Intermittent Fasting and Why I love it.

I’ve been getting a ton of questions on Instagram about Intermittent Fasting after I mentioned it yesterday.

I want to start by first saying to always check with your doctor if you’ve had an eating disorder, if your pregnant, breastfeeding or if you have problems with your blood sugar. 

About four years ago I started a weight loss journey where I lost nearly 40 lbs. This was right after college when I literally had zero control over my eating habits. I ate out and rarely cooked, drank red bulls and wine all the time. But when I finished college and moved into a house with my sister I started working out full time, learning about health and weight loss techniques. I came across Intermittent Fasting on Youtube one day, and I was immediately interested in it. When I started practicing Intermittent Fasting not only did I start losing weight again after hitting a plateau, but I also felt other changes in my body. I felt lighter and clearer instead of sluggish and heavy. 

To be honest, when I first heard of Intermittent Fasting I thought there was no way I could “starve” myself for 16 + hours. I loved breakfast too much and it was my favorite meal of the day. Don’t get me wrong the first day was a bit hard because all I thought about was eating and counting down the hours till I got to eat. But I found over time that subsided, especially when I added lemon and ginger water to my morning routine. I love how I feel from Intermittent Fasting! I feel lighter, more clear and energized, and over time I started noticing the weight was coming off quickly.  

What is Intermittent Fasting?

Intermittent Fasting means you are abstaining from eating any food for a period of time. There are many different ways of doing IF but for the sake of keeping things simple I am only sharing the way I do it. I currently do The 16:8 Method, 7 days a week. What that means is I am eating during 8 hours of the day, and fasting for 16 (sometimes up to 18 hours). For example; I’ll eat my last meal no later than 8 pm and drink only black tea, coffee or water until 12 the next day. 

What’s the point of doing Intermittent Fasting?

This way of eating allows me to cut down on my daily caloric intake (the number of calories I’m eating) which over time results in extra weight loss. This can assist in reaching your goals when you’ve hit a plateau in your weight loss. Plus adding in simple movement while fasting in the morning will help burn more of the stored fat that you wouldn’t normally be able to access while eating and exercising. 

Other benefits include: 

• Reduce stress and inflammation in the body 
• Aids in weight loss 
• Lower blood sugar and regulates insulin  
• Beneficial for your heart health 
• Great for cell repair processes 
• May prevent cancer 
• Good for your brain health 
• Can prevent Alzheimer’s and even cancer
• Stabilizes hormones Including hormonal eating

What my day looks like?
A typical day of IF looks like this for me: 

• Wake up with Penelope sometime between 7 – 8 am  
• The first thing I do is have a warm lemon and ginger water. 
• I’ll usually get Penelope water as well and make her a bottle (she has one a day now). 
• Every day I do LISS (Low-Intensity Steady State) Pilates, BBG or take a long walk with Penelope. On the other days, I will go to the gym or do a HIIT (High-Intensity Interval Training) workout at home.  
• Sometimes I’ll get hungry and I will drink more water or if it’s a rough morning I’ll make myself a matcha tea with no sugar and no almond milk (Keep the drink under 50 calories so you don’t break the fast). 
• When I’m home I will break my fast at around 11 – 12 pm. I will always choose to eat a bowl of fruit or a Spirulina smoothie. Making sure to keep drinking lots of water. 
• I will snack with something rich in fiber around 2 – 3 pm and have a coffee as a pick me up. I try to have green juice around this time, which is full of healthy vitamins and minerals. 
• For dinner, I will fill more than half my plate with vegetables (either salad or sautéed veggies of your choice) and a starch. 
• I will stop eating and snacking at 8 pm every single night.
• However, I will drink a ton of water and make myself a black cleansing tea. 

Then I won’t eat again until 11 or 12 the next day! 

Note: Currently I’m eating more plant-based, gluten-free and dairy-free which might seem like hard work but I promise I’ll explain more soon. 

How long until I see results? 

Everyone is different! I personally notice results within a month or two of doing this 7 days a week. Also doing a HIIT workout every other day while I’m fasting definitely accelerates that weight loss.

Do I have to eat certain kinds of foods?

For the sake of making things easy, you don’t need to eat differently. But you should be focusing on adding more whole and nutritious foods to your diet. Try adding in more salads (without all the fatty dressings), more veggies with your meals that sort of thing when your first starting. 

I will be sharing more about my health journey, and 21-day detox method soon so keep an eye out for that! Let me know if you have any questions and just know there are so many ways you can do this, this is just my way of doing Intermittent Fasting.