I have started out on a journey to lose at least a stone in weight (hopefully fat, not muscle!). I actually need to lose 3 stone to be at my ideal weight according to government statistics. I have tried so many diets, but always seem to self sabotage my results when I start getting anywhere, which leads to more weight gain and more despair!
I have been talking to a fitness coach about my dilemma. They have suggested I try 'IF' or Intermittent Fasting as it doesn't take special foods or powders or specific food preparations etc, it is literally fasting for a controlled amount of time to allow the body to heal and to burn stored fat for fuel.
I have to admit when I look at my eating pattern, I tend to eat when I am bored and when it is 'food time' ie breakfast, lunch or dinner. So my calorie intake is much higher than it should be. I also suffer with Underactive Thyroid so my metabolism is quite slow, that combined with my minuscule height of only 4 ft 10 inches, does not make a great combination!
After speaking with my Endo about my weight concerns, he calculated my BMI and my BMR. My BMI is waaaaaay to high and my BMR is really low. Basically this means unless I turn into a super athlete, I need to stop consuming so many calories.
The Doc calculated that my maintenance calories are only 1200 per day. This seems a really small number when most sites suggest women should eat 2000 per day. So basically, to lose weight, I need to eat LESS than 1200 calories per day, which is practically impossible if you eat 3 normal meals a day plus snacks! The doctor's professional advice to help me lose weight was to 'eat less and move more' lol
Obviously the first thing to do is to cut out snacking, which I have managed to do pretty easily much to my surprise. Even by doing this, I was still consuming more than 1200 calories per day! I have also cut out sugar (except for natural sugars from fruit and honey).
The next step was to make sure I track my food and calories in myfitnesspal.com to ensure I know what I am consuming.
After speaking with my fitness instructor, I have decided to give IF a go. I will basically eat between 1pm until 7pm and fast for 18 hours, 8 of which I will be asleep so it will be much easier.
I have been following this routine for 3 days so far and the hunger around mid morning is the hardest thing. Not only have I been fasting for 18 hours, but I have also changed the foods I do eat to low fat/low calorie choices so I don't feel as full for as long. I may have to reconsider eating some stodgier foods to curb the hunger pangs.
It is now 11:30am and I have an hour and a half until I can start to eat and I am absolutely obsessing over food and can't wait until 1pm! I will be filling the next 90 minutes with chores and walking the dogs to avoid eating before my time is ready.
I will continue to write about my IF journey, partially to share my experiences, but also to keep myself on track and hold myself accountable.
Thank you to unsplash.com for the free images and to you guys for reading!
Much love, @beautifulbullies xx
