You might have heard of the latest “diet” – called the Intermittent Fast, where you eat within an 8 hour window and fast for the remaining 16 hours.  It made the news some time back and, now that I’ve done some research on the concept, I’ll admit to being intrigued enough to give it a try.

I’m of a certain age and somewhere between my thirties and the current day, my hard won ballet body has vanished.  It was there for the longest time … a lifetime of ballet, and good genes, had produced a nice lean profile.  Weight loss was effortless.  Being a bit on the tall side also helped disguise any bit of weight gain.

Then … the thirties came and went, the forties made their way by, and I entered the outskirts of fifty-land.  Where was my lean ballet body?  When did it slip away and how could it have gone unnoticed?  Whereas before, I had a waist, I now resembled SpongeBob Squarepants.  Okay, I may exaggerate a little, but you get the gist.

I launched into power yoga, I tried running (hated it), tried vegan (too much work), limiting calories … pilates … nothing I tried had any effect, or if it did … I was putting on weight!  Now, everyone will say at a certain age, women’s bodies will change.  Fine.  I can accept that … to a point.  But, when I can no longer wear my kilt skirt (which cost upwards of $300) I draw the line.

Something must be done.

Enter the concept of Intermittent Fasting.  It’s about as simple as it can be, and isn’t really a “diet” as much as it is a lifestyle.  Fasting has been proven to have many health benefits.  It’s thought to give your body time to digest the food you do eat, so you’re less bloaty.  Some reports I’ve read indicate it is thought to lower your insulin levels and help you burn fat because you consuming fewer calories than you’re expending.  There are many MANY articles so I won’t go into detail here – you are free to research the topic as you wish.

I like the concept because I’m lazy when it comes to cooking, living alone can have that effect.  Plus, as weird as it sounds, I’m bored with food.  It’s become just another chore.  I hate having to make time for it, make a mess in the kitchen or pop something frozen into the microwave, for only one person.  Often I just forget or don’t get hungry.  But is this reflected in the bathroom scale?  NO!  grrrrrr.  It seems the opposite.  Instead of shedding pounds, my body is holding onto them like it’s a lifeboat situation!

Clearly, a lifestyle change is required.  Exercise would be a good idea, but I hate it.  Being winter doesn’t help … it is too cold and dark to want to schlep down to the gym or go for a bike ride.

So, I was intrigued by the idea of the partial fast.  Since I tend to skip meals anyway, packing the few meals I do eat into a specific timeframe seems ideal.  I’ll eat between the hours of eleven and 7:00, and fast after until eleven the next day.  Breakfast has never been that big in my life, so missing it shouldn’t be too upsetting.

All I have to do is wean myself off the Starbucks Doubleshot Expressos.  Here goes operation “get my waist back”.  Maybe I’ll be motivated to start an exercise class …

Maybe one lifestyle change at a time …