Lessons from an Impromptu Fast
I didn’t eat for almost half the week (on purpose!), and I learned more than I bargained for. First of all, it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, though it wouldn't be fair to call it easy. Secondly, I learned about a lot more than just food and hunger, but I'll get to that in a minute...
Intermittent fasting is not a new concept. It's not one that I've (intentionally) dabbled with in the past, but the benefits are widely touted.
My wife wanted to do a three day fast. I was curious enough, and I wanted to support her the best way I could. I didn't have any travel scheduled for the week, so I agreed to handle meal prep for the kids, making school lunches, etc. I was going to go along for the ride as much as possible, one meal a day, and not in front of her. We decided to start on Tuesday after dinner.
Monday evening, she looked at me and said, "I feel pretty good, and I think I'm as ready as I'm going to be. I want to start right away." I had a breakfast and a lunch meeting planned for Tuesday, so I'd just be a day behind her. (Bonus! I get all of the support points, plus a couple extra meals!)
Those extra support points all flew out the window when what I can only describe as "flu-like symptoms" hit me late in the morning on Tuesday. I had to reschedule the rest of my afternoon, and I headed home to lay down and prepare for what was looking to be a miserable couple of days. With my loss of appetite already working in my favor, I thought maybe going all-in with the fast was a good idea as well.
Over the next three days, I learned a lot about focus. Sure, I got hungry, but I realized that when I could channel that energy into a project, I completely forgot about food. During a three day fast, it's not as if your belly is grumbling at you for 72 straight hours. Those hunger pangs come and go, and they're often triggered by things that have nothing to do with your caloric needs.
It became quite obvious to me how often I'm distracted by food throughout the day (one of the unspoken perils of working from home). If it wasn't meal prep for myself, or for the family for dinner, it would be a passing look in the pantry for a snack on my way through the kitchen. This is practically Pavlovian for me, and I pass through the kitchen a lot.
My flu-like symptoms went away much more quickly than I had anticipated. I can't say that fasting necessarily caused this, but I can tell you that occasional feelings of hunger aside, I felt really good, like living your best life kinda good. It's something I'd heard from others but didn't quite expect to feel.
Perhaps the most profound lesson was one about purpose. This wasn't something I had to do. This was something I decided to do, and for me that was key.
I could have eaten once a day and still upheld my commitment to my wife. I could have had dinner with her and the kids on Thursday and even concluded the process at the same time she did. I could have stopped at any time, and nobody would have blinked. This wasn't even my idea!
Every time I thought about stopping; every time I thought about what my next meal could be; I reminded myself that there was a reason I was doing this. It was a worthwhile reason, and the benefits would make themselves apparent, even if I didn't know what they were going to be in that moment.
I'm still trying to figure out what the long-term benefits of intermittent fasting will be for me, but if doing them can make me rethink my normal processes, then they're absolutely worthwhile. My headspace during those three days was more conscious and aware of the things I do but don't completely understand why. Posit those against all of the things you feel like you really should be doing but can't, and you've arrived at the crux of the matter.
It's really easy to get caught up in all of the things you 'have to' do. Ever look back at how much time you mentally invest in doing all this stuff versus the amount of time you actually spend doing it? Is there a huge difference between those numbers?
Where would that delta be better spent? In your personal life? With your family? At the gym? I'm not even getting into the number of things that 'need to be done' even though they really don't. Do all of those things align with your purpose? If they don't, are they still worth doing?
Skip a meal this week and think about that instead, then take action. I joined a coworking space this week to help eliminate a lot of the distractions of working from home. Of course, the new space will have its own distractions, but it also comes along with a new network and new inspiration. I think that's worthwhile filler of the void I'm creating by eliminating bad habits.
Jeff Bajorek
Real. Authentic. Experience.
There’s a big difference between knowing how to sell and being able to. Jeff Bajorek spent over a decade in the field as a top performer. He’s been in your shoes. He knows what it will take. He can help you succeed.
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