Alternate Day Fasting vs. Intermittent Fasting

On Sunday, after going to Mt. Inoko, we went to Chimeiji Temple, which means long life temple.

It was just by Lake Biwa and we could see the lake even more closely.

Today, I would like to share with you how I felt after doing a week of 24 hours alternate day fasting compared to my regular 17 hours intermittent fasting with one day 24 hours fasting.

Last week, I did 24 hours fasting on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday, ate 3 meals on Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday, and Sunday. On Saturday and Sunday, I included meat in my diet, too.  On Tuesday and Thursday, I ate fish, but the rest was a plant-based diet.

My regular 17 hours intermittent fasting is that I do 17 hours fasting on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays, do 24 hours fasting on Wednesdays, eat 3 meals including meat on Saturdays and Sundays. On Tuesdays and Thursdays, I eat fish, but the rest is a plant-based diet.

Doing 24 hours fasting was powerful. I could feel the hunger a lot, for 4 to 5 hours and felt the effect of fasting. I felt autophagy was working really well, and the gut was cleansed. However, it was too hard. Monday was okay but on Wednesday and Friday, I was so starving that I almost gave up, and I couldn’t concentrate on my work. I couldn’t concentrate on writing. If I did something else like gardening, I could distract myself from the hunger but sitting in front of the computer and trying to think of what to write, I just didn’t have enough energy to use my brain. Therefore, it wasn’t productive. On Tuesday and Thursday, I had 3 meals, which was nice but I wasn’t hungry in the morning, so I didn’t need to have breakfast.

I must say I prefer my regular 17 hours intermittent fasting. Because I am doing 24 hours fasting once a week anyway, I do get to have the hunger effect or whatever the benefits there are in 24 hours fasting, and once a week is enough for me. I have an impression that alternate day fasting is more effective for weight loss, and in that case, I don’t need to do that, I weigh only 56 kg.

That was how I felt on Monday after completing the week of alternate day fasting. Nevertheless, on Monday and yesterday, I wasn’t hungry even after 17 hours of fasting. I ended up doing 19 hours fasting yesterday. Maybe my body is getting used to doing a longer fast. So, what I’ll do is I’ll keep doing 17 hours fasting but wait till I really get hungry. I may be doing 18 hours fast or 20 hours fast depending on how hungry I am each day.

I am also doing regular exercises, too. Nordic walking 5 days a week and HIIT 3 days a week. Plus I am eating a lot of autophagy-activating foods such as natto. So technically speaking, I am doing enough and I don’t need to do 24 hours alternate day fasting.

 

The Ikigai Diet: The Secret Japanese Diet to Health and Longevity

POD Paperback

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/4991064864

Kindle

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JGB45HF

 

>