Vani Kola began intermittent fasting during lockdown, understood why religions emphasise on the practice

During the lockdown, Vani Kola, managing director, Kalaari Capital, tried her hand at intermittent fasting and discovered its surprising benefits.

“Since the lockdown, I have been on habit #transformation mode of binge-reading & experimenting. I wanted to test #IntermittentFasting since so much has been said about it these days. All I can say is it works & it worked far better than I expected,” she said on Twitter recently.

Kola has tried intermittent fasting in the past but says she hasn’t achieved as much success with it as during the lockdown. “I failed many times in this goal of trying to include intermittent fasting consistently and daily in my life,” she wrote in a recent blog post. “But the last four months of lockdown and no travel has worked well for me in finally cracking this habit and making it central to my life.”



To keep herself accountable, Kola used an app called ‘Zero’ to track her fasting. “I first fasted for 16 hours daily. But now I rotate between 16 and 18 hrs most days of the week, with one or two 20 hour fasts per week. (And) The results really surprised me.”

According to the MD, intermittent fasting gave her increased energy, better discipline, better weight management, and even helped her eat healthier.

“I had thought all those hours without food would make me tired. Instead, I felt more energetic, lighter, and more motivated. It helped me stay off grazing, popping food unconsciously, and mindless consumption of junk food. I was more aware of what I ate. Eating healthy became more natural, and I was able to make conscious choices with regard to nutrition. Fasting, I realized, is not really about foregoing our love for food — it gave me a deeper appreciation and gratitude for food,” she explained.

According to Kola, she finally understands why religion puts so much emphasis on fasting. “It somehow feels purifying and makes you better and more attuned. This is one habit that I was skeptical, to begin with, but have now wholeheartedly embraced. It has transformed several areas of my life.”