A Plus Attitudes

Day 2 of Week 1 Intermittent Fasting

It is only by coincidence that I started my fasting journey during Lent. But fasting is practiced in many religions.

Anyone who grew up Catholic is familiar with the idea of fasting during Lent. Lent isn’t just a time for fasting, but it is also a time for making sacrifices(giving up something you really like, ie chocolate) or no meat Fridays, hence the yummy fried fish sandwiches and fries. It is also a time to do some soul searching and work toward self-improvement. When we fast, we experience discomfort.

That discomfort can be hunger, fatigue, possibly headaches and withdrawal from the things our body has gotten used to having and is desperately craving. As we push through this period of discomfort, we learn more about ourselves and what we are capable of handling. Do we give up and give into the cravings, or do we find ways to push through knowing that in the end we are all the better for it?

We learn that food doesn’t control us, but we control what we eat. We learn that instant gratification, as rewarding as we think it might be, isn’t nearly as rewarding as the delay and then the reward that follows.

We might even learn how much better we feel when our stomachs aren’t always full. Our bodies function more efficiently with less food and overall we feel better.

Weeks I -2: un-process your diet recap

• Eliminate all sugars
• Eliminate all processed food and refined carbs
• Eat mostly whole foods with emphasis on whole plants
• Randomly skip meals. If you are not hungry, don’t eat
• Drink lots of water

That’s it! Bye, bye sugar and processed foods, hello whole foods, skip meals when you are not hungry, and hydrate with no calories beverages, i.e. water, tea, or coffee.

My Day 2 of week 1

Exercise

4.5 miles walked

Breakfast – skipped

I woke up and was not feeling hungry, so I skipped breakfast and had a black cup of coffee and several glasses of water. 

Lunch 1 pm

Cantonese – egg omelet

My sister-in-law is Chinese. She made this for me awhile ago and I remember really liking it. I know I didn’t get it right, but it still ended up tasting really good!

• 2 organic eggs
• 1 T water
• shredded carrots(1 large or 5 baby)
• 1-2 T chopped fresh ginger (skin removed)
• salt to taste

In a bowl whip the eggs and water with a fork.
Add in the the shredded carrots, chopped ginger, salt. Whip the ingredients again so that they are evenly mixed in.

Heat up a non-stick frying pan with about a tablespoon of olive oil, or just enough to coat the bottom of the pan. Then pour the egg mixture into the heated pan and cover it evenly with the egg mixture. Reduce the heat to about medium so the omelet doesn’t burn. Let it cook for a minute or two and flip the egg mixture to cook the other side and throughout.

I was amazed at how tasty this was. I think because I was so hungry. I’m only day two in my fasting journey and already food is bursting with flavor.

No food in between, just plain tea and water

Dinner 6:30 pm

Large green mixed salad with curry tofu, dressed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar glaze.

Bed by 10 pm

The hardest part of the day is between meals

The hardest part for me is the not snacking in between. That’s one benefit to fasting…it makes you more aware of your auto pilot, bad habits. So, I kept sipping on water, tea and leftover black coffee and made it through the day.

How I felt by the end of the day

By the end of the day I felt pretty good. I didn’t snack after dinner and didn’t really feel hungry or anxious. I also managed to make it through the day without having a headache (I think the coffee helped)