How Did I Lose My Belly Fat in 3 Months? I Did These 6 Things

Intermittent fasting (IF) involves not eating for part of each day or a few times a week. When your body doesn't have a constant energy source from the food you eat, it allows your body to utilize the fat stores it already has, helping you lose belly fat.

Dr. Daryl Gioffre, a celebrity certified nutritionist whose clients include Kelly Ripa and Mario Lopez, adds that when you fast for 16 hours, "your blood sugar and insulin levels lower" and the human growth hormone increases. This increases your metabolic rate "by up to 14 percent in some people," and your body has no other choice but to start burning your body's stored fat for energy (in my case, my belly fat).

I have been doing IF for the past 20 months, mostly 16:8, and it's definitely helped me lose belly fat. But after hitting a weight-loss plateau and actually gaining weight, in the past three months, I've played around with different fasting protocols. I tried alternate day fasting and my belly fat has decreased immensely — the photos speak for themselves.

With my last name being Sugar, it's no coincidence that I'm obsessed. When I made a point to cut down on the chocolate, vegan ice cream, home-baked banana bread and cookies, pancakes, bread, tortilla chips, and granola bars, it not only cut down on my daily calories, but not eating all those foods decreased my cravings for them. I focused on eating more veggies, lean protein, and healthy fats (an avocado a day!), and I felt more satiated. This was huge in helping slim my belly.

Intermittent fasting can absolutely help decrease your calorie intake, but if you're ravenous and aren't mindful about how much you're eating, you can easily eat a daily calorie surplus, making you gain weight. I definitely made that mistake in the first few months of IF.

Over the past three months, I made a point to listen to my body, practiced portion control, and stopped eating when I was satisfied but not stuffed. I didn't allow the clock to dictate my meals and snacks, and I ate when I felt hungry within my eating window. Drinking tons of water and eating whole foods made this much easier.

With a job and a family, the only time I could fit in workouts was before the kids woke up. In order to leave the house by 5:20 a.m. to make it to my CrossFit class, I had to get up by 5:00 a.m. In the evenings, with dinner and dishes to do, lunches to make, and wanting to spend time with my husband, I often didn't get to sleep until after 10:30 p.m. This wasn't enough sleep, and I had been living like that for over a year.

I decided to take some time off from those insanely early morning classes and cut down my workouts from five to six times a week to four times a week and did later 7:00 a.m. or 8:00 a.m. workouts instead. I wore a Fitbit to bed to ensure I was getting at least seven to eight hours a night. Feeling rested made me feel less hungry the next day, which helped prevent mindless snacking. Even though I was working out less, I was still maintaining my muscle, but losing body fat.

I used to do a morning workout, usually CrossFit, a trail run, or an at-home HIIT workout, and that'd be it for my exercise. Since I work at a computer all day, I got creative and MacGyvered my desk setup. I moved my treadmill in front of a bookcase and placed my computer, keyboard, and mouse on top to create a treadmill desk. I got a Fitbit Zip pedometer and aimed to get in 10,000 to 12,000 steps a day. The extra movement throughout the day not only made me feel more energetic and prevented muscle aches caused by sitting all day, but it made a difference in my belly.

At the end of the day, stress not only made me want to eat junk, but it also affected my cortisol levels, which can make losing weight harder. Over the past few months I made a point to color with my kids, read a book before bed instead of scrolling through Instagram, played guitar and sang, did more yoga, and went for long walks in the woods with my dogs. I aimed to do something that made me happy every day, even if it was only for 10 minutes, and I definitely felt calmer and more at peace.