16/8 - 2021 thread

[feliznavidad2]

Anyone else starting afresh in the coming days? I've dabbled in 16/8 in the past but then got a tummy bug and didn't restart.

I'm now the biggest I've been in 10 years and am keen to start taking some action to make me feel healthier and to lose some weight. 👋🏻

Aside from 16/8, I'm going to be reducing my carb intake (although still eating some) and ensuring I eat more fruit and vegetables.

Hello to any others who may be keen to join. I'll be weighing weekly on a Monday and using the Zero app to track my fasts.

Half term is going to be hard, I’m already hanging out for a cup of tea. One hour to go! I did start having black tea but noticed it was badly staining my teeth.

Weigh in this morning, 2lbs off this week so at a loss of 12.7lbs in four weeks. Pleased with this, but still feels a long way to target as I need to lose at least two more stone but small steps.

morning, can I join you please?

I have previously had success with 5:2 but during lockdown I have put it all back on [sob] and after many failed restarts with 5:2 since xmas I need a rethink and thought 16:8 might get me back into the swing of things....

So if I have this right then I will be eating only during my 8 hour window - which during the week will be 12-8 but on the weekends can I change it to later, i.e. 2-10pm? will this work?

I am trying not to get obsessed with calorie counting so I am planning on be intuitive to start with, so today I will have some low cal soup for lunch with extra chicken slices, some yogurt and berries, then dinner will be homemade chicken sharwarma, 1 homemade flatbread and lots of salad, maybe a tiny piece of birthday cake that we still have in fridge?

Obviously if after a few weeks I'm not loosing any weight then I will calorie count (its just so depressing!)

I am (nearly) 47, 5ft 7, weighing in at 187lbs
Any tips on how to manage this while suffering horrendous PMT (I think I'm starting peri-menopause) I just want to eat all the carbs around the time of my period....

Anyway, looking forward to starting this - realised after reading up that I have 'failed' already in the fact that I have had a dirty cup of tea this morning - but not sure I can give that up yet

@Skinnydecafflatte that's great! Well done.

welcome @robertsmithscorpsebride. Yes I think so, I personally don't keep the window set at times, I just make sure I have a 16 (or sometimes 17) hour gap between dinner and my next meal - usually lunch.

Lots of us still have milk in our tea or coffee - I think if it helps compliance then its worth it. I just switched to black coffee but that's because I've been on a plateau for two weeks. Hoping it will help me break through. I still have a splash of skim milk in tea - that first cup in the morning is like nectar.

thanks ladybranston its a relief to know that re: splash of milk

fantastic loss in just 4 weeks skinny that's really motivating!

I was reading that women do better with a shorter fast (14 or 15 hours) what do people generally do? I was thinking 16 seems doable, sometimes even 18, but is this counter productive for us ladies??

That's interesting @robertsmithscorpsebride- do you know what the reasoning is behind it? Look at me three days into 16:8 and already trying to find workaround that give more eating time

Had lots of black coffee and water this morning, definitely harder fasting during the week when I'm working than at the weekend when I can sleep in later and the day has no structure! My normal Monday routine is to have my cereal just before my weekly team catchup, I'm not hungry as such but missing that ritual feels weird if that makes sense?

Hoping to last till 1pm before opening my window, will do 12.30 if absolutely needs be but I don't want to go any earlier than that as my OH doesn't like to eat much earlier than 7.

I am in my mid 40's 5ft 8 and 151lb. I would like to get to 140lb and maintain this. I have been 140lb in the past, once when I went through trauma and the weight dropped off and another time when I calorie counted.

I know the calories in most foods and have since avoided pasta, fried take aways, shop bought cakes, fruit pies/crumbles, pastries, muffins and scones. I can take or leave these and the high fat/calorie content are simply not worth it for me.

Chocolates and crisps are my vice!

Skinnydecaffe Excellent weight loss - wow! I would struggle to drink coffee without milk or sugar. I drink water only during my fast as I worry a fruit tea/weak squash would make me crave for food.

Robertsmith If your eating window ends at 10pm on Sunday and starts again at midday on Monday, you will only have fasted for 14 hour hours. Interesting point on fasting hours for men and women.

Roastpotatoes we eat around 7.30pm. I have a piece of fruit at 5.30/6pm to get me through.

@Faith50 that's an interesting point about if you start a fast later you need to still leave it 12 hours- stupidly that didn't even occur to me

So by that logic, would every fasting window need to be the same anyway?

Roastpotatoes It is easier if you stick to the same hours for consistency but then I am a stickler for routine. I have on occasion broken my fast around 1.30pm or even close to 2pm and still ended my eating window at 9pm rather than move it to 9.30pm/10pm.

thanks faith that's what I was thinking I would do, so if I finish at 10pm on a Saturday then I would make sure there was 16 hours in-between that and eating (so 2pm), but then would shorten my window on Sunday (8pm) to get it back into sync for the rest of the week.... i think that makes sense to me

roastpotatoes I'll try and find the link to the page I was reading...

Thanks both!

I have to say, fasting during a working day definitely makes me more productive- anything to keep my mind off food!!

Evening all, and welcome all newbies! I seem to have finally fallen/climbed off the plateau that I (along with a few others) have been stuck on, and have lost one lb this week, which means I am now on 10 st 13. It feels really good to hit the 10s.

@ ladybranstonpickle I am thinking of also cutting down on the milky tea/coffees in the morning for a while - I try to just have one cup of the with milk, but I found I was actually having around three in the course of the morning. I am going to stick at just one cup of tea with milk to get me out of bed, and then switch the rest to herbal teas.

@Whoateallthechocolate that is just so frustrating! I am not sure how the principle of too few calories works (it feels so counter-intuitive), but maybe worth a try?

I had to put the running on hold because of the ice weather which is annoying - week 4 of the couch to 5 k is still beckoning and I feel that by the time I get back to it I will have to go back a week.

I hope everybody has a good week, and the good news is that I noticed today how the evenings are beginning to get longer - made me feel quite optimistic.

that's fantastic loss another
I'm in same position as you, me and DS started running in January but because of the snow and ice we have had to repeat a week, its fine to do that though..... next run (in the rain) tomorrow

how did you get on roast?

My first day went well, I set an 8 hour timer on my phone and it beeped to remind me not to eat, although I'd had dinner about an hour earlier.

Going to have lunch about 12 noon, so I will have gone from 7pm last night, so more like 17 hours, hope everyone has a good day today

morning all!

It's interesting re fasting length - I haven't done much research into it but for me I think 14 hours would be too short. I'm not much of a snacker so never ate after dinner or in between meals anyway.

That's excellent to hear @anothermadamebutterfly - I hope to join you soon! Starting to feel a bit disheartened about the lack of movement on the scale. I do wonder if it has something to do with still breastfeeding, although the feeds are only twice a day and quite short - I find it hard to believe she's actually having much milk.

Speaking of milk I'm actually enjoying my black coffee in the mornings. It does make the fast a bit easier, which is what everyone says in Gin Stephens' Facebook group for her book Fast. Feast. Repeat.

Today is a normal 16:8 day - not a FD so very much looking forward to my cheese & pickle sandwich at lunchtime! Tonight is chicken stirfry, and my husband is making it, hooray!

It's positively spring-like here, so wishing everyone a chance to get out in the sunshine.

Well done on your resolve so far everyone! I'm finding this thread really useful and supportive, it's a big help.

Yesterday was okay- broke the fast at 12.30 and ate dinner at 7.30 and then stopped. In that time I had a normal lunch (salad wrap), a couple of snacks through the afternoon (apple and bag of wotsits), and then a normal dinner (vegan chilli and rice). All well within my 1200 calories, it's definitely easier when you don't have to factor in that breakfast meal!

Armed with my bottle of water and pot of black coffee this morning- doing pancakes tonight with OH so going to try and eat a very light salad with some protein for lunch and stay away from snacks so I can eat a few of them guilt free. I only have lemon and sugar on mine anyway but want to eat as many as possible!

Hi all,

I started today. Going to do IF with along the lines of Fast 800, so lower carb not low carb.

I finished eating at 5.30pm last night and broke my fast at 9.50am with an oat milk latte. I really love this stuff so would rather work it in to calories and that's why I try and finish eating earlier, so I don't have to wait too long when I get up.

I work shifts so it could sometimes end up being 15:9 or 14:10 but going to try and do the 16:8.

Lunch will be lentil soup and dinner will be chicken salad. Or might make it the other way around as it's sunny today. Nightshift tonight but I with eat through that and stick to black coffee/herbal tea.

I have a question, I think I know the answer but just to check- if I put some lemon slices in my water during my fasting, would that be a dirty fast?

The rest of today went well, had 3 small pancakes and all within my calories and eating window!

Have eaten lots today but stuck to my window which is positive. Had four pancakes, which isn't quite so positive.

Small steps...

@roastpotatoesss I think technically lemon slices in water would make it a dirty fast but lots of people have done very well dirty fasting and it's hardly a coffee with a sugar and loads of milk in it, is it?! 🤷‍♀️

Great start @supercee @roastpotatoesss

Unintentional fast till 5.30 here as didn't get a chance to stop work for lunch. Enjoyed my pancakes though

great start newbies!

I had dinner and then pancakes for dessert - usually we do only pancakes with a savoury course and then a sweet one. Not sure why we didn't this year?! Having a full dinner and then pancakes felt like too much food, although I stayed within my TDEE, mostly. I also had 4 pancakes @feliznavidad2 but only put a tiny scraping of nutella on two, had lemon juice and a sprinkle of demara sugar on the other two.

@roastpotatoesss technically, yes its a dirty fast, but I wouldn't sweat it yet, you can always go more hardcore if and when you get to a plateau. Like me! I am still stuck, even Happy Scale is less happy these days. I am just keeping on going, hoping for a whoosh in a week or two. Its not like there's anything else to do!

FD today, so soup for lunch and a light smoked haddock and spinach dish for dinner. I've found fat free crème fraiche so going to try that in the recipe, hopefully it'll be nice.

Good luck today everyone!

Starting today, thought Lent a good day to begin although I'm not religious. I will be trying 16:8 and eating between 12 and 8pm. Two teams so far, both with milk - no milk is a step too far for day 1. Can anyone recommend a good Facebook page to follow?

I'm 67, 5'4" and 11.6, heaviest I've ever been.

Thanks all- I want to get some fizzy water going during my fast as that fills me up but I thought I might add lemon or lime for some frisson!

Hopped on the scales this morning, I know it's probably water weight but a 1lb gone already- definitely motivating to see the scales go in the right direction.

My partner and I have an anniversary meal box being delivered this even by a posh restaurant- ordered a month ago before I decided to give this all a go. Going to try and fast as much as possible until then but I want to enjoy myself too so will just make sure I stick to the window and then be really good between now and official weigh day on Monday.

Have a good day everyone!

morning everyone and welcome wilma
I started monday and I've been having a splash of milk in tea first thing, I can't stomach it without, just see how you get on I suppose.

Having a slight panic while reading a bit more about all of this, am I meant to be 5:2 fasting also? Can anyone tell me if what I am doing is correct?

So my TDEE is around 1850, I am aiming to eat about 1250 cals each day within the IF 8 hour window (sometimes 7 hour) is this right? is this how other people are doing it? So I should still be getting a good calorie deficit each day??

well done on the scale loss roast, plenty of motivation there are you planning to weigh once a week?

@robertsmithscorpsebride Thank you! I'm going to aim to weigh once a week going forward, I tend to get a bit obsessed if I do every day. I just wanted to jump on today and see if things were heading the right way!

What you are doing is what I am doing, so I hope that is correct! As far as I understand it, 5:2 is a separate thing and not something you'd do together (although I suppose some people probably do).

@Wilma55

Starting today, thought Lent a good day to begin although I'm not religious. I will be trying 16:8 and eating between 12 and 8pm. Two teams so far, both with milk - no milk is a step too far for day 1. Can anyone recommend a good Facebook page to follow?

I'm 67, 5'4" and 11.6, heaviest I've ever been.

Although I technically started yesterday, fasting is what I've decided to do for Lent rather than give up chocolate in this strange time! I've found that moving my lunchtime run to around 10:30/11am means I am coping with the not eating until after then, as I never eat before a run. Plus I'm never starving after a run so I'm not going all out eating when I'm home. Luckily my job is flexible enough for me to do this (not sure about next week when we have to throw schooling back into the mic again...)