By Ayasha Roberson

Happy New Year and everyone welcome back to a brand-new edition of USL Lifestyle! Here, I will bring you to real information that will help you make the best for your life. As the New Year approached back in December, I had been thinking about trying to find new healthy eating patterns that would allow me to increase my energy during the day especially when I am at work. I have a gym membership and I was going to the gym about three to four times. I was also preparing all my meals so I would spend very little money eating out. In addition, I have high blood pressure and high cholesterol so I was looking for ways to get both of these medical conditions under control. Of course, I take high blood pressure medications, but nothing for cholesterol yet. It is very important to me to find a lifestyle that fits my very hectic but productive schedule. For those who don’t know, I work a part-time job 8am to noon, then I have a break from noon until 3pm, and I work my full-time job 4pm to midnight. Working the evening shift is tough because this is where I usually gain the most weight even though my dinners are pretty healthy. However, I am a snacker and I crave junk food especially after 8pm.

The beginning of January, I told myself I wasn’t going to eat anything past 8pm. I would eat a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner. For instance, breakfast I would make a bowl of oatmeal, then I would make my lunch and dinner in advance. I would make usually make a large pot of spaghetti or tacos or sometimes my famous garlic shrimp with rice. For me these are quick meals that don’t take much time for me to prepare. I was doing okay with this lifestyle and noticed my energy had increased a little and I had lost some weight. However, my blood pressure and cholesterol were still high.

The beginning of February, I was talking to one of my colleagues, Alec, about wanting to increase stamina and lose weight. He suggested for me to fast throughout the day and only eat between 6pm to 8pm. I was a little cautious at first because I knew my period was getting ready to come on soon. I have been warned in the past that it is not good to fast when your period is about to come. Plus, I had fasted in the past when my cycle came and I will say it was difficult. However, this time around I think it is going to be different because I am eliminating all grains and carbs from my diet, which I have never done before. I said to myself, what the heck, let me give this lifestyle change a try. I have known Alec for over a year and he has so much energy and has no medical problems. I told Alec and I am going to do it, but I am going to call it The Alec Fast. Alec smiled and laughed at me, then said, “I am honored.” Alec advised me to try it for two weeks, which I thought was a little too long for just starting out. I told him I would do it for a week to see how I feel.

The Alec Fast Lifestyle requires me to eat the following food: any kind of fish (but no shellfish such as shrimps, lobsters, crabs, etc.), fruits, vegetables, and some nuts. Of course, I was told to drink lots of water throughout the day. I can only eat red meat twice a week which consist of beef, turkey, or chicken. Alec also suggested to purchase the wild caught fish which was better and healthier for me to eat. Alec then told me after 12 hours when you are fasting, your body is  eating bad fats which helps you lose weight, increase focus, energy and activity levels throughout the course of your day. I desperately needed a lifestyle change as running a business and working two jobs takes a lot of long energy. I started with my lifestyle change that day which was a Monday so I weighed myself. I was 148 pounds and since I’m only 5’2’ that is too much for my height.

My body was already used to fasting because I fast periodically throughout the year. However, I never did a fast where I fast all day long and only ate between a two-hour time frame, this required a lot of discipline. While working my full-time job, I broke my fast between 6pm to 8pm. I noticed after I had eaten, I was full for the rest of the night and only drank water for the rest of the day. Within 24 hours, I had more energy and felt great even though my period came on two days later I continued to fast. On Friday, I weight myself 144 pounds. I had lost 4 pounds in 5 days which was amazing to me. It was hard for me to lose weight especially when my cycle on because I crave carbs and sweets, but this time around was different as I had no desire to eat junk food or sweets. The weekend was approaching and I had already decided that I would fast on Saturday, but I was going to break my fast on Sunday because I want to eat my usual breakfast of either pancake or waffles with sausage. On Saturday I fasted and went to the gym to work out, however, on Sunday I ate every meal and noticed that my appetite increased substantially when I didn’t fast. This was my weekend to work so I ate all night up until 11pm when I wasn’t hungry anymore as I purchased junk food and candy from the vendor machine. I told myself that tomorrow I would go back on the Alec Fast. The following week I fasted and lost and additional 9 pounds, I went from wearing a size 8 down to a size 4 and loved it. I feel more comfortable, beautiful, and sexy than ever. The Alec Fast also helped regulate my high blood pressure and cholesterol. As I mentioned before, my stamina has increase greatly because I work in the emergency room of a hospital and I am always on the move. Yes, you can one cheat day out of the week, but my cheat day I am still fasting, however, I will eat some popcorn or candy. I have sweet tooth and this lifestyle has reduced my cravings for sweets and carbs especially when my period was on tremendously. Consult with medical doctor first to see if this is the right fit for you. If you decide to try it, tell me about your experience. I am looking forward seeing you back on USL Lifestyle Blog and for the meantime make sure you connect with us on the social media links below.

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About The Author

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Ayasha Roberson started Urban SociaLites, LLC in June of 2010, she holds a bachelor degree in Sociology from Richard Stockton College and Masters Degree in Administrative Science from Fairleigh Dickinson University.

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