Hi guys! I’ve had a lot of questions about what I have been doing to stay in shape/be healthy during quarantine. This year that I realized that I needed to get more serious about my health/relationship with food. With gyms closing, I felt that I really 'had to get my shit together'. Earlier in the year, when speaking to my aunt she recommended intermittent fasting and the book, Delay Don't Deny: Living an Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle. While I did not read the book, I did listen to the podcasts. Each podcast features someone who has had a breakthrough in their lifestyle/relationship with food through intermittent fasting. I decided to start doing intermittent fasting, it is something that has worked really well for me. I started in March and I am still keeping up with it.
Intermittent Fasting
Let's simplify this:
What is intermittent fasting? It’s a fasting period followed by a period of eating. The most common type is a 16 hour fast and a 8 hour eating window. For example, I break fast at 11am and I don’t eat after 7pm. That gives me 16 hours in between of fasting, which has helped me loose weight.
Are their specific hours? No! You can do any type of window, I did 12:00 - 8:00pm for a period of time.
Do you still eat breakfast? I do! I love breakfast food personally more than dinner, so I still enjoy breakfast. Some people don't eat until 1 pm so their first meal is lunch and they stop at 9pm.
How does it work? By giving yourself a smaller window, you are decreasing the amount of time for calorie intake. It helps you boost metabolism while you're eating fewer calories.
Do you count calories? Not exactly! After counting in the beginning, through time you’ll know your portions should be. I eat breakfast, lunch, and a light dinner. I aim for around 1400 calories a day. I'm not too strict on myself now that I have reached my goal weight, but in the beginning I was watching my calories!
Will I gain weight if I stop? We gain weight by eating more calories than we burn in a day. If you are eating more than you're burning, yes you can gain weight. It's a possibility, but with self control and mindfulness it won’t be a problem. I haven’t stopped because I.F currently works for me.
Food Swaps:
Anyone who knows me knows I have a sweet tooth and I love a good cup of coffee! Sweets is definitely something I was never willing to give up, but I know I had to 'cut back' in some ways to maintain results. I didn’t want to feel like I was punishing myself or giving something up that I loved, I've created some swaps that helped me maintain this lifestyle.
Coffee:
When I was going into the office, I used to start my day with vanilla iced latte. Almond milk, some vanilla syrup & espresso. Now, I have cut it to just black coffee every morning. On the weekends, I like to treat myself and go to a coffee shop and try a new drink! It’s something to look forward too. If I feel for a sugary coffee, I’ll wait until after 11am when my eating window starts.
Breakfast:
Before I.F: 2 pieces of toast with 1 avocado, 1 egg and cheese. Now, It is 1 piece of ezekiel bread with 1/2 avocado, 1 egg and some cheese.
After I.F: Ezekiel bread because I love to have avocado toast, and it is a better bread option because it is sprouted and low carb. I do not feel guilty eating this at all and it's only 70 calories. Also, everything is good in moderation. A full avocado is a lot of healthy fats, and then I would not be able to eat any nuts/cheeses for the day. Half allows me to have a good amount of healthy fat but not over do it.
I still enjoy the same breakfast I love, just in different portions.
