16/8 support group

[Klaudia14]

Anyone interested in joining me here? I posted this on an older thread so will just copy and paste my story below:

I'm on day 8 doing the 16/8. I'm loving it!! I'm against dieting as restrictions always lead me to binges and feeling rubbish. I haven't weighed myself in 5 years as I got rid of my scales due to a very unhealthy obsession with weighing myself. I am very interested in intuitive eating and have been trying to get in tune with my body but it's been hard and the lockdown has thrown me off guard and I was overeating, feeling bloated and fed up. I'm loving 16/8. My eating window is 11-7 and I find this fits well with my lifestyle. I'm surprised at how much energy I have in the morning. Even managing an hour long walk with the dog ...getting up at 7 as well with lots of energy. Feeling less bloated and just happier overall! I think this is really helping me be more intuitively about what I actually want! Having good, hearty food. Butter and cheese and full fat yoghurt! These foods were always a no no for me but I much prefer theses to fat free/low fat options. I feel satisfied after my meals too .
Oh and I can't do this without a bit of milk in my morning coffee ( freshly brewed filter) so haven't cut that out. And have had a cheeky glass of wine during my eating window ...🍷

@ElspethFlashman I also had far too many gin & slimlines last night! Also included crisps.
How far can you get the following day before you are too hungry to keep fasting? I am one of those people who just fasts until my 16 hours is up - today it was 3pm (yesterday was 4pm). I didn't think I would be able to manage it but surprised myself the first time.
I would say just fast as long as you can and don't beat yourself up over the odd shortened fast - could you manage 14 hours?

Well the late evening postprandial hunger has dissipated, thankfully. The 800 calories feels very do-able now (much more so than the 500 when I tried 5:2 some years ago).

I’m also a good half inch slimmer all over than I was on Tuesday. This feels like a good way to push past the plateau / falling off the wagon minefield. We’ll see where we end up by the time two weeks is over (six days down, eight to go).

I’m tempted to put 20 cents in the machine at the pharmacy to find out how much I weigh now - suspect it’s the lightest I’ve been in about 17 years, based on measurements.

I downloaded an app - Fastic - and we'll see how it goes. Did 19 hours today, but I have a busy job so find it was easy enough at work. Have upped my water intake a lot and barely felt it, tbh.

I find it much much harder at home in and out of the kitchen all day! But am determined to push through my plateau this week.

First day back at work is complete!

I managed well and did 17.5 hours, hunger wasnt as bad as i thought it would be. I didnt get hungry until about 11am and had some fruit and a cup of tea at 12 then dinner at 6pm when i got home!

Hope everyone elses day has gone okay.

I definitely find it easier to fast when I’m busy. I’m only working one day a week at the moment & going to try to use that to extend my fast.

@ElspethFlashman - I've been using Fastic since another pp recommended it - it really helps me - I definitely drink more water now, and I love looking at what 'state' I am in - I think knowing I am in autophagy spurs me on to keep fasting until my 16 hours is up.
There is quite a lot on the free version of the app - I haven't paid to use any extras

I like that you can change your plan. I have gradually changed from 16:8 to 17:7 to 18:6 because that was the way it was naturally falling for me anyway with my routine.

Scales still stubborn!

I'm new to this and have a few pounds to lose, because I want to look slim tbh. How does this suit with exercise? So far, I'm ok having a cup of tea (although with milk which I know isn't a clean fast) then exercise class then a few more cuppas to keep me going from 6am to 10.30 am then that's my 8 he eating window. What do other people do? I prefer morning exercise but sometimes go to a 5.30pm class.

I've had to stop. Guess it's not for everyone! I had a constant headache, frequent migraines, felt sick, dizzy and lightheaded. Just not worth it really 😕

Good luck to everyone else.

@user1471464218 Welcome! I think the general understanding is that it seems more benificial to exercise whilst fasting, but mainly just exercise whenever you feel is best for you. The main point is you are exercising!

Id 100% recommend cutting out the milk in your tea.I found it hard to give up but it feels so much better and makes having tea in your eating window feel so much more satisfying!

I'm feeling good this week, tired from being back at work but i'm sticking to my fasts (between 16-18hours) and havent fallen into the office biscuit tin yet!

I've managed to do every day during the week this week but I didn't make it until 12 today mainly because I was aty mum's house and she insisted on breakfast and wouldn't take no for an answer, especially when I told her I was going for a run later on.

Last week I did well Monday until I ended my fast on Friday lunchtime and then didn't stick to it over the weekend until I started fasting on Sunday evening again.

It's obviously doing some good though because when I weighed myself on Monday morning and I'd out on 5lbs and by Wednesday morning, when I did my slimming world weigh in I was back down 5lbs.

Does anyone else seem to only manage to do it some days a week or are you all amazing at sticking to it every day?

@Pebbleinthesand I frind Fridays a struggle. I finish work early on Fridays and in the past i always had Fridays as a treat day -usually drinks and takeaway of an evening and always had the evening to eat whatever i fancy without guilt -so still struggle. I can fast till late fridays (2/3pm) but my food and drink choices are always poor for the rest of the day!

Hi all, finally managed a loss of 2lbs this week - so 8lb overall since starting at the end of May. Makes me feel better after a few weeks of static!

I’ve bought some fancy new smart scales which measure my body fat percentage, etc so that’s a new toy to play with 😂

Hi all! I haven’t managed to check in for ages. Still plodding along. Sticking to 16-18 hour fasts. Not being very strict in my eating window and having 1 night off a week.
I’m dropping about 1lb a week. Happy that it’s slow, steady and not too hard. Will have a Stricter week when I plateau again.
Hope everyone is doing ok. Congrats on your loss @CaveMum

Can I join please? I would like something to keep me accountable!

I am not overweight technically but am 5'2" and of very small frame, and weight goes straight on my belly, which makes me physically uncomfortable as well as looking out of proportion. Weight crept up over time until I was having to change from jeans into stretchy yoga pants for my evening meal every day, aka Joey's elasticated Christmas pants

My downfalls were:

• getting into a habit of evening snacking (usually crisps)
• weekly takeaways - even though they were seemingly "healthy" (Indian vegetarian food) they must have been rammed with calories, or so delicious that I just ate way too much
• fried food and way too much oil in cooking. Yep, even healthy veg like okra and aubergine are no longer low calorie after they've been cooked in a massive oil puddle.

I have lost 4 pounds through a hotchpotch of IF methods and cutting out the above already but have plateaued and want to get a bit more disciplined about it. I want to lose another 4 and then maintain.

16:8 from today. My window will be 10am-6pm, though I will just have a cup of tea with milk before 12. I will be spamming you all with my progress in the name of accountability so just ignore me if I get annoying.

@Blitterbug Welcome to the group!
I am similar to you where i am not technically overweight but i am small and any weight gain makes me look chubby!
Hopefully this group will be helpful for you

I have stayed the same weight this week, although its been a mad week and i have a takeaway midweek and on Saturday night!

Thank you!

I've just read The Obesity Code and it makes so much sense. It's inspired me to cut out sugar completely - which wasn't hard as the only sugar I have is in tea and on porridge (which I'm not having anymore). Still in the tea tastebud adjustment phase but getting there...

Welcome to the group @BlitterBug!

I’m going to try and post more often to keep me on track with accountability. I’m not being half as “good” in my window as I could be & I’ve been feeling a bit less energetic lately, so stricter times ahead.
Today I opened my window after 17.5 hours with a pitta, hummus, cheese & tomato. Stir fry tonight with pork, noodles & veg.

How are people finding the obesity code? I keep meaning to read it, but with a baby who wants attention first thing & a teenager who wants our company every night, I find it hard to get any time!

Thanks Pandapotato!

I found the obesity code really interesting and a refreshing perspective on the hormonal basis of obesity. However most of the book is devoted to debunking other theories of obesity rather than a practical guide of what to do to change. It's more of an (accessible) academic read than a "how do I lose weight" manual.

Hello everyone, I’ve been doing 16:8 for about 5 days and I’m loving how easy it’s been. I feel hungry sometimes but not desperate, wobbly or headachey.
I have a question: do you get into ketosis in your 16 hour fast? I thought you did, but have just read online that it can take days. I’m a bit confused!

Hi @Jennygentle i think its possible after a while but is differant for everyone i believe, ive not looked into it though.

Ive been fasting for a few months now and i think its great, but do we ever reach a point of not getting the bordom craving? Does anyone know?
I'm sitting in the office right now and i want a cup of tea. I'm not hungry so dont need one in that way, i know its bordom but its still difficult

I’ve never lost the boredom craving, no. It’s easier to keep busy now I’m not in an office, but it was a killer then.

Fast 800 is going pretty well, had the odd day where we’ve gone over, but we’ve always done the fast at least, and haven’t been going much over 800.

We’re going to continue it til Monday, then my friend is visiting for a few days so we’ll have a holiday and drink etc.

We’re going to do 800 cals three days a week from now on, on top of the fast, until we’ve lost the rest of the weight.

@BlitterBug I’ve got as far as downloading the book - hopefully the kids will give me 5 mins to start reading soon!

Welcome @Jennygentle! I think the ketosis thing depends on how much glycogen you have stored. So it depends on the length of your fast & what you’ve been eating. When I’ve been strict at not having sugary treats in my window, I feel I get into ketosis quicker. Bad breath is a good sign of it for me. I also think extending to 18:6 helps. You can buy little strips to test your urine for ketones pretty cheaply.

@Sissy31 I get cravings every now & again. Especially when tired or hormonal. I find them easier to manage. The thing that really gets me is how crap I feel if I give in & go off plan. No energy & brain fog.

@WinterAndRoughWeather glad it’s going well for you still. Enjoy your break with your friend.

Not much to report here. Still sticking to 16-18 hour fasts. Losing slowly but steadily. I’ve stopped breastfeeding in the day now, so will be interesting to see if that has an impact.

Have a great weekend folks!

Hi!
Can I join you?

I'm doing 16/8 or 18/6 or 19/5 or 20/4, whatever I can manage that day - going with the flow but not less than a 16 hour fast.

I've only just started but finding 16 hours easy now I've stopped having milk in coffee in the morning.

I work shifts which change day to day, and when I am home find it really important to eat with the family (3 teens, DH) so I need the flexibility!

I have a shocking amount to lose but I'm hoping this works... I've just come out of a fairly intense 3 years of combining study with work and family and now the study is finished I really have to prioritise my health!

Going to weigh once per month to avoid the emotional rollercoaster of hormone related weight fluctuations I think.

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme Welcome to the group!
How are you finding things?

Ive been really struggling this week. Its the week before my period, which i always stuggle with! I always fast for at least 16 hours but the last couple of hours i am clock watching and also just want to eat anything and everything. I just never feel full! I know its hormonal and as soon as i get my period ill go back to normal but its very frustrating and mskes me feel guilty for eating so much