23:1 Intermittent fasting AKA OMAD

I've mentioned before how fleeting my hunger has been lately. As I adjusted to this way of eating, I found I didn't want breakfast at all, so I compromised with bullet proof coffee. Lately, I haven't even wanted that.  Then lunch became a chore- and I noticed I was just getting a keto-compliant snacky plate in just to get it in, not because I was hungry. My body was prompting me toward a natural fasting period. Once this clicked I realized all those internet posts I'd rolled right by about intermittent fasting and OMAD (One Meal A Day) needed to be revisited. This way of eating is also called 23:1- fast for 23, eat for 1 hour a day. You eat one big meal, and then your body gets to burn your fat reserves the rest of the day for energy.

I'm not going to go into the science and hows and whys of it all, there are so many articles out there. Some of them are specific to keto diet, while others are actually part of other diets but they all sort of work the same way. Just pick one.
http://ninacheriefranklin.com/live-well/intermittent-fasting-control-weight-eating-one-meal-day/
http://www.omad.info/p/how-to-eat-omad.html
http://www.fitmole.org/eating-one-meal-a-day-diet/
http://www.theiflife.com/one-meal-a-day/
http://www.fitclarity.com/eating-one-meal-a-day-fat-loss-diet/

In reading experiences of people who eat one meal a day on a ketogenic diet I found a few things- don't try it until you are "fat adapted" and are in the "not hungry anymore" stage. If you force it too early you'll be ravenously hungry and susceptible to going binge crazy late at night.  There is also much discussion on the frequency of this and what works best. Some people say they do it every day. Some choose to do it every other day- stating the body gets lazy in homeostasis and stops working as hard. When you mix your eating up, OMAD one day, 2-3 the next and back and forth, your body is going to react and work harder to burn that fat. Other people have one day a week they switch it up and have multiple meals.

I've decided on a week long test period. My goal is to eat the same # of calories and the same macros I would have eaten with my standard 2 meals a day on keto. I'll just eat them in one meal. Last night's meal felt huge and filling, but I enjoyed it- a LOT.

Here's where I confess I am not exactly doing a true fast during my 23 "off". I drink coffee every morning and no that won't stop. I also often have a glass or 2 of wine before bed. Last night, I felt a little wine-hungry and I ate a cube of swiss cheese before bed. My goal is never to eel ravenous and miserable, if I feel like I really need a bite, then a cheese cube is going to happen. I woke up today feeling like normal, still not hungry. Will I make it to dinner time? We will see. Will this work for a week? Will I want to do it longer? This is an experiment, not a test- I can't fail, I can only adjust when needed and note my experiences and results.

As for last night's results, the scale was down a whopping 1.6 lbs this morning. My daily calories and macros were no lower than usual. My calories were actually a little higher than they've been lately. Within range, but still a wee but higher. Today I'll do my macros first and then my plate.

Calories- 1451

Carbs- 14 net

Protein- 60g

Fat- 102g

Food glorious food:

As for my dinner of choice. Oh my god, this was so filling!! 2 quarter pound burgers with cheese and bacon bits, a whole zucchini grilled (photo shows 1 half, after I finished my plate and realizing I had macros and calories to spare I promptly ate the other half), a fat slice of a huge tomato, avocado, extra olive oil to up my fats. Oh and a cube of swiss cheese sometime in the evening :-D

Stand fast, ketoers!

Bacon cheeseburger Brussels sprouts

There may be some other version out there, but this dish is on I actually invented myself. Super easy.

• 12 oz bag of brussel sprouts chopped (I cut lengthwise and then width wise twice to make 6 pieces for each sprout) 
• 1 lb ground beef (I'm saying 1 lb for ease here but mine was actually like 1 1/3 lb)
• Cheese- I used a 6 oz bag of Kraft's smoky bacon cheddar
• 4 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled/chopped
• 1/2 C garlic flavored chopped tomatoes with juice
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Super easy. Chop brussel sprouts, saute in large pan in olive oil with salt and pepper until tender and browned on edges.

Remove, brown ground beef. Add cooked bacon, tomatoes, and cooked brussel sprouts.  Stir for a few minutes then add cheese. I did the entire bag, just pour it on top and let it melt for a minute. 

That's it. Done.  Last time I had some sugar free BBQ sauce on hand and added some of that and it was fantastic, I didn't have any this time.

Makes 4 servings. I actually ate less than a serving because it was so filling! These are the macros I calculated per serving but always double check your own math. I calculated this with 3 tablespoons of olive oil being used, adjust as needed.

Calories 510

Protein 41g

Carbs (net) 9g

Fat 34g

The rest of my meal plan yesterday was really uninspired. Macadamia nuts to munch on in the afternoon.... and coconut oil coffee in the morning, a glass of wine before bed. Not at all hungry. Pretty sure this confirms fat adaptation, I will make an effort to get more calories at dinner tonight, because I closed the day with around 1000.

The scale is down today 1.5 lbs.