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 🙂

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

Make a one-time donation

Make a monthly donation

Make a yearly donation

Choose an amount

¤5.00

¤15.00

¤100.00

¤5.00

¤15.00

¤100.00

¤5.00

¤15.00

¤100.00

Or enter a custom amount

Your contribution is appreciated.

Donate Donate monthly Donate yearly

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.