About 40 days ago I woke up in Colorado on an annual snowboard trip I do visiting one of my best friends in Summit County. I felt lethargic, depressed, out of shape. I wasn’t riding well (I am a pretty advanced snowboarder and felt completely out of sorts) and I wanted to be anywhere else. I wasnt enjoying myself. I changed my flight to go home a day early. Then I saw on instagram a guy I’ve been skateboarding with on and off for 20 years and is about the same age was looking really lean in a video he posted. I DM’d him to congratulate him and he said “two words, intermittent fasting” and then followed it up with “Andrew Huberman” (who is a former skateboarder himself). I watched his Huberman Labs 2.5 hour video on time-restricted eating from my condo as I packed to fly home.
I came home on a Friday, had a burrito that night after my flight, woke up Saturday, and made a plan and now today marks 35 days of strict 16/8, 17/7, or 18/6 (depending on the day). When I say strict, not a single calorie outside the three or so that are in black coffee during my fasting. I’ve never weighed myself, though I plan to on my 47th birthday on May 11th. I havent taken any photos. I have barely started counting calories this week, finally paying for premium MyFitnessPal, and typically I do exercise a lot, but I had a lengthy cold recently that scuttled me. Typically I am on my peloton daily or running modest 5Ks in the 32 minute range. I call it a lifestyle because I’ve never viewed this as a diet, even if I’d like to shed 30ish lbs (I think?) and get into sub-12% body fat (BMI is trash, body fat is the only non-blood based stat that matters)
I only really care about NSVs.
And so I had two big NSVs this week. Yesterday, as my beloved Liverpool Football Club (that’s soccer to you perhaps) was playing I got out an away shirt (jersey) I bought for one of my favorite players that when I got it, it didnt fit and I made it a goal to fit into it, eventually, maybe, somehow (this is before I knew about IF). Yesterday I tried it on before the game and it fit so great. Not only to wear around the house but I could wear it out if I wanted to (I didn’t, maybe you havent heard but California is under a nature attack presently). The second was Friday night. I was skateboarding a bowl (ie: a wooden pool made purposely for skateboarding) at my friends warehouse and I was skating so strongly, confident that even my friend who owns it noticed and asked me if I was still fasting. I said yes, of course. it isnt a diet, its how I live now, and he nodded and smiled and said it showed. The morale boost that offers is incredible and to me, more than any scale could ever provide.
But what IF has really done for me is all of the NSVs that arent even physical. They’re emotional, mental, and impact me more than an inch or two off my waist ever could. I feel…lively. I have energy. I was already an early riser but instead of a two hour slog to get my brain and my activity level up after waking at 5am, I jump out of bed, feeling lighter on my feet and ready to go. I generally sleep like shit, IF has changed that. I have never had sounder, more fuller nights of sleep than I do now. I had to give up THC/CBN edible as a result of the fast, and the sleep I’ve replaced it with is FAR better.
The best part, by far, is that this has been, for me, depression’s kryptonite. I am a diagnosed moderate depressive. IF has taken my depressive phases and run a train through them. My 10 year old said to me “dad, you havent been grumpy a single time since you started fasting”
I wanted to post all this (sorry it’s just a long stream of consciousness) as this reddit has been a massive, massive help for me. I can be snarky on here sometimes, even as a newbie to IF, because I cannot for the life of me fathom the “get slim quick” perspective people come to this with, maybe influenced by social media, or some celebrity, or a short paragraph they read in a tabloid. I truly believe this is how humans are better, eating less often, eating less generally, and for me anyway, the time and looking at a clock and saying “ok cool, I can eat at 11:30am in three hours” or whatever, and then forgetting about that until 11:30am creeps in, is a game changer. So far it’s changed me for the better, massively. Thanks for reading.
Totally the sleep part! I was also a shitty sleeper, often waking up numerous times a night and then being awake for an hour or even two. Mornings I would just be dragging my ass to get out of bed. Now I fall asleep quickly and sleep soundly until it’s time to get up. Amazing how much of a difference good quality sleep makes! I have so much energy to exercise and go about my day! I’m about 7 weeks in, 18:6, very strict also. I too view it as a lifestyle and NOT a diet. I HATE even the word diet. My feeling is if you say you’re “going ON a diet” - eventually you’re going to go OFF said diet. IF has been brilliant for me! 53F, post menopausal- very active but soooo hard to get the scale to move. I’ve been averaging about a pound a week and that’s just great for me. SW 151 CW 144 height 5’3”. Goal 135
I’m really loving the abdominal fat loss the most. I’ve been taking weekly pictures and man do those really tell the true story.
Thanks for your post!! I love this Sub so much!!! Keep up the great work. 💪💪💪
The first medium sized shirt I bought was at a concert I went to last summer - Five Finger Death Punch - and I was going to get the large but thought eh, even if it doesn’t fit now, it will eventually. Fit like a dream! Proud of you, proud of me, proud of everyone who’s living this lifestyle and finding their best selves!
This might be the best NSV post I’ve ever read on this sub. I can relate on so many levels: in my forties, kids 11 and 9, former athlete, shitty sleeper, often get grumpy or depressed…
So incredible that you’re seeing this after basically a month. I can’t think of another way to get healthier that brings about this many substantial positive changes in such a short period of time.