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 ...🍷

I'm aiming for everyday but don't always manage. It is easy to jump back on though.

Goodish day here although I am bloody starving now. Much easier not snacking etc when not at work but almost too easy and I forget to eat enough before the end of my window.
Toast and marmalade for breakfast with coffee and a kefir drink. Mexican eggs (scrambled egg with chilli, garlic, spring onions, tomatoes) and fried tortilla strips. Had a dark chocolate and raspberry magnum for pudding. It was delicious! Snacked on some brazil nuts, blueberries and a banana. I have a bit of a dysfunctional relationship with food but doing this is actually helping me. I would never have "allowed" myself to enjoy a magnum before but today I ate it guilt free.

Loving reading the stories here they are very encouraging. I am very heartened to read appetite receding and snacking desire going. I've just finished day 3 with my window 10 till 6. So far it's been OK now I know I can't graze all evening I just don't it's been a habit rather than hunger. How long did it take people to see weight loss on the scales. With a normal diet it takes 2 weeks. Thanks for this thread so encouraging xx

I tried making pancakes with wholemeal flour for breakfast this morning. To be honest, I think I might prefer them. Okay, they aren't a light and fluffy, but I do like the fact that you can taste the nuttiness of the flour. Had them with honey and a homemade fruit smoothie. Will be having the pancakes again tomorrow as the mixture makes enough for two servings.

Dinner was preceeded by about a third of a melon. (I've ended up with two so I need to use them up) . Followed by veg curry and brown rice and then a banana. Made loads of curry so froze 6 portions. Feeling quite virtuous today 😂

Morning all, how is everyone doing?
I'm on day 5, all going well. I really can't get over how much of my eating/snacking is habitual. My appetite is definitely changing but bizarrely I do feel quite bloated 🤔 period's due though so I'm hoping that's it.

Have been busy with the kids this week but no real exercise - do people do it in their 'window' or when fasting? Does it make a difference?

Hi
Can I join? Coincidentally was just looking at an intermittent fasting App - but put off by the money involved.
Have never done 16 hours before - max 14 - and was initially sceptical that I could do that. But you all seem so positive.

I think 11-7 would be best for me, and tips?

Can you have a coffee first thing? Does it need to be black?
Thinking a hot water with lemon or a fruit tea might be better

Following please. Stone to loose to be confident and pre baby weight now shes 1 I just feel shocking that I'm still carrying it and dont like my body at all. Diets are unrealistic for me so will try fasting and eating abit better. Am going to weigh once a week but go off how I feel/clothes fit more

Hi all! Does anyone have any recommendations for herbal/fruit tea? I normally just drink black tea but I'm finding it too harsh on my stomach if I drink it with no milk on an empty stomach in the morning, and I'd also like something uncaffineated to drink in the evenings

Day four for me and astonished by how easy I find the fasting and how my appetite already seems to have dropped down.

I thought fruit and herbal tea wasnt allowed in the fasting period?

Oh really? I thought tea, coffee and water were the drinks that you're allowed - does that not include teas other than black tea?

hi @WhoKnowsWhatsAroundTheCorner I also do 11-7.

The first week or so was really hard, and I am midway through the second week now. Definitely got a grumbly tummy and waiting to have something at 11am but its getting easier than it was the first week, when I was so hungry I couldn't concentrate.

You can have a black coffee no sugar during your fasts; I have found it easier to have nothing and just stick to water, as I know I will start bending the rules otherwise.

I had a terrible weekend food-wise, I kept to my windows but lots of junking going on. I like the fact that I reset at 7pm every day, and feel better by the next morning, no matter what happened yesterday.

Previously if I had a bad day I would add to it by eating more, well into the late evening. And then giving in to an early breakfast the next day. My eating is definitely based around routines, habits, treats, all the bad things. I do feel less bloated, but I think this will need to be a long-term change to see the real benefits.

Thank you, Finals

The fruit/herbal and even diet soda and bone broth thing re: fasting all depends on who you are reading. Some people say it's fine, some people say it's not.

In my opinion, this is your fast, do it your way. Personally I can't see that a herbal tea is going to make much of a difference compared to having water, normal tea or coffee.

Please may I join? I started yesterday and I'm really hoping that this sorts out my ever-creeping weight gain. I'm actually too scared to weigh myself but I did measure my waist and I'm squeezing into 30 waist jeans with a waist that measures 31.5 inches and then wondering why they're so tight and uncomfortable. My first goal is for my 2 pairs of cropped jeans to fit properly!

Yesterday I was a bit uneven - stuck to my 12-8 window but seemed to snack a lot. I had a pork sandwich for lunch with a chocolate and ginger biscuit, then a mini Milky Way while out for a walk, then when I got home I was in a bad mood because DH wasn't helping with dinner, so I had another biscuit, then a small slice of sultana cake and two or three Haribo while waiting for dinner to be ready (spag bol). The walk was quite strenuous, though - we were out for a good hour and a half and tried to find a new way home and wound up scrambling through a wood along a very steep slope and climbing fences. Anyway it was day 1 and I'm still getting used to it! Today I will try a sort of afternoon tea with fruit/yoghurt or oatcakes and cheese instead of sweet stuff.

Re: exercise. My understanding is that it’s better to do it during the fast if you can, because the body will use the more easily available glucose from eating before it uses fat stores. So if you exercise while fasting you’re burning fat. Something like that anyway.

I tend to exercise during the fast because I only like exercising in the morning, and I don’t eat until 1pm. I’ll go for a stroll in the early evening but it’s not exactly a workout. Exercise seems to suppress my appetite. So that’s handy.

Room for one more?

Started 16:8 a week ago, and was delighted to loose 2kg(4.5lb) after the first 7 days. I wouldn't expect this to keep up though, have any of you seen a big drop at the start then stabilising ?

I'm doing 11am-7pm and actually finding the window pretty easy to stick to. What I'm eating during the window is another matter - had a blowout Saturday, but at least kept it within the window

Next step is to try and incorporate some exercise, but I'm worried about that - exercise normally increases my appetite so much that I eat more than the energy I used for exercising !!! @WinterAndRoughWeather I'd love to be like you !

Hello! Ace to see so many joining the thread.

@Hoolajerry I found it really easy to follow when I worked. Not so easy at home with 3 kids and a hungry husband right now! I’m picking way more than I usually do thanks to the endless demands for snacks.

@Coconut80 I dropped some weight to start with, then hit a plateau. I’ve been eating too much in my window I think. Also looking at extending the fast. I joined a fb group and a lot of posters on there extend fasts for weight loss. I did 18 hours today quite easily, so will see how I get on with that.

@ChangeThePassword those pancakes sound delicious. We have been spending a fortune on melons recently. The kids think it’s a real treat and I feel virtuous for not chucking ice cream at them every 5 mins 🤣

@AnCailleach I find I can’t exercise well first thing after an overnight fast, so tend to wait until after lunch or dinner. I think it’s a personal preference thing though, so go for whatever works for you.
Just read @WinterAndRoughWeather’s reply. That makes sense. Maybe I should try for some morning exercise then.

@WhoKnowsWhatsAroundTheCorner I think coffee needs to be black. Lemon in water counts as breaking your fast I think. But like others said, you can do this your way. I follow a clean fast, so only have black coffee and tons of water.

Good luck to everyone starting out this week.

I broke my 18 hour fast with a cheese wrap @ some coleslaw. Hunger definitely is the best sauce as I enjoyed it so much. We have pepper stew tonight, probably with rice. Going to try not to snack all afternoon!

I think lockdown will help because any social events are over Zoom and no one will know if I'm drinking gin or water. I counted my nights out (ie, off the diet) the last time I tried to lose weight and I averaged one a week over about 8 weeks. That was an eye-opener because I didn't think I went out that much - but that included things like going round to my mum's for dinner and drinks, having PIL to stay for a weekend, work nights, and meeting different groups of friends. Obviously that's all off just now!

Hi, ive just found this thread and hope you dont mind if i join too

I'm on my 8th day of fasting, its going well!

I'm not overweight as such, my BMI is in the normal range, but i am carrying a few extra pounds than id like. I am 5ft0 so any extra pounds look more noticeable as i am short! I spent the first half of lockdown snacking to the extreme and binge watching Netflix so deceided to tey to do something about it before i go back to work.

I'm not a breakfast person so ive been doing 12-8 (but try to do 12-7 if i can).
I have done a day of 20/4 so i fasted from 7pm -3pm then stopped eating again at 7pm. It was difficult but i'm aiming to try to do it every now and then if i can.

I lost 3lbs in the first 5 days, but i'm now on my period so i havent weighed myself again (my weight always going up during this week!)

You all sound like you're doing a good job, and some of the meals youve been making sound yummy - ill have to give some of them a try!

@FieldOverFence that's an amazing loss I really hope I follow a similar path. I've just completed day 4 all good finding this thread fab x

Ha ha, I’m only getting the morning exercise regularly at the moment because I have to - I’m working on a big landscaping project and the weather’s so hot I need to crack on in the morning.

I try to do yoga a few mornings a week when my work is less physical, but I’m pretty lazy about it all tbh.

I've not started yet but can't imagine getting up in the morning and not eating anything. Don't you all want to get the horrible feeling of morning out of your mouth? Do you just brush your teeth? I don't like black tea or coffee.

I’m kind of funny about morning eating, I just don’t enjoy it. I can’t do anything in the morning until I’ve cleaned my teeth anyway, I feel really grubby otherwise.

It’s a good few hours after I get up before I would actually enjoy eating, or even feel particularly hungry. Don’t know why, I’ve always been the same. Because of that, pushing through to lunchtime doesn’t feel too bad - I can withstand the last few hours of feeling really hungry, especially if I’m busy.

Anyway, if you prefer to eat in the morning you can fast later, lots of people do.

If you don’t like black tea or coffee, what about hot water with a slice of lemon?

Ive been skipping breakfast for years and just having a tea in the morning, as i just cant eat when i first wake up.

Actually, i find brushing my teeth helps in a weird way Difficult to explain but ,when i brush my teeth in the morning its like my body knows we are done eating and off out now! Actually, sometimes of an evening when i get a craving for something (the not hungry just want something to eat phase) i will spend 2-3 minutes brushing my teeth and it helps!

Ive just reread that back and it sounds crazy, but it works for me haha! I guess its a mental thing but hope it makes some sense?

I only started but have done 5:2 before and it worked great, right now I just need some rules in place to stop the rapid expansion of my arse in lockdown.
Bit worried to read I shouldn't have herbal tea I have just given up coffee as a bladder irritant and herbal tea is all I drink hot now.

wedding2021 I eat in the morning but don't have dinner. I really look forward to my breakfast.
On the exercise front I'm a very physically active person. I average around 13000 steps when I'm working which is pretty good considering the majority is desk based. On non work days it's about 20 000. I exercise at least 3 x per week usually running, cycling and atm a bodyweight based workout. I also walk everyday with the dogs. It's when I can fit it in though rather than what might get the best results.

Starving again tonight. Toast for breakfast and a kefir drink. Fishcake and salad for lunch followed by blueberries, pineapple, greek yoghurt and granola. Snacks were some brazil nuts, an apple and a ginger biscuit. Last ate at 13 30 so will have done an 18 hour fast. Did a sprint workout with my dd and played a bit of football with all the dc. Felt very weak though to be honest.
Weigh in day tomorrow 🤞