Tried: What are the benefits of three months of intermittent fasting?

I would not go so far as to claim that Eckart von Hirschhausen was a guru. But at least he managed to find a whole host of enthusiastic believers for a concept that he made socially acceptable in Germany in 2017: intermittent fasting. The TV doctor has lost an impressive ten kilos in three months and allegedly only by skipping breakfast and fasting according to the 16: 8 method. Means: Eight hours you can eat and drink what you want, then you fast for 16 hours and the only schedule is water, coffee and herbal tea.

In the fight with the turtle

I have to admit: I've been curious whether the concept will work for me for a long time. Due to an underactive thyroid, I put on ten kilos in record time the year before last and have since tried unsuccessfully to get rid of it (plus a little more, but which woman doesn't say that?). After a long back and forth with different drug doses, the values ​​of my turtle (= thyroid, this pretty and very appropriate creative name comes from a dear friend) are finally in the green area, so that I should generally be able to add a few pounds again to lose. I decided: I would test the 16: 8 fast for three months and declare war on my turtle.

Ready, set, go!

The evening before the first day of the test, of course, I got really close again – after all, I was planning skip breakfast, eat the first meal for lunch around 12:15 and the last in the evening around 8 p.m. I was used to having at least one slice of bread for breakfast in the morning and then having another bite to eat with coffee around 10 a.m. So I expected my stomach growling to drive not only me but also my colleagues insane by lunchtime – but it wasn't. At best, I had a little chicken, but that was easy to ignore.

For lunch I ate a normal portion of chicken with rice, vegetables and sweet and sour sauce, after which I felt a bit nauseous for a moment, but it quickly evaporated. In the afternoon there was a second coffee plus a small portion of fruit and in the evening a good sandwich with cheese as well as a yogurt and vegetable sticks. Usually I only ate a slice of bread or a few oatmeal with milk in the evening – so after such a portion I was really full for the rest of the evening. All in all, the first day of fast was much less agitated than I would have thought myself.

Coffee with milk or without? The question of faith

At the beginning, one topic actually preoccupied me almost more than a slight hunger: Should I only drink my coffee black in the morning instead of the usual milk? This question seems to divide the fasting believers: After all, milk contains calories that ketosis – the state that is supposed to be achieved by fasting and in which the brain draws its energy from fat reserves – can theoretically end. Since the mere thought of black coffee sends shivers down my spine, I did it like fasting guru Eckart von Hirschhausen: A small sip of milk shouldn't significantly reduce success.

All in all, I got along quite well with Lent. It is true that, unlike other creditors, I rarely felt hungry entirely, but I still had a short hunger in between, which disappeared on its own after a few minutes. Also not unusual: In the beginning I had a little diarrhea twice after eating more fatty meals, but which quickly evaporated again. And slight digestive complaints are not necessarily uncommon when you change your diet. Apart from that, I felt fit and focused during the fast – and as far as I can tell, I wasn't as sucking for my colleagues as I had feared.

Prohibitions? Without me!

I have largely made sure that I eat healthy, but I haven't really forbidden anything. Whenever there was a cheeseburger and fries in the canteen every few weeks, I was the first in line. And without chocolate I would be unbearable, so after lunch there was almost always a small candy bar to tame my inner demons. It was also important to me to get around 1,600 calories a day in order to achieve my basal metabolic rate. For that I actually "had" to feast quite nicely in the evening for my circumstances, so there was also meat sausage or chocolate cream on my bun. Which I think is pretty cool because it never gave me the feeling that I really had to do without. At the weekend I even had breakfast normally – but it didn't stop until around noon.

My dear turtle gave me cause for grief every now and then. It lives up to its name and simply slows down everything that happens in the body, including the metabolism. Although losing weight is generally feasible with a good medication setting, as I said, it takes time – and with me, unfortunately, every little blunder shows up with a few hundred grams more on the scales. My body just wants to store everything it gets from me, because who knows if we're not on the verge of famine? Thank you for that, dear evolution. To this day, I am not discouraged by this, it just helps to keep going.

And what did it bring now?

As expected, the most things happened in the first month both on the scales and visually, but in the end the overall result counts for me. And I should be satisfied with that: I lost a little over five kilos in three months. Since around two kilos per month is considered a healthy loss, there is no reason to complain about this result.

But I am even more pleased than the numbers on the scales: I've lost a full eight centimeters around my waist and six centimeters from my hips. I noticed how awesome that is when I put on the thicker jacket for the first time, which had been pretty tight when I was last out a few months earlier. Now I got the zipper closed completely loosely and didn't feel like a pressed sausage in it either. I also have to wear a belt with every pair of pants so that they don't slip over my hips. I would say there will be new jeans in spring!

And now?

I decided to continue intermittent fasting for a while and see how much I can still lose weight with it, because I don't feel like I'm missing out on anything. Initial studies show that even after a year of 16: 8 fasting, no negative effects are to be expected, so long the concept should be harmless. In general, I would advise anyone who wants to lose a few pounds to try intermittent fasting in consultation with their doctor. In any case, you cannot harm yourself with it. I guess she'll even find my turtle.

Reading tips: You can find out everything about the different fasting methods in our articles Intermittent Fasting, the 5: 2 Diet and BRIGITTE Diet 2020.

If you want to talk to others about nutrition issues, have a look at our BRIGITTE Community!

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