To be honest, in the past, I thought, "Why bother? Just eat moderately and live. "

But now that I'm over 40, my body seems to have changed strangely. In short, it doesn't listen to me.

In the past, I could easily eat a bowl of ramen in the morning, but these days, if I eat ramen before bed, I feel uncomfortable in the morning.

So I ended up trying these things one by one.

Today, I'll share my thoughts on calorie restriction and intermittent fasting, both of which I have tried.

Calorie Restriction – Suitable for Those Sensitive to Numbers

This is literally reducing the amount you eat in a day.

In my case, I tried to reduce my intake from 2,000 kcal a day to about 1,500 kcal.

The advantage? You definitely lose weight effectively.

Cut down on snacks, reduce meal portions, and when I want chicken, I only have a few wings.

At first, it's disappointing, but after about two weeks, I felt my stomach shrink.

And strangely, my mind became clearer and I felt less tired.

But there are significant downsides. You have to calculate and adjust every day.

If you keep repeating "Let's just skip today," it builds up stress, and one day you end up binge eating.

Intermittent Fasting – Easier Than You Think If You Stick to the Time

This method only adjusts the eating times.

What I did was the 16:8 method.

I only ate from noon to 8 PM and maintained fasting for the remaining 16 hours.

Instead of having breakfast, I ate freely for lunch and dinner.

Surprisingly, I didn't feel as hungry as I thought.

If I drink a lot of water and have a cup of coffee, at some point, the hunger disappears.

This method is relatively easy to maintain while socializing.

Lunch with a hamburger? OK. Dinner plans? OK. Just no late-night snacks.

While doing intermittent fasting, my stomach felt comfortable,

and most importantly, my appetite decreased.

The downside is that if the fasting period is too long, my concentration sometimes drops.

And there was some pressure from those around me saying, "You must eat breakfast."

Conclusion? Both are good, but sustainability is more important.

Calorie restriction is for those with a precise and consistent nature, while intermittent fasting is easier once you establish a routine.

In the end, I have settled on a hybrid method where I primarily do intermittent fasting and slightly adjust calories.

Ultimately, what matters is finding a method that suits your body and lifestyle.

If you force it, you'll explode.

But once anything becomes a habit, it becomes easy.

When your body changes, your life changes.