I was huge, giant of a man…. but in the wrong direction. Hey, I like to eat ok? Though I am always busy, I am not particularly active. In the last few years the pounds have really packed on.

I felt yucky and uncomfortable in my own skin. A change was needed, and quickly.

When it comes to what I eat, I am pretty lazy. Whatever is quick is what I will grab, which usually also means the most unhealthy. Knowing my history of not putting much effort into meals, I knew that whatever diet I went on had to be easy, in the extreme. No special foods, or big meal prep days. I would fall off that wagon quickly.

It was at this point a coworker introduced me to Intermittent Fasting (IF).

Fasting is simple, just do not eat. Well, that solves one checkbox, but I was concerned about lack of concentration, energy, and focus.

The more research I did into IF, the more benefits for the body and brain I uncovered, and then I ran across this video by Dr. Jason Fung and was hooked.

I committed to trying IF for one month, decided on the 16:8 model, and set a date to begin (I had to finish all the cookies in the house first!).

The 16:8 model means you fast for 16 hours and have an 8 hour window where you can eat. 16 hours is the shortest amount of time that will put your body into ketosis, or the first level of fat burning.

The first day was surprisingly easy, and the second, and the third, and the first week, and the third week. In fact, it has all been easy. Before starting IF, I was often hungry, and if anything, knowing I was working toward a goal made it easier to go without food and remain a good human. My energy level has gone up, not down.

As it so happened, with my work schedule, I have averaged 19.5:4.5 for the past month and a half. That puts my body in a much longer state of ketosis, which lets it burn more fat, more rapidly.

The effect has been noticeable. Not only to I feel thinner, and look thinner, it is also much easier to breathe. Activities that were quickly tiring me out before I easily power through now. I also feel a lot more alert during the day, and sleep better during the night.

During this first month and half I have lost twenty pounds!!!

Here is a before and after shot. The side view looks similar in the photos, but in real life it is quite different.

My wife asked me what is next, and I told her I am going to keep on the IF bandwagon! I am making a couple changes however. I enjoy the time together with my family during breakfast and have designated Saturday as a day that does not have strict IF, so I can enjoy the time with them. I am also experimenting with OMAD, or One Meal A Day. After 19.5 hours of fasting, I have something to eat and a couple hours later is dinner time. I have naturally seen a shift to OMAD for several days now already.

My conclusion- Intermittent Fasting is a great way to diet and lose weight. There is no food tracking, no food prep, no extra money spent, in fact you save money by not eating! Perhaps biggest of all, since you are not eating, there is no temptation to “cheat” and add that extra scoop of whatever your diet restricts you on.

If you are looking for a weight loss diet, I highly recommend checking out IF. To start, watch Dr. Jason Fung’s video. From there, do the research you need to understand the process.

And as always, I am not a doctor, nor a medially trained person. What I have shared here is my experience, which may not be typical. Consult your doctor before making any life changes that may affect your health.