Before going to college, I heard many stories and warnings of the freshman 15. As someone that has always been conscious of what I eat, I thought there was no way this would happen to me. Well, let's just say my weekly habit of ordering Dominos after nights out did not do me any favors. After trying countless fad diets that only led to short-term results, I decided it was time to make a change.

When I realized my clothes just weren't fitting the way they used to, I started going to the gym more regularly. But between studying and maintaining a social life, I found myself making excuses to not go to the gym, and the number on the scale wouldn't budge. I also found the food options in the dining hall to be very repetitive, and I struggled to maintain a healthy diet.

Just when I started to lose hope, I discovered the subreddit r/intermittentfasting. The sub describes intermittent fasting as "a way of restricting *when* you eat, usually on a daily basis or weekly schedule." Rather than a short-term diet that restricts what you eat, IF is all about controlling the timing of your meals. After looking at hundreds of people's before and after pictures, I was hooked.

After doing further research, I learned that there are many ways to do intermittent fasting. The three most popular ways of doing it are 16:8, 18:6 and 20:4. If you choose 16:8 for example, you would eat your meals within an 8 hour period and fast for 16 hours; this is what I decided to do. After reviewing my class schedule, I decided to eat my meals between 12 and 8 p.m.

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The first thing I did was download Zero, an app that keeps track of your fasts and how each one made you feel. This app was the key to holding myself accountable.

When I first started out, I struggled to fight my late-night snack cravings. I was so used to eating whenever I wanted. But as time went on, the fasts became much easier, and I quickly realized that starting IF was one of the best decisions I have made.

After about a month, I started seeing noticeable progress. My jeans were fitting better, and I was feeling better about myself. I also wasn't depriving myself of the foods I love; I was still eating healthy, but I allowed myself to indulge a bit when I felt like it.

I started intermittent fasting in October 2019, and I have been doing it ever since. It is the only diet I have been able to maintain long-term, and it has become a part of my lifestyle. After around 7 months of IF, I can wholeheartedly say that I have never felt better.

If any of you have struggled with the freshman 15 like me, or simply wanna lose a few pounds, don't lose hope! IF can sound intimidating at first, but I promise you it gets easier. You can do this!