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.

Brilliant results @anothermadamebutterfly

That is a fab result @anothermadamebutterfly (!!!)

I'm down 10lb since I started on 4th Jan. But have about another 34 to go. Ish. 😣

Have a good weekend all, we've got a Gousto box which makes evening meals a bit more exciting.

I think the gorgeous weather this weekend is going to help me stick to my healthy eating plans as it is reminding me that I really want to be able to wear some of the gorgeous summer dresses I bought a few years ago and haven't been able to get into for the last 2. Fortunately, I'm not in the least fashionable or fashion conscious so the fact that they may be a bit out of date by now will pass me by! I will just enjoy wearing them. And shorts. I want to be able to wear shorts and not feel paranoid about it.
9lbs down... at least that to go to fit into the above mentioned clothes and hope that I lose weight in the right places as otherwise it's quite a bit more than that!

I've just ordered a treadmill to do the Couch to 5K Challenge Let's hope I actually use it!

Hi all, very new to 16/8 and dieting in general (always been 'naturally slim' until combination of 2nd baby, c section, over 40 hit). Do you all do 16/8 seven days a week or allow yourself the weekends off? Its 10pm of an evening before I am sitting down so Fri and Sat nights I'd like to have a glass of wine and a snack, even though I'm abstaining in the week. Or will it not work if I do that?

10st12 this morning. I've been that or 10st11 all week. Again, now as much as I hoped for but still inching down. I am noticing some changes to my body. Tiny ones but still changes. The tops of my hips are smoother and I have more of a gap between my legs above my knees. When I noticed the thing about my knees, I did briefly wonder quite how much I'd have to lose to get thigh gap! I never even had that as a teenager.
@anothermadamebutterfly have you had a whoosh yet? I think you deserve one!
@ladybranstonpickle how are you finding the HappyScale app
@feliznavidad2 how are you getting on? Is the first stone in sight yet?

@Whoateallthechocolate the changes you've noticed sound very positive 👏🏻 even if the scales are being a bit slow to show results.

Unfortunately, I was at -11lb as of Sat am and then we had a bloody Indian takeaway to celebrate the fact that I was no longer in Covid isolation (gotta take any celebration right now, right?)  and my period has come with a vengeance. So the scales are now showing -9lb again.

Here's hoping for your whoosh @anothermadamebutterfly 🤞🏻

@Oldmrswasherwoman I think it would still be doable with the odd night 'off-piste', I'm personally trying to stick to it as much as possible as have lots to lose but others on the FB intermittent fasting group have regular planned days off and seem to do well, even if you maybe just chose one or two days a weekend to be 'off' rather than the whole thing - you'd work out pretty quickly whether you were getting the results you wanted doing it that way, and could always adjust accordingly.

Morning all! Happy Monday. I have had three glorious days of no 16:8, I ate everything and drank lots of wine. Was very nice but back on it this morning. I'm up only 1kg according to Happy Scale so that's reassuring.

@TVDFan Welcome! That is a great start. I started at 69.8kg (so basically 70 and am at 64.4kg (not including the extra kg from this past weekend. My goal is 60kg, or 58kg, depending on how I look.

@anothermadamebutterfly soup sounds lovely! We do it because my husband used to buy his lunch every day (working in the City of London) and sorely misses the variety. I don't miss it so much as often packed my own lunch for health/weightloss reasons, but I'm happy to join in to cheer him up.

All sounds like good progress to me - I also am starting to feel leaner although not seeing much on scales. My arms are looking more toned, which I think is down to the daily yoga - my chattarungas (press up/downs) are definitely smoother and stronger.

So far the no-milk tea is fine, I'm switching to rooiboos as of tomorrow. I think it is helping - I certainly am finding the fasting easier with fewer hunger pangs/tummy rumbles.

Good luck with Cto5k! I should probably start doing some sort of cardio...

@Oldmrswasherwoman I do 16:8 during the week, so Mon-Fri, with 2 days even lower calories (500-700cal) 5:2 diet style. I eat breakfast only on Saturdays so have a fast around 12-13 hours, and then on Sunday try to push it to around 14 hours as we have brunch with my little girl (her lunchtime is around 1130).

Lunch and evening meals on the weekend are whatever I want and we usually have a couple of glasses of wine both Friday and Saturday nights.

@Whoateallthechocolate I really like it although my rate of loss has been so slow, its a bit depressing. I didn't log my weight for 3 days so will see if that has an effect on the stats.

That is a novel! Better get on with work - got my black coffee and looking foward to carrot and coriander soup for lunch, then roasted vegetable frittata for dinner. Looking forward to hearing what everyone else is up to today.

May I join, too, please?
Day 1 weigh in is 68.6 kg.
Want to get to 60kg by around June-ish.
Going to monitor via FitBit and scales, trying to do 11.30 am - 7.30 pm
Hoping to half my daily food consumption and increase my exercise to about 20k initially. If you are out doing steps you are not in the sweetie drawer.
Been out for a 12k walk with dog and now to keep out the fridge and breadbin until about noon.
First fortnight is going to be rubbish but am going for the sprint rather than the marathon version.
There - I've written it down so better stick to it

@ladybranstonpickle just to say it sounds like you're doing a fab job! And your changes seem really sustainable too which I think is half the battle. 👍🏻

I am slow and steadying to the extreme but pleased I'm not yoyoing as I usually do.

Hey everybody! Loved the sunshine this weekend, made me so happy.

@Whoateallthechocolate, you made me laugh with getting your kids to test the scales! We have our scales in the kitchen, and the floor is really uneven (very old tiles), so I sometimes end up moving the scales around the room in the hope that they will come up more favourably. And wearing shorts - YES! I love wearing shorts in the summer, and refuse to think that age and size will stop me doing that.

I feel that I am following @Whoateallthechocolate off the plateau - I was 10 st 11 last night and then 10st 12 when I checked again this morning. Either way, it is a loss and I am happy with it. And I too feel there are some changes to my body, for one my midriff feels less flabby.

@feliznavidad2 coming out of isolation does need to be celebrated! The period bloat is frustrating, but at least it is sort of transitory, if that makes sense. I completely agree with you that slow and steady with a sustainable pattern is better than yoyo-ing.

@Oldmrswasherwoman welcome! I tend to stick to the 16:8 pattern every day, but I do have the occasional drink after that at the weekends, but have tried to cut out snacking then. We often eat both lunch and dinner late at the weekend, so that is one way of getting around it. I think some of the others relax a bit at the weekend and have still had success, so it seems possible.

@TVDFan Good luck with the C 2 5k! Are you using the NHS app with Laura? I’m really enjoying it, especially now the weather is nice. I had to repeat a few weeks/runs because I found them hard at first and also I stopped for a while because of the icy weather, but I am now on week 5 and it is getting easier. I also find running is about the only thing that really clears my head if I am feeling stressed or anxious.

@ladybranstonpickle sounds like you had a delightful weekend, and it was worth it!

Thanks for the update on the no-milk tea - I am still chickening out of giving it a go. Maybe when I go back to work I could try, as I normally leave very early and have my first cup of tea there, so it could be easier to break the pattern by just switching that from the beginning to herbal tea. I think I could also benefit from some chattarungas - I can feel my bingo wings wobbling as I type .

@Mum5net welcome! Your starting weight is around where I am now, and my target at the moment is 64 by around mid-May.

Thanks all for your replies, I'll try and be sensible at the weekends but not be too concerned about a couple of glasses of wine (the end of home schooling needs to be celebrated next week of course) and see how I get on.
I was 11st 5 at the start of Jan and made quite a concerted effort to cut out all snacking, booze in the week do more excercise and stay under 1400 calories but saw no huge change - I'm around 11 st 3 now. But I was eating breakfast and missing out lunch so now I've read these threads the idea of fasting for a longer period to burn fat makes more sense so hopefully I'll see more of a difference soon. I don't really want to change my diet hugely as I don't want to be cooking separate things to the rest of the family, so I think being sensible and smaller portions arenl the way to go. It all seems terribly unfair as I eat way less than many of my friends but after years of a super speedy metabolism it seems to have gone on strike - welcome to over 40 life I think...

Well ladies, another piece of evidence that using more tools to measure than just the scales is worth it!

Took my measurements this morning (meant to do yesterday on 1st of the month but forgot), and I'm down another 2" on my waist! 1" on hips, and stayed the same on the bust from 1st February. Cheered me up a bit! On weighing this morning I'm only 0.5kg up from last week, pre-indulgent weekend. Hoping that'll come off after my second FD tomorrow.

The waist measurement is really important to me - I carry all my fat in the belly which I know is the most dangerous in terms of long-term health. One of my goals was to get my waist to hip ratio back in line with the recommendations, so getting there!

No FD today, planning a tuna sandwich with these delish multigrain rolls we picked up from Sainsbury's yesterday. Will have crisps too :) Trying a new recipe tonight from the New York Times - Sheet Pan Chicken with Roasted Plums and Onions. I'll let you know how it turns out.

I also did a long yoga practice last night - 48mins. It's made me think that with the yoga usually being only 30mins, I could tack on a 30 Day Shred before as those are only 20mins. I think my husband would be ok eating around 7:30/8 rather than 7, so it could work. I'll try Dy 1 tonight.

Wishing everyone a good day and good luck to the newbies, do check in and let us know how you are doing!

Morning, just checking in. Feel a bit guilty as I don’t feel I have any useful info to add. Feeling a bit drained by the homeschooling, hoping my mojo will come back next week.

Am doing ok food wise although need to incorporate more fruit and veg into my diet, I’ve got lazy with meals, calorie counting but it’s not always a good spread nutritionally wise. I lost 2lb this weeks on thats 16lb in 6 weeks which I’m pleased with but I need my ooomph back.

Hope everyone else is doing ok.

Well done everyone- whether it's loss or just sticking to the plan, I'm impressed!

I haven't lost anything this week, that's two in a row now and I'm feeling a bit down about it. I have been sticking to under 1400 calories except for one off plan meal in that fortnight, and have been doing the 16 hours fasting religiously, even weekends. Am still going to stick to it, and maybe buy a tape measure to see if there's any change there, as I am not feeling very motivated when I can't see a change!

I did this four years ago (with different name) and hearing what everyone else is doing and works for them (or not) just gives impetus to keep at it. Tonight, I will do the big measure and I guess the 'before' photo. I got up a bit earlier to take on the extra exercise, and as it was dry I did a two hour dog walk, but that's not always going to be possible with work.

But once I do a big bit of exercise I just want to slump and eat two large slices of fresh bread and butter as reward

Hello, hoping I can join the party!

I'm on day 2 of 16:8, I'm trying to lose my lockdown half stone. It doesn't sound like much but I'm nearly 50, peri, and only just over 5' so it really shows...

So far, so good. I'm clean fasting until about 11.30, based on when we can eat dinner. Then trying to be sensible within the eating period. Not snacking in the evening is easy for me. Not eating breakfast is a killer!

It's really motivating to read how well you're all doing, and how strong minded you are!

You can do it @Mum5net - also a lover of fresh bread and butter here (which is probably why I'm on this very thread!)

Scales are slowly moving down again, I think it's taken me an obscene amount of time to lose nearly a stone but I haven't really missed out on anything (and probably ate the best part of half a birthday cake a couple of weeks ago). Trying to focus on the fact it's been sustainable rather than that it hasn't been as quick as when I've followed WW or SW in the past.

Have a good Wednesday all.

Morning all!

@Skinnydecafflatte don't worry about 'useful' we are just glad to see you on here.I can't imagine how hard homeschooling is at the moment - how old are your children? Do you intend to send them back on Monday? I think 16lbs (over a stone!) in 6 weeks is amazing!

@roastpotatoesss definitely get a tape measure, I was feeling so disheartened about the scale until I saw the measurements change quite dramatically. Plus don't forget about all the inner health benefits that you can't see; cell renewal, blood sugar stabilisation, etc.

Welcome @Mum5net - you can still have the bread and butter! Just in your window. And remember, you're not a dog, you don't need rewarding with food

Welcome @LlamaofDrama! I'm also short - just about 5' if I stand up straight. I'm quite muscly though so my target is about 58-60kg,I'll evaluate once I get there. Only 5-7kg to go!

Good stuff @feliznavidad2 - slowly is better than not at all, right?

I didn't do 30 Day Shred last night - didn't it used to be free on YouTube? Now you have to pay for it, so I found this "Brutal HIIT Ladder Workout" on Fitness Blender to try - 17m views so thought it was worth a go. Only 20 minutes but wow it was so tough. I think I did about 20% of the moves. Looking forward to seeing how I improve though.

Today is a FD so its currently black coffee, then sashimi for lunch (husband is picking some up from Waitrose after dropping the baby at my MIL), and red lentil daal for dinner. I'll make some rice for husband but will try to swerve for myself, maybe will shred some broccoli instead.

Enjoy the day everyone!

Evening everyone

Well done! Reading all your stories is so motivating!

I'm buzzing today, I've completed my first run doing C25k! 🙌

I didn't stop once and my heart rate peaked at 186 bpm, thought I was going to have a heart attack 😅 I've never exercised before so this is a huge achievement for me! I'm super proud even after 1 walk run!

Wow @TVDFan, well done! I re re restarted running last year, but stopped when the weather got bad. I will restart soon!

3 days of IF completed and I'm down 1.5lbs which I'm happy with. It's a bit of a yoyo because I lost them about a month ago (took 3 weeks then) and a killer combo of Valentine's Day, a birthday and pancake day blew my calorie control to pieces. So now I'm back where I was and focusing on shifting the next 6 or 7 lbs. Cautiously optimistic!

Brava @TVDFan!! Excellent work. I loathe running so am always full of admiration for those who do.

And congratulations @LlamaofDrama - it's so motivating isn't it when you can see scale changes.

Today is not a FD so very happy about my tuna sandwich in an hour or so. I was meant to have one on Tuesday but forgot we had leftover pizza to eat for lunch (score!). I made lentil and sweet potato curry last night for dinner, my poor husband wasn't a fan. So I've promised him beef and veal meatballs for dinner to make up for the diet dinner. Last time I made them he told me they were restaurant-worthy - very flattered! I might even have a glass of red wine with them, despite it only being Thursday.

Hope everyone is doing ok, seems a little quiet these past few days. Only 1.5 days left of homeschooling for those suffering!

Thanks guys! I've lost another 3.2 lbs this week 🙌 Yes I'm counting the .2 😂

40lbs to go!

Does anyone recognise this obsessing?
Instead of doing my work I'm distracted by my weight. I've just started an excel spreadsheet and written down Mar 1, 2, 3, 4 etc with my daily weights in the column alongside. 68.6 kg, 68.1 kg, 67.7 kg, back up to 68.1kg. Then I highlighted the four weights and then dragged them down with the cursor to see if a pattern emerged.

And Bingo it carried the progression of weights in a long column and indicates I can get to my target weight in seven weeks ... Unlikely.
Now, I know this is really baloney and that real life isn't like this because some days you just need to drink a bottle of wine and gorge a full box of M&S chocolate eclairs, but I indulged my fantasy theory a bit longer until it made me laugh out loud ... if I keep up my progress until Christmas I will weigh just 200 grammes

yes! i look at my Happy Scale multiple times per day !

But not today, LOL. I'm taking a day off from 16:8 as my husband brought me an almond croissant this morning as a Friday treat. They are my favourite pastry ever...and haven't had one in months! Although, we did split it, so only I only ate half.

Happy Friday gang, how is everyone doing?