You probably have heard of the term Intermittent Fasting or IF as it’s commonly referred to. Is it just the next diet craze? What makes it different than any other “program” ? I set out to find these answers for myself after hearing about how is has positively affected blood sugar control and stubborn fat loss. 

My Results:

In the 3 weeks I have lost 4.5 true pounds, and I feel extreme relief from the GI bloating that has been a part of my life for the past 6 years. 

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As a type one diabetic and postpartum mama, I am intrigued by both the claims of better blood sugar regulation and helping to access those stubborn fat stores. I did some online research, consulted with my brilliant holistic nutritionist friend Madeline Given and talked to my Endocrinologist ( aka Diabetes doctor).  My doctor gave me the go ahead and was actually very curious as to what my results would be – she doesn’t typically deal in nutritional therapy ( typical western medicine ) to treat the chronic disease of Type One Diabetes, but she was optimistic and wanted to track my results.

I have been struggling recently to maintain good blood sugar control due to the craziness of having two small children, 3 side hustles, and a corporate part time job. Whew, that makes me tired just typing it. BUT I love all of these things and I need to figure out a new normal for how to manage my own personal health and still be working towards achieving all my entrepreneurial dreams. 

I am currently 3 weeks in to IF I have had a few days where my blood sugar has dropped low in the early morning hours so that I had to break my fast to eat a snack, but other than that I have been consistently sticking to the eating window of 12:30pm – 8:30pm.

So here’s what my typical day of Intermittent Fasting looks like:

8 am: wake up, make black coffee and add 20grams of Vital Proteins Collagen Peptides  – I use the unflavored kind. It is magic and you can’t taste a thing. Over the past 2 weeks I have also started eating 1 inch section of peeled raw tumeric root most mornings. I have noticed my gut feels even more soothed. 

9:45am: I’m back home from pre-school drop off. I fit in a 15-25 minute HIIT Yoga Workout every other day. I drink water with lemon. Sometimes kombucha if my blood sugar is running a bit low, and usually I’m still sipping on that coffee. ( I keep it in my Yeti so it stays nice and hot!)

Start Eating Window

12:30 pm : Eat my first meal of the day. Some typical things I eat are Organic Chicken Sausages.  ( I like Applegate Farms or Trader Joes Brands) Scrambled Eggs with Trader Joes Everything But The Bagel seasoning. Avocado toast on sprouted spelt flour bread from my local Dekalb Farmers Market. ( Trader Joes and Ezekiel brand make great sprouted grain breads too) On my avo toast I usually do 1 avocado, lime juice, crushed red pepper flakes, Himalayan pink salt and a handful of radish sprouts on top! ( A Gordon Ramsay recipe) SOOO Good.  When I am on the go, then I love the Perfect Bars. I eat the peanut butter ones ( an Costco sells them for the best price! ) 

5:30 pm : Start cooking dinner for kids, usually I will have a little smidge to eat here too. 

6:30pm : Eat dinner! I usually make chicken sausages, or ground beef with various seasonings. Then I will add on a veggie or two and a starch on my high carb days. On the no/low carb days I will do extra veggie cooked in avocado oil or add guac or something to bump up the calories. 

8:30pm : Last call. 🙂 If I am still hungry at all I will have a quick snack since I wont be eating till 12:30pm the next day. Usually that looks like a giant spoonful of Organic No sugar added Valencia peanut butter. I get mine from either Costco or Trader Joes. Sometimes I’ll have carrots and hummus, but usually a big heaping spoonful of peanut butter both hits the sweet spot and fills me up! 

THERE’S A BIG CAVEAT THOUGH

That’s pretty much what I’ve been doing, however – I do still have a glass of wine each night – two sometimes three on the weekends. 🙂 I know that if I cut out wine I’d probably have lost more pounds or inches… but sometimes things aren’t worth it.  I’d like to keep my wine and my once a week pizza dinners – it’s called balance right? 

BUT HERE’s A HUGE CAVEAT –> Intermittent Fasting is not for everyone. It is NOT for Breastfeeding Mothers, Postpartum Mothers ( one year or less due to the depletion of nutrients in your body because you just made a human!) Find articles on postpartum depletion HERE , HERE and HERE

OR anyone who is trying to get pregnant. Also, I read a really great article about using IF as a long term eating pattern and how to do it in a sustainable way that will not cause and endocrine upset or mess with your natural monthly hormonal cycles.  Dr.  Courtney Kahla has great insight a resources about that. You can find her here.

Want to know more about the Science behind Intermittent Fasting and why it works? 

Go check out Amanda Tress and her FASTer way to Fatloss website. She has a lot of good information, but remember it is not for everyone! Please consult with a nutritionist or doctor before beginning this or any kind of limiting diet or way of eating.