Monitoring My Calorie Intake
I first began with the 16:8 intermittent fasting plan, eating from noon until 8 p.m. I thought as long as I was intermittent fasting, and wasn't eating breakfast, that I could eat for eight hours straight. I was noshing the second my window opened, and cramming protein bars in my mouth at 7:58 p.m., because I thought, "hey, it's in my eating window."
You should absolutely eat your day's worth of calories during your eating window. You should eat meals that include the foods you love, that nourish your body (like kale salads) and nourish your soul (like dark chocolate). You should eat until you feel satisfied — not until you're painfully stuffed, which is what I was doing. I'd go to bed feeling so full and bloated, and not only would I have a hard time sleeping, but that affected my ability to wake up and feel energised to work out.
I wasn't losing, and was actually gaining weight. All I did to fix that was simply start monitoring my calorie intake for about a week. I weighed and measured my food and tracked it in MyFitnessPal. I aimed to get around 1,500 to 1,800 calories (recommended by the registered dietitian I met with), depending on how active I was that day.
It was eye-opening to see that I was getting more like 2,500 to 3,000 calories a day — way more than I needed. No wonder I was gaining weight! After about a week of monitoring my calories, I was able to keep my portion sizes in check without tracking.