Disclaimer: I’m not a doctor, and I don’t play one on the Internet. The following is for informational purposes only. Check with your doctor before you change your diet or exercise plan.
A Simple Plan
The plan that I finally landed on that was simple and effective for me was:
- Intermittent fasting 6 days a week (which started as a 16:8 and eventually morphed into eating one meal a day (OMAD).
- Meals have absolutely no restrictions. I don’t limit carbs, count calories, or do macros.
- I eat what I like, and I eat until I am full.
- Walk 6 miles a day (14,000 Steps on my Fitbit Alta) at a normal pace (about 3 miles per hour on average.)
- Eat whatever I want, however much I want, whenever I want, on Sunday
My Typical Day During Weight Loss Mode
Monday – Saturday:
- Wake up
- Weigh and log that number on my Fitbit app on my phone
- Drink coffee with full-fat half and half three times a day during my fasting window
- Walk 6 miles (log 14,000 steps on my Fitbit Alta) by the end of the day*
- Break the fast by eating supper
Sunday (Cheat day):
- Wake up
- Weigh and log that number on my Fitbit app on my phone
- Eat however much I want, whatever I want, however many times I want
- Walk 6 miles (log 14,000 steps on my Fitbit Alta) by the end of the day
*Note: I generally walked the 6 miles in my house. Why? Because I realized that I would then have absolutely no excuses about not getting in my steps each day. Otherwise, the weather, gym hours, not having time to go to the gym, would be my excuses.
My Typical Day During Maintenance Mode
Monday – Saturday
- Wake up
- Weigh and log that number on my Fitbit app on my phone
- Drink coffee with half and half twice a day (I cut my coffee consumption because I feel calmer drinking two as opposed to three. It had nothing to do with trying to cut calories.)
- Walk 6 miles.
- Either break the fast at supper or have two meals a day. I’ve experimented with eating three meals a day, but I don’t really enjoy how I feel, and how much it interrupts my day.
Sunday (Cheat day):
- Wake up
- Weigh and log that number on my Fitbit app on my phone
- Eat however much I want, whatever I want, however many times I want
I’ve written two books about my weight loss journey.
- The Laid Back Guide to Intermittent Fasting details the way I practice intermittent fasting, and what my overall path looked like.
- Overcoming Weight Loss Obstacles: How to Keep Going When Things Get Difficult goes into more depth about the difficult parts of my weight loss, such as facing the fears associated with losing weight, how to handle self-sabotage, and dealing with body image issues.
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