‘This Is Exactly What My Daily Schedule Looked Like When I Tried Intermittent Fasting for Two Weeks'

Leah Groth
·4 min read

Back in 2019, intermittent fasting was the buzziest term in the wellness world. Everyone was doing it—Kourtney Kardashian, Halle Berry and Jennifer Aniston included—with claims that it helped with everything from reducing inflammation to aiding in weight loss. For whatever reason, the term itself sounds, well, incredibly restrictive and intense. However, it really isn’t, and I can say that from experience.

First of all, understand that there isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to intermittent fasting. The term is used to describe time-restricted eating in general and doesn’t require starving yourself until you are weak. In fact, one of the popular methods, the 16/8, involves fasting for 16 hours and eating during an 8-hour window. So, for example, you could eat between the hours of noon and 8 p.m., or 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

More extreme methods include the 5:2 (eating for five days and fasting for two) and alternate-day fasting (eating nothing or next to nothing one day and feasting the next)—both incredibly unsustainable for my lifestyle.

However, I recently decided to try the 16/8 method of intermittent fasting and it was game-changing.

My 16/8 Intermittent Fasting Experience

Because I'm not a big breakfast person, I started eating around lunchtime, only drinking black coffee and water during the fasting time, and eating my final meal by 8 p.m.

Throughout the first few days, I found it hard to hold out until noon (probably because I was thinking about it so much). However, by day four, it was routine.

I assumed I would be starving when I woke up in the morning, but surprisingly, I wasn’t. By lunchtime, I was ready to eat. However, it wasn’t the sort of ravenous, binging-style hunger you would expect. In fact, I was craving protein, veggies and nourishing carbohydrates more than anything. During the eight-hour window, I consumed two larger meals with a healthy snack or smoothie in between. Some people like to follow the traditional breakfast, lunch and dinner schedule, but I didn’t feel the need for that.

Related: Try These 21 Expert Intermittent Fasting Tips

After a few days, I was surprised by how much energy I had, even during the fasting window. I woke up clear-headed and less brain foggy than usual, and was able to hyper-focus on work. I did a little research and discovered that this wasn’t just my imagination, with studies finding that fasting for more extended periods (17 to 18 hours a day) improved fatigue for some people. I also exercised during the fasting period—usually in the morning or after dinner. I never felt weak or tired. In fact, it was quite the opposite—I felt fueled up for fitness.

My sleep seemed to improve as well, which isn’t that surprising. A 2020 study found a correlation between eating within three hours of bedtime and a 40 percent increase in the odds of nocturnal awakening.

Related: Is Intermittent Fasting Bad For Women?

By the second week, eating during the eight-hour window didn’t feel like I was following any sort of diet—instead, it more closely resembled a lifestyle choice. I was more conscious about what I was eating and when I was eating, sure, but it didn’t necessarily feel like a restriction.

By the end of week two, I lost four pounds. I don’t necessarily chalk this up to intermittent fasting alone, but also to how the process forced me to think about nutrition in a different way: I was using food to fuel my body not only in the short term, but also into the fasting period.

Honest Thoughts About Intermittent Fasting for Two Weeks

Over my 43 years, I have tried numerous fad diets (most of them unsuccessful). I find that the more restrictive a diet is, the harder it is to follow. However, intermittent fasting is less of a diet and more of a lifestyle—it restricts when you eat, not what you eat.

After I was done with my two-week intermittent fasting challenge, I incorporated the general schedule into my lifestyle. While I don’t follow it exactly, every single day of my life, I do try to limit my feasting periods and stick to the principles as closely as I can. I find that when I do, I am more conscious not only of when I am eating but also of what I am putting into my body.

However, intermittent fasting might not be for everyone, especially anyone who has a history of disordered eating, and certainly not for women who are pregnant or breastfeeding. If you do try it, make sure you are consuming enough calories—starvation is not the end goal.

Next Up: Are the Results of Intermittent Fasting as Life-Changing as They Seem?

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