Week 5 — The Halfway Point: Awareness Changes Everything
I’ve officially reached the halfway point of this 10-week experiment.
And the biggest surprise?
This isn’t really about fasting anymore.
It’s about awareness.
The Focus Shift: Portion Control + Sugar
Going into Week 5, I knew exactly what needed attention:
- Portion control
- Sugar consumption
The fasting windows feel natural now.
That part no longer feels difficult.
What I’m noticing now is what happens inside the eating window.
The Dessert Problem (That Was Never Really About Dessert)
I realized something important this week:
My biggest weakness isn’t hunger.
It’s dessert.
Specifically:
- Cake
- Pie
- Cookies
- Brownies
- Doughnuts (my personal weakness)
And if I’m being honest…
Those desserts aren’t just food.
They’re tied to some of my favorite childhood memories.
I grew up baking with my grandmother.
She was an incredible cook and baker, and some of my best memories were made in her kitchen.
That connection matters.
And it helped me understand why dessert feels emotional—not just physical.
What Changed Since Childhood
Then I realized something else:
We didn’t eat desserts every day growing up.
We made them on weekends.
We enjoyed them together.
And by the time the week began again…
They were gone.
Somewhere along the way, I turned dessert into a daily ritual.
That wasn’t my grandmother’s habit.
That was mine.
And recognizing that was powerful.
Replacing Instead of Restricting
This week, I experimented with a concept called “crowding out.”
Instead of focusing on restriction:
I replaced desserts with better alternatives:
- Baked apples
- Cinnamon
- Walnuts
- Sweet potatoes
And surprisingly…
It worked.
The cravings didn’t disappear overnight.
But they became quieter.
A Small Victory That Felt Big
I made it an entire week without baked desserts.
That may sound small to some people.
For me?
That’s huge.
And even more surprising:
I don’t feel deprived.
The Collagen Decision
This week I also made peace with something else:
Adding collagen back to my morning coffee.
I originally removed it because technically it breaks a fast.
But I realized something important:
It supports other long-term health goals that matter to me.
After dealing with significant hair thinning after COVID, collagen became one of the few things that truly helped.
That matters.
And I’m not willing to sacrifice long-term progress in one area for perfection in another.
That’s real life.
The Scale Still Isn’t Impressive
Weight loss?
Still minimal.
Only a few ounces.
But body composition continues improving:
- Slight fat reduction
- Slight lean mass increase
And my clothes continue fitting better.
That tells me more than the scale does.
My New Normal
At this point:
A 16-hour fast feels normal.
An 8-hour eating window feels comfortable.
Anything more actually feels strange.
That alone tells me how much my body has adapted.
Portion Awareness
This week I became much more conscious of stopping when I’m full.
That sounds obvious.
But for years, my habit was simple:
Eat until the plate is empty.
Now I’m learning to stop when my body says it has enough.
That’s a major shift.
The Biggest Lesson at the Halfway Point
If I had to summarize this entire experience so far:
Awareness changes everything.
I’m more aware of:
- Hunger
- Habits
- Portion size
- Emotional eating patterns
- What makes me feel energized
- What makes me feel sluggish
And most importantly—
I feel more in control.
Why I’m Starting to Believe in the Slow Burn
This experiment hasn’t produced dramatic transformation.
And I’m okay with that.
Because fast results rarely seem sustainable.
This feels different.
Slow. Steady. Real.
And I trust that far more.
Freedom To Thrive Reflection
The biggest transformation so far isn’t physical.
It’s learning how to hear my body again.
The signals were always there.
I just had too much noise to hear them.
Fasting helped quiet that noise.
And that may be one of the most valuable lessons of all.
Looking Ahead
Five weeks left.
And I’m curious:
What happens when these habits compound over time?
That’s where things get interesting.
— Jamie Harrington
Freedom to Thrive
Curious explorer of living well in the second half of life.
