Posts

Learnings in my fourth year of IF

It has been almost six months since I moved from London to Dublin, and a lot has changed. Intermittent fasting has been the one constant. The flexibility it provides is remarkable and has helped me adapt to a new environment. Wins: Body recomposition:  While I’m currently in maintenance, after 3 years and 4 months of living the IF lifestyle, my weight has stabilized (BMI under 24 kg/m²), and body recomposition continues to amaze me. I’m now down to jeans with a 30/32 waistline — it used to be 38 inches back in July 2022. I don’t have a goal weight, but I do have a goal lifestyle. Farmers’ market discovery :  I’ve found a couple of great farmers’ markets in Dublin. I now buy my vegetables, kefir, berries, and eggs there instead of from grocery stores like Tesco or SuperValu. The difference in quality is noticeable, as one would expect. Depending on the season, the variety changes too. It’s interesting how organic tomatoes don’t look as vividly red as the standard grocery-store ...

How to Make Intermittent Fasting Stick: My Perspective

Many people start with Intermittent Fasting (IF), but for various reasons, their IF gets sidetracked. Some are able to bounce back and resume IF, while others stop fasting altogether.  Here are some common reasons why this happens: Lack of motivation due to a perceived lack of progress, etc. Stressful phases in life Changes in environment, such as moving to a different town/city or frequent work travel  Changes in eating patterns during or after vacations Of course, there can be several other reasons. The idea of this post is not to delve into all of them, as they will vary for each individual. Instead, let's discuss how we can set ourselves up for success. I will share my perspective based on my own three-year IF experience.  Understand the WHY behind IF from a layperson's POV before the HOW I stumbled across Fast Feast Repeat while I was just starting with IF, and that was a game changer for me. Gin explains why IF works in an easy-to-understand manner. Highly recomm...

Intermittent Fasting FAQs for Beginners

Q)Who should not consider Intermittent Fasting (IF)?  Pregnant or nursing women should not do IF. Other than that, there is no reason to not fast :) If you take medications and wish to double check with your doctor, please do so. Caveat here, not all doctors understand IF. Do bear that in mind! Q) I want to do IF. I am unsure how to begin and build a habit as social media is confusing. Can you point me to resources that can help me? Read/listen to  "Delay Don't Deny 2nd Edition" from Gin Stephens. For more detailed reading, consider "Fast Feast Repeat" from Gin Stephens. You can also listen to her podcast Intermittent Fasting Stories and Fast Feast Repeat podcast with Sheri Bullock. In terms of doctors/scientists to follow, highly recommend following Dr. Jason Fung and Dr. Ben Bikman to understand the science in more detail. Q)What can I drink in a fast? Water, Black coffee/black tea/green tea(unflavoured and without any additives), minerals/electrolytes/salt (w...