Brad Pilon’s Eat Stop Eat program for weight loss or maintenance is very simple: don’t consume calories for about a day at a time, 1-2 times per week, in order to lose one or two pounds per week.   For weight maintenance, fast every 6-8 days.  He contends that as long as you are engaged in a strength training program at least 3 days per week, you will not lose muscle from fasting in this way.  If you are interested in more details or the science behind his program, please refer to his Eat Stop Eat manual.  Consult your physician before beginning any diet or exercise program.

I became interested in this type of weight management after following Julie’s fast recently on twitter. Julie seemed to manage well, without being particularly uncomfortable.  After we discussed it a bit more,  I decided to give it a try.   In fact, I decided just a day or so before I started the fast.  That’s just one thing this program has going for it.  It is so simple that very little  pre-planning is necessary.

Since my teenage years, I have struggled with a moderate case of hypoglycemia.  Because of it, I have a difficult time eating at a deficit on a day to day basis.  Higher protein and lower carb food combinations are what I typically rely on to keep my blood sugar in balance, but sometimes it  is unpredictable. 

I was a bit concerned about how my blood sugar would react during the fast.  Typically, if I do have an episode of low blood sugar, it occurs in the morning.  So I chose to start my fast after breakfast.  That way I would still be full during the time of day that I’d be most at risk for a low blood sugar attack.  Also I’d be able to break the fast during the same hour the next day.

My fast began on Wednesday at 9:00 am.  At first, of course, it feels no different from any other day.  I happened to be out running errands that morning, and stopped to buy a large bottle of water to drink around 11:00 am.  I think that helped me forget that my usual lunch time was about to be overlooked.

I arrived back home at around 1pm, and at that point it was later than I usually would eat lunch, so I didn’t feel the need to go to the kitchen out of habit.  But I was pretty hungry, and had a headache by then.  This was probably the worst point in the day for hunger for me.  However, hot tea and the distraction of chores in the house and friends to complain to on twitter kept me from focusing on the hunger too much.

Over the next several hours my energy level really dropped.  I wanted to sit still and do as little as possible.  I tried to avoid being too much of a couch potato, but it is what felt right, and my main goal was to get through the 24 hours without breaking the fast.

I relied on more hot tea, which by the way was decaf, with Splenda added.  I normally use a bit of half & half in my tea but did not include it in the tea yesterday.  Brad Pilon suggests that artificial sweeteners can be used at your discretion, and that any cream or sugar are to be avoided.  Caffeine would have been OK by the book, but I elected to go for decaf because 1) I didn’t want the dehydrating effects of caffeine and 2)caffeine can trigger an episode of hypoglycemia for me.  Unfortunately, I think I suffered a bit of caffeine withdrawal, which contributed to the headache, but it wasn’t intolerable.

By dinner time I was finding that I felt completely unmotivated to do anything besides sit.  Making dinner for the family was completely out, on several levels!  So my husband offered to take the kids out to eat.  I considered staying home, but decided to go with them.  I could just as easily sit with them, as sit at home.  Since they went to a fast food place (boo, I know!)  I wasn’t enticed by the food at all.  I sat with them and chewed gum while they ate. 

I drank a glass of water when we got home but it was cold and I got chilled from it.  So I went back to the hot tea.  I’m a tea lover anyway (coffee gives me heartburn!) The tea gave me the usual “comfort” feeling and helped me feel full.  I think hot tea was important to my success in getting through the day.

By early evening I knew I’d be able to reach my goal.  I wasn’t hungry and I’d made it through all the main meals that I’d have to avoid.  I was feeling tired and very out of it, like my brain was foggy.  But at that time of day I normally feel pretty tired and somewhat out of it anyway!  I had worried that I wouldn’t sleep well from my stomach growling but friends on twitter suggested that they had slept well during a fast.  That turned out to be my experience too.

I woke up today excited that I’d nearly made it, and feeling rested and generally very good.  Some people claim they experience a higher level of alertness or greater creativity during a fast,  and although I didn’t get that benefit, I also never felt bad either. 

I broke the fast at 9:00am, 24 hours after starting it, with celery stuffed with peanut butter.  It tasted good, but not out-of-this-world good.  I was glad to eat and  felt I had more energy almost immediately.  But I had never felt crazy hungry, and at that point I didn’t feel that relieved either.  Thankfully, I never had any problems with my blood sugar during the fast.  I chose not to work out during the 24 hours, because I suspected that doing so would trigger an attack.  Next time I might try it and see, though.

I would definitely do this again.  For me, it could be a great answer to weight management and/or weight loss.  However, I would do a few things differently next time.

• I’d more carefully plan what I would eat to break the fast, although the celery and peanut butter worked out well.
• I’d have a bit more caffeine with my last meal if  it were breakfast, as I think caffeine withdrawal may have triggered a headache.
• I’d carry a bottle of water with me wherever I went and consciously drink as much as possible early in the fast.  I felt cold and unwilling to drink plain water toward the middle and end of the fast.
• I’d plan to have fewer things that needed to be done during the middle of the fast, in case I felt out of it again.
• I’d prepare my family’s food ahead, so they wouldn’t have to eat out and I wouldn’t have to cook when hungry.

All in all the fast was a positive experience.  I felt like I accomplished a lot in a day.  I still need to do more evaluation with respect the effects this may have on my strength gains.  But I feel pretty certain that  intermittent fasting will be  an element I incorporate into my lifestyle.

Please note that these comments are all based on my personal experiences and should not be considered recommendations for anyone else.

The day after the fast has been almost as interesting for me, as the experience of beginning to eat again hasn’t been exactly as I expected.  Tomorrow’s post will cover that!