With food being limited, I figured now would be a great time to do a fasting challenge.
Fasting has a ton of benefits.
I dove into it because of the weight loss benefits but my energy, focus, confidence, discipline, hair, skin and nails all have benefited as well!
Fasting went against everything I was taught when I first started my health and fitness journey but it completely debunked all the bullshit I was fed.
I was 108lbs all my life until I started listening to everyone else but myself. I did my first fitness competition when I was 17. After that… the pounds came packing on and I kept trying to drop the weight by doing insane amounts of cardio and super restrictive eating which led to dropping a few pounds but I would get so bored and fall off after a few days, only to pack on more weight.
After struggling for forever, I decided to listen to my body.
Naturally, I have never been into eating right when I wake up but I love getting active with a workout first thing in the morning. So that’s what I did. I stopped eating all damn day. Finding a good balance between weights and cardio. The weight came off for good even after I gave birth to my daughter! I dropped 54lbs almost effortlessly and have kept it off.
I’d like to help get you on the path for you to do the same for you through this challenge.
I know what you’re thinking… I’ve tried this once before and failed.
And I can tell you why…
Where we screw up: eat nonstop (holidays) then cleanse through juice, fall off, get bored, eat bad… same old cycle. Right?
We believe we need food to cleanse but we don’t!
It actually makes fasting harder when we have those calories.
So let’s ease into this by…
- Clean it up! Limit processed sugars and carbs.
- Start with discipline. Choose eating windows. (10am to 6pm)
- Then start with fasting for 1 day. (only salt and water)
By cleaning things up, you start destroying the cravings even though some cravings are good.
Have you ever had a cookie and then find yourself wanting more after just a few minutes? That’s because the sugar is beyond addicting so cutting that crap out will help with those cravings almost immediately. Now, if you are craving something like steak for a few days in a row then your body needs some iron so I always say pay attention to your cravings and stay mindful because it is our bodies way of telling us what we need. Try sticking to protein, healthy fats, vegetables and some rice if you need some heavier carbs.
Choosing eating windows AKA intermittent fasting (IF)!
This is where your discipline starts and you truly empower yourself. Breaking the mindset that you constantly need food. It’s truly a habit that we form growing up so creating these eating windows are super powerful and you will notice after a few days how great you feel. You can adjust your windows daily, if that’s what works best for your schedule but I do recommend trying to stick to close windows so you get the full benefits of fasting. (Weekends, I am a bit more open with my windows as well as my foods.)
NOW REAL FASTING!
After you get the intermittent fasting down which should only take a week then it’s time to choose one day where you only eat one meal. This is also known as OMAD. It allows your body to detox during a full 24 hour fast. Once you are comfortable with that then you can go one full day with no meal then two full days with no meal and so on if you choose.
My game plan this week and I challenge you to do the same…
- Clean up my eating and eat during my eating windows
- Next week do OMAD for an entire week
- Then back to IF and 1 full day of fasting after that I will go back to IF
During your fasting time, you can do water and salt to help you stay on track. The salt helps balance your electrolytes which will help with hunger and cravings. This game plan is truly the easiest to implement and makes fasting and detoxing your body easy. I still workout during my fasting periods because I have always been active but I recommend doing what feels right to you.
Working out during a fasted state does have it’s benefits but if you don’t feel well working out and fasting then workout during your eating windows.
If you have medical issues then talk to a doctor before doing fasting.
