My Intermittent Fasting Cheat- Sheet

Hi friends!

I'm going to spell out for you how I do my own version of intermittent fasting and why it's been such a good way for me to maintain/lose weight. I read (listened to- thanks, Audible) a book about intermittent fasting a few months ago and it made perfect sense to me. It just clicked. 

I'll link the book, The Cruise Control Diet, HERE. Jorge Cruise, the author, was on The Skinny Confidential Podcast talking about how he's never been in better shape in his life. He's a personal trainer and has been for years. The podcast was so interesting that I decided to get the book and learn the facts.

Using what I took away from the book I'll break it down in a non- science way for you all. Here's a breakdown of a typical weekday:

Basically, we as human beings were not meant to eat continuously, all day, 7 days a week. Our ancestors had to hunt and gather for their food, which meant they were never guaranteed a scheduled meal like we are now. 

Our bodies are so smart and amazing that they are able to recognize that if we are eating in excess we should store some of that fat for the future. As far as our bodies are concerned, who knows when we'll get food again? Our bodies hold onto excess food as fat as a method for survival.

Not eating is a signal to our body to burn fat rather than hold onto it. 

This doesn't mean that you should starve yourself for days at a time, although I do know some people who are avid fasters and are able to do a two- day fast and find it beneficial. What I have been doing to maintain my weight loss following the Arbonne 30- Day Challenge has been this: pick an 8 hour window during your day in which you eat. 

I get off work late at night, and when I come home I like to eat dinner, have a snack and a glass of wine, so I usually choose 1:00pm- 9:00pm. I have NEVER been a breakfast person anyway, I just forced myself to eat it because it would "help my metabolism." After reading  The Cruise Control Diet I learned that eating from the time we wake up is not natural, and might actually be a ploy to get us to buy breakfast food.

If you are a breakfast person, by all means start early! This just means that you'll choose an earlier window, like 8:00am- 4:00pm. You can also adjust it to a 6 hour window to burn more fat if you're able to (I'm not), or a 10 hour window if you're really struggling with an 8 hour window. 

Here is my cheat to making it to 1:00pm every week day without eating: coffee with heavy cream, coconut oil, or grassfed butter. I'm NOT into the keto diet. My body just needs healthy carbs, sorry not sorry. I wish I could do it but I just feel my best when I'm eating fruits, veggies, healthy carbs, and a little bit of meat. But, I will say that using this fasting hack from the keto diet is SO beneficial. I don't think I could do it without this hack.

Basically, when you are fasting it means that your insulin levels are low. After a while, your body will burn fat. If your insulin levels rise, your body switches gears to process foods/ sugars rather than fat. Heavy cream, coconut oil, and grass fed butter do NOT raise your insulin levels, which tricks your body into thinking it is still fasting, but while keeping you full. BOOM.

To answer your question: no, you cannot add anything extra to your coffee. Yes, it can be hard. But, after a while you get used to it. I only do this during the week but it just keeps getting easier and I just keep getting less hungry. The first week was rough for me but now I don't even think about it. I also find I'm eating smaller portions. Some days it's harder than others, and if I can't make it to 1:00 I'll start eating at 12:00 and just stop eating at 8:00 instead of 9:00. I adjust. Even if I'm not eating super healthy this keeps my portions under control.

Another hack is to add pink Himalayan sea salt to your water. This adds electrolytes and minerals and keeps you full longer! This way the water doesn't just go straight through you.

Questions? As always you can message me on IG and I'll let you know what I think!