A few weeks ago we talked about my “lifestyle changes” and I touched upon the things that have helped me to lose weight and keep it off this year. Today I want to share with you a week in the life intermittent-fasting-Alana! For 7 days I tracked how long I fasted, what workouts I did (if any), my water intake, and what I ate.

Where I often struggle the most is snacking or when there are starchy carbs present. Give me a loaf of bread, a bowl of rice, a plate of pasta, and I’m a happy girl! There’s a famous expression in Spanish that goes, “barriga llena, corazon contento”, which translates to, “belly full, happy heart”, this is my motto when enjoying a plate of carbs.

Back to fasting. At the start of the week I weighed myself and I was weighing 139. At the end of the week I weighed myself and I was 138. You might say, well that’s just a pound, but by this point in my journey, a pound is a lot for me on a week to week basis. You’ll see my eating wasn’t necessarily the healthiest, so I’ll gladly give that one pound to wherever those pounds go!

Some notes to consider about this “lifestyle log”:

1. Everyday my breakfast consisted of one scoop of collagen powder in my tea. Technically, the collagen powder is not “allowed” during fasting, but tea is.
2. Overall, it was a pretty standard week for me, although there were some more outings and snacking than usual, thanks PMS.
3. I try to mimic HIIT workouts when I do at home workouts. Pinterest is a great resource for this, you can check out some of the workouts I use, here!
4. To help me keep track of my fasting daily, I use this app, definitely helps while I’m on vacation!

Day 1

• 16.5 hour fast (8:45 PM night prior-1:15 PM on day 1)
• 25 minute at home workout
• 94.5 ounce of water

Day 2

• 16.75 hour fast (9:15 night prior-2:00 PM on day 2)
• 30 minutes on elliptical, 20 minutes on stair master
• 73.5 ounces of water

Day 3

• 14.25 hour fast (8:00 pm night prior-10:15 AM on day 3)
• No workout
• 42 ounces of water

Day 4

• 17 hour fast (8:45 PM night prior-1:45 PM on day 4)
• 20 minutes on stair master, 20 minutes on elliptical
• 63 ounces of water

Day 5

• 16.5 hour fast (7:45 PM night prior-12:30 PM on day 5)
• 30 minutes on elliptical, 20 minutes on stair master
• 63 ounces of water

Day 6

• 13 hour fast (12:00 AM night prior-1 PM on day 6)
• No workout
• 42 ounces of water

Day 7

• 16 hour fast (7:45 PM night prior-11:45 AM on day 7)
• 40 minutes on elliptical, 20 on minutes stair master
• 63 ounces of water

As I tried to emphasize in my Lifestyle Changes post, this is what has worked for me. I take things day by day, listen to my body and try not to ALWAYS give into my cravings. But obviously, day 3 & 7 were a little hard for me!

I have gotten asked, how I maintain this while on vacation. Simply put, not easily, but I try my hardest. By now you’ve probably realized I’m a bit food obsessed and our vacations are usually centered around where we’re eating and drinking. For example, in August we spent a week at my family’s house in North Carolina, there’s a few restaurants there that I literally wait all year for! On this trip, I made it a point to do at least a 30 minute workout every morning and we did do a lot of hiking. I also tried to do 15-16 hour fasts as much as possible, using my app helped me with this! But I definitely splurged on a few great dinners and didn’t beat myself up over it either! Work hard, play harder, am I right? On my most recent trip to Puerto Rico, I only got one work out in because #drinking, but I was much more selective about what I ate as a result. It’s all about balance guys! Eat 3 bowls of rice for dinner, spend an extra 20 minutes (or more) at the gym the next day!

I believe that intermittent fasting has worked the best for me because at no point do I feel like I’m depriving myself. While there may be some hours I’m technically depriving myself of the foods I love to enjoy! On this journey I’ve also learned to not beat myself up for one bad day (hey, maybe ever two), but to keep trying and push myself a little more the next day!

Still have questions about intermittent fasting, let me know!