My Low Carb Alternate Day Fasting Experiment - Day 1

And so the journey begins. I'm still hashing out the details but I have a few ideas about what I'd like to accomplish. A partial list:

1. The satisfaction of knowing that I can manage my appetite and eating patterns like countless generations have in the past.

2. I'm hoping to see some benefits with respect to my blood chemistry. A hike in my HDL cholesterol would be one obvious area where improvement is possible.

3. I think I'm currently at a fairly respectable weight - about 185 give or take. However, I still fall slightly outside of the recommended BMI - depending on minor fluctuations in my weight and the fact that I fall in between 5' 11" and 6' height-wise. Losing 5 to 10 additional pounds would settle the issue once and for all. 175 has a good ring to it.

4. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that this eating pattern will simplify my life. Mad and I are juggling quite a lot and I sometimes feel overwhelmed. Doing a modified fast every other day might help. Reduced cooking, cleaning, dining, spending, etc.

In order to be considerate of my wife and others, I've decided to allow for some degree of flexibility in how I practice my ADF days. On days when my schedule is up to me, I'll have my solitary ADF meal mid-day. However, if I need/want to attend an event or meal away from home I'll simply modify my food intake based on what's needed.

Example: Mad and I might go on a date or to a dinner party on an ADF day. In that case, I'll fast in the morning and afternoon and eat regularly at the nighttime meal. The idea is to remove as many worldly hurdles that will surely come up from time-to-time.

8/24/10 - Wake up time: 8:00 AM

• 8:15 AM a cup of black, organic coffee
• 11:15 AM a strong cup (2 tea bags) of Every Day Detox tea (Traditional Medicinals)
• 12:30 PM a cup of black, organic coffee
• 2:00 PM - my ADF meal replacement shake - 25 grams of natural whey protein, 3 Tbs of almond butter, 2 scoops of a sugar-free chocolate "greens" formula, 1 scoop of sprouted flax seed meal and 8 oz of unsweetened vanilla almond milk
• 5:30 PM a strong cup (3 tea bags) of organic white tea with organic mint
  
• 7:30 PM a cup of black, organic coffee
• 9:30 PM a strong cup (2 tea bags) of Every Day Detox tea (Traditional Medicinals)

Notes: My hunger sensation was easily managed on this first day. I didn't perceive the process as being particularly taxing - physically or psychologically. This may have something to do with our hectic schedule and numerous preoccupations. It's funny how little food matters when you don't have the energy or time to devote to it. A lesson relearned.

I should also mention that I took the majority of daily supplements with my mid-day meal replacement. I'm not taking very high dosages of most of the supplements in question. Therefore, I feel as though I can take them all at once - instead of taking them with breakfast and dinner - without any resulting problems.

That's all for now. More to come tomorrow or as time permits. I'm keeping written records in case I can't post here daily.