I need it.
That’s basically the same concept of discarding what we don’t need. Setting everything aside is beautiful, especially if the increased boundary with material stuff leads you to a deeper connection with the reality you live in, and therefore with stuff itself. Intermittent fasting is part of me now. I will keep this dieting regimen. This wonderful nutritional lifestyle has increased my overall strenght, focus, connection with the reality I live in and what I want from my life.
Visit The Lean Saloon if you want to know more about this lifechanging experience. Reaching the goal for a better existence is what makes us better persons, every day of our wonderful lives.
Never let the occasion slip by
BONUS SECTION
A quick extract from The Lean Saloon, that explain the practical side of IF: (it is a complete diet for those who could need it, so, keep reading if you’re interested!). Johnny condensate all the practical side of IF into a single post, to reply the question of a curious user.
Yes, I usually eat my first meal in the late afternoon, 4 or 5 (and sometimes later). I’m glad you mentioned that this sounds restrictive, as I been meaning to write about it — so I’ll just say a few preliminary things in this reply: While this meal pattern (eating later) is not for everyone, it’s actually not as restrictive as it sounds. It follows the same pattern as The Warrior Diet, in which the first meal is at 5PM and eating ends at 10PM; and it also follows nearly the same pattern as the Lean Gain pattern, in which you fast daily for 16 hours and feed for 8. My feed-window starts around 4 or 5 and I’d eat one, two, or three meals, or whatever I feel like; I’ll eat as late as right before bedtime. (Weight gain from eating at night, as you might already know, is a myth.)
I chose this meal pattern for several reasons:
* I like to eat when eating really counts: with family, friends, or celebrations. These things USUALLY occurs later in the day.
* Not eating during the day frees me up to get a lot of work done, and allows me to be creative in other areas.
* A longer period of being in an UN-fed state increases fat metabolism and other energy-catalysts. This metabolic environment supplies nearly endless energy for mental focus (many people report greater concentration during the fasted state).
* Food stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system, preparing the body for higher quality sleep. This makes sense to eat most of the food toward the evening, and to maintain the fasted state during the day for catecholamines to stimulate the sympathetic nervous system for wakefulness and energy.
* Although I eat a “paleo-ish” diet, I also realize that food is the center of our culture’s celebration of many events. As such, this type of intermittent fasting allows participation in the enjoyment of food, whatever kind it might be.
* Not eating every 3 or so hours (in the car, at the desk, in front of the computer, on the go) actually brings much more meaning and joy to food — at least for me.
Body fat perpetually at 5%, for long-term. (And I was a pudgy kid.)
There are a dozen other benefits to intermittent fasting, as you probably already know, some of which is potentially increased health and possibly longevity, without feeling deprived of calories. But since you brought up the (fair) concern that this meal pattern is *restrictive*, my reply is two parts:
1) Psychological hunger is like a switch. When you decide to go on an intermittent fast, you essentially turn “off” the switch, and something in the mind comes to an acceptance of “not eating.” The kitchen is closed, sort to speak, removing all ambiguity of the act of eating.
2) Physical hunger is a very interesting hormonal-based phenomena, in that hunger is highly adaptable. Most people adapt to changing meal frequency.
These 2 factors work together to make this meal pattern pretty accessible… not the least bit restrictive. But, like I mentioned, it’s not for everyone; as such, I don’t presume to convince everyone to try it.
But those who adopt this meal pattern have told me it’s surprisingly easy to lose fat and to keep it off.
Never let the occasion to enjoy the life you deserve pass by.