How I Designed my Intermittent Fasting Plan

So by now you probably have heard of Intermittent Fasting and did a little digging for yourself. A bit back I posted about the ways Intermittent fasting was changing my life. Better fitting clothes, more energy, great sleep, and then some. Something else had changed too, and in a big way…

Enter Intermittent Fasting.

My boyfriend often laughs at me when I tell him I’m on a diet. The usual response from him is “again?? What ever happened to “Diet of the month”? (Fill in the blank…Keto, Atkins, Low Fat, etc). “  Well this time it was different.He actually commented on my weight loss without being prompted. Shocker right? I laughed and responded that I’ve been on a “diet” that wasn’t really a diet. This was more like a lifestyle shift I explained. So the easiest, most successful “diet” I’ve ever been on is really not a diet at all! With real, easy, fast results!!

So how did I develop my Intermittent Fasting schedule?

No one to take anything at face value, I dug through tons of information floating throughout the web.  I read some studies, watched a documentary, and read some more. I’ve followed the concept of IF , with a few modifications of my own to suit my schedule. I was never an early morning breakfast eater, so this just sealed the deal for me.

I typically work 10 hour shifts, so the easiest change for me to incorporate was to avoid eating throughout the day while I’m at work. Just that simple. That would automatically shrink my eating window, making my first meal of the day a nice late lunch. This helped greatly to prevent me from my typical stress/emotional eating that I am so prone to doing.

What is my personal Intermittent Fasting Plan?

After deciding on when to open my eating window, I had to figure out when to close it. I have decided to stop eating by 8 PM each day. According to all the rumors, you shouldn’t eat right before you go to bed anyway. This gives me at least 2-3 hours to digest fully before I get horizontal each night. If I follow the 16:8 plan, I could eat as early as noon each day. Lean gains method is 20:4, but I’ve found that I’m more likely to binge if I do that schedule. I shifted my first meal back a few hours and eat my lunch at 2 pm, thus doing 18:6. Hey, it works for me, so do what your body tells you to do.

No One likes Mondays…..

But I’m beginning to! I start my week with a full day of fasting. Mondays is my complete fast day. I feel as though this is a really good reset for me, and puts me in a great place for the week. I also feel that if I can stick to a full day fast, I can handle anything life, especially work, can throw at me! Beginning my week with such a strong start, I find that I rarely fizzle out later in the week. If I really need it, I will enjoy a bowl of miso soup in the evening on Monday, but again, always before 8PM. I have come to truly embrace that warm mug full of savory success.

Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday

I break my fast around 2, and make sure I eat a quality snack or balanced meal. Planning here is the key! If it’s time to break my fast and I haven’t thought ahead, I am likely to eat garbage. In order to prevent this, I plan in advance and be sure to pack myself something yummy. I also make sure that I slow down and enjoy each one of those bites, and boy do they taste good! I also find that I don’t really need too much food to fill me up now. Later in the night, I cook a nice healthful dinner. Sometimes I’ll join a friend for a meal, but when 8pm rolls around, my mouth closes. I stick with this model for the rest of the week.

But what happens when its Friday? Happy Hour? Family Dinner? Saturday night dinner and a movie? How about Sunday Funday?? Now what????  What’s a girl to do? Find out how I survive Intermittent Fasting on the weekends without FOMO.