Why I Started Fasting During Quarantine

My name is Cassie Shropshire—I’m a 31-year-old Huntsville, Alabama native.

My weight loss journey began in 2019. I decided that I wanted to try keto because I had heard so much about it, and I had friends who were doing it that had good results. As I was researching, I came across intermittent fasting. I learned about the different methods, but the benefits of fasting are what really caught my attention. I honestly felt that if I could couple keto with fasting, then I would lose weight easily. 

Unfortunately, my body couldn’t handle keto, so my plan didn’t go so well. However, I still liked the idea of fasting, and I decided I wanted to still do it periodically. But after being at home for a few months because of COVID, I put on more weight. I live alone and work from home, so I was really struggling mentally and felt so crappy. I knew I had to get serious about my weight loss. And because both of my parents are diabetic, it further motivated me to make some changes in my life. 

So in June 2020, I fully committed to fasting. I originally came across Zero in 2019 in a keto Facebook group that I was in, and would often screenshot fasts of people who had amazing results. When I started my journey, I downloaded the Zero app. I absolutely LOVE it! The reminders and check-ins are so helpful. Using Zero keeps me accountable, which has been good for my overall weight loss success. 

I now typically fast between 5-7 days a week.  I use both the 16:8 and 18:6 methods. My first meal is at 11am, and I stop eating by 7pm if I’m doing 16:8. That changes to 5pm if I’m doing 18:6, and I take a break occasionally on weekends.

When I first started, I struggled with headaches, but that was mostly due to cutting out sugar. Overall, I feel that my body adjusted pretty well. I was hungry the first few days, but after a while I found myself not hungry all the time. I think drinking plenty of water helped with those hunger cravings, too.

Here’s what I typically eat in a day:

• Breakfast: Fasting
• Lunch: Buffalo chicken stuffed sweet potato
• Dinner: Air-fried wings and salad
• Snacks: Premier Protein Shake
• Dessert: Keto chocolate cheesecake fat bomb

When I first started fasting, I didn’t want to exercise. Partly because I was lazy, and partly because I believed I wouldn’t have the energy. But once I started exercising, I almost immediately saw faster weight loss results. I now exercise first thing in the morning as soon as I wake up. I alternate between walking and running about 3 miles on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Friday. I focus more on strength training on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

https://www.instagram.com/p/CFrkV5SBspY/

These three changes contributed the most to my fasting success.

Change 1: I cut out sodas and other sugary drinks

I loved sodas and sweet tea, but the reality is that they were so bad for my body. Once I eliminated them from my diet and only started to drink water or sugar-free drinks, I saw a big difference.

Change 2: I stopped binge eating

I am an emotional eater. Anytime that I am stressed, I binge eat. This was definitely detrimental to me, so I learned different ways to cope with my stress. Instead of eating when I was stressed, I started hiking.

Change 3: I found self-control

With fasting, I now have self-control with food now. I can look at food now and not eat it just because it’s there. I can say no and walk away from it. I can push my plate away when I’m full instead of overeating.

The most noticeable difference I’ve had since incorporating fasting is better energy, sleep, and mental clarity. I was always so exhausted and had the worst time sleeping. Since fasting, I have so much energy, and I sleep so peacefully now. 

Fasting has changed my life in so many ways. I’ve seen myself improve mentally, physically, and emotionally. Fasting has definitely become a lifestyle, and I’m very grateful for it. Once I made the decision to show up for myself, my life started to change. I encourage anyone reading this to say YES to YOU, and stick with it. There will be hard days, but you can do hard things.