In a previous post I discussed how I reversed my pre-diabetes using a combination of time-restricted eating and limiting refined carbohydrates. This post talks about the diet that I created while following this protocol, which I hope helps others following a similar plan. Here are three principles I followed in creating this diet:
1. Pay attention to hunger and eat when hungry
The first principle I followed was to pay attention to when I felt hungry, and to eat when I felt hungry. When I did this, I noticed that my hunger arose every hour and 15 minutes, which was like clockwork, especially earlier in the day. Feeling for hunger and eating when hungry helped me establish a natural rhythm of eating.
2. Choose foods based on what the body gravitates towards
The second principle I followed was to notice the types of food that my body gravitated towards. There was a part of me that craved unhealthy foods, but my body gravitated towards healthier food choices. Each time I felt hungry, I thought of what options I had for food, then I decided what to eat based on what felt best in my body when I thought of each option. Choosing foods based on a body feeling helped me create a meal plan I could follow, and also shed light on my eating preferences, which included preferring a piece of fruit first thing in the morning, rather than a big breakfast, and having a protein-rich lunch. My meal plan was as follows:
First meal: Fruit
Second meal: Oatmeal with nuts and fruit
Third meal: Egg patty
Fourth meal: Meat and salad
Fifth meal: Lentils or beans
3. Reminder that it’s OK to eat
The third principle was reminding myself that it was OK to eat. Initially I struggled to eat enough during the eating time window, partly because I felt like I was supposed to be on a diet. Reminding myself that it was OK to eat helped me out of a diet mindset and into a mindful eating mindset. This reframe helped me get enough food in the eating time window so that I wouldn’t be hungry during the fasting period.
I turn to these practices and meal schedule whenever I get off course with my eating. I hope these tips are helpful to anyone trying to implement time-restricted eating and limiting refined carbohydrates.