Intermittent Fasting: One more round before the feast begins

It's the 24th of December.  This evening, the festivities begin.  I've decided to dedicate this day to one last reminder of self-denial and discipline before I allow myself to fully enjoy the delights of Christmas in all its culinary splendor.  This means a day of Intermittent Fasting.

Although I generally follow Brad Pilon's approach of 24 hour fasting, today's fast will end up being in the 20-22 hour range.  I ate an early diner yesterday and will break my fast with a big salad and some bison meat this afternoon.  Breaking my fast with a bunch of veggies and protein before the feast will help reduce the tendency to over-compensate for the fast (polite way of saying it will prevent me from totally pigging out...).

You don't need to actually fast, but try to think about balancing out your caloric intake over the coming days.  Feast when it is time to feast, practice a little denial when it is not.  Eschew a few things that you might normally indulge in.  Save it up for when you are in the company of good friends and family.

And most importantly, tell someone about your plan.  Why do you think I am writing this post?  Now it's out there for everyone to see.  That means I am ultimately much more likely to follow through.  So tell someone about how your day or week is going to unfold.  Divulge your plans for training and your nutritional strategy for the coming days.  Chances are that just by telling someone how you plan to enjoy the holidays and stay within striking distance of your health and physique goals, the likelihood of success will be much higher.

It is early morning here.  There is a beautiful white snow falling softly.  The scene outside my window is lifted straight from a Christmas card.  Enjoy the holidays and everything they have to offer.  Practice balance and shun guilt.  Merry Christmas!