My 24-Hour Diary of Intermittent Fasting

Have you ever tried or heard of a 24-hour fasting concept? This is what we call intermittent fasting (IF). If you do some internet research, you will find many ways of doing IF, such as alternate day fasting, 2 meal a day and many other models.  In terms of a full meal, I will only have one per day. However I occasionally add a small breakfast or mini snack as I wish.  

I have been having this ‘eat once every 24 hour’ lifestyle in the past 12 years and have been doing well. But please do not follow my pattern if you are a beginner.

You may wonder how my life is and how I can survive by eating only one meal a day. My work life is extremely hectic and work hour is very long. Once I’m at my office, I keep multi-tasking throughout the day. By way of professional background – I have been in the executive search business for the past 19 years.

Here is a report on one of my typical working days while practicing intermittent fasting.

08:00 Wake up and a brief visit to the bathroom. I don’t need an alarm clock, because the sun and my body logic wake me up naturally on time.

08:05 Calisthenics at home for 20 minutes

08:25 Prepare to go to work

09:00 Arrive at the office. Make a cup of tea at the pantry – no solid food. Start a day’s busy work

12:00 Swim at the Island Shangri-La pool for 30 minutes as this pool is just opposite to my office

13:30 Arrive at the office, feeling groomed and energetic as to continue with my heavy workload for the rest of the day. Make a cup of tea at the pantry – no solid food. 

18:00 Make sure today’s work are done and prepare for tomorrow’s.

20:00 (may be later) Go home. My work hour is very long. I move to live nearby my office, so I can save transportation time. If time permits, I’ll do some simple cooking at home. Otherwise I’ll eat when I walk home. As this is the only time I eat in a day, I will look for a reasonably nice restaurant where I can sit down and enjoy a meal relaxed and peacefully. I have no restriction on the type of food, but generally a set dinner.

21:30 Evening activities at home. Multi-tasking among watching TV, taking phone calls, checking private emails and updating my blogs. iPhones nowadays make me work 24/7 which I don’t really appreciate, but cannot survive without it.

00:00 – 08:00 Sleep

You may notice I go do swimming during lunch hour without eating before and after. In fact I have been doing this since 2006. Yes, I don't need to constantly eat to have energy. The beauty of intermittent fasting is not only to help lose weight in the short term, but it is a long term lasting way to help me stay fit and healthy. 

How does my daily schedule compare with yours? In fact if your schedule is heavier than mine, and still want to try intermittent fasting, I would suggest your starting with skipping a meal or a breakfast. See the results and move on gradually.  Give it a try and develop a style that you feel comfortable with. No worries, skipping a meal is no big deal, any normal adult can do it. Change of lifestyle is the major concern. If you have a good start, you will soon develop a new and healthy lifestyle that you will love to stay with.

Simple Life Weight Loss

Bear in mind, the simpler your lifestyle is, the easier for you to stay long with it. So try to make weight loss as simple as possible. 

In terms of simplicity, intermittent fasting just reduces the total calories intake. There are no phases, no point systems, no weighing foods, and most importantly no foods that are ever off-limits. Simple enough?

Simple Cooking at Home

You may wonder if I eat big meals because I eat only one meal a day. No, my meal portions are absolutely normal.  Below is a sample of my home cooked simple meal. I may add a fruit and a cup of tea to wrap up the meal.

 My most favorable home cooked dish – ham and vegetable risotto.