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 ...🍷

Im hoping this will be a permanent change in my eating, not just a temporary diet.
I have about 6 stone to lose, so I'm in this for the long haul.

@CaveMum

Once I get to my goal weight I plan to stick with IF anyway, as the fasting is supposed to be beneficial for reasons other than weight loss, and I tend not to have breakfast anyway.

I think we might also do a couple of days a week of low cal, as we tend to slip into bad habits over time - eating more and more calorific food.

Got to get the rest of this weight off first though! Well done on getting within sight of the finish line.

Can anyone recommend a calorie and activity/ exercise tracker which won't require me to consent to my personal data being shared and transferred to the USA?

I wasn't initially going to calorie count and still don't intend to do it regularly, but I'm curious to log how many calories I eat for a few days to see whether I'm under,nor over, eating in general.

I started to sign up to my fitness Pal but there's no way on earth I'm consenting to all my personal data being shared with unspecified parties in the USA! So I've deleted that without completing the installation.

I don't use a calorie counter so I can't help, I can't be bothered with it! I keep to low carb.

I've been going well. I'm trying to have a day today without cheese, I just sometimes rely on cheese too much! I could add it to almost anything!

I'm going to have a snack in a bit and then bolognese without pasta for dinner.

I'm drinking lots of water, as much as I can, just taking sips whenever I remember!

Currently 17 hours into a 20 fast. Feeling pretty hungry actually. Eeek I have no nice food in the house for when I'm actually allowed to eat which means I have to go shopping, while hungry! Hope I make some good choices

Really wish I could convince my friend to try IF. She's too scared of feeling hungry unfortunately. She's got about 6 stone to lose but isn't getting anywhere sadly. Plus she's received some absolutely appalling advice from her dietician. I feel very cross about it!

Hi everyone,
Ive not posted for a while but have still been fasting daily.
My weight has stayed the same for weeks now i'm feeling really rubbish about it and not sure what else to do.
I get other benefits from IF (energy, my skin is amazing ect) just no more weight loss.
90% of the days i am burning more calories than i eat. Ive cut down on my sugar intake. Im eating more veg than ive ever eaten.
I like this way of eating, just hoping the weight loss comes back

Sissy have you tried mixing in a day of eating more (within 8 hours but more food) and moving your eating window about (perhaps 10-6 one day but 8-4 another if you could make it work, or a shorter window once per week without eating less)? Also check you're not habitually eating too little - going way under your basic metabolic rate habitually can stall you. Do you only have a few pounds to lose?

@Sissy31 can you try low carb for a few days? I find it a fab way of eating.

It's funny that before you try IF it can seem scary thinking about feeling hungry. I must say since I started low carb it removed the feelings of hunger. Just feeling fuller for longer helps so much with over eating.

I'm still going well with the fasts.

@UntilYourNextHairBrainedScheme ive tried eating more calories for 2 weeks and i did try having an earlier window but i dont sleep very well if im not feeling satisfied and a couple of times i woke in the night hungry (my eating window is usually 12-6.30pm)
I am 8st7 and 5ft0, my BMI is 23.5 but i am quite chubby as i am short. My goal is to lose a stone, but id even be happy at 8st right now!

@DownUdderer Thats my next move! From today im going to try low carb for a couple of weeks to seeif that helps.
I dont want to restrict too much,as i dont want this to feel too much like a diet so i can stick to it longterm

Some low carb options don't feel restrictive at all, I love bacon with cheese and eggs! Filling and yum!

@DownUdderer ive never tried so im going to try from today to go low carb!

Newbie here! Hello
I posted on another 16/8 thread but then realised it is mostly inactive. So glad to find you.
Just read about 16/8 today and will start tmrw. Would like to lose at least a stone.
My eating window will be 11-7 as I get up at 6.30 and 12 noon seems a looong way off
I gained weight at the beginning of lockdown then lost 11 pounds then put 9 back on! With keto which my DH does but it is too hardcore for me. Esp during PMT

Is it true that in the fasting part of the day you cannot even have milk in your tea and coffee? Not even skimmed?

Welcome @wildthingsinthenight
You can have black coffee or tea (no sugar), but if you have milk or sugar it breaks your fast.
I dont like coffee and i'm not a fan of tea without a sugar so i just have water during my fast

Thank you sissy
That's going to be tricky! I love my cuppa when I get up at 6.30

@wildthingsinthenight I was like that when i first started too, it does get easier though, and it makes your 1st tea of the day taste so much better!

I'm a pound down this morning! Horay! I'm pleased with that. I'm enjoying the structure of IF and planning ahead helps me succeed. I have loose plans for meals but also go with the flow, but I've been avoiding bad habits of snacking after dinner in the evening.

I'd like to lose 10 pounds to get to pre-lockdown weight.

I've done two days without cheese! I often put cheese on something without really thinking about it. I'll definitely be enjoying some cheese today though!

Thanks sissy
Day 1 here. Been up since 6.30 and just had water so far. Unheard of!
Well done DownUdderer!
I love cheese too.
Everyone here is awkward with food so it's like a cafe. DH keto and DS is fussy.

I have plans for a veg and lentil curry for dinner. I'm not veggie but just fancy it for some reason. And it will be really filling.

So looking forward to brunch at 11

wildthingsinthenight you get used to it really quickly. I'm up at 5am if working an early shift (start work at 6am) or 5:55am on a school day if home with my own kids, who have to catch the school bus at 6:30am (rural, not UK), and I never eat before 11am, often 1pm or 2pm (I sometimes do 20:4 instead of 16:8).

I've been doing IF for 2 months and now find I have more energy before I eat than after; it's easier to work or go for a brisk walk fasted than on a small breakfast.

It took me about 3 days to adjust my taste buds to black coffee.

The first couple of weeks you're acclimatising and should give yourself some slack - if you need milk in your tea have it for the first week til you get used to the fasting hours.

Thanks that's good adviceUntilYourNext

Have you lost much weight in your 2 months doing it?

wildthingsinthenight 25lb Last time I weighed myself, which was about 2 weeks ago. I deliberately don't weigh often, don't want to manufacture an emotional rollorcoaster by getting hung up on weighing daily or weekly as womens weight fluctuates so much due to hormones/ cycle/ water etc.

25lb in around 6 weeks is obviously quite a Lot, but I started heavy and I started after a very stressful life phase including taking exams using my second language which we're the culmination of 3 years study while working flat out at work (shifts including nights in healthcare, already unfilled vacancies in the team then people constantly Off quarantening/ self isolating and having to cover) and juggling that with 3 kids homeschooling and DH having to work from the office not home several days per week due to the specific nature of His job. During that time I'd let myself eat absolutely whatever I wanted and been drinking too much too, so I suspect just returning to healthy eating and the stress lifting (I started two days after I got my exam results) is responsible for a good chunk of the weight loss.

I know it will slow down a Lot and am realistic, but IF certainly works for me, If only to give me boundaries which don't need thinking much about, hence no obsessive thinking about food which leads to giving up. Im less hungry because I don't need to think about food.

Sorry about random capitals - phone keyboard keeps reverting to German!

Have been on steroids for three years but have reduced significantly. Thought I’d try this. Not able to do 16 hours yet as I have to eat with my medication, but have lost 2lbs this week.

@wildthingsinthenight you could substitute your normal tea for green tea or peppermint perhaps? Or any sort of fruit tea. I like peppermint personally.

I stick with black coffee and water until it’s time to eat. But I’ve got into the habit of drinking water when I wake up anyway so that I feel hydrated and am not worrying about uti which I am prone to.