Fasting to Lose Weight
My Incredible Journey Towards Health

Before I continue to talk about my story of fasting to lose weight, let’s have a quick browse of my fasting profile.

Anna Astor’s Fasting Profile

My Fasting History
Since March 11, 2006

My Background - Executive Search, based in Hong Kong

My Food - No restriction

My Eating Schedule - Once a day, usually dinner, sometimes lunch, rarely breakfast

My Fasting Window - Usually 24 hours, three to four times a week

My Daily Workout - Calisthenics 20 minutes; Swimming 30 minutes

My Favorite Books - 2 Meal Solution and Eat Stop Eat.

2011 is my 6th year of intermittent fasting. Ever since 2006 when I kicked off my ‘belated’ fasting program, I love my new lifestyle. I have found a long term lasting and easy way to eat and stay healthy. I plan on feeling this great for the rest of my life!

Historic Eating Problem
My story all began with my historic eating problem which date back to 1989. This problem started bothering me soon after I turned 30. Perhaps due to slow metabolism, but no one could explain the reason. There has been a serious conflict between my natural desire for food and my body’s saying ‘no’. However I have been pleasing my mouth, and ignoring my body’s refusal of food.

I guess I had one of the worst compulsive eating habits of eating on time regardless I was hungry or not. So my stomach was always full to overload like an airborne balloon. In March 2006, just before I turn 50, I took an important step in my life as to change my eating habit.

Fasting to Lose Weight Naturally
Actually over the past 20 years, doctors, dietitians and friends suggested hundreds of ways to correct my problem. Somehow I found only one way work for me – fasting. At the beginning, I went on a 6-day juice fasting. I lost six pounds out of that, mostly from my belly fat. Over the course of the next eight months, I lost a total of 20 pounds. My body weight has been stable since then. Fasting had greatly improved my appearance and helped me gain back my self-confidence.

My Road From Fasting to Lose Weight

At first, I did not intend to do fasting to lose weight. My focus was HEALTH – to correct my bloating and digestive problem. Somehow, I noticed weight loss happened naturally and I didn’t really need to care what I ate while losing weight.

The Magic of Flexible Intermittent Fasting
At the beginning, I was thinking that I could resume my normal three-meal-day after the initial juice fasting. But I was wrong. The miracle feeling told me that ‘Anna, don’t look back; look forward, you’ve found the right way to eat!’ The feeling was just like I’ve been temporary disabled and got fully recovered. I would never want to be disabled again.

As a matter of fact, I don’t really need that much food to survive. However I cannot give up food forever, so I target for one meal a day, just to balance my psychological and physical need of food. There marked the beginning of my intermittent fasting program.

I set up a food diary to record my eating history and at a later stage set up a food blog to record what I eat. On average, I skip 18 to 23 meals in a month as in some cases I cannot avoid eating due to business and personal social commitments. In some days, I replace a meal by snacks, a fruit or a glass of juice.

Overcoming Fasting Hurdle
Talking about my fasting experience, the most challenging bit was the first two days of juice fasting. I need strong determination to suppress my natural desire for food. I told myself its time to do something towards a better quality of life as I have been suffering for 17 years.

From the third day onward, the feeling was really good. I managed to continue with my morning calisthenics and mid-day workout. These two sessions of daily exercise has been part of my life. Even now, I’m still doing them without breakfast and lunch and I’m still energetic enough to deal with my daily work.

Though fasting to lose weight is such an incredible experience, there is a little social hurdle to overcome. I have to alert people of my change in eating habit and that they need to reserve my diary in advance, in case they want to eat with me. Luckily I have my family members’ and friends’ support by respecting my new eating habit. Food wise, I don’t really have any restriction. I just eat as usual, except not as frequent as before.

One meal every 24 hour is just good enough to keep me healthy and energetic. Unlike other weight loss program with focus on low carb, low calorie, fat burning etc. flexible short term fasting enables me to lose weight naturally and gradually. It is not an overnight weight loss program, but a long term lasting health program. I create this website to spread this message and hope that more and more people can enjoy the benefits of fasting to lose weight, to improve their quality of life and stay healthy.

PS: I have taken a painfully long period of 17 years to start my fasting journey. Why 17 years? Continue to read my article on Fasting For Health.

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