Wellbeing 7: Flowing through 50 - skipping lunch

Context

This week, especially off the back of Thanksgiving where I put on an impressive 4lbs in 24 hours, it’s about time restriction on eating! I’ll try this for the next month leading up to the holidays and see to what extent it makes a difference. Specially, I’m planning on skipping two lunches / week. The concept which would be labeled under the "time restriction" component of my framework, under “intermittent fasting” is hardly new. However, it’s new for me.

The theory is it takes us about 4 hours to metabolize our food (a bit different for each of us) so missing a meal trains our bodies to fuel from fat. Once you get through the two-or-so hour craving to eat, you don’t feel you need to, as your body starts naturally fueling itself. In doing so, you burn calories from fat, lower calorie intake and thus help create a calorie deficit which is one key tactic for effective weight loss and weight management.

What

By skipping lunch two days / week it means I don’t eat fully after breakfast, until dinner. I eat breakfast around 7/7:30am usually and lunch would generally be 12/12:30pm, with dinner 6/6:30pm (on the nights we are able to eat before putting the kids to bed). So, on these two days I’m effectively extending the full meal window from 5 to 11 hours, albeit I do allow myself an afternoon snack. The afternoon snack is something healthy like a protein bar and it’s usually because I’ll get a workout in after work and before dinner, so that just gives me a little boost before that. A full version of intermittent fasting would include no material calorie consumption during g the window, but as with all these habits, we have to do what works best for us with other factors considered.

Why

This tactic has been one I’ve never tried before and thus represents an opportunity for a new challenge and to see what impact it may have in combination with the other habits I’m implementing, over time. I know generally I consume too many calories on a daily basis, so this is one way to short circuit that and perhaps something I may choose to do more frequently or for longer periods of time. Luckily, I’m in decent shape as I workout regularly and my metabolism operates efficiently (in part from that consistent workout routine which I’ve had for 30+ years now). However, lowering calories via intermittent fasting is a test (as any new habit is), that I’m keen to practice.

I’m picking lunch time as I can synch my two days up with being in the office. These two days are easier for me as I’ll generally workout afterwards, rather than at lunchtime when I’m working from home. The office also puts on snacks at 2pm so when I’m at that lunchtime craving time, I know I’m only holding out for another couple of hours.

How

I do a few things to support this habit:

Firstly, I make sure to have a decent breakfast on these days- which would include a protein shake / smoothie with a banana, ice, protein powder, coconut water and a daily vitamin supplement (I use Athletic Greens). I’ll have this alongside either a low fat (2%) Greek yogurt, or ‘healthy’ pancakes made with Kodiak mix, eggs and milk, which I’ll share with the kiddos. Sometimes, I'll have a couple of eggs and ham on a slice of toast. The point is, it's enough to fill me up and get me started.

Secondly, I know in advance which these 'no lunch' days are going to be each week. If I’m not in the office for any reason (work travel / home commitments) I pick another day in advance, to prepare accordingly.

Thirdly, on the days themselves, instead of lunch I take a short walk around Boulder to clear my head and come back to my desk. I sometimes write as I walk. I'm essentially distracting myself with a low energy mental task, which takes my mind of wanting to eat. I then have a small (200 calorie-ish) snack around 2pm, before working out around 4:30pm.

There are many versions of intermittent fasting, of course many that are far more stringent than mine and require significantly more discipline. The point is to challenge yourself and pick something you can succeed at. Then, you enjoy the benefits and still have the choice to build upon it. As I’m picking so many habits (75 over 75 weeks), they each represent micro changes, not wholesale lifestyle transformation! Still, the culminating outcome of having been able to maintain most of these habits in a step by step way, is my approach to Flow through 50. It may not be transformational but it should last!

What are you doing in terms of time restriction, if anything? If not, what would you consider to be worth a shot?

#Purpose #Wellbeing #Nutrition #Flowingthrough50