I woke up this morning to another blast of freezing water. No change from yesterday - still an awful experience. Definitely the most effective way to wake up so I consider that a mark in the “pro” column.

Today’s task was to pick a diet to follow for the next 20 days of the Stoic Challenge, which presented a problem for me. I generally eat healthy. I drink alcohol very rarely, I’ll have a Sprite once every few months, and when I do scarf down junk food I am back to my usual moderate eating pattern the next day.

Instead of jumping on the Keto bandwagon, going Paleo, Vegan, Gluten-Free, or swearing off carbs I am following an intermittent fasting schedule that I’ve used before with reasonable results.

Unless I am in a terrible mental state I do not eat to excess and I drink plenty of water through the day; intermittent fasting let’s me consolidate my eating time. It also gives me just enough of a challenge to see if I can make it the first few hours of the day without ingesting anything but water, tea, or coffee.

Following the 16-8 schedule, I eat my meals from 1PM to 9PM, and then no food from that point until 1PM the next day. Mornings are the most difficult, but I found that a couple glasses of water, some gentle movement, and plenty of engaging work overcomes any pangs of hunger. For lunch I go to the Smoothie King close by my office, maybe have a light snack by the end of the work day, and then my biggest meal I save for dinner.

I started this schedule about two months ago and dropped from 185 to 173lbs in a little under two weeks. Now, I am fortunate to have absolutely no dietary restrictions, nor physical health problems of any kind. This may be cosmic karma balancing out all the mental illnesses I live with. If you want to follow a diet or a fasting program or anything - do not take my advice. Go get a check-up with your doctor and see a nutritionist. I have zero qualifications to provide dietary guidance beyond the Stoic ideal of conscious moderation.

Hopefully, I’ll be able to budget time earlier tomorrow to write about Day 3. Today was chock full of work, doctor appointments, researching, writing, and a date! Definitely ended on a good note. See you tomorrow.