Fasting from food is a neat thing, biologically. There are all kinds of hormones and body functions that are reset and/or receive positive benefit just from us choosing not to eat for a while. Fasting gives our body a break from the constant work of digesting food, it increases insulin sensitivity, resets hunger hormones, and improves metabolic health. Fasting can be a quick route to achieving ketosis and actually burning our own fat vs. burning consumed fat. Fasting also has a positive affect on grocery bills. By skipping 1 to 2 meals every day I am definitely purchasing less food. Fasting for more than 12 hours even does something really neat; it puts our bodies in a state of autophagy where it cleans out old dead cells and proteins and makes new ones creating a more healthy and efficient cellular environment for us. Our bodies actually thrive when we introduce periods 0 calorie consumption (not to be confused with reduced calorie consumption).

Honestly, the whole science is fascinating and the health benefits are real and quick to see. If anyone reading this is actually interested I strongly recommend checking out Dr. Jason Fung. He has a few books and some really great information at dietdoctor.com. There is a world of beneficial and well laid out information there, ways to get into fasting in a productive and healthy way, but not the direction I plan to go with this post, so I’ll let you explore at your leisure.

It is always strange to me though, when I tell people I am fasting most of the time I receive very sharp, negative replies about how I am not minding my health. People often reply with comments like ‘You’re not eating?? You can’t just not eat!’

We have been so brainwashed to think that we need food all the time, small amounts almost constantly. Most people don’t really know or understand the science of how food works in the body, how detrimental that constant consumption can be. There is so much poor information being spread, and it is definitely easier to find than good information.

I find it funny how we think this way about food, that we need to always have it, to consume it, but we understand we need to take a break in all kinds of other areas in our life. We need holidays from everyday life, self care to get away from stress, quiet time after the busyness of people, Netflix and chill after a long day at work, minimalism is becoming more and more common and people are even taking a break from stuff. We need breaks all the time, but we just keep pushing metabolically without taking a break allowing space for metabolic well being.

Fasting has been on my mind as I have felt I needed a break in a few areas of my life the last while. I recently let an old love back into my life, and while it was obvious to the one closest to me, I did not see how unhealthy that connection was for me until it was over. When it ended again and I took stock of my life I realized I had taken a step back in many of the areas I spent years improving. I had put on weight, was eating out too much and craving those carby, fried restaurant foods (food cravings being something I hadn’t really experienced for over a year), my digestion felt off and I felt full/bloated often, I was feeling mild anxiety, my confidence in my own self worth was lacking. I realized I had put more energy into making sure another person was comfortable than I put into making sure I was well and it left me exhausted ad burnt out.

When I realized all this I took a small break from meeting people and making new connections, I eased up on my commitments, I took the responsibilities I had slow and I spent time alone with my thoughts and feelings. I reset and reaffirmed my boundaries and what my needs in life are. That social fast gave me the mental fortitude to get back to life and responsibilities pretty quickly. I have been meeting people and making connections with people interested in dreaming big dreams and setting great goals together. These connections leave me feeling energized and ambitious, ready to take on the world.

But I was still struggling metabolically. Still a bit lethargic, still craving foods, still eating out too much, still having a bit of mild anxiety. I was noticing a lack of metabolic flexibility and hanger. I had to get back to taking a break metabolically, to fasting from food. The easiest form of fasting for me is to just make sure I go a consecutive 16 hours without eating (8 of which I am sleeping through). I make sure I am done eating at 4pm and eat my first meal (sometimes its simply a latte with coconut milk..not the breakfast of champions, but so delicious, plus coffee..) at 8am, though others will find different time frames work best for them. It always amazes me how quickly fasting makes me feel better. After about a week of consistency I feel well, I am not bloated, my digestion is normal, I have energy and don’t experience lethargy, I am sleeping better, falling asleep faster, I have less muscle stiffness and body aches, and I can go without a meal and don’t feel any emotional ill effects. I keep telling myself I need to ramp up to doing a week long water fast to really reset my body functions and feel really great.

I would need to cut the lattes for that though, and I am struggling with idea of fasting from coffee right now. Probably all the more reason to do so…