I had a revelation yesterday about my eating. I try to restrict calories to 1200, but I needed some type of plan as my day is very chaotic. I found IF (Intermittent Fasting) which is what I have always done naturally anyway; usually having a coffee in the morning, water all day and then eating one meal throughout the course of a couple of hours at night. My problem is that I have been trying to conform to others' style of eating and it conflicted with my own. Then I was compounding the problem with night eating that was uncontrolled. I like to not eat all day and then have one meal in the evening - my digestion likes that better too. I FEEL better when I live this way and I prefer to work out in the morning before I eat. My husband has always pushed eating throughout the day. So, I would eat during the day and then again at night, when I am relaxed and want to eat. Result = blimp. lol So, I'm going to follow this Warrior Diet which is what I want to do anyway (it stresses flexibility which is good), but with a healthier change. I will eat between the hours of 6p-10p my 1200 cals., eating my protein, vegs. and fats first, and then if I am still hungry a small portion of carbs.

It's an experiment right now, but I'm giving it a month to see what comes of it. I'm also performing research about fasting to see what is being said pro/con as I want to be the healthiest 'me' I can be. I have the exercise down and I am getting into meditation to bring down my stress. This is the last bit of the puzzle (eating schedule) to round out my weightloss/maintenance lifestyle.

Hello! I also just came across intermittent fasting and have been trying IF since Saturday. I am already down 6 lbs. (some water weight I know) and feel great! It is so much easier to stay within my calorie amount if I eat later in the day. I eat from noon-8pm and that window seems to work for me. Best wishes on your weight loss journey!

I actually get physically sick if I eat early in the morning. I always have. Its like my digestive system takes a while to wake up!

Is it natural to eat 3 meals a day, I wonder? I guess in theory it is better for your blood sugar levels, but I can't imagine that most other creatures eat three meals a day. They either forage all day, or eat larger infrequent meals. Hmm. Does it effect the way food is metabolized if it is eaten later or earlier? For a while the popular belief was that it was better to eat in the morning than in the evening because the calories are digested more efficiently in the morning, causing evening eaters to gain more weight. I think that was found to be false, though.

As a calorie counter, I guess you have to treat the calories as equal, no matter what time they're consumed. Good luck, I hope this works for you! I'm interested to see how it goes.

Hi

Today was FABULOUS! It really felt good physically and mentally to be on a schedule that works for my body. I wasn't hungry all day and even by 6pm (when I scheduled to eat), I wasn't famished. I felt in control and didn't constantly nibble as I made dinner. It was easy to break the fast and eat sensibly and I ended up 259 under my calorie count - even with ice cream! Today was such a natural day and I think a lot of it had to do with the fact that I planned to eat in the evening, so I didn't worry or think about food (except when I was writing about it in my article) until dinner.

I am SO happy to have a support group with this as it isn't very popular I am finding. Even my husband, who like to do the occasional fast, is against it. Hey, I'm in this for the long haul, not for a quick weightloss. The woman on the website where I found out about it (A FOOD blog! lol) said to do it silently - she was right-on! I belong to the thread "It's about time...IF", so I will probably see you girls on there.

Future: Congrats on your weightloss. Regardless if it is water, it is still good to see the numbers go down.

Yoga: Same with me - I get ill if I eat before my body is ready. I am a calorie counter too and belong to that forum. I cannot imagine doing this without counting! Eek gads! lol I am with you. I have a degree in Anthropology with specialization in Archaeology and early man didn't eat a full meal three times a day.

Again, I am SO happy to meet you both!

ArchyChick - so glad you are doing great and enjoying the IF way of eating! I have officially been IF for one week and am down 8.6 lbs!!! I am amazed!! Do you mind sharing the food blog? I would love to read it. Thank you!

No problem!

Hong Kong Food Blog (This was the site I was originally looking for! lol)

Why she set up her food blog

Her fasting blog

Hi All,

Thanks for sharing this, Archychick. I've found IF to be a naturally easier way to eat when I'm really and truly hungry. Ironically, I learned it through a more stringent, but temporary, weight loss program and now incorporate it along with calorie county. So far, so satisfied. I also believe my body enjoys the "rest" for digestion

Great to see others who have found success with this unique way of eating.
Jean