16:8 diet

[Mummytron]

Anyone doing it and can give tips please? I know it's where you only eat in an 8 hour window but wondered if there's anything else I should know?

Hi all,

Just found this thread a few days as I’d heard a bit about 16:8 helping to give a boost if you’ve plateaued (which I most definitely have!)

Just finished day two of 16:8 with an eating window of 11am - 7pm and I wondered for anyone else skipping breakfast if the mornings get any easier? I’ve found it really hard both days, absolutely starving and unable to concentrate much, has anyone found that their body has adjusted to the new eating pattern and the crazy hunger first thing dies down?

Belle Genuinely starting off does get easier. Takes a week before you get less peckish. Hang on in there and keep away from the fridge. Keep yourself busy. Drink water when you get a bit gnarly for food. Soon it will become reasonably bearable.
Happy Do just what you want... You can do three meals in the eating window, two meals or just one. Personally I do two -eating at noon and then again at 6.30 pm but you need to fit in with your own work/day plans. Go with your 1500 calories for the first few weeks if that's what you are used to and then review your progress, I guess.

I am on day 2. Have to say I quite like it. Looked forward to my fruit at 11:00 on the dot, have had tea, and just planning on some crackers & cheese before I finish eating for the day at 7pm.

Mind you, I quite like following rules - they seem to manage to give me extra willpower some how.

ive just finished day 3 and really enjoying it so far.
it seems to organised my day better, for instance i had to go out after the school run and had an hour to kill before 11am so i made the effort to take a 30min walk and do 30min abs workout. where-as before id think about a workout before lunch but just end up grabbing a snack and pottering around. having to eat at certain time makes me try harder to fit in days activities too.
also find that because ive ate so much in the 8hrs slot, come 7pm im not even hungry and haven't been reaching for the boredom breakers or comfort coffees!
i wore a crop top out today as my stomach was nice and flat being empty haha. im currently trying to convert my friend to trying it out

Belle and Happy I have just noticed your other thread. Are you both still sticking with 16:8? How are you getting on now that you are several weeks down the line? You too, Topcat? I'm over a year at skipping breakfast and starting eating at 12 but on occasions I begin at 11 am and don't get cross with myself.
If say on a Saturday I don't get back from errands etc until 1.00 pm and I'm killer starving I've learned to eat first before putting the shopping away. I have a go to pile of muesli crispbreads stashed which are like instant chocolate. (Actually I do also have instant chocolate.) Then while i'm eating the crispbread I'm making scrambled eggs. But the panic for your window to open does get less and less.

yep still here! have no issues with it. some days im feeling hungrier then others and counting down the mins but most of the time I can go longer.
i'll be going on the fat, water and muscle machine at the gym again next month to see it fat comes up as loss it was 22% in may.

Can I ask, does this mean absolutely nothing outside these times. Stupid question but I often finish my kids toast in the morning so will that bugger this all up. It’s maybe a quarter of a slice.

Also, I tend to do this type of 16/8 timing of eating thing naturally but should I be watching what I eat during this period or eating what I want.

Hello 16:8'ers!

It's taken me two days but I have officially read the whole thread. It's been really interesting seeing people's real time experience with this way of eating.

I'd love to join in and have somewhere to record my weight and be held accountable.

About me:

After a busy and stressful year I'm the heaviest I've ever been, 146lb and only 5'3". I feel absolutely rubbish.

I'd like to be around 130lb. I don't have scales so I'll be weighing in on Thursdays using the scales at Boots.

I had gestational diabetes in both pregnancies so I'm really keen to find an eating plan which keeps my blood sugar level low, and the 16:8 seems to make sense to me.

I'm on day 5. I'm eating low carb within a 7 or 8 hour window. During this first week I'm only doing yoga as exercise and am going to bed really early every day to try and maximise sleep and help me adjust.

I feel leaner already and not at all missing sugar. I'm really thirsty and drinking lots of water.

Have switched tea with milk for black coffee.

I'm looking forward to my first weigh in on Thursday - partly because last Thursday was the first day of my period and I'm sure a couple of pounds were water weight

FortySix - well done on your amazing results. Hope your current push is giving you results.

Have you seen the Fledge Fitness videos on YouTube? He's a personal trainer who advocates 16:8 and has a few videos about how to maximise results, might be useful?

Also look out for Joe Rogan talking with Dr Rhonda Patrick is good. She's amazing!

First weigh in, lost five pounds.

I'm really pleased, I feel like 16:8 is totally manageable and am looking forward to ramping up my exercise this week.

I want to loose about 16 lbs and I’m going to try 8/16. I find the 5:2 doesn’t work for me so hopefully this one will. Wish me luck!

@Eesha how are you doing with skipping the toast?
@happyfrown hope things are going well
@thornyhousewife what a great beginning with those 5 lbs. I'll check Fledge out further , I've listened to one of his chats now so I'll give it a go -
@AlmostPerfect1955 lots of luck being sent your way...
My weight is settled- I've been within a 1.5 kg range since March. but maybe Fledge might help me reduce the amount of incremental walking I have to do to eat cake... two hours a day is still pretty tiresome although it's nice to do it in the sun! Love Island is also playing havoc with grazing and lack of steps.

Hi @fortysix, so I'm sort of doing 16/8 naturally and have now lost a stone in around 7 weeks. I don't really eat that much in the 8hr period, I keep my water bottle handy, and I think all that has kept help weight loss. I have approx 3lbs to get off before getting below 13 which I haven't been in years

Eesha that’s a terrific result. You must see a very positive difference. Stay in that zone

@fortysix thanks! I don’t honk I look dramatically different, and even saw a recent pic where I looked huge from the back, but I try and remember that I’m no longer carrying those 14lbs so that has to mean something! My big issue is that I feel like I’ve cut down a lot already so wondering whether the scales will actually continue to show any losses. I mean, where else can I cut down....

I think Eesha it's the little things like less tight jeans and knickers not cutting in that are noticeable. Keep doing whatever you are doing because it appears to be working just fine. Even if the rate of change slows a little at least your direction of travel will still be the right way.

One week in, using 1 - 9pm as my eating window but am watching what I eat then too. 2lbs down.

I tried 16:8 for two weeks and was really starting to feel good on it - then started getting unbearably itchy. Two mornings of proper breakfast and the itchiness vanished.

Anyone else get anything like this?

I've just started day 6 of following 16:8. My window is 12pm - 8pm and so far I've been really enjoying it. I've noticed I'm enjoying my food more and feeling full much more quickly.

I am calorie counting within my window to make sure I'm not over compensating, I'm trying to stay between 1200 and 1400 calories a day.

I had a sneaky weigh in this morning and was amazed to see a 4.5lb loss! I know this is all water etc and will slow down from now, but this is the most I've lost in one go for ages and I've tried so many different diet plans.

This is definitely a lifestyle change, and I'm looking to lose 25lbs in total to put me at back at the weight I feel good at.

So pleased I found this thread!

Hello everyone. Does the 16:8 need to be done every single day or say 5 times a week. Just wondering if you break it because you're going out for sinner with friends, otherwise it's a really unsociable diet isn't?

I have been doing the 16:8 hour fast now for about 3 weeks and along with weight training 5 x a week, the results are amazing. I am never hungry, have way more energy and sleep very well each night. Stick with it and you will be suprised.

I do I.F. each day. I choose to eat at lunchtime and evening (roughly 12pm and 8pm) i avoid breakfast. Pick one meal to miss that doesnt impact on your life too much, so you can still enjoy social avtivities.

Weird question but does anyone do this by skipping the evening meal instead of breakfast ?
I have to eat breakfast at 8:00 or I can't eat til 2:00pm.
I'd like to do breakfast at 8:00 and lunch/dinner by 4:00pm.
Will that have any effect on the end results ?

Have been doing this for a while. Am finally firmly in the 60s just - 68.2. I seem to have stalled here. Does it get harder to lose - what do you do to keep it going downwards? Really want to be at lower end of 60s, which would put my BMI in the middle of the healthy category.

I recently started 20:4, I eat between 4 and 8 pm. I'm 51yo, 64kg and think about food a lot so started this to try and change my mental attitude to food. I love growing, planning, cooking and eating food but I don't want to eat through boredom or thirst or because I made something nice which keeps calling me back. So no breakfast or lunch but a good dinner and seconds if I like. Also drinking more water than before. So far so good.