Weight: 226.4 (-4.8)
Fat: 34.6% (-4.7%)
Meals: Not available
Exercise: Cardio (Treadmill 28:00 WL4 - 311 calories, 1.89 miles)
Pictures: Front/Side/Back

Today's Update

Still up at 226. Still not concerned. Would love to see lower numbers, but they'll come eventually.

Moving to an average speed of 4.5 (up from 4.0) felt pretty good. I was afraid that the ratio of jogging to walking would be difficult to adjust to, but overall it was a good workout, if noticably shorter. I'm actually looking forward to going even faster. In fact, I've been contemplating setting a goal of running 3 miles in 21 minutes (a goal that was well out of reach in high school) which means running at an average speed of 8.6 miles per hour, so I cranked the treadmill up to see what that felt like. I'm sure 21 minutes of that would be a killer, but stretching out my pace and really pumping my legs felt good. I'm not going to push it too hard, I've got plenty of time to work up to it, but I'm anxious to find my limits and push them a bit.

Leaving my running progress aside, let's finish up with intermittent fasting...

Problems

Intermittent Fasting isn't a panacea like some folks make it out to be. Most of the research thus far has been on animals, and frequently focused on the extension of life (longevity research has long recognized that long-term calorie restriction can extend life, and early research into IF suggests that it may have the same benefits while being easier to implement). Many of the studies have been flawed, with small sample sizes and in some cases not having any control group. There are on which to base many of the claims being made, and there are examples of people who failed to achieve any results while sticking to a particular plan.

Obviously, it's possible to overcompensate for these periods of fasting by eating too much. Fasting every day does nothing if you eat triple your normal calorie count on your eating days. Although obsessing about food or calorie counting is not necessary, nutrition and balance is still important to your health. Using IF to engage in bad or worse eating habits is not going to prove beneficial in the long term.

Of course diabetics and those who have bad experiences with eating disorders may have additional problems with this kind of plan. I don't know enough about either to suggest alternatives or workarounds. Do your own research, consult your doctor, etc. Additionally, eating habits are very individual. Some people respond very well to eating six small meals a day. Other people find that simply restricting their calories is enough to help them lose weight. Forcing yourself to conform to a pattern that doesn't feel right is likely to result in a rejection of the pattern.

Personal Plan

Having read contrary opinions, knowing the research is incomplete, and accepting that it's not a substitute for nutrition and exercise, I still believe that intermittent fasting has a strong potential to help me achieve my goals. Out of all the plans, the 24 hour fasting approach is the most appealing to me, with 2 days a week that I choose to fast. It has the most flexibility in my opinion; I pick two, 24 hour periods a week in which I don't have to worry about food. I can focus on work and personal projects, entertainment, as well as just spending time with my friends and family. I haven't chosen an exact time yet, but I'll probably set it so that I can enjoy a filling lunch one day and follow it up with a big dinner the following day. There's some adjustment necessary, but I find it easy to absorb myself in things and miss meals already, so I'm not overly concerned.

I find the idea of skipping meals for a 24 hour fast to be much easier than obsessing over eating six, small meals a day. I like that I have the flexibility to eat what I want, when I want I can still go out to dinner with my loved one(s) and friends without worrying about what I'll eat. I can also choose to add more nutrition and focus on macronutrients in the future, while continuing to enjoy eating as I always have today. Flexibility is definitely a huge plus to these 24 hour fasts.

Easy is a relative to each person, but I suspect this eating plan will be easy for me to adjust to. In the past I've frequently forgotten to eat or missed meals because I was so absorbed in something. Additionally, I suspect most people find it easier to engage their willpower for short periods of time than to live in a constant state of denial. In other words, "I can make it a few more hours until bed time" or "I can make it a few more hours until dinner", knowing that a big meal is not too far away, as opposed to a constant state of hunger or desire to indulge whatever cravings you might have. Delayed gratification vs long-term denial.

Obviously a fast is going to necessarily involve hunger, which runs counter to the ideal of "Filling". And although I've read that the body adjusts to these periods of fasting pretty quickly, I suspect that I'm still going to go through periods where I miss that full feeling. But as I said above, I can fill up tomorrow or even later that day. I get to experience that full feeling more often with IF than I would through ordinary calorie restriction.

And finally, when it comes to satisfying, I do get to eat what I want, in quantities that I want, when I want. If I have a craving I can indulge it without feeling terrible for violating my diet. If I want to enjoy going out to eat I can still do that. I may need to make changes to my eating habits, but I can still enjoy food as I do it. This is very important to me and almost as appealing as the flexibility.

The Plan

Now to put the plan into effect. I don't think weekends are a good time to fast because I'm far more likely to be social on those days. My initial thought is starting the first fast on Monday after lunch, say 4-5 pm. The second fast on Thursday allows me to enjoy my weekly company lunch, as well as a big Friday night dinner out. There's plenty of days between fasting this way if I did need to adjust my weekly schedule.

If my current maintence calories are 2800/day or 19,600/week, this will result in a drop to 14,000/week and a 5,600 calorie deficit, assuming I don't compensate by eating more. It will be interesting to see how my body adjusts and whether or not I lose weight. I need to seriously consider adding some strength training to prevent muscle loss with that kind of a calorie deficit.