Then came to him the disciples of John, saying, Why do we and the Pharisees fast oft, but thy disciples fast not? And Jesus said unto them, Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall be taken from them, and then shall they fast.
Matthew 9:14-15 (KJV)
I have used the excuse that I do not have time to eat right and exercise for way too long. The latest excuse was that I got fat because it was too hard to find the time to exercise while I was in school full-time while working full-time, too. That was not only not true, but no excuse at all for eating badly in addition to not getting any exercise. About a month ago, I decided it was time to quit making excuses and get my weight and health under control. I am currently walking 2½-3 miles four days per week. I think that is fine and I enjoy it, but I want to add some weight-lifting to the mix as soon as the stars align and I can both afford the weights or a gym membership. That is a topic for another time because my focus has been on getting my eating habits under control.
So, a month ago, I made some radical changes to my diet with the idea that I would maintain a low caloric intake (< 1000 calories/day) long enough to get myself down to a normal weight, normal being defined as the level below overweight and obese as defined by the CDC. At the same time I had been reading about the health and longevity benefits of fasting (e.g., Eat less, live longer? The science of fasting and longevity). I have also started doing a fast day once per week last week and am going to try to stick with that for the duration of the weight reduction part of this program. I do not seem to have less energy than before now that I am acclimated to the limited number of calories per day, but will see if that changes over the next few weeks and adjust as needed.
If/when I get down to wait, I hope to remain on a restricted calorie diet with intermittent fasting after I investigate it a little more. Longer fasts of a week or two a couple of times per year seem to have some benefits, too. I just need to remember:
But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face; That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.
Matthew 6:17-18 (kjv)