intermittent fasting, motherhood, Uncategorized, weight loss

Wait…I’m Actually Not Hungry?

A few weeks into my new eating schedule, I was having a very busy and productive day at work and like clockwork, I looked at the clock on my computer screen to see that it was 10 a.m. on the dot. Time for breakfast! Although, this time I realized that I was not hungry like usual. My stomach wasn’t growling and I didn’t feel low of energy. In fact, I felt great!

I was having a very productive morning and really didn’t feel like disrupting my workflow to eat breakfast like usual. Shockingly, eating actually felt like more of an inconvenience than it did a necessity or reward. This realization instantly flashed me back to my senior year of high school and that stint in my early 20’s when I would not eat all day, then enjoy a delicious meal at home with family or out with my friends.

It was at this point that I realized my What IF Diet Plan was working for me! Although I probably had not lost any weight yet, I was ecstatic to not feel so dependent on food to get me through my morning. Therefore, I kept trusting the process I had created for myself, as well as my body’s signals. If the time came for me to eat “breakfast,” but I wasn’t hungry, I would push it back further.

Since I was no longer feeling hungry at 10 a.m., I started eating breakfast at 11 a.m. instead. Since I was eating such a late breakfast, I often would not be hungry during my lunch hour. Therefore, I started talking 20-30 minute walks during my regular lunch hour, then returning to my office to eat something light if I felt the need. If not, I would simply eat my snack earlier around 2 p.m. Eventually, I was no longer feeling hungry at 11 a.m. either, so I would simply eat my regular lunch at 12 p.m.

I’m sure you can guess what happened after a few weeks of breaking my fast at 12 p.m. You guessed it – my body eventually adjusted and stopped getting its regular hunger cues at that time. So I started “skipping lunch” altogether, (to the shock of my boss and coworkers I might add,) and began using my lunch hour for other things. If the weather was nice, I would take a 2 ½ mile walk around my school’s campus while listening to podcasts or audiobooks. When the weather was sub par, I would stay in and do homework in my office, or go to my house to tidy up or prepare dinner for the family. It’s amazing how much we can get done when food is not the main focus of our life!

After about a year of following the What IF Diet Plan, I now break my fast around 6 p.m., when eating dinner with my family. Although, if I’m working late or out of town on business, it is not uncommon for me to break my fast at 7 or 8 p.m., when having a late dinner with colleagues after a long day. As I am writing this paragraph, it is currently 7:30 p.m., and I have not yet broken my fast. Although I could certainly eat, (and probably will in a few minutes,) I am engrossed in writing this blog post and sharing my experience, rather than wondering what I’m going to eat.

Believe me, I know how outrageous and unrealistic that sounds, but it’s absolutely true and unbelievably freeing!