I tried intermittent fasting with an 800-1000 calorie diet

During the pandemic, I gained quite a bit of weight. Through this, I searched online for certain diet plans and I found something that intrigues me. I found a fasting method that I may be able to do for a start. Intermittent Fasting is a method of eating for an 8-hour window and halting for the remaining hours, in addition, I added a calorie restriction.

I consider fasting a hard thing to do, especially at home with the comfort of delicious food, but ultimately, I decided to start doing it. This is actually my first time doing a diet since my previous way of lessening weight was by playing sports. My family also has a history of diabetes which made me think more about what I eat. With this, I then decided to start my diet after I set my limitations.

DISCLAIMER: Just because it worked on other people and myself, does not mean it would work on you. Doing this diet is dangerous and unsafe, it is better to consult a dietician or a doctor first before taking an interest. I am only sharing my own experience, and in no way promoting the diet I have done.

I tried intermittent fasting with an 800-1000 calorie diet

The Diet

The 800-calorie diet is a diet that can lessen weight for a short amount of time. It may help combat weight-related conditions like diabetes or high blood pressure, but it is not for everybody. It can give off side effects such as fatigue and nausea, plus you get less nutrition than usual because you are intaking less than what the body needs.

Preparing for takeoff

Of course, before doing the journey I planned ahead. My goal is to do a calorie-controlled diet with more focus on carbohydrates. Before I started to think about my meal plan, I always think about what I do not want to feel after the 8-hour window of eating. In the end, I concluded that I do not want to feel hungry or my stomach aches before I go to sleep. So in my fasting and diet, I focused most of the calories at my last meal of the day.

Furthermore, after I established some of my limitations I proceeded to the tools that may help me in my diet. I downloaded an application on the phone called myfitnesspal to track down my calories. In addition, I bought myself a mini weighing scale to measure the food that I am going to eat. After this, I tried to develop a habit of not consuming food as quickly as possible but rather taking my time eating them. Now, let us move on to the meal plan.

The meal plan

Seven days a week, no days off. No cheat day for myself as well if I want to get my results. So I followed the fasting technique and diet with discipline.

• 12:00 pm: 35g of oatmeal (133 calories), and a small fruit/leafy vegetable (each of them varies, but in my case, I keep them with around 100 to 120 calories)
• 4:00 pm: 2 pieces of wheat bread (150 calories)
• 6:30 pm: 160g of white rice (208 calories), meat or fish(each of them varies, but in my case, I keep them with around (150 to 300 calories), OPTIONAL: 1 piece of wheat bread(75 calories)

Total: 816 – 986 calories in a day depending on my intake.

That is my meal plan every single day. No changes at all, just strictly the same meal I eat. It consists of vitamins and minerals, protein, fats, and high carbohydrates that my body needs daily. The application of myfitnesspal gives me the option to know the weight of my meat or fish by measuring it on my small weighing scale giving me the optimal and near-precise calorie count for my intake.

Another thing you may notice is that the meal plan is high on carbohydrates. Just as I stated before, I incorporated multiple fiber-rich carbohydrate food because I do not want to feel any hunger before going to bed. In addition, it is not all that bad because wheat bread and oats are considered healthy carbohydrates.

During the first few days…

During the first few days, of course, I did not immediately eat at an 800-1000 calorie level. I made my way down that number in an average of two weeks. During the first the limitation I set on my calorie intake would be around 1600, so I ate bigger portions of the same meal plan and sometimes add some meat to my lunch and fruits and vegetables to my dinner. I just want to make sure that I am ready before I start the diet I am about to undertake. The night of the first week was tough, I can actually feel my stomach aching from time to time before bed so I just drank water to assist my goal.

Moving on to the second week, I reduced my intake to 1200 calories a day. With this, I eat less and less food and move to eat more or less depending on my body’s reaction. With this, I experience less hunger than my first week’s experience before going to bed.

In the mid-3rd week, I then started to reach the 800-1000 calorie level of intake. I Strictly abide by my meal plans and ignore all temptations. Soon after a month of me following the fasting technique with the 800-1000 calorie diet, I lost an average of 12 pounds or around 5.44 kilograms of weight. The results are without the aid of exercise at home.

My experience with trying intermittent fasting

For starters, I felt less energized than usual throughout the day and I find myself losing the feeling of hunger. I felt like food just became an everyday thing for me, something that I do not intend on looking for because I eat the same thing over and over. Technically, it is not that bad to eat the same thing over and over, but sometimes I get tempted to eat other food but avoid it because I want to keep my discipline. In the case of other side effects, I may not have noticed or have not felt them throughout my experience.

In all honesty, I continued doing this diet for another month then moved to the 1200-calorie diet. I continually applied intermittent fasting with the same meal plan but bigger intakes. It was definitely an experience, although it is not all good.

Dieting is a hard thing to do, each and every one of us has our own limits towards it. Just proceed at your own pace and make sure that it does not affect your body and yourself badly.