Intermittent Fasting Challenge: Week 1

No Meat Athlete launched a 30-day Intermittent Fasting Challenge back in March, and I really wanted to participate along with the large group of NMA Academy members who signed up. But my 50K was coming up, and I was afraid to change anything with my fueling schedule before the run. Now that the 50K is behind me, I decided to try the challenge on my own in April!

If you're not familiar, intermittent fasting refers to dietary patterns that cycle between fasting and non-fasting, to help you experience the health benefits of fasting without many of the downsides. You fast for a set number of hours each day (often with 16 hours as the goal) rather than doing an all-out no-eating-for-days fast. There are other methods of IF as well (like 5:2 or alternate day fasting, but I've tried those before, and low-calorie life is NOT for me), so I'm aiming for 16:8 (16 hours of fasting/8 hours of eating as my goal for the last two weeks in April).

But we're starting small! On April 1, I started the No Meat Athlete IF gradual build option. In this option, you start with 12:12 in week one (that's 12 hours of fasting/12 hours of eating), and each week, you get closer to 16:8. Next week, I'll be doing 14:10, and then I'll be doing 16:8 for two weeks to close out the month.

So far, 12:12 is pretty easy and not much different than I how I normally eat. I might start eating at 7:30 am and stop at 7:30 pm. No sweat! I'm using the Zero app to track each day's fast, and it gives you the option of using their filter on your fast-breaker meal. Over the weekend, I broke one fast with Ramen Noodles with Tofu. My favorite weekend breakfast.

On another day this weekend, I woke up after a long sleep and got ready for an 8-miler. I like to have white bread bagels with hummus or nut butter before longer runs. An 8-miler isn't terribly long for me, so I only had half a bagel. This was a Dave's Sesame Bagel with Trader Joe's Hummus. You'll notice I actually fasted for 13 hours that time because much of my fast happened while I was sleeping, and I slept in that day. Fasting is easy when you're sleeping!

On Monday, I broke my fast after a 40-minute yoga video with Berry Protein Muffins and Fruit!

The one thing that's kept me from trying IF before is the fact that, on week days, I run super early in the morning, and I've always felt like I needed a pre-run snack (usually, that's a Larabar). But I've been reading more about fasted cardio, and you don't actually NEED to eat before a workout that's less than an hour. It's more of a comfort thing for me, but I was still nervous to try a fasted run this morning. Today, I had my first fasted run (a 4-miler), and you know what? It was fine!! I had some coffee before heading out, and that was all I needed until after. I like to have quick-digesting carbs immediately after a workout, so I broke my fast after my run with this bowl of White Rice with Guacamole Salsa.

About an hour later, I had my usual post-run protein smoothie. This 12:12 life is pretty simple. But starting tomorrow, I'll be trying a week of 14:10 (14 hours fasting/10 hours eating) so I expect it will get a little more challenging.

You might be wondering WHY I'm doing this? Honestly, it's just a fun food challenge, and I've long wanted to try 16:8. Fasting after a certain time each day would be hard with social obligations (dinners with friends/happy hours/etc.), but right now, there are no obligations! Thanks, quarantine! I figure I should use this opportunity while I have it because it won't last forever.

As for the health benefits, they say IF can reduce oxidative stress and inflammation in the body, which protects against certain chronic diseases. It can also help with digestion and gut health. People looking to lose weight can also see benefits, though I do NOT want to lose weight. In fact, that's been a concern for me with trying this. When I get to the 16:8 weeks, I'm going to have to focus on getting plenty of calories in my eating window. It's possible to do IF and not lose weight, but I believe it will take conscious effort to eat more when I can (and honestly, I'm really good at eating a lot!).

I'll check in with one post a week dedicated to my IF challenge!