Are you struggling to lose weight and living and dying by a number on the scale? Tired of complicated meal prep, food restrictions, and promises of miracles? Are you an emotional eater like me? I hear you and I’ve been there y’all!

After the birth of my last child Mia, I had about 12 extra pounds to lose and boy was it hard. I did paleo, bought Suzanne Somers book and did juice cleanses. Ugh – hated them all. The majority of them left me feeling frustrated and famished!

I sat back and thought about all the different diets I’ve tried over the years. I quickly realized that dieting sucks. I’ve finally figured out why!

COLD HARD DIET FACTS

The most important way to fat loss is being in a caloric deficit. To lose weight, you  have to eat fewer calories than your body burns in a day.  Here are FOUR  reasons my diets always sucked in the past:

*It was too extreme.

*It was not sustainable.

*It wasn’t part of my lifestyle.

*I wasn’t in a calorie deficit.

The key for me was finding something sustainable that I could make part of my lifestyle.  I lost 12 pounds 4 years ago through Intermittent Fasting and have kept it off.

WHY I LOVE INTERMITTENT FASTING

 Enjoying my favorite foods, like chocolate cake and fine wine, is part of my overall diet and that is OKAY. Completely restricting the things I love never works for me!

That is why I love intermittent fasting….  it’s easier to control when I eat rather than what I eat.

Balance is the key and it’s tough to find. Intermittent fasting has given me the freedom to enjoy the foods I love on occasion while helping me slim down and stay healthy. It helps me lose the guilt and lose weight – it’s simple!

MY FASTING PLAN

I follow an 8/16  intermittent fasting plan: eating during an 8-hour window and fasting for the other 16. I eat fewer meals, which is an easy way to cut calories. I tend to snack a lot so when I am only eating during an 8-hour window, it really reduces my calories fast!

I practiced IF  5/6 days a week and I lost 12 pounds in about 4 months. Now I practice IF about 3 days a week to maintain my weight.

This is the schedule I follow: breakfast at 10 am, lunch at 1 pm, a very small snack sometimes at 4 pm, and dinner at 6 pm. Some people choose to skip breakfast and fast from noon to 8 p.m., while others avoid eating late and stick to a 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. schedule.

It is basically eating in a restricted 8 hour window – choose any 8 hours and fast the other hours.

IF IS EASY TO FOLLOW

The best part about Intermittent Fasting….. no fussy meal plans or complicated meal prep. I struggled with that part when  I tried to do Paleo or Keto diets.

I noticed that there were too many times in my life where I thought I should be losing weight but I wasn’t. Perhaps it was that extra bite I took off my girl’s plate, that “just one glass” of wine I had at dinner, for the 3rd night in a row.

These are those sneaky calories that add up to more than you think! Fasting keeps those sneaky calories in check! I know that after my dinner – I will not eat any calories. It makes keeping track so much easier.

I would love to you know your thoughts on intermittent fasting and if it has helped you lose weight. Please connect with me on Instagram @donnatryba for weight loss tips, quick workout routines, and daily motivation.

If you want more information on intermittent fasting please download my free intermittent fasting guide  HERE.  Thank you my friend for reading along!

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