I have been a yo-yo dieter my whole life, and haven’t found a diet that works AND I can also maintain until I started IF.
The picture on the left was taken on 13/01/2020 and I weighed 93.1kg!! The picture on the right was taken on 28/03/2020 and I weigh 78.2kg. So an overall weight loss of 14.9kgs in 10 weeks. (I want to get down to 70kgs so another 8.2kgs to achieve my goal weight). I have lost 22cm of my hips and 18cm from my waist, and dropped from a size 16/18 to now a 10/12.
I started my journey with a big goal - my 40th was in March and I wanted to be forty and look fabulous! My party was scheduled for the 28th March and I was determined to look my best by then.
I started by doing the 16:8. I found this to be quite easy as I have never eaten breakfast. Although I was slowly losing weight, I was after a fast weight loss which this was not giving me. I then decided to do the 20:4 (essentially OMAD) and the weight just started melting off! I returned to work (post maternity leave) in this time, and I simply didn’t take food to work, so I couldn’t eat, which made fasting easier. My eating window was between 4.00pm - 8.00pm and I stuck with this. I also returned to the gym (which I could only attend on weekends due to my family) and went for a 30min incline walk after dinner EVERY night. I also reduced my calorie intake to just 800 calories per day. Only eating one meal a day made this very easy. Once I got into a routine with OMAD, regular exercise and reduced calories the weight was noticeably falling off.
At any time, if I went over my 800 calories, I simply went to the gym and burned the excess calories off (using a calorie counting machine). I used this tactic if I was going out for dinner or eating birthday cake (for example) - I would simply pre burn the excess calories off. I used my fitnesspal app to count calories and record meals in conjunction with bodyfast app for IF.
Unfortunately, just one week prior to my party, COVID-19 restrictions forced my party to be cancelled...and for a few weeks I fell off the IF wagon as my goal was lost.
However, it didn’t take long before I became determined not to unwind all my hard work and keep going. I ended up returning the dresses I bought for my party, as I now plan to be at least a dress size smaller when I do have my party.
I am working from home now so have found OMAD much more challenging, but at the end of the day it is willpower that will help me achieve my goal. If I do crash and eat before 4pm (which has often been the case since working from home) I do my best to ensure I don’t eat over my 800 calories - and if I do, I try and walk them off. Gym is also closed now with COVID-19, so I try walking morning and night.
I have also found my food enemies. White rice, nuts, and cake. Three things I love to eat, but no matter how much I have (a mouthful or a bowlful) - I always put on weight. Identifying these triggers has been important in my weight loss journey.
So today, my weight remains at 78.2kg after climbing back to 80kg a few weeks ago when I fell off the wagon. I am now back on track to look even more fabulous for my new party. Not having a timeline to work towards is hard for me, but I am more relaxed about my weight loss as the pressure to lose it so fast has been lifted.
I hope this post has given some of you the motivation you need to keep going. It is hard work, it is challenging but it’s also rewarding. If I can do this, anyone can. Stay safe everyone and I’ll post again once I hit my goal weight.
The picture on the left was taken on 13/01/2020 and I weighed 93.1kg!! The picture on the right was taken on 28/03/2020 and I weigh 78.2kg. So an overall weight loss of 14.9kgs in 10 weeks. (I want to get down to 70kgs so another 8.2kgs to achieve my goal weight). I have lost 22cm of my hips and 18cm from my waist, and dropped from a size 16/18 to now a 10/12.
I started my journey with a big goal - my 40th was in March and I wanted to be forty and look fabulous! My party was scheduled for the 28th March and I was determined to look my best by then.
I started by doing the 16:8. I found this to be quite easy as I have never eaten breakfast. Although I was slowly losing weight, I was after a fast weight loss which this was not giving me. I then decided to do the 20:4 (essentially OMAD) and the weight just started melting off! I returned to work (post maternity leave) in this time, and I simply didn’t take food to work, so I couldn’t eat, which made fasting easier. My eating window was between 4.00pm - 8.00pm and I stuck with this. I also returned to the gym (which I could only attend on weekends due to my family) and went for a 30min incline walk after dinner EVERY night. I also reduced my calorie intake to just 800 calories per day. Only eating one meal a day made this very easy. Once I got into a routine with OMAD, regular exercise and reduced calories the weight was noticeably falling off.
At any time, if I went over my 800 calories, I simply went to the gym and burned the excess calories off (using a calorie counting machine). I used this tactic if I was going out for dinner or eating birthday cake (for example) - I would simply pre burn the excess calories off. I used my fitnesspal app to count calories and record meals in conjunction with bodyfast app for IF.
Unfortunately, just one week prior to my party, COVID-19 restrictions forced my party to be cancelled...and for a few weeks I fell off the IF wagon as my goal was lost.
However, it didn’t take long before I became determined not to unwind all my hard work and keep going. I ended up returning the dresses I bought for my party, as I now plan to be at least a dress size smaller when I do have my party.
I am working from home now so have found OMAD much more challenging, but at the end of the day it is willpower that will help me achieve my goal. If I do crash and eat before 4pm (which has often been the case since working from home) I do my best to ensure I don’t eat over my 800 calories - and if I do, I try and walk them off. Gym is also closed now with COVID-19, so I try walking morning and night.
I have also found my food enemies. White rice, nuts, and cake. Three things I love to eat, but no matter how much I have (a mouthful or a bowlful) - I always put on weight. Identifying these triggers has been important in my weight loss journey.
So today, my weight remains at 78.2kg after climbing back to 80kg a few weeks ago when I fell off the wagon. I am now back on track to look even more fabulous for my new party. Not having a timeline to work towards is hard for me, but I am more relaxed about my weight loss as the pressure to lose it so fast has been lifted.
I hope this post has given some of you the motivation you need to keep going. It is hard work, it is challenging but it’s also rewarding. If I can do this, anyone can. Stay safe everyone and I’ll post again once I hit my goal weight.
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