By Miss Bouvèé
Many folks who frequent my shows know that I have been doing intermittent fasting. Though my fasting has slowed as a result of the holidays, I wanted to take a moment and share with you what has worked for me and a little bit of information about what fasting is. I first got exposed to fasting in the new year last year (2023) but didn’t find the mental bandwidth to give it a try until May of 2023. The results were slow but steady. As I write this article, I am down 45 pounds.
In my case, I chose to do the 16/8, which is to say 16 hours of fasting (not eating) and 8 hours of responsible eating (grilled chicken, little to no fried foods, etc.). It’s very important to note that you have to make healthier food decisions in the 8 hours you are permitted to eat. The largest mistake you can make is binge eating in that period. Furthermore, in the off period (the 16 hours of no eating), you really can only consume coffee, tea, and water. Sure, I snuck a Celsius or an occasional diet coke here and there, but it’s really important to stick to it if you can. It also means, as you have seen in my shows, no drinking after a certain time. My 8 hours of eating, that is to say, the period in which I can consume alcohol as well as food, is between 1:00 pm and 9:00 pm. So, if I am on stage from 8:00-11:00 pm, at 9:00pm I must stop drinking, so I usually switch to iced tea.
A few things to note. The 8 hours of permitted eating and drinking can be placed anywhere that works for you. Because I work later evening hours, I make mine later and always ensure I eat dinner before my shows, which was a major change for me. If you are a morning person, perhaps someone who wakes at 5:00am every day, you may want to do something like 10:00am-6:00pm. Also, the research is showing that this weight loss regiment doesn’t really work well for women over 50, is not really a good choice for diabetics with type 1 (but can help regulate A1C for type 2), and like most diets, seems to work best when paired with an increase in exercise and movement.
For me, this has worked! I have been as heavy as 410 pounds and struggled with weight my whole life. This particular regimen seems to be the best fit for me so far. As always, choose your own adventure and seek medical professional advice before embarking on anything drastic like intermittent fasting.
Happy New Year everyone!
