Great question! Well the event that led me to even begin my journey with intermittent fasting was really an accident. I am in the Army and have typically been active my whole career, up until I landed a desk job at Walter Reed Military Medical Center in Maryland. I worked there for 3 1/2 years and have since moved another duty station in Maryland earlier last year. I didn't realize how much weight I had put on in that 3 1/2 year span until I went to a military development school for a promotion I had just obtained. I almost was unable to attend the school because when I was weighed then taped I almost didn't pass the height and weight portion because I had ballooned up to 294. When I finally got to the point of graduation from the 3 week course I had lunch with one of my old friends from a previous duty station. She was stationed in the area and it had been about 2 1/2 years since she had seen me and the first thing she commented on was my weight and how chunky I was looking. It was a bit embarrassing, but I prefer that my friends tell me the truth to me about me. That is the only way a friend can be a friend, they have to be able to tell you when you need to get your life together otherwise they are not true friends. On that same day I had to attend the graduation for the service school. the graduation went well, afterwards my SGL (Small Group Leader - The class teacher) had told me that the commandant had made specific comments in reference to me and how I looked in my dress uniform. He had said that " Some of the graduates look like they couldn't pass a height and weight".

At this point I knew something had to change. I have tried being a vegetarian, vegan and pescotarian in the past, and by past that was for 4 months last year from July till October. This didn't work for me it just seemed too restrictive and limiting the choices of food I could intake. That was a by product of the documentary "What the Heath". I gave it a good go but it wasn't for me.

On December 27th of 2017 I was sitting around watching youtube videos, I think I was trying to watch a music video or something when a commercial popped up. It was a commercial with a guy with his shirt off and red arrows on various parts of his upper body. I was about to click off the commercial immediately, but he had began to speak about losing fat and weight without changing what you eat but when you eat. I was then drawn in and had heard the term Intermittent Fasting for the first time. I then began a youtube research quest, in a 4 day time span I think I had researched about 20 hours total on intermittent fasting, the pros/cons, methodology, scientific backing in addition to the various applications. I had officially drank the Kool-Aid by December 30th, to lose 80 pounds, keep it off and live a healthier life was my new years resolution.

I had an annual check up on January 5th of 2018 and my primary care manager told me that all my labs came back great but, she didn't like my weight. I told her that I was on my second day of IF (Intermittent Fasting) and she told me that she didn't think it would work and suggested that I eat 6 to 8 times a day. I just smiled and shook my head all the while thinking to myself, I have been there done that and had the t-shirt. I left the appointment feeling even more determined to achieve my goal.

I started my the lean gains method of IF which is the 16-8 method. It is when you fast for 16 hours and have an 8 hour feeding window. I start eating at 1pm everyday and stop eating at 9pm every day. I generally have a cup to 2 cups of black unsweetened coffee every morning to help satiate my hunger if I get hungry. I typically don't get hungry until around 1230, I think my body knows when it is feasting time now. The coffee is a pivotal tool in the IF process, I don't know what I would do without it. My first meal is generally a lighter fair because I want to save calories for my later meal or meals. It is better for me that way because I know I wont eat for another 16 hours after 9 so the late meal has to be one that counts.

I have been successful with IF by maintaining a 500 calorie deficit from my BMR, as of today I am officially 18lbs down. This is all without the gym, exercise or cardio. I had to try IF without exercise first as a control, this was to make sure that weight loss was not due to exercise and that it was actually the application of the IF method. I will begin training again in the gym and getting my cardio in at least 3 days out of every week starting 29 January.

Thank you for your interest in my goal and I hope this answered your question!

joiahstewart wrote: »

@scookie0403 and @amandacmariej

WOW! Thank you for giving us so much detail, and thank you for your service to our country! It sounds like you are really strong person who is on a great path and I wish you so much success in this journey! I’m off to do a little research about IF for myself, and I will let you know if I have any first hand experience questions

https://youtu.be/wl74HWCSPzg