An Intermittent Fasting Progress Food Guide

These final ten pounds have been the hardest for me to lose. They are coming off slowly but surely. Even though the progress is slow, I'm still happy with progress. I'm currently working out 6 days a week, mostly weight lifting and HIIT (high intensity interval training) cardio sessions, meaning quick bursts of high intensity cardio movements followed by short rest periods. I should be a fat burning machine, but my metabolism slows as I lose more weight. I will explore the different scientific approaches to speeding up metabolism later, but for now, I'm going to try a tactic that has helped balance me in the past: intermittent fasting.

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is basically going a longer period without eating than the normal 10-12 hours an average person goes between their dinner and their breakfast the next day. I look at it like basically sleeping longer. You let your body start reaching into the fat storage banks for fuel.

Why intermittent fasting?

I like IF for a few reasons:

1. It teaches me to eat when I'm actually hungry; not when I'm bored, having cravings, or emotional. Sticking to a time schedule allows me to really actually want to eat, and leaves me less time to be picky over cravings, because I just want to eat a good meal.

2. It feels like I'm eating more. Really, I'd be eating the same as if I had 3 or 6 small healthy meals, but eating them as about two large meals with some snacks in between makes me feel like I get to binge eat without the guilt, and I satisfy my brain.

3. I get more done. When I know that I will eat at a certain time, and I will be done eating at a certain time, my brain stops scrambling every two or three hours for food. Putting myself on a routine where I eat constantly and worry about healthy choices all day long means I literally spend a chunk of my day worrying about food. I could be using that time putting that energy towards something else.

My Intermittent Fasting Plan

I've decided to start eating at 11 AM every day this week and stop eating by 5 or 6, this gives me a decent 18 hour fasting period. I want to keep my meals during the day time so I can burn more calories at night, and cut out any addictions to late night snacking. Ultimately, I am hoping to shed these last few pounds, but the mind part is the most important to me. I don't want to wake up at 3 AM craving cheesecake, I want to sip on water for 16 hours without a problem and teach my body how to tell my brain it's actually hungry!

A Day Intermittent Fasting (With Meals):

First, I'll start by waking up and brushing my teeth. Brushing, besides doing so for obvious hygienic reasons, keeps me from getting hungry, maybe the minty taste turns my taste buds and brain off from most foods, I'm not sure. I'd be willing to bet there's a significant reason that is just a google search away, but let's be honest, I'm too lazy to google and read information about brushing versus hunger pains.

Okay, after brushing, I have my 16 oz water bottle filled with natural spring water to sip on throughout the day.

My day consists of job work and e-mails, housework, chasing my toddler around, cooking for my toddler, and running errands/paying bills. So, I can maintain without overthinking about food and stay pretty distracted for a few hours. I get tiny pangs from my stomach, really my brain wanting me to eat around 8 AM, but that's when I usually have my first big meal of the day. Drinking water washes away the habitual feeling, and I realize I'm really not hungry. By the time 11 AM rolls around (really, it's more like 11:30), I'm slightly hungry but not famished. I break my fast with something small, but filling.

• Protein Granola (1 Cup) With Fresh (3 Sliced) Strawberries and Soymilk (1/4 Cup)

After breakfast, it's time to get a workout in. It's chest and shoulder day. Routine I did:

• Bridged Tri-Fly + Chest Prest (40 Seconds)
• Pushups (40 Seconds)
• Rest (15 Seconds)
• Repeat Movements
• Squat + Shoulder Press (40 Seconds)
• Bicep Curl (40 Seconds)
• Rest (15 Seconds)
• Repeat Movements
• Resistance Band Chest Openers (40 Seconds)
• Resistance Band Lat Pulls (40 Seconds)
• Rest & Repeat
• Chest Press (40 Seconds)
• Inverted Row (40 Seconds)
• Rest & Repeat

By 12:30, after a good workout, I'm pretty hungry, so I grab a meal prepped favorite out for a lunch. The measurements are for the entire prepped pot.

• Chicken Stew- De-boned Chicken, Veggie Stock (1 Cup), Water (1 Cup), Carrots (1/4 Cup), Okra (1/2 Cup), Corn (1/4 Cup), Diced Tomatoes (1/4 Cup) (No Products With Sugar, No Oil, and No Potatoes)

The stew keeps me pretty satisfied until about 2 o'clock. I take a break from work to indulge in an episode of a Netflix series, but I want a snack while I watch:

• Rice Cake with Peanut Butter (1/2 Tablespoon) and Raisins (1/8 Cup)

If you can't remember my rice cake pizza snack from my meal article, you can find it here.

By 3 o'clock, it's time for a sort of pre-dinner. Now, if you try intermittent fasting, you do not have to break your meals up like me. I only made meals right when I was feeling hungry. But, you can eat large portioned, 600 or 800-calorie healthy meals in one sitting if you prefer, and have two large meals with snacks in between. I just personally like the idea of eating smaller meals only when I'm hungry throughout the 6 or 8 hour window.

• Egg white (2) Omelet with Vegetables (1 Mushroom, 1/8 Cup Onion, 1 tablespoon Bell Pepper, 1/2 Tablespoon Jalapeno) With Low-Moisture Mozzarella (1/8 Cup) and Salsa (1/2 Tablespoon) & Romaine Salad With Turkey Bacon (1 Slice), Almonds (1/8 Cup), Onion (1/8 Cup), and Ranch Dressing (2 Tablespoons)

Then, it's time for my official dinner and my last meal until 11 AM the next day.

• Turkey Taco Salad with Mozzarella Cheese (1/8 cup)For my final meal of the day, at 6 o'clock, I cook ground turkey with paprika, garlic salt, cumin, chili powder and paprika. I add bell pepper, jalapeño, and onion. I sprinkle this turkey meat taco mixture over romaine with a little cheese and a tablespoon of taco sauce for a quick and easy taco salad.

Overall, I usually feel a lot of balance and clarity when I practice intermittent fasting. Hopefully by keeping it up, I'll start to see my last few pounds fall away. And I will feel my relationship with food start to strengthen a bit more. If you have any questions, make sure you're a part of the accountability group!

Happy eating, humans!