From Weight Watchers to Intermittent Fasting

Thanks, Weight Watchers - but I'm trying something new.

I've been a member of Weight Watchers, with a few gaps, since 1998, over 12 years now. I believe that the program offers a good, sustainable model for weight loss and maintenance, and the group support component I find vital. They keep up with their research. They evolve and adapt the program as new research sheds light on nutrition chemistry and effects.

But. But the best I've been able to do with the program is SLOW my weight gain, or keep it at a standstill. I get hungry, and I cheat. I get resentful of the hard work required to monitor my intake. I resent not being able to eat what I want. I go on vacation and gain.

I am simply unable to follow the diet to the letter all the time - and so I have limited success. This seems fair; I can clearly see that if I would just follow the diet the way it's laid out, I would get to a healthy weight and could maintain it. When I am focused enough to follow the diet, I become somewhat obsessive about what I can and can't have. I think about food all the time. I am always aware of what is available to eat. When I get a moment alone, the urge to eat while I have an unsupervised opportunity becomes strong. When I'm under stress, I easily rationalize an extra treat, a relaxing of the regime.

My Fasting History

Way back in 1977, my overweight Mom went on a popular "liquid protein fast" and lost a bunch of weight quickly. I was 17, about to leave for college, about 40 pounds overweight, so I went on it too.

The liquid protein was incredibly nasty, but the diet itself was remarkably easy to follow. The first day or so brought hunger and crankiness, but past that point, I felt energetic, empowered, and "bulletproof" to temptation. I quickly dropped the 40 extra pounds. I looked and felt strong, great. I went off the fast after 6 weeks, weighing 120 pounds, feeling fantastic.

A few years later, the liquid protein diet was discredited, and research came out that it actually damaged the heart in some people, that after a certain starvation point, the body actually begins digesting muscle instead of fat, including the heart muscle. I counted myself lucky, feeling that Mom and I had dodged a bullet.

The Slow Regain

I slowly became overweight again, and gained more and more over time. With the help of Weight Watchers, I was able to limit the gain, with periodic dips down. The best I could manage with Weight Watchers is to stay below the 200 pound mark - still way too heavy for a 5'4" woman.

My Brother's Fasting Experiment

My older brother Tommy called me in June to report he was trying an intermittent fasting regime. This raised a red flag for me. He has had bypass surgery, so a fast "eating his heart muscle" definitely sounded dangerous. I couldn't imagine it would be healthy for him.

"It's simple, and seems safe. I feel great. I'm not starving, either - I eat whatever I want, every other day. I've read up on it, and the research suggests that it's simply an easier way to achieve calorie restriction," he said.

I promised to read up on it, starting with Wikipedia's Intermittent Fasting entry, moving to the Fasting entry, and then reading the medical literature. Instead of being unhealthy, this regime appears to:

• Prolong life
• Reduce bad cholesterol
• Improve insulin response
• Increase heart health
• Reduce cancer risk

The researchers are guessing that the benefits are due to calorie restriction. Calorie restriction is what Weight Watchers achieves, when I can follow the diet - but I am unable to follow the diet.

Why Does Intermittent Fasting Work?

I don't REALLY know - I'm not a doctor, so I recommend you talk to your own doctor and do your own research. I can tell you what I think, though. The key is calorie restriction. If you eat, like I probably do, about 110-120% of the calories needed to sustain my healthy body weight every day, that's a track to slow gaining.

I'm reducing my caloric intake by severely restricting calories every other day. Not to zero, but close to it. I am reducing my daily caloric average to an amount that equals weight loss.

There have been scientific studies of intermittent fasting in both mice and humans, and the results are pointing to the same benefits my brother has experienced, and that I seem on track to realize.

It's SO EASY

So I decided to try the diet myself, starting in July of this year. I ate what I wanted for dinner, went to bed, and then the next day, had only water and noncaloric beverages (tea, diet soda, etc.). I got a little cranky from 8-10 pm, felt hungry, went to bed. The next day, I woke up and had a delicious omelette and some toast.

I can do this!

It's been smooth sailing since July 1. I've eaten every other day, I'm averaging about a pound a week weight loss. It's easy for me to do. Unlike a limited-menu diet, I don't feel deprived at all. Whatever I want to have, I can have - either now, or tomorrow. It's very binary that way. No long list of foods that are allowed. No measuring, portion control. Just a very simple equaton:

I can eat this now OR I can eat this tomorrow. Period.

Hunger Is Not Fatal

My biggest fear wasn't damaging my health, actually. My biggest fear was HUNGER. I suffer on Weight Watchers and other restrictive diets. I long for forbidden foods. I have to dig deep into my stores of willpower, which always seem inadequate. I feared yet another disappointment and I feared failure.

But it turns out I can do anything for a DAY. I already knew this from the many, many times I'd "rebooted" my Weight Watchers efforts. After falling off the wagon, I would rededicate myself, buy the diet foods, attend the meetings, journal, track - stay focused. For a day, sometimes a week.

So fasting for a day is actually CAKE. I get hungry - but here's the thing. Hunger isn't fatal, and it's very temporary; it comes in waves, and then it goes away again.

Turns out I'm actually quite familiar with coping with hunger. But the difference now is, there is a definite end to it. I feel the hunger, run my hands over my more slender body, and know that I can satisfy the hunger TOMORROW. I smile, and I wait. Sometimes I make tea. And the hunger always abates.

I also feared, on embarking on the diet, that I would "make up for" the fasting days by going crazy and bingeing on the "eat days." Although I've treated myself to some unhealthy choices like ice cream, sausage, and butter, I estimate on my "worst" days I'm peaking at about 130% of my body's caloric needs. And the urge to really go crazy just hasn't been an issue.

It's SO NICE not to worry and obsess about what I want to eat, what I plan to eat, what I should eat. Such a VERY nice change.

The Most Surprising Thing About Intermittent Fasting

The obsessive/compulsive allure of food is simply GONE. I don't feel compelled to sneak food. I don't dream about what I can and can't have. I don't have an urge to drive through and get a Starbucks or other fast food. All that has simply gone away.

I am a fan of Caroline Myss, and in her Self Esteem CD set, she talks about earning your own own self respect by keeping your word to yourself. The years and years of failed dieting definitely eroded by self-respect; I obviously was a weak-willed individual who couldn't manage my own eating. Having overeating as a coping mechanism/weakness ensures that everyone else can SEE what your strategy is.

But this fasting thing is doable for me. I feel empowered, in control. Proud of my ability to do it.

I'm still a member of Weight Watchers through the end of this month. I went in 3 weeks ago just to weigh, as I'd gotten rid of our household scale. The scale validated my 1 to 1 1/2 pound a week weight loss rate. I haven't been back. It's not about the weight anymore. I feel so good!

Side Effects

There are both positive and negative side effects.

Negative Side Effects to Intermittent Fasting

1. Crankiness due to hunger, which peaks between 8-10 pm.
2. Occasional weakness and lightheadedness. I believe this is due to low blood sugar, and have been considering drinking a little watered-down juice or other low-calorie liquid to help stabilize this.

Positive Side Effects to Intermittent Fasting

1. Much higher overall energy level. I noticed this on the protein fast, as well. I believe that digestion is an energy-intensive process, and I'm freeing up this energy every other day.
2. More free time.
3. Food obsession gone, along with the feeling of deprivation.
4. Weight loss - like I said above, about a pound to a pound and a half a week. The same rate Weight Watchers recommends.

Next steps

As long as I feel this good, and this much in control, I'm going to keep doing this. I haven't had high blood pressure or high cholesterol, but I want to go to the doctor and compare to my pre-diet baseline.

I want to focus on eating healthier choices - something I nag my healthy-weight husband and son to do. Whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables - I believe these are better for my body. Unprocessed or minimally processed foods. I can improve there.

I'd love to hear your tips on how to cope with the cranky evening hunger. My brother treats it as an opportunity to listen to his body and learn, in an almost meditative fashion. I'm allowing myself diet cocoa to take the edge off, and I'm tempted to try watered-down juice.

I'll keep a watch on my big brother, too.

Tell Me About Your Fasting Experiences!

I know there are other types of fasting regimes that may work as well or better. Tell me about your experiences with them. I'd very much like to compare notes with other fasters.

• What works for you?
• How are you doing, feeling, progressing?
• What does a "maintenance plan" look like for you? I have in mind to increase the eating days to 2 out of 3, when I reach a healthy weight I want to maintain.
• Do you fast in a different pattern than every other day?
• What books or other resources do you know about?
• What's the relationship between fasting and exercise? Tips?

 

Comments

[Andrea Chopra]

I never tried fasting before, even for religious reasons, hehe. I'm more into healthy diets. But if it works for you, then you should continue it. Different people have different needs. But remember to consult your doctor to know if what you're doing is good for you.