For the past few years, particularly in the last year, intermittent fasting has been a "hot topic" talked about by everyone from fitness gurus to bloggers to teenage girls trying to shed a few pounds before spring break. After hearing and researching people's positive and negative opinions on fasting, I decided that the only way to form my own opinion about the trend would be by trying it out myself. I 100% believe that being your own guinea pig is the best way to figure out if something is right for you or if you should recommend that "something" to another individual.

With that being said, I started intermittent fasting about three months ago. As a busy college student, I modified the fast to a 14 hour fast about 5 times a week, having my first meal at 11 a.m. and my last no later than 9 p.m. Initially, I thought that fasting would be difficult to sustain and leave me feeling dissatisfied and hangry during my early mornings and later nights. To my surprise, I started feeling better than ever before within the first two weeks and felt as though fasting could become a lifestyle choice if I wanted to practice it long-term. I loved working out on an empty stomach in the morning because I never felt lethargic, and I enjoyed filling my morning with productivity (going to class, meditation, reading, etc). Also, I love the fact that you have the option to modify how you fast in a way that best fits into your personal lifestyle.

I never felt deprived or as if I was starving myself while fasting, and that's key.

It's important to make this distinction because intermittent fasting surely isn't for everyone, that's why you have to be your own guinea pig! Many people feel as though they need something to eat in the morning in order to push through their day, and that's 100% okay! Like, yes girl, have that non-fat Greek yogurt parfait at 9 a.m. and then hit the gym! No shame. On that same token, we shouldn't shame those who feel like intermittent fasting works well for them. Everyone's got their thing, let's celebrate that. Like I said, if you feel like you're depriving yourself while fasting, then it's probably not right for you.

Okay, so you probably want all the details about how it works, right? Well, again, it's different for everybody, but I'll let you in on how I fasted with some tips and tricks to make it a little easier.

For starters, my class schedule made it easy for me to start fasting because I was distracted all morning by being in class from 9 a.m - 12 p.m. With that being said, the first week of fasting can be really hard because your body and brain just simply aren't used to it. From there, I would hit the gym and then come back to my apartment and break the fast. On the way to my 9 a.m. class, I would either have a regular coffee with a splash of almond milk or coconut creamer and then possibly a black cold brew around 11:30 a.m. before the gym. Coffee helped me satisfy any sort of craving. Throughout all of this, I would be drinking plenty of water to keep myself hydrated!!

After the gym, when I would break the fast, I would always make sure that it was with something extremely nutritious and usually with a lot of greens and protein. (TIP: celery juice is also super good to drink when breaking a fast if you're into that!) Most of the time, this meal would keep me feeling full until around 6 p.m. In between then and 6 p.m., I'd finish some work and have a snack or two. Some snacks I've been loving are apples and almond butter, Greek yogurt parfaits, or a healthy fruit and nut mix. Dinner usually looks similar to lunch for me. I incorporate a high-protein source, like chicken or fish, with lots of veggies and some sort of complex carb, like sweet potato or jasmine rice.

I love the feeling of nourishing my body with good foods.

Since I aimed to stop eating no later than 9 p.m., I'd usually have a sweet little nightcap around 8-8:30 p.m. before starting my night time routine and settling down with a good book, podcast, or documentary. Some of my go-to snacks are melted dark chocolate over strawberries, Halo Top ice cream, or coconut yogurt with fun toppings! Once ready for bed, I try to go right to sleep without sitting on my phone for too long (which can often be super hard as most of us know) so that I can get as much sleep as possible as I always have early mornings.

Although short, sweet, and to the point...that's what a day of intermittent fasting looked like for me the past three months. I saw amazing changes in the way I felt throughout the day both physically and mentally. Giving my digestive system a break allowed me to feel more energetic in the mornings. On top of that, I felt as though my mental clarity improved significantly.

So, why did I decide to stop? For another guinea pig moment.

I really like fasting and will definitely go back to it. But, I decided to take this break to see how I feel eating intuitively again for three months. If my body does not feel nearly as good as it did while fasting, I will truly know that fasting is something right for me. This experience has definitely taught me that I shouldn't knock it before I try it, and neither should you.