How I Lost 5 lbs with 18/6 Intermittent Fasting

In this blog post, I'll be going over how I lost 5 lbs using a method called 18/6 intermittent fasting.

What Is 18/6 Intermittent Fasting?

18/6 intermittent fasting is an eating schedule. You have designated times when you are allowed to consume calories. This is called an eating window. In 18/6, your eating window is for 6 hours. You choose when to have your eating window and the hours have to be consecutive.

Personally, I chose from noon to 6 p.m. It allows you to have both lunch and dinner, as well as some snacks in between.

For the rest of the hours of the day (18 hours) you are to consume nothing that has calories. So you can have water, unsweetened tea, plain coffee without anything added, etc. No low calories foods or drinks.

Did You Track Calories?

During this experiment, I didn't track my calories. I just ate whatever I wanted and what I craved during the 6 hour eating window. Some people do track their calories or count carbs while on this type of eating schedule.

Intermittent fasting schedules only tell you when to eat, not how to eat. You are allowed to eat any number of foods and amounts of foods that you want during your eating window. How you eat is all up to you. Intermittent fasting only tells you when to eat.

What Results Did I Notice?

Within in the first few days, I noticed a pretty big reduction in water weight. My bloated stomach was much flatter and my puffy face was smaller. My clothes were also fitting better.

In one month, I lost 5 lbs from eating on this schedule. I didn't track calories, I didn't restrict any foods. My diet was honestly pretty unhealthy the whole time. I just stayed on schedule with my eating.

That's some pretty good results, especially for not tracking what I ate. It's actually pretty easy to overeat while on this type of eating schedule. Depending on how much you can eat, you may have to track your food intake. Use a calorie calculator to determine how many calories you need to be eating every day for weight loss. There are apps that help you track your calories if you need to do so.

I personally hate having to track everything I eat. I feel like it can turn into a chore or an obsession, but that's just my personal feelings about it. Some people do enjoy tracking and it doesn't bother them.

Who Shouldn't Do 18/6 Intermittent Fasting?

If you have certain conditions, please check with a qualified doctor before starting any weight loss plan, including this one.