Different Ways To Do Intermittent Fasting

Before I go over various methods of intermittent fasting, let’s remember what this means. In simple words, intermittent fasting is refraining from eating for a set amount of time, and then eating your meals in a time window. When this behavior is repeated, you are said to be intermittent fasting. There are a couple of reasons why people do this- losing weight being one of the most common.

One of the things I love the most about this process is that it offers various options in which it can be performed. As we all know, every person is unique, and every body reacts in a different manner. Therefore, it is very important to choose the method that works best for you, and suits your lifestyle most appropriately.

Let’s begin by listing the intermittent fasting method I have the most experience with:

16:8

The 16:8 method consists of fasting (abstaining from eating or drinking anything other than water) for 16 consecutive hours, and having an eating window of 8 hours. During the 16 hours of fasting, you are allowed to drink water or non-caloric beverages such as plain coffee of tea. This is one of my favorite methods, and one which I have personally done a couple of times in the past and has always proved effective.

My personal experience:

I prefer to begin my fast at 8:00pm after my least meal of the day, and break the fast the next day at noon (12:00pm).

What a normal eating window looks like for me:

First meal: (Typically at 12:00pm) Coffee with milk, 2-3 scrambled eggs, toast, fruits.

Second meal: (Typically at 3:30pm) A sandwich or rice and protein, Greek yogurt with fruits.

Third meal: (Typically at 7:30) Rice, beans, protein, veggies, dessert.

The longest I’ve done intermittent fasting for is 2 months and I have always managed to lose 10-15 pounds. However, there are people who adopt IF as a permanent lifestyle because of the added health benefits.

2. Alternate Day

This other method of fasting can be done in a couple of ways. Some people fast an entire day, while others allow up to 500 calories. On feeding days, typically people eat as much as they want.

This method of fasting is quite extreme, and therefore might not be suitable for beginners or for those with certain medical conditions. Although, I would recommend for any person with a medical condition to consult their doctor before trying any form of intermittent fasting.

My personal experience:

I haven’t done this exact method but I have fasted for three days in the past. Although it was more than 5 years ago, I remember the experience was awful, from having no energy to feeling faint. Moreover, I also did a juice cleanse for 4 days a year ago. Like the name implies, I was only consuming juice, and I was desperate to eat food even on the first day. I say IF should be an experience you feel comfortable with, so if this is not the case with the alternate day, there are other methods in which this could be done.

3. 5:2

This 5:2 method consists of eating standard amount of relatively salutary food for 5 days and reducing calorie intake on the other 2 days. Generally during the 2 fasting days, calories are reduced to 500-600 a day, and these two days are never consecutive. For instance, if you fast on a Monday, your next fasting day should not be Tuesday. A schedule that a lot of people who practice this method follow is fasting on Mondays and Thursdays and eating normally the other days.

4. 12 Hours

Finally, here comes the easiest option for beginners- the 12 hour fast. This method is a lot more tolerable and simple than the other types of fasting mentioned above. Therefore, it is the one I recommend for beginners. After you adjust, if you feel like you want to see faster results, I suggest moving to the 16:2 method.

This 12 hour fast consists of deciding on a 12 hour fasting window every day, and adhering to it. The best time to start your fast depends on whether you sleep in or not in the mornings. If you are an early bird, the best time to begin the 12 hour fast is 7:00pm because this means you are ready to have breakfast by 7:00 am the next morning and the hours fasting were barely felt. Just like if you tend to wake up late, then I suggest starting the fast at 12:00am so that you can resume eating at 12 noon the next day. This, and the 16:2 method are completely up to your preferences.

Hope this was helpful, and feel free to share tips, ideas, and comments on your experiences with these methods 🙂

10 Food Substitutions That Will Help You Shed A Few Pounds

If you are trying to shed a few pounds or are on a weight loss journey, here I will leave you guys with a few healthier ideas you could use to substitute a few items of your kitchen with.

Let’s start off simple!

Instead of regular milk, try almond milk!

This is such a better option, much lower in calories! PLUS, it tastes way better with coffee!

2. Instead of regular brownies, try the Fiber One brownies!

If you have not gotten Fiber One brownies yet, RUN! Run to the store and get these bad boys. OMG they taste so amazing and only 70 calories.

Little tip: Add a cap of milk on top and microwave them for 20 seconds.

3. Instead of regular ice cream, try HALO TOP ice cream!

Trust me when I tell you that halo top ice cream tastes the same, if not better than regular ice cream. A whole pint of the vanilla bean has 280 calories and chances are you probably won’t eat the whole thing, but if you do it will be completely guilt-free!

4. Instead of regular ice cream bars, try the YASSO bars!

I swear these yasso bars taste so freaking amazing. Better than any other fattening ice cream bars!

5. Instead of regular flavored yogurt, try Plain Greek Yogurt topped with sugar- free maple syrup!

The plain greek yogurt I eat has 100 calories and 18 grams of protein in 6 oz. This is a pretty fair amount and does make the job of making you feel full! I love to add sugar- free maple syrup to this which only has about 5 calories, and it makes it taste so freaking good. Also, I add strawberries and blueberries. This has become my favorite snack and dessert.

6. Instead of regular bread, try the XTREME WELLNESS 50 calorie-tortillas!

You will really thank me if you substitute your daily bread with these tortillas. They taste so much better! After having these I really don’t crave regular bread at all. I put them in the air fryer for 3-5 minutes and they come out so toasty and taste incredible with absolutely anything. I am so obsessed with these that I choose them over rice anytime! I love adding one of these to my meals in place of rice or even pasta. Also, I can’t have my morning eggs without one.

7. Instead of regular pancakes, try the POWER CAKES!

You will not regret buying these pancakes! They literally taste like regular pancakes. I’d actually dare to say they taste better! High in protein and lower in calories than your regular ones. The dark chocolate ones come with little mini chocolate chips 🙂

This takes us to…

8. Instead of regular maple syrup, try Sugar-Free Maple Syrup!

Regular maple syrup is soooooo high in calories. Why have regular when you can buy sugar-free which tastes literally the same! Your pancakes will not taste any different by using sugar- free, you’ll just feel healthier.

9. Instead of a bowl of sweets (candies, chocolates), try a bowl of fruits!

Fruits are seriously such an amazing option for sweet cravings! Your body will thank you so much if instead of having a bowl of candy and chocolate you have a bowl of fresh cut up fruits! When I get late night cravings I like to have a bowl of cut up strawberries, blueberries, watermelon, half a banana, and kiwi! My absolute favorite. Trust me! When you get one of these cravings go for that fruit bowl, you won’t regret it!

And finally…

10. Instead of any of those super high in calories coffee from Starbucks, try the Iced Caramel Macchiato (with almond milk)!

A grande iced caramel macchiato with almond milk has only about 150-180 calories, and in my opinion it tastes way better than all those Starbucks coffees that have more than 500 calories. Definitely remember this next time you go get your coffee!

Hope these healthier choices are of help to you, and I would love to read about some of your healthy ideas! 🙂

What a day of Intermittent Fasting looks like

I started to intermittent fast again. Not too long ago I kind of fell of the wagon and went through a whole month of super bad eating. There were days where I did okay but most of the month I was eating horribly. I’m talking about 3000-4000 calories daily, sometimes even more. It happens, you can’t beat yourself up about it. This tends to happen to me especially after a while of being super strict with myself on what I eat.

During that month I tried different things to get back to a healthier lifestyle when it comes to food but I couldn’t find the strength to actually get on with it. Finally, I came to my senses and reflected on how I need to gain control again. Not only does it banish all the efforts I’ve put into the gym in the past months, but also it makes me feel awful.

So, I decided to try intermittent fasting once again, only this time I’m not really calorie counting and I am NOT being super strict on myself. I eat whatever I want but I try to respect the fasting hours.

There are days where my appetite is through the roof and I eat way more than I need but that’s okay as long as I respect more or less the IF. I’m trying not to be harsh on myself and just give my body what it craves in order not to fall into an endless binging period. Lately I spend all my day studying and doing school work which normally makes me want to eat all day. Needless to say there are days where I eat way more than I should, but intermittent fasting has helped me not to gain weight on days like this.

Below I’ll document two days of intermittent fasting. One where I eat a lot, and another one where I don’t get as anxious about food.

Yesterday: Day where I eat more:

Woke up at 9am and had a cup of black coffee with a tiny bit of milk and sugar
Jumped rope for 30 minutes
Did some school work
Had my first meal at 12:30pm
- I had three toasts topped with avocado and parmesan cheese, 2 scrambled eggs, and bowl of fruits with maple syrup
- 10 minutes later I tried some peanuts and chocolate snack I was brought, and a jello
Kept working on a lab report
At 4:30pm I had what I would call lunch
- Two toasts with avocado and parmesan cheese, and two toasts with cottage cheese
- Greek yogurt topped with the peanuts and chocolate snack
Continued studying
Got hungry from studying (anxious) so I went and had two keto sugar free chocolates I had just bought and a handful of the peanut and chocolate snack (big mistake buying that hehe)
Finished my school work
Had dinner at 9:00pm. I couldn’t have it at 8 as I should have because I needed to prioritize finishing my school report
- Steak, little bit of congris, banana, chips
- yogurt with my forbidden peanuts
- jello
- a little cookie
At 10pm I started to work on another school assignment and I felt the need to snack
- Potato chips with a bit of cottage cheese on the side

And that concludes my day. Obviously it was way too much and I need to work on that but I don’t want to beat myself up about it. At least I did not binge at night which usually happens when I eat like that throughout the day. One step at a time <3.

A little realization I had days ago and was made clear yesterday once again, is that chocolate gets me out of control. I tend to eat way more in a day when I have some sort of chocolate.

Today: Moderate day

Had coffee at 8:00 am
Went to class from 10am-3:00pm
- Had a caramel macchiato with almond milk from starbucks at 2pm
Had my first actual meal at 4:00pm
- Three little toasts with avocado, parmesan cheese, turkey bacon, and cucumbers mixed with soy sauce and everything bagel seasoning (really recommend).
- Greek yogurt topped with fruits and maple syrup

Did some school work
Had a protein shake at 6:00pm
Had dinner at 8:00pm
- About half a cup of white rice, fish, broccoli, fried plantains.
- For dessert I had my usual cup of yogurt with fruits.

As you can see, there is a big difference between these two days. However, I respected the fasting hours as much as I could and I actually did not even gain water weight from the day I ate more. I guess this has to do with the fact that I did respect the IF and had my first calories of the day at 2:00pm today which was the Starbucks coffee.

How To Get Rid Of Face Acne!

Ughh… acne… at one point in our lives we all struggle with it.

What worked to fight acne once might not get you the same results a second time around. At least that’s what happened to me.

As I entered adolescence I was never really one to get pimples on my face. However at around 16 I started having little break outs from time to time and eventually I had a phase where I had pimples all over my face.

I tried a couple of different soaps and routines but I wasn’t really sticking to any of them because if I wasn’t seeing results in a week or two I would just give it up.

At the time my sister was treating her face with proactive and it was working well for her so we decided to let me try it. IT WORKED! I remember seeing results fairy quickly. I used it for years until one day I stopped, and would only really order it when my face was going through break outs.

However, this year I noticed it wasn’t helping me as much anymore. I was going through a very bad acne phase despite using the products regularly, so I wanted to find a solution that wasn’t as expensive and that would obviously help me this time.

I spoke to my sister about it, and she told me she did a LOT of research and came up with a routine that was really working for her and the best part is that it was not expensive at all!

Honestly at first I was a bit hectic about it because no routine that I’ve come up with in the past has really worked for me but after listening to her and all the research she did, I was actually excited to try it myself.

Let me just say that I started seeing results within two days! And trust me, my face was breaking out bad!

I’ve stuck to this routine since the beginning of April so it’s been about three months and a half. It’s important to mention that I try to be as consistent with it as I can. I do this routine every single morning and before bedtime. Sometimes I’ve skipped it when I’ve gone out at night and come back too tired but I try to at least wash my face and then continue the routine the next morning.

Follow this plan using these products and I guarantee you will see a difference. If you have been struggling with acne you should definitely give this a try, and the best part is that these products are very affordable.

Here it goes:

MORNING ROUTINE:

St. Ives Acne Control Scrub Apricot

Wash your face using this
Rinse with cold water

I’ve seen some videos on Tik Tok where some dermatologists say that this doesn’t really work, but it has honestly been a great scrub for me and it has definitely worked!

I get it for about $5 or $6 at CVS.

2. Carbon Theory Tea Tree Oil and Citric Acid toner

Apply it with a cotton pad after drying your face

Best, most effective toner I’ve ever used.

I get it from Ulta Beauty for $19.99.

3. Benzoyl Peroxide

At the beginning apply to the whole area, especially focusing on where you’re breaking out. Be careful not to use so much that it burns.
When you see results and the acne subsides use it only on where you get pimples. At least that’s what I do now and it works well.

Currently I am using this because I did not want to let it go to waste since I still had it from when I was using proactive. However, any product that has benzoyl peroxide as the active ingredient should work fine.

After this bottle is over I will begin using the Neutrogena Rapid Clear Stubborn Acne Spot Treatment Gel which is 10% Benzoyl Peroxide. You can get this on Amazon for $7 or at your local pharmacy:

4. Neutrogena clear face break-out free liquid lotion sunscreen

VERY IMPORTANT THAT YOU USE SUNSCREEN, ESPECIALLY AFTER USING BENZOYL PEROXIDE. DO NOT FORGET TO USE SUNSCREEN!

I chose this sunscreen because it says it is break-out free. In deed it is, it does not make me break out and does not feel greasy at all. I don’t step outside without this. I use it daily even when I’m staying inside. You can get it at CVS for $14.99.

That’s all for the morning routine. It only takes me about three minutes to do it.

BEDTIME ROUTINE:

Same as morning routine with the scrub and toner, but instead of the benzoyl peroxide you will use Adapalene Gel 0.1%

3. Differin Gel: Adapalene Gel 0.1% Acne Treatment

I use this every night. Although some prefer to use it around three times a week because it is a strong treatment. I suggest you start by applying it twice or three times a week, and see how your face reacts until you can eventually do it every night or every other night.

Do not get scared or discouraged if you break out at the beginning of using this product. Keep using it and eventually you will get amazing results. The reason why your acne might appear worse at first is because this product works on pimples inside the skin. Be patient and you will see how worth it it is.

In my personal experience my acne did not get much worse, so this doesn’t necessarily mean that you will break out more. It’s a different experience for everyone, so do not get discouraged. All the other products from my routine will help subside the acne if this product does make you break out at first.

TWICE A WEEK:

–The Ordinary Peeling Solution

Twice a week incorporate this product into your night routine
After you wash your face with the scrub, apply this all over your face and let sit for 20 minutes (the bottle says 10 but I do 20 and it works for me).
After 20 minutes, rinse with cold water.
Apply toner
Apply adepalene

The first week you start using this product, I suggest you apply it every night. That’s what I did and I saw a significant difference after that first week.

WARNING: It will eventually sting. In my experience and as it usually is, at the beginning it does not really sting at all because of how bad the face is breaking out but after a while when you begin to see a difference it can start to sting. However, do try to leave it on for 20 minutes. No more than that. If it burns too much try to stand in front of a fan until the stinginess goes away, but do try your best to leave it on for 20 minutes.

I now do this on Thursdays and Sundays.

This is a HOLY GRAIL! WOW! This product cannot ever go missing from my routine.

You can get it al Ulta Beauty for $7.

Once a week if needed:

-Vitamin C

If you feel like your face is getting too dry, apply vitamin C once a week in the middle of the day.
Do it after a while of your morning routine because vitamin C and benzoyl peroxide cancel each other out.

I get this vitamin C+E serum at Sephora for $20. There are other options you can get from amazon that are a bit cheaper but this is my favorite serum ever. So refreshing and leaves skin looking and feeling radiant and soooo hydrated. I sound like a commercial but it’s true.

Well that is it as far as my facial skin care routine goes. Please try it and really do stick to it. BE CONSISTENT and you will thank me. Trust me!

Let me know how well it goes 🙂

Here is a picture of my results. The top three pictures are the ones from the first day I started this routine and the bottom ones are after a month and currently. However, I did see major changes within the first week, and felt like it was already working on the second day.

GOOD LUCK AND TRUST THE PROCESS!

Some Of My Favorite Booty Building Exercises

It’s NEVER too late to build your summer boody! Get what I did there? hehe.

Anyway… it’s sun’s out, buns out season and if your peach is not where you want it to be yet, or you’d like it to keep growing I suggest you try some of these booty exercises that have definitely been a game changer for me. Of course, it would also help if you accompany these exercises with dietary protein which is necessary for gaining and maintaining muscle mass. Other nutrients such as carbs, antioxidants, and healthy fats would be very beneficial as well. If you guys would like I could do my next blog on foods that have worked great for my booty building process.

Now back to the exercises.

Without a doubt, my number 1 and favorite is the Hip thrust.

The booty pump is real with this exercise! I don’t exaggerate when I say I see a difference right away.

You might confuse this exercise with a glute bridge, which in my opinion is pretty amazing as well, but if I have to pick one of the two, I’d definitely go with the hip thrust. The difference is that a glute bridge is done with shoulders on the floor and it is mostly performed as a bodyweight move, unlike the hip thrust in which weight is usually added.

2. Cable kickbacks

Cable kickbacks is another exercise that mainly targets the glute muscles and works the hamstrings as well. You can do this exercise in various ways. My favorite is the one shown in the image above. But if you do not have access to this machine you could also do the glute kickback by getting into all fours, keeping a straight back, and extending your leg back and up until your thigh is parallel to the ground (I recommend using a band on top of the knees to add resistance)

3. Hip abduction

Hip abduction is an exercise that cannot miss from my routine on glute days. Whether I do it as a warm up or to call it a day, I always like to include this specific exercise. Besides from being a great muscle activator, this is another one of those where you see and definitely feel the results right away.

What I like to do on the hip abduction machine seen in the image above is to perform 4 sets of three different variations. I begin by doing 8-10 repetitions sitting like the guy in the image, I follow that with 8-10 reps leaning forward, and I end it with 8-10 reps of squats on the machine, which consist of lifting my bum from the chair as the legs come closer together, and moving your butt back closer to the chair with the legs opening. That right there counts as one set and I do them back to back.

4. Combo of Banded glute exercises

Here I like to do the following:

Fire hydrant using a band on top of the knees (10-15 reps)

Followed by Donkey kicks (10-15 reps)

Ending the set with Rainbow kicks (10-15 reps)

I usually count these three together as one exercise.

5. Last but not least, the Donkey kick on the smith rack

I don’t do this exercise too often because I always like to do it with someone assisting me with the bar in case I can’t lock it by myself. I definitely do not suggest you try this without somebody else assisting you as well. However, I do recommend you include this in your routine for glutes whenever possible because this exercise right here not only will leave your booty on fire, but it is definitely one of the game changers.

Sooo….. there you have some of my favorite booty workouts that have definitely helped me see a difference on my peach size.

Do these five exercises on your next booty day and you will thank me! If you share your booty day with quads or hamstrings then I suppose you won’t do all of these booty targeted exercise but try to at least include two in your routine and you will most definitely start to notice a difference as you keep doing them.

Hope you guys benefit from these, and please let me know what you think or if you’d like me to share more stuff related to this!

Healthy Snacks/Desserts I Eat Throughout the Day

Are you one of those people who like to eat with your eyes more than with your mouth? Well I am!

I absolutely love to eat and I love to be able to eat a lot. Unfortunately when you’re trying to lose weight this is not very convenient because the only real way of losing weight is to reduce your calories intake.

How about after your meals? Are you one of those people who have to have dessert or at least something sweet after a meal? Well I am as well.

Right now I am trying my best to eat at a calorie deficit in hopes of reaching my goal weight. Needless to say I am watching what I eat throughout the day and I try to reduce my calories as much as possible staying in a healthy range. When I say reduce my calories don’t think I mean 800-900 a day. That’s insane! Not even 1200 is enough. I’m currently trying to eat from 1400 to 1600 daily, which might still be too low for some people but I find that this is working for me.

The hardest part for me about this is portion control. Like I said, I’m a volume eater so I needed to look for ways to eat more while not consuming THAT MANY calories. Here is where volume eating comes in.

I’m sure a lot of you are familiar with this concept. Volume eating means consuming large volumes of food while still keeping calories under control. Some really good examples of things you could eat for volume eating include fish, greek yogurt, boiled potatoes, oatmeal (look for low calories oatmeal), soups, chicken, vegetables, egg whites, etc.

Now I’ll share with you some of my favorite low calorie snacks or desserts you could have in not so moderate amounts while still losing weight. Of course, the ideal thing would be to practice portion control because you’d be taking full advantage of the low calories, aiding in weight loss if that’s your goal. But if the goal is to find snacks you could basically binge on and not put on weight, then HOORAY! Suit yourself!

I want to start by listing my number 1 favorite snack/dessert at the moment:

Plain greek yogurt topped with strawberries, blueberries, sugar free maple syrup, and mini chocolate chips.

This is very filling, satisfying, and low in calories! You’ll feel like you’re eating a lot, and you kind of are, but do not worry, you are definitely eating a healthy, low calorie, and nutritious snack that leaves you feeling full because greek yogurt is very high in protein.

In the picture from above, I just put half a serving of plain greek yogurt because I was already full from my meal before that but here is how I usually eat it.

2/3 cups (170g) plain greek yogurt [100 calories]

2 strawberries [8 calories]

8 or 10 blueberries [6 calories]

Sugar free maple syrup [5 calories]

7 grams of mini chocolate chips [40 calories] (I suggest you buy the mini ones because they feel like a lot more than the regular ones)

This healthy, delicious, and filling snack leaves you satisfied for hours completely guilt free. Trust me!

Confession time, this is what I have when I can’t control my midnight appetite.

2. Lightly salted rice cake with peanut butter topped with strawberries, blueberries, and kiwi.

The above picture does not show my suggested toppings but the good thing about lightly salted rice cakes is that you can top them with pretty much anything and they only have 35 calories! I like to choose toppings such as sugar free peanut butter or Pb2 (I totally recommend this), fruits, and you could even throw half a serving of mini chocolate chips on there if you’re someone with a really sweet tooth like me.

A typical rice cake with my Pb2 and fruits usually contains around 35 calories from the rice cake itself, 60 calories from the serving of Pb2 which is the same as peanut butter, just a healthier version (it’s a powder you mix with a bit of water and you got yourself peanut butter), and about 20 calories from fruits.

3. Ole Xtreme Wellness High Fiber tortillas with marinara sauce, turkey ham, and cheese.

I do not have a picture of this, but OMG! you have to get these tortillas. I like to put them in the air fryer for about 3-5 minutes and they go with everything. I have it with my morning eggs, as burritos, as a side for dinner when I’m craving bread or when I don’t feel like eating rice or pasta. But my absolute favorite is when I use them to make a healthy pizza. The best part is that they only contain 50 calories!

Tortilla [50 calories]
Marinara sauce [~20 calories]
Turkey ham [40 calories]
Mozzarella shredded cheese [80 calories]

And there you have yourself a pizza for less than 200 calories! Just throw it in the air fryer or oven for about 5 minutes and you’re all done!

4. Power Cakes Dark Chocolate (Mix) topped with sugar free maple syrup and some fruits

Usually I have a whole serving of these which is only 190 calories for 4-5 delicious high in protein chocolate pancakes. If I’m feeling in an extra chocolaty mood, I’ll throw some mini chocolate chips but that’s not really necessary since the pancakes already come with miniature chips themselves.

Pancake mix [190 calories]
Fruits [~20-30 calories]
Sugar free maple syrup [5 calories]

Look at that! Another delicious and low in calories sweet tooth satisfier!

And now… let’s end it with another one of my favorites!

5. Fiber one brownie with halo top ice cream

Fiber one brownie [70 calories]
- I suggest you add a little cap of milk and microwave it for 15 seconds (heaven on earth!)
Halo Top ice cream [~60-80 calories]
- The calories in halo top ice cream vary depending on flavor but it’s definitely one of the yummiest, low in calories ice cream. I usually have the vanilla bean and a whole pint is 290 calories, from which I usually consume 60 to 80 calories or even less with my brownie!

Okay well, there you have it! Those are some of my favorite and delicious low calorie snacks or desserts that I can’t go without. Hope you guys enjoy them as much as I do!

Let me know if you would like me to list for you in my next blog some of my favorite low-calories individual products that are never missing from my fridge

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A Story On How I Lost Weight & Stayed Motivated!

Many times, especially during the night when we let our thoughts go wild, we fantasize about losing weight, what we want our bodies to look like, and the ideal figure for us. We make plans in our heads, and some of us even write it down, to start a diet the next morning and we even come up with a schedule to get our workouts in throughout the week.

But then the next morning comes, and along with the previous night, that motivation is also gone. You wake up hungry and excited to go have a big, yummy breakfast. You’re so blinded by your desire to eat that you completely forget about the goals you had set probably less than 10 hours ago.

How can you avoid this? How can you stick to the goals you create for yourself the night before?

Here is what I’ve done in the past and what has worked for me. It might sound stupid or dumb, but change your phone lock screen to a picture of your body goal, whether it is a photo of yourself some years ago or someone you know nothing about. Now a days we all check our phones first thing in the morning; This should be enough to remind you that you had a goal last night, and that it’s probably best if you stick to it. Remind yourself that you want to lose some inches off your waist, feel better about yourself, or most importantly improve your health. Chances are you will have a smaller or even healthier breakfast than you would have if you would not have seen that picture as a reminder of what you aspire to look like.

You are done with step 1! Nothing big, nothing too drastic, just the will to start a change and act on it.

I don’t know if this is something that happens for everyone, but it does happen to me and it has held me back from reaching my goals a lot of years in the past. If I don’t quickly see results, I lose motivation. At least at the beginning I need to see changes fast otherwise it makes me feel like eating even worst and I end up putting on a few more pounds. It was not too long ago that I was trying to shed a few pounds but it was impossible to stay motivated since I was not seeing quick results. I even went on a three-day juice cleanse which made me lose about 8 pounds but I had a few days of binging short after I went on a trip a couple of days later and gained a lot of those pounds back, especially because juice cleanses mainly make you lose water weight. But the binging and the juice cleanse is something I can blog about later if you guys are interested.

Finding a solution for myself:

Looking for motivation I looked at a lot of diets online, I looked at more juice cleanses, at fasting for a whole day, but honestly at the moment I didn’t feel like I could keep up with any of those things and would eventually end up binge eating and putting on even more weight. Then finally, I came across Intermittent Fasting! Thank God for that. I had heard about this before, but I did a little more research on it. I read about amazing experiences from people who have done this, read about all the benefits it has aside from helping you lose weight fairly quick, so I said “why not?” and went for it. I remember I decided to do this at night right before bed, which is when I like to do my research on things I’m interested in. The next day I weighed myself just to have a start weight and I didn’t eat until around 2 in the afternoon; only thing I had was my cuban coffee. I distinctly recall this was on a Saturday because I was out with my mom and we went to a restaurant that afternoon. There I told her all about intermittent fasting and how I wanted to give it a try. I was so excited and motivated about this that I decided to eat healthy at the restaurant. We shared a delicious and fairly sized salad, some orange chicken, and a little bit of fried rice because it’s very important to keep a balance. Later on at night I went out with a few friends to a restaurant/bar but since I had just started my IF I decided to respect my eating window and did not have anything after 10pm. I am usually more flexible when I go out but I was just too excited about this new strategy to lose weight that I wanted to stick to it and respect the time.

As you might have or might not have heard, there are different types of intermittent fasting one can do. I decided to go with the 16/8 IF which is where you fast for 16 hours and have an eating window of 8 hours. At the beginning I was not really counting calories, I was simply trying to avoid eating an enormous amount of food in one sitting. Miraculously, I was not starving! Since I love eating sooo much I thought this was going to be a lot harder, but it turns out that it felt very natural to do and I was quickly adapting to it. The second day when I weighed myself, I was down by a pound! Probably all water retention but seeing the scale go down really kept me motivated. I kept this up for the days that followed and I LOVED how quickly I was seeing results, so YES! Intermittent fasting does work, it works quick, and if you’re like me that needs to see a quick change in order to stay motivated then this is your sign to start intermittent fasting.

If you guys would like I can do an in depth blog about IF, and explain all the different types there are and how I’ve been doing it. Of course there has been ups and downs but that is normal when trying to reach a goal. As everything in life, what matters is to get back on your feet when you fall, and oh trust me, I am the queen of falls! But thankfully I am also the queen of getting back on my feet. I am still not at my goal weight but I am so much closer to it, and I can guarantee that intermittent fasting is the main reason why.