I've been getting tonnes of questions about this so I thought I would just save us all time and write a blog post to answer all your questions about how I'm 'fasting'
Please note, this is what's working for me and everyone is different.
So if you were following me last year you would know that I was doing bulletproof coffee's most mornings of the week, and therefore intermitted fasting. The use of bulletproofs allows you to stay in the fasting state, without getting #hangry because you haven't eaten.
(I turn into a hangry bitch).
By keeping proteins and carbs out of the meal, you remain in the fasting state, while the fat stops your body from going into starvation mode.
To be honest, I was loving the Bulletproof coffee. I was feeling great, my digestion was mint, my energy was cray cray and I felt fab. However, after my ski accident, I kept doing this. Bad idea Monica. If you weren't following me back then, here is a quick overview:
I was skiing Christmas Eve last year and was hit by a snowboarder, my ACL tore off a chunk of my tibia, I tore my MCL, got a fluid pocket, and had enamel and cartilage damage. Yea, it hurt like a fucking bitch. It was the sort of pain that you wanted to die from. This sort of pain is so stressfull on your body that it puts you into the fight or flight state because you are literally running for your life!!! I was doing everything I could to calm myself down and stay alive (sounds dramatic but this is from a biological standpoint). I also am dramatic, but I was telling myself that I just 'sprained my knee ..... yeah wasn't a sprain' .... check out that swelling (which happened in under an hour)...like uhhhh "hellooooo where is my knee cap??!!" .
Anyway, for the next weeks everytime I would have to even move an inch, my whole body would start shaking (from adrenaline) and I'd be screaming in pain. Safe to say that this was NOT the time to bring a baby into the world, or for any blood to go into my reproductive organs. So my body shut them down. It's pretty smart when you think about it. Your body knows that your world isn't safe for you to be pregnant, so it doesn't allow you to be pregnant! (Although I don't really get then why obese people can get pregnant or drug addicts ..... well I do know, but we won't get into the science of that).
So since the 24th of December 2017, my cortisol (stress hormone) has been through the roof, and my adrenals are pretty much dead. Top this off with a second sugery for my leg after a complication, and going to the physio every week and dealing with the physical/emotional/mental crap that comes along with it. I got some blood tests done and my liver is so clogged, it's out of the range. It's shit, and it's because of cortisol.
Okay, so why the fuck am I telling you this. When your body is in stress, the worst thing you can do for it is then
purposely load it up with more stress like fasting. (Also stress doesn't need to be physical, it could be stress from digestive issues or lack of sleep). So I stopped doing my fasting for about 1-2 months just to bring my cortisol down a bit. Now, I'm fasting a couple of times a week (about 3-4 times a week) when I feel as though I can handle it, however, I'm NOT doing it 'properly.' I'm not having coffee, MCT and ghee. I'm making raw cacao elixers that have a pile of things in them that really benefit my body right now in this state of healing. So technically my body is probs coming out of the fast, however, I'm reaping the benefits of
increased energy, less brain fog in the morning and WAY less bloating come dinner time.
So in my elixers, I have:
- raw cacao
- grass fed collagen powder
- acai berry powder
- maca powder
- camu camu powder
- coconut butter
- ghee
- MCT oil
- boiling water
and I blend it all up. Also, I make a BIG one. None of this, bird bath cup of bulletproof shit... give me the fucking big one so I don't die of starvation plz.
On the days that I fast, I also have a bigger lunch. It's important for women to eat enough during the day to enable your body to not have the perceived thought that it is a famine. When you're not eating enough, your body thinks that there is a famine, so again, it shuts down your reproductive system because it's defs not safe to have a healthy baby. You might be seeing the trend here that as women, we have the most epic bodies. Our bodies are so delicate and intricate that in states of stress (whether this is physical, emotional, from lack of food or over-exercising), it will shut down reproduction to protect YOU and your future baby.
Women have delicate hormones, and if you are in a state of stress, this can show up as
heavy periods, a lack of periods, cramps, headaches, back pain, mood swings, redic cravings etc. This is why I suggest
only fasting for a couple of days a week so that you can have the benefits of better digestion. This is great because having crap digestion is
also a stress on the body. So by having the fast, you will elevate the stress of digestion for a few hours.
That's legit my main reason for doing it.
Just giving my digestion the break it needs for 16ish hours a few times a week.
Additionally, and this is
so important; make sure you are having carbs a couple of nights a week. Notice how I said nights?? Read my
blog post here for more info on that.
P.s. This is great to do on Saturday morning if you're going out that night because guaranteed you'll have a flat stomach come night ;)
Also on the weekends you generally have fewer stressors because you're not racing into work, being yelled at by your boss etc etc, so it's a better time to have the stress of fasting (as you aren't piling it up with a whole pile of other stressors). I hope this makes sense ...
Also, p.p.s Doing this fasting would be FAB for those with insulin resistant PCOS (if you've
actually been properly diagnosed with insulin resistant PCOS). This will help your body to become more insulin SENSITIVE (which is what is optimal).
You can read more about foods for PCOS here.
If you would like to have more help with your period, health or life, please don't hesitate to contact me! I love helping you all SO MUCH, so please PLEASE reach out to me. You can book in for an appointment
here or for a 20-minute free consultation so you can figure out what the best sort appointment would be best for you (strategy sessions or a coaching package).
Love you all SO FRICKEN MUCH xx