For those of you who have asked me to write down exactly what I eat and when I eat, here ya go!
Just FYI, since I have lost most of the weight I gained during college, the remaining weight I want to lose is extremely stubborn weight that doesn’t come off by just doing Intermittent Fasting alone. Therefore, I have been limiting my calories (note: I am not counting calories, I am just eating intuitively by keeping the total amount of calories in mind).
With that said, here is my daily eating schedule and the amount of calories per meal:
Before 12 PM: Black coffee/tea, water = 0 calories
12 PM: BREAKFAST – 2 egg omelette with cheese, onions, and one piece of lite whole wheat bread = ~400 calories
5:30 PM: DINNER – this varies every day, but it is normally a light home-cooked meal consisting of mostly protein with a side of vegetables. I try to keep this around 800 calories max
As you can see, I only eat two meals a day. This is just my new eating lifestyle that I have actually grown to love!
Since I am trying to lose stubborn weight that does NOT want to come off, I try to limit my daily calorie intake to about 1,200 calories. I have been eating that exact egg breakfast every day since I started fasting – dinner is the meal that always changes and is the variable (which is why I try to allot 800 calories for dinner).
The hardest part about starting Intermittent Fasting for me was waiting until noon to eat my first meal. I was so used to waking up an eating a bagel the second I rolled out of bed. I was also used to drinking a medium Dunkin Donuts iced coffee with milk and 3 inches of sugar on the bottom almost every day! That has been replaced with black coffee – something I never thought I’d ever be able to drink without throwing up because of the bitter taste. But it’s so worth it – it gives me the energy to workout in the morning without breaking my fast. It is also an appetite suppressant so I rarely feel hungry before 12. By the time the effects wear off, it’s almost time for me to break my fast and cook my omelette!
The next hardest part about this eating schedule was restraining myself from snacking in between breakfast and dinner. Honestly, sometimes it’s just impossible not to. But I’ll let you in on a little secret since you’re still reading: you can’t snack on unhealthy treats if they’re not in the house. I know that sounds silly and redundant, but seriously – don’t buy them and you won’t be able to eat them! Instead, buy fruits and vegetables for these emergencies! You’ll thank me later when you’re eating a banana instead of being elbow-deep in a bag of potato chips or forgetting how many sleeves of Oreos you’ve eaten… it happens to the best of us… they’re just so dang good!
Anyways, there you have it: my eating schedule! Remember, I have been doing this for almost 2 years. Your schedule should be less intense than mine if you are just starting Intermittent Fasting. Go at your own pace and make healthy choices next time you go grocery shopping!
You are so aspiring!! I’ve been wanting to lose weight before college and this is finally a realistic way to do so. When you first started out what did your eating schedule look like?
Hi Lindsey! Thank you so much for comment and your kind words! When I first started trying to lose weight I only fasted from 7pm – 11am. So basically, I tried not to have any snacks at night or in the early morning! This was something I totally wasn’t used to because I was a late-night snacker and I would eat breakfast the second I woke up. After about a month or so of this, I started to increase my fasting period – which has slowly increased over time. Please let me know if you have any further questions – I’d be more than happy to help! 🙂
Hi Aly
Great blog
Quick question , your last meal is at 5:30 pm and then nothing else for the rest of the night ?
What’s the latest time you are allowed to eat at the end of the day ?
Hi Samantha!
Thanks so much for your comment! You are correct, my last meal starts at around 5:30 pm. This means I usually stop eating for the night around 6 pm the latest! If I start to feel hungry at night, I drink de-caffeinated tea to hold me over! Let me know if you have any other questions, I’d love to help! 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing your journey with us! It is inspiring!! I’m going to try the level 1 intermittent fasting by doing the no eating between 10-10. I’m usually in bed by 10 n don’t go on my first break till 10 so this works out great. I’m used to drinking coffee in the morning but I can switch to tea until my “breakfast” My only fear is the weekends. During the work week im pretty committed in food n exercises but the weekend is where I splurge! How do you handle it n do you do anything different?!
Hi!! Glad to hear this works out well for you! I’m so excited to hear that you’ll be trying it out! If you have black coffee you’ll be fine! Definitely something to get used to, but it will definitely help hold you over until breakfast.
Ahh, the weekends are tough. I try to change my mindset and tell myself that a Saturday is just a normal day of the week. I wake up, I workout around 9:30am, do errands, watch TV, basically I do whatever I can possibly to do get my mind off of eating. Before I know it, it’s noon and time for me to break my fast!
Dinner may be a struggle because weekends are typically when you go out for dinner/parties, hangout with friends, etc. Therefore, it’s much harder to plan your meals. On the weekends if I go out for dinner, I can’t control the time the food will arrive so I just stop eating right after dinner, say no to dessert, and that’s all you can do! You can’t be perfect 100% of the time, but as long as you try 99% of the time, it will be effective! Hope this helps 🙂