16/8 Intermittent fasting for the very fat - anyone join me?

[imreallydoingthelaundry]

Not sure if I'll be all alone narrowing it down so much :o If so will find an existing thread to join I guess :o

Will lay my cards on the table -

I am 17.5 stone ish and 5 ft 6 so very fat atm :o

I would like to lose 5.5 stone - I'd still be about a stone over weight technically but 12 stone would be just fine IMO!

I would be very happy if I could lose most of this weight before the next school summer holidays for various reasons, but as long as I make progress the time frame isn't the most important thing - it's a life change that is more important.

I am also oldish (mid 40s).

I have primary age children and work shifts, which are different each week, so 5:2 seems unworkable.

Things like keeping a food diary or WW or slimming world do not work for me long term as they make me think about food 24/7!

I want a long term/ permanent new way of eating to lose weight and maintain a manageable weight.

I hope fasting for 16 hours and having 8 hours during which I am allowed to eat will be what I am looking for! It will allow me to eat lunch and dinner every day so not be too intrusive I hope, and I won't have to constantly obsess about food!

I'm thinking I will eat between noon and 8pm and fast the rest of the time... can tweek the times if that isn't working...

Oh and I have name changed so that if anyone searches on my usual user name they won't see my weight :o

Anyone want to join me? Share something about yourself and your goals so we can do this together? Prepared to discover most people are lean mean athletes only looking to lose 5lb or something though....

[PhedreNoDelaunay]

Hi there Imreallydoingthelaundry. I've started last week and am planning on combining 5:2 with 16:8. Fasting Monday and Thursday with just an evening meal, eating normally Tuesday and Friday and 16:8 on Wednesday and Sunday by skippIng breakfast. Saturday will be flexible depending on what's happening. We often do brunch if we're going to be in town shopping.

I'm nearly 52, I'm only just 5" tall and when I started I was 13st4lbs, which as I have a tiny frame is pretty damn fat. I could do with losing at least 5 stone.

My husband has diet controlled type 2 diabetes so we usually eat low carb anyway but my portion control is terrible and I eat far too much. I did lose a couple of stone when we first went low carb but that has gradually crept back on and it's the dreaded menopausal blubber around the middle. I'm really hoping that fasting will help because I've got a bad knee and all this excess weight is doing it no favours at all.

[imreallydoingthelaundry]

Hello Phedre, nice to "meet" you.

that schedule sounds complicated initially, but I am sure once you've been doing it a while it will be second nature - how are you finding sticking to it so far?

[PhedreNoDelaunay]

It's not been too bad at all so far. I was hungry on fast days but it wasn't the end of the world and I managed until dinner time. I just kept telling myself that I often skip breakfast and so I was only really missing one meal. 😆

I really struggled with not drinking my usual mug after mug of tea though. I've got some flavoured green tea and some buttermint tea now as a replacement. I think I'm still going to need a couple of real teas to get through the day though.

The biggest revelation is how much mindless snacking I do. I'd go to the fridge to get milk and automatically go to break of a bit of cheese or a slice of ham. Cutting up cold meat for a salad and I'd 'test' a couple of bits. It's definitely something I need to watch out for.

I weighed myself this morning and I'm now 12st13lbs. So 5lbs down in two weeks.

How is it going for you?

[imreallydoingthelaundry]

Oh well done Phedre !

I only started yesterday and I was home alone from when the kids went to school til lunch time, so it was easy.

However today I've had my smallest child home sick - just a heavy hold and a slightly raised temperature so not to sick to eat! He's only 5 so I granted him a duvet day as I'm not working til this evening - it's brought home to me how much I eat without thinking exactly as you say!

Skipping breakfast is OK (though I used to eat it religiously) as I'm bustling about, but then DS had a mid morning snack and generously shared with me, and I just stuffed the little mini salami sausage he handed me into my mouth without even registering at 10am I then needed to do some paperwork and found myself apparently teleported to the fridge to procrastinate!

Just stopping the grazing should help - I'm barely hungry in the morning, it's all habit eating! Although when I work early shifts I'm not sure whether missing out my 5am banana will make getting through the shift harder ... We can usually take our break in a natural lull at 10:30am and eat brunch together then at work but if I don't eat then, just drink coffee, I won't get a chance to eat until about 4pm, so I'm not sure about doing a 20 hour fast on work days - my job is physical and I fear I might get dizzy or faint! But maybe that is stilly - don't have an early shift til Tuesday so I'll play it by ear then!

I'm not cutting milk in tea and coffee out of my fasts - I read that a splash of milk in tea or coffee won't stop the fast being effective, as long as it's just a splash not a milky drink. Have you read different information on that? I don't think I could do it without coffee in the morning especially on work days, and a coffee first thing and a tea mid morning at home!

[EllaMayClampett]

Me please.

I'm 5'8" and started out at 18st 5lbs. Eeek. That looks even more shocking when written down!

I started doing a mix of low carb and 16/8 nearly three weeks ago and currently weigh 17st 9lbs. Had a big water loss in the first couple of weeks as to be expected but it's slowing down now.

Like you my aim is to get to 12 stone and I'm prepared for it to be a long journey to get there. I'm 40 next year so like many people have had one of those 'Yikes, I don't want to wake up on my birthday as a fat 40 year old'.

My sweet tooth is my downfall but this is the longest I've been sugar free since I can't remember when! And it really does get easier every day. So as long as I keep my sugar cravings at bay I think I'll be okay. I'm also doing lots of positive visualisation of what I'll look like when I reach my goal weight and I'm being my own cheerleader. Congratulating myself on every pound that comes off

[imreallydoingthelaundry]

Hello EllaMay - it sounds as if you are doing brilliantly so far!

Lovely to have both of you to talk to about this

I'm not trying sugar free or low carb - I kind of hoped just the 16/8 would work, as it seems far more achievable as a permanent life style change, but I wonder whether just 18/6 will see the kind of results you are achieving... time will tell I guess, and if I'm getting nowhere I suppose I'll have to change what I eat as well as just cutting down the eating window I'm hoping it won't come to that, not sure I can stick to it!

[PhedreNoDelaunay]

Hi EllaMay, you've done fantastically already. Well done. 👍

Sorry your little one is poorly Imreally. The snacking thing is so deeply ingrained isn't it? Earlier I went to the fridge for a tiny bit of cheese to reward the dog for stopping barking and automatically ate a piece myself. I'd not long had a big lunch and a low carb chocolate brownie so wasn't at all hungry. It was just habit.

Early shifts do sound tricky. Starting that early and not eating till 4 while doing a physical job sounds really hard. I'd say play it by ear but have a plan in place as to what you could eat at 10.30 is you were feeling wibbly. I'm just sat at a desk all day so not burning any calories at all.

When I've dieted before there has always been a big push at the start to get as much impact early on while I'm all fired up but I've always ended up going back to my old habits and putting weight back on. This time I'm looking to change things as little as possible and really slowly, kind of sneak up on it and hopefully it'll stick better. I aim to keep eating roughly what I have been but less often and try to cut out snacking between meals and see where that gets me.

[PhedreNoDelaunay]

Good morning. Fourth fast day today. Feeling ok about this one.

Found some very low cal and low carb soups in Waitrose. One was spinach, kale and garlic and the other is cauliflower and something, so I shall try one of them out I think. Maybe followed by an omelette.

I measured how much milk I have in tea and it's about 20mls, which is about 12 calories so three or four mugs of tea shouldn't be a big problem.

Hope you're both having good days.

[imreallydoingthelaundry]

Good morning!

Are you both still doing well? How were the soups Phedre?

It all went to pot here at the weekend for various reasons, including the facts that the older kids had friends to sleep over, which traditionally means a putting on a big breakfast spread with warm crispy rolls and cold meats and cheeses and all sorts and all sitting down together, with all the kids and visiting kids, for a long, noisy, jolly late breakfast... I didn't want to make a point of not joining in (my mother was always very vocally dieting and a total diet bore with a pick and mix of food issues, so I very much do not want to model that to my kids) ... so I ate with them...

Anyway back on it now, but tbh very hungry! Guess I'll go and make another cup of coffee!

Hope you're both having a good start to the week!

[PhedreNoDelaunay]

Argh, I thought I'd replied to you on Monday but there's no sign of my post. Goodness knows what I've done. 😆

In a nutshell, the soup was great, I've lost another pound.
You did the right thing having the breakfast.

I've got to run now but will post properly tonight. Hope you're having a good day.

[EllaMayClampett]

Hello both!

Sounds like you're well on track Phedre. In the winter soup is such a saviour for me.

I know how you feel imreally. I had a weekend away with friends last week so as predicted the eating plan went out the window. But I had a great time and ate some luscious food ! But rather than my usual habit of continuing on eating like that for a few days after the mini break I got straight back on it and this morning weighed in at 17st 6lbs which I'm happy with. So one more pound and I'll have lost my first stone. Not that it's particularly visible so far!

[MidLifeCrunch]

For some reason this has spoken to me. I think I'll give it a go.
I'm very overweight, around 133kg. I'm not going to weigh myself though as I tend to get obsessed. I'm going to try to judge if it's working from my clothes.
I work 8-5ish so am going to skip breakfast. I never normally skip breakfast so it will be interesting to see how I cope.
My only goal is to be a bit healthier, I'm trying to walk more and I'm trying not to eat complete rubbish.
Looking forward to seeing how this goes. I'm a bit concerned I will forget!

[PhedreNoDelaunay]

That's brilliant EllaMay. It might not show too much yet but nearly a stone gone is fantastic. Stack up packs of butter or lard weighing a stone to get a real feel for how much it is. 😆
I've done similarly. Two days away visiting friends, lots of food and booze, then a Halloween party threw me off a bit but I've gone back to it and have just done a fast day today. Won't weight till Tuesday but it doesn't feel like I've done any terrible damage.

Hi MidlifeCrunch. Good luck with skipping breakfast. I found it hard to begin with but quite quickly I got used to it. I've now worked up to proper 5:2 fasting twice a week and skipping breakfast on the days that don't follow a fasting day and actually I'm finding reasonably bearable.
Don't worry if you forget and eat something, just try again the next day. This is a long term thing, not a crash diet.

How's it going for you Imreally?

[EllaMayClampett]

Weekly Saturday weigh in and I'm now 17st 4lbs. So that's a 1 stone 1lb loss so far. Happy with that. Aiming to be 16st for Christmas.

You sound focused Phedre! 'This is a long term thing, not a crash diet.'. Exactly! I've decided that it's a marathon and not a sprint so it's okay to have the odd day/weekend off. No point putting a social life on hold for fear of eating a biscuit. It's all about balance isn't it? Especially when you're in it for the long haul.

Hello MidLife. I used to always eat breakfast but now skip it and hardly think of it anymore. Lunch time seems to arrive quite quickly and I find I relish that meal so much more than I used to.

[blackhairbrush]

I haven't weighed myself but am a size 18 and would like to lose weight. Can someone explain how the 16:8 works please

[PhedreNoDelaunay]

Hello Blackhairbrush. 16:8 is just eating in an eight hour period and not eating during the other sixteen hours. Most people seem to skip breakfast and have lunch and an evening meal but you could also skip an evening meal and just have breakfast and lunch. It is one of the many ways of intermittent fasting and apparently gives most of the benefits of longer fasting and fits very well with family life.

[EllaMayClampett]

Last week I only lost a pound and (stupidly) felt a bit exasperated. I know weight loss isn't a linear pattern and have to be prepared for gains, losses and stalls but even if I can feel my clothes becoming looser I am happy when I see it on the scales. Had my weekly weigh-in yesterday and am now 16st 13lbs so a four pound whoosh this week and a total loss so far of 1 stone 6 lbs. Just edging my way into the upper end of 16 stone has given me a psychological boost. Hope to be 16 stone on the nose by Christmas.....................or maybe 15 stone 13 lbs

[EllaMayClampett]

16st 11lbs today so a 2 lb loss this week. More than happy with that. It's all feeling a bit too easy at the moment and I can't remember the last time I felt this motivated to shed the pounds. But I certainly hope it lasts!

[CantstandmLMs]

I started 16:8 last wednesday but didn't weigh myself. I am going to weigh this weekend and carry on. I feel better for it though and it seems to suit me.

I was finding I'd get up early to have a healthy breakfast before work (porridge, flax, chia, mixed berries...) but then want and have a round of toast at work which then just set me off snacking until lunch!
I'm finding i eat a biggish meal at lunch and I'm fine! An afternoon snack of some sort then dinner (which might be the aforementioned porridge!) and I'm doing ok! I am starting to calorie count out of curiosity this week though.

Herbal teas all morning are a great help!

[EllaMayClampett]

Hello CantsstandmLMs!

I'm the same with breakfast. If I don't eat it I don't get hungry until lunchtime. It's become such a habit now that I don't even think about it. And it means I am always hungry for my lunch rather than just eating it out of habit too.

2lbs off this week so am at 16st 9lbs now. Don't think I'll get to 16 stone for Christmas but another four pounds off would be great and that would mean I'd lost two stone in total so far.

[EllaMayClampett]

Only 1lb off this week taking me to 16st 8lbs but to be honest I'm pretty happy with that as it's been a week of drinks parties so was dreading having put weight on. I'm going to keep a stern eye on everything I consume between now and Christmas day so will hopefully shed another 3lbs in the next fortnight taking my loss to the two stone mark.

[december10th]

Hi can I join you. I have a lot of weight to lose-and i do mean A LOT!
I am on day 6 of one-meal-a-day diet or rather eating plan.I think I might have hit on something that is actually going to work for me.I have about 50 calories about 3 pm and then a full meal of anything I want in the evening about 7.30 ish in on meal
My daily calorie spend is about 2100 so there is no way I will be eating that much!do get a few hunger pangs sometimes but then they pass, and they are getting less and less.I have a lot more energy and sleeping better so all good so far.lost 6lbs in just under a week.But I am focussing on sticking to the plan and ensuring enough nutrients rather than weight loss atm

[dalek]

Could I ask a question please. In the 16 hours can you have milk in your tea and coffee or does it need to black?

[angeldelightedme]

I am doing the 20:4 IF thing! I am on my 17th day although I had xmas eve through to boxing day off.So 14 days really and have lost 11lbs.I have tried and failed on lots of diets before but this one feels sustainable .I am distracted by work during the day and then once I get home I can eat what I like and I love not having to weigh things or count calories.I don't really get hungry so much know. The only bad thing is that fasting gives me the worst diarrhoea

[angeldelightedme]

Dalek-I don't think a splash of milk in your drink is really enough to break your fast