A few weeks ago, I wrote this post on Time-Restricted Eating and promised to update you. I turned to this way of eating after having little luck with, well…anything else I was doing. As I’ve gotten wiser (and I’m sure you’ve noticed this too), what once worked marvelously, no longer does.
Time for a plot twist.
Now, my findings are anecdotal, meaning, the hubby noticed I’ve gotten thinner, and my mother noticed (alarmingly) that I’m thinner.
The hubby:
I was wearing my favorite workout clothes the other day, and I noticed the hubby’s gaze lingering on my body. A sign that he’s either thinking dirty thoughts, or he’s lost in thought and just happens to be looking my way.
No, he’s thinking dirty.
“You look thinner,” he said. ‘Whatever you’re doing is working.”
“It’s the time-restricted eating,” I said. “I told you it works.” I’ve been trying to get him on board with it.
“I think it’s the cardo,” he said, unwilling to admit that I may be right. To be fair, I have increased my cardio a bit – aiming for some kind of cardio every time I go to the gym which is about 5 days a week. I’ve been doing between 10-30 minutes and I believe that combining time-restricted eating with regular cardio sessions has definitely pushed me over the slump.
My mother:
“You’re getting too skinny,” she said the last time I saw her. I rolled my eyes, residue of my teen years.
But she continued – again, a residue of my teen years.
“Have you seen Celine Dion? You can’t get that thin as you age, you will look older.”
My response: “That’s what fillers are for.”
She’s right, of course. Mothers always are. But I’m trying to find the balance between having a young-looking body and a young-looking face.
On thing at a time.
The point is, I don’t weigh myself so I don’t have an accurate weight loss number to report. All I can say is that my jeans fit better and I feel better.
And that’s good enough for me. If you want to read more about Time-restricted eating, make sure you read my previous post on it.
If you want specifics, here goes:
My eating window
♥ My eating window is between 11 A.M. and 7 P.M. Before that, I have black coffee and water only. That curbs my appetite for a bit.
For those of you, cream-and-sugar Chickies, wean yourself off slowly. You can train your palate, I did. I used to be a cream-and- sugar-in-my-coffee gal too and now I LOVE black coffee. Trust me, you can do it too.
The premise is that you cannot have any food or beverage that contains calories. Black coffee and tea (again no cream or sugar) can be consumed outside your eating window and not have affect the benefits of fasting.
Meal #1
♥ My favorite first meal is oatmeal with berries, flaxseeds, nuts and almond butter, That’s a good mix of fiber, protein, antioxidants and good fats.
You don’t want to break your fast with something that will sabotage your efforts, like sugary cereals. Opt for nutritious and filling foods.
Meal #2
♥ My second meal (usually between 2 and 3 P.M.), is a huge salad with either chicken or tuna (dressing always on the side) or a quinoa bowl with veggies. If I’m on the go, I’ll have a Reduced-fat Turkey Bacon Sandwich or a Spinach and Feta Wrap and a green juice from Starbucks.
Meal #3
♥ Dinner at 6:30 P.M. comprises a protein, either salmon, chicken, or ground turkey, and a spinach, kale or arugula (or a mix of two or three of these) salad with avocado and lots of veggies. This meal has to fill you up and keep you full, so think volume.
Snacks
♥ Snacks: nuts, a banana, an apple or a protein smoothie are my go-to snacks.
It took a while, but I no longer reach for peanut butter or chocolate at night. I still eat chocolate (one little square of dark chocolate), but before 7 pm. If I feel like a snack attack coming on, I’ll have a green or peppermint tea.
Cheat meals
♥ On Friday nights, Saturdays, and Sundays all bets are off. Well, not all bets. I still try to eat within the window but I don’t sweat it. I have a cheat meal Friday nights (a huge gourmet burger and chips) and I try to make healthy choices most of the time, but I’m not as strict.
Balance.
One more thing. I have cut sugar significantly except for the occasional glass or two of wine on the weekends or a few bites of dessert. Although fruit has sugar, our bodies and our skin need fruit for its free-radical fighting benefits.
Final note
It really hasn’t been that hard to maintain a time-restricted eating lifestyle so far and I’m happy with the results. That, and adding a few more cardio sessions, seem to work for me. Cross all fingers and toes!
I’m curious to know if you’ve tried time-restricted eating and how it’s worked for you. Share the youth.
xoxo
This is great, thank you 🙂 Im trying to improve my diet as I’m closer to 40 (omg 😱). I was doing intermitent fasting as well, and I like it, but see it written like this, clearly structured, helped me. My only filth are chips! And I was trying to be so cruel and allowe myself to have it only in one time in month and I felt bad and guilty, and I don’t want to. So your regimen seems ideal. Healthy, but still hedonistic as well 😉 i like that, because food is also great source of joy .
Author
It’ so hard sometimes, right? I’ve virtually given up on chips although I do succumb to the veggie ones. They don’t taste like much but somehow I enjoy them. Try the pork rinds from Wholefoods. Super crunhy and delish.