One Meal A Day Keeps The Doctor Away

How I Went From Fat To Fit In Less Than A Year

At my flabbiest, I weighed almost 100kg.

I remember glancing at my naked, full-length reflection post-shower and not recognizing myself.

I went full carnivore in November last year.

The carnivore diet, like all restrictive diets, worked like a charm. I shed serious poundage eating steaks every day. All the glorious fats kept me sated for long.

So long in fact, that I found myself often skipping breakfast (the most important meal of the day, right?).

And then I chanced upon this excellent video. And I assure you, my life changed completely.

The very next day, I started my first ever 24-hour fast.

It felt like hell but I persevered. And then I did one again the following week. And then I stopped eating lunch every day. Then I stopped eating dinner every day. Then I started going 36 hours between meals. Then 48 hours. Then eventually, my personal best, 72 hours.

Now I eat just once a day. Around 6 PM. A plateful of whole foods — animal, plant, and everything in between.

And I realized something profound: eating is more dangerous than not eating.

I’ve noticed that hunger comes in spurts. Ride the wave and it subsides quickly. Often what I’ve thought was hunger was either thirst or routine. Grab a glass of tap water and my hunger disappears. I’ve rediscovered my love for coffee. I sleep like the dead — eight hours of bliss, comfort, and ease. It’s put me into a neverending growth mindset of appreciating sacrifice and professing self-care.

I can lift heavier, walk faster, think better and write more in my fasted state. It’s like all my senses are dialed up to 11.

I feel like a predator hunting for my next kill.

Fasting has made me calm, introspective, and meditative, and yet fan the flames of a raging fire of world-changing ambition within. It’s…the best I’ve ever felt.

Food is fuel for me now.

I am no nutritionist but the science behind fasting feels legit to me. When our hominid ancestors didn’t get to eat for a day or two, they didn’t just curl up and die. They kept going. They stayed lean, stayed hungry, stayed relentless, and feasted when they could. Today I have 52 restaurants that will deliver food to my mouth in less than 20 minutes if I tapped my watch.

The hormonal response of our body — insulin in particular — seems to me to be the key to losing weight, and keeping it off. And fasting resets your entire system. Or at least, it did for me.

I could bore you with my stats and trends from the past year but I’ll just sign off with a recent photo of me instead.

Apparently, pictures speak a thousand words.