Lazytea Times

Yes you read the title correctly, Intermittent Eating. Most people call it intermittent fasting these days. The mere word fasting illicit a fear response in most people. Fasting is for aesthetics or yogis, right? Fasting or going without food is a sign of poverty, compliance, deprivation, austerity, suffering. It challenges everything we have ever thought about food & economics. Yet, fasting is very natural for people and most animals. Cats don’t fast 😉  After several years of this practice, I decided it should be called Intermittent Eating since the eating window is 8 hours but the “fasting” window is 16 hours. One thing I wish I had known when I started this lifestyle is that the eating is the most important part. Focusing on the fasting didn’t work so well for me. But, I’m getting ahead of myself.

In 2016, I was sick. Weighed over 310 pounds, hurt constantly from arthritis, blood sugars were out of control on Insulin and other medications, and I was depressed. My youngest daughter turned 16 and I decided to take my own health into hand for the umpteenth time in my life. In 2010, I lost quite a bit of weight with the HCG diet. I’m not sure the HCG supplement did all that much for me; but, the restricted diet got the weight off and the allergens out of my system quickly. I’d also been Paleo for several years in the late 00’s which was great; but, a bit on the expensive and complicated. Being ADHD, it’s easy for me to hyper focus and be controlling. My doctors were useless. There was one Integrative Medicine doctor who managed to get me allergy testing and off of a lot of useless medications; but, most just insulted and ignored me. One particularly obnoxious doctor suggested that I stop drinking soda and eating potato chips. Really? I hadn’t had a soda or potato chip for 20 years at that point. I was angry and for me angry is motivational.

So 2016 – I decided to go Keto. True to my nature I went full steam ahead. Got off almost all my medication & Insulin. Because this was my decision, I didn’t feel deprived and wasn’t prone to cheating.  So, here is what I learned from my 2 years of Keto and 120 lbs of weight loss.

• Keto is not just what you eat or don’t eat. It’s what you smell, touch, and even hear. The name of the game is really insulin control which is much more than macros or Bullet Proof coffee
• When you eat what is still important
• My body does not handle variations in fat intake well at all. 
• Fiber is more important than you realize. Be sure to get lots of veggies even if they have a carb count
• Not everything marked Keto is truly Keto. 
• You need to decide what Keto is for you and what your goals are. 
• Keto as a complete lifestyle option isn’t sustainable for me. (I really, really, really love buttered toast!)
• Strict Keto will limit everything in your life and cheating or being lenient at all will cost you at least a day of feeling like crap

Even with the weight loss and newly gained Insulin control, I am still Diabetic. Yeah, I felt a lot better, had more energy, carried myself with more confidence, and had a renewed feeling of control over my life. Pain eased and I was able to do more things. I stayed low carb of course; but, gradually, I added in foods that I really missed and helped to stabilize my intestinal situation.

About this time Dr. Jason Fung became popular with is Intermittent Fasting system. His detailed explanation of Insulin control just makes sense. I have gradually transitioned to his system. But, again, the ADHD reared it’s head and I was fasting longer and longer because I zoned out eating until it was too late. Or, I couldn’t decide what to eat. Or, if fasting is the goal isn’t it better to just keep fasting as long as you can?  Yeah – nope! Your body needs food. Even if you are fat. When you fast matters as does the pact you have with your body to fast at times and eat at other times. 

Beth Manos Brickey Has a very balanced approach to Keto, healthy eating, and fasting.She focuses on gut health bringing light to the fact that what you eat doesn’t matter quite as much as how your body uses what you eat. If you like podcasts check out her Between Meals Podcast!

Her balanced approach started me reevaluating my relationship with food. I practice Qigong daily. It really helps me focus and deal with stress. Our Master advocates occasionally fasting for better focus and detoxification. He speaks about how it’s best to tell your body how long you will be fasting and then stick to that. Randomly extending a fast is not recommended. This got me to thinking bout my relationship between my body, ADHD, and food. How many times have I been guilty of extending a fast when intentionally or as a matter of poor planning? In Qigong we observe 5 element theory so when we eat food during the day is important. Your best fasting hours are between 6pm at night and 10 am in the morning. This isn’t far off the recommended 8-12. And, I don’t have a problem with how long to fast; but, eating before 6 at night seems to be very difficult. It’s still a long term goal to get my fasting schedule more in line with the TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) recommendations. Foods are best eaten within their season or time of day. Avoiding ginger after 5 at night or eating greens during the Springtime for example.

Then, it dawned on me that the focus is not on fasting. The focus is on eating. What, when, where, how you eat is what nurtures your body and soul. I have been on Intermittent Eating for a couple years now. No weight gain or changes in my diabetes so far. Sure I could be better; but, this is balanced. And, coming from this perspective leaves me much less stressed or feeling guilty. I allow myself the occasional coveted slice of buttered toast too. I no longer eat any foods I don’t like just because they are healthy. I don’t worry about variety as long as I’m feeling good. I think listening to my body is the best thing I’ve learned from all this.

Occasionally, I fast for multiple days without any eating break. This helps reset my system and calm down any issues from “transgressions” or illness. I no longer life in fear of gastric upset or illness from eating something out of the Keto range. After 50 years of dieting and watching my weight, I feel I have arrived at a very good place. Though it’s not easy. I need to plan to eat and make sure I actually stop during the eating hours to fix nutritious food and EAT it! I’m never hungry. Sometimes, I do want a certain food; but, it’s fine for me to fix that during my eating hours. I don’t snack nor do I worry about 3 meals a day. My Diabetes seems perfectly happy with this. Insulin control is great except when I smell sweets or the neighbor’s BBQ sauce. LOL. I need to balance protein with vegetables; but, I can have rice or potatoes within reason.

Dr Hon Lee says that the problem with most every diet is that they are attached to negative emotions. Negative emotions in TCM (Traditional Chinese Medicine) cause blockages which eventually can cause negative health issues like Diabetes and Obesity. For me Intermittent Eating carries a lot fewer negative emotions and perceptions than Intermittent Fasting. Wish I had known this a few years ago. Just felt I needed to share.