I just completed my second 24-hour water/tea fast, and I thought I'd share my experience so far. Disclosure: I've been lacto-paleo for over two years, and have become extremely frustrated with my lack of weight loss during that time. I'm not severely overweight - I'm 5' 9" and about 145 lbs/size 8-10, but I'm most certainly what you'd call "over-fat." Don't get me wrong - I feel fantastic on a paleo-style diet and know too much to ever go back to CW - but I would be lying if I didn't admit that I've been disappointed that (aside from the initial water weight loss) I can't seem to budge these stubborn fat stores.

Enter fasting. I rarely eat breakfast during the work week, and generally only eat two meals a day anyway, so I've kinda been practicing IF all along. On a whim, I decided to take it to the next level - to try skipping dinner one night, and not eat again until lunch the following day. I was pleasantly surprised at how pain-free my dinnerless evening was, and that night, I slept like a rock. The next morning, I felt light, but not not hungry at all. I had a few cups of tea throughout the morning, and by 2 p.m. (when my fast was scheduled to end) I still didn't feel any strong urges to eat. So I held out until dinner, roughly 4 and a half hours later. No sweat! More than anything, I was shocked by the level of energy I seemed to have during the fast. I never felt weak or tired or dizzy (things I was kinda expecting) - on the contrary, I felt like I could have leapt tall buildings in a single bound. I had doubted whether I would be able to exercise (Slow Burn-style free weights) while fasting, but I think I would have been hard pressed NOT to exercise. Just crazy amounts of energy.

Bonus: This morning, I noticed that my jeans are significantly looser. SOLD!

I intend to do one to two 24-hour fasts a week from now on. It's ridiculously easy, and I love the way they make me feel. For anyone who's curious about fasting, I highly recommend you try it. I like the idea of working up to a 24-hour fast in stages - I imagine that if I'd been accustomed to eating a big breakfast every morning, 24 hours cold turkey may have been a different experience.

I just completed my second 24-hour water/tea fast, and I thought I'd share my experience. Disclosure: I've been lacto-paleo for over two years, and have become extremely frustrated with my lack of weight loss during that time. I'm not severely overweight - I'm 5' 9" and about 145 lbs/size 8-10, but I'm most certainly what you'd call "over-fat." Don't get me wrong - I feel fantastic on a paleo-style diet and know too much to ever go back to CW - but I would be lying if I didn't admit that I've been disappointed that (aside from the initial water weight loss) I can't seem to budge these stubborn fat stores.

Enter fasting. I rarely eat breakfast during the work week, and generally only eat two meals a day anyway, so I've kinda been practicing IF all along. On a whim, I decided to take it to the next level - to try skipping dinner one night, and not eat again until lunch the following day. I was pleasantly surprised at how pain-free my dinnerless evening was, and that night, I slept like a rock. The next morning, I felt light, but not not hungry at all. I had a few cups of tea throughout the morning, and by 2 p.m. (when my fast was scheduled to end) I still didn't feel any strong urges to eat. So I held out until dinner, roughly 4 and a half hours later. No sweat! More than anything, I was shocked by the level of energy I seemed to have during the fast. I never felt weak or tired or dizzy (things I was kinda expecting) - on the contrary, I felt like I could have leapt tall buildings in a single bound. I had doubted whether I would be able to exercise (Slow Burn-style free weights) while fasting, but I think I would have been hard pressed NOT to exercise. Just crazy amounts of energy.

Bonus: This morning, I noticed that my jeans are significantly looser. SOLD!

I intend to do one to two 24-hour fasts a week from now on. It's ridiculously easy, and I love the way they make me feel. For anyone who's curious about fasting, I highly recommend you try it. I like the idea of working up to a 24-hour fast in stages - I imagine that if I'd been accustomed to eating a big breakfast every morning, 24 hours cold turkey may have been a different experience.