“Courage starts with showing up and letting ourselves be seen.” -Brené Brown

by Cynthia Brown

I have been in the fitness/nutrition industry for the better part of 20 years and I can say with 100% honesty that NOTHING is absolute. Believing in one way as the only way, NEVER holds true and being open and willing to push past hard held beliefs can open up so many opportunities!

The path isn’t a straight line; it’s a spiral.
You continually come back to things you thought you understood and see deeper truths.

12 weeks ago I was at a very low place in my life.

The course and the events of the prior year had taken a toll on me, physically and emotionally and my body had taken the brunt of it…. as it typically does.

I decided to make some changes and regain my health and my well being.

At the same time I was finishing up the book by Dr. Jason Fung called The Obesity Code which highlights intermittent fasting as a well researched healing process.

What an eye opening recollection of the entire dieting timeline!

The idea of fasting was one that I really did not put much belief into and in all honesty, had not done any research on. What Dr. Fung spoke of absolutely fascinated me and as a lover of all things science, I had to test it out for myself.

So began my journey into the intermittent fasting world.

What I was learning and reading about was very counter-intuitive and sounded so far fetched, but I was willing to put myself through an experiment to see how this way of life would impact me. The above photos are the result of a 12 week experiment into the world of intermittent fasting and the changes I experienced are so much more than those photos show.

I started out with fasting 16 hours and feasting for 8. That seemed extremely doable to me. The only difference was that I did not eat before or immediately following my workout. It took me about 2 weeks to fully adjust, but once I was fat-adapted (using fat as a fuel source instead of glucose) the workouts felt amazing! I NEVER would have believed that to be true unless I had experienced it for myself!

I have played around with longer fasts and extended fasts and have seen some pretty remarkable changes. I kept a journal throughout the 12 weeks and have made some remarkable discoveries along the way.

In 12 weeks:

• I have lost 15 pounds of body weight and am currently at the lowest weight I’ve ever been in my adult life.
• I dropped over 11% body fat but more importantly gained over 5% muscle mass (that was my biggest fear with intermittent fasting….losing that hard earned muscle)
• I got younger! According to our body composition scale, I now have the body of a 36 year old! And, at 54, I’ll take it!

Although those numbers are impressive, the real victory in my opinion are the non scale victories:

• I sleep so soundly now (well, that is if you don’t count the occasional pawing of the cats!). Waking up completely refreshed and energized is an incredible benefit that continues on throughout the day!
• I no longer have hot flashes! That in itself is worth the attempt at fasting! If you suffer from hot flashes, skip the hormone treatment and fast! It’s amazing!
• I have so much energy, especially when I am fasting. The work I can accomplish in such a short period of time is mind blowing compared to the time it took me before. So much clarity and intention!
• My confidence is back. Feeling good in my own skin translates on so many planes!
• I have saved a tremendous amount of money on grocery bills and eating out.
• I am at a place where I no longer need to weigh, measure or log my food intake. I can add foods back in to my diet that were typically “off limits”. (Don’t get me wrong, I still eat relatively clean for most of my meals but the only thing that has really changed is WHEN I eat my meals, and that has made all the difference!)
• Happiness and joy are common feelings for me now. These emotions I am still getting used to. I know it may sound a bit strange, but it really is foreign for me to feel “happy”.
• I feel as though I have more time and energy for others now that I am not all swallowed up in my own crap. And giving has always fueled my life.

The human body is a remarkable machine AND is capable of so much more than we give it credit for. When left to fend for itself, it can truly recreate and heal itself. I am learning all of that now. There is so much more to experience and I look forward to more discoveries.

My plan for the next phase is to track the long term effects of Intermittent Fasting and the autophagy that occurs.

Its been an incredible experience of discovery and learning and those of you who have been working with me and intermittent fasting can also attest to the remarkable changes you have experienced! I would love to have your share your results/discoveries too!

Interested in learning more?

Please compete a Free Health Assessment and let’s talk about your options.

Otherwise, please feel to contact me anytime at cynthia@cynergycrossfit.com.