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.

I'd definitely recommend @LlamaofDrama! I'm vegan/vegetarian on about an 80/20 split so I'm really careful to try and make sure I get my protein in, and that salad fills me right up.

I fell off the wagon a bit yesterday- was in the office and our boss put on a bit of a lunchtime buffet spread as a treat, very limited good options to be had! A decided to just enjoy myself, write it off, and start again today.

I have been a bit absent recently, and have just caught up with the thread. I had to google Colin the caterpillars, and @Mum5net I find the idea of just eating the heads so funny. @Mum5net that is SO lovely you could hug your mother in her care home! I miss seeing my parents so much.

Well done to all the losers, and do not give up if this week went the wrong way. I have seen a small movement in the right direction on the scales, to 10lb 10, which is very reassuring, and putting on my work clothes this week was not as horrific as I had feared. Progress continues to be much slower than hoped.

It has been a very mixed week or two for me. Returning to work has felt good, and means I move around more, and I also feel happier (I really did not enjoy WFH), but I also find that I feel hungrier, and probably end up eating more, and eating later in the evening, so sometimes pushing the 16:8 timings a bit.

Re. couch to 5k, nearly completed week 6, and enjoying it. @TVDFan hang on in there! It gets easier, and you will start looking and feeling fitter even if the scales do not reflect that.

@ladybranstonpickle I LOVE almond croissants, but I eat them very rarely these days. I remember ‘discovering’ them when I was working in my first ever proper job, in London, decades ago, and loving them so much that I would get off the bus two stops earlier on my way in so that I could buy one from a particular bakery every morning. Back then I was not worried about diets and could happily eat them without concerns - age feels cruel at times.

@roastpotatoesss I cook kale exactly that way and it is delicious. I have also experimented with roasting it with some olive oil, garlic and salt, also tasty.

Have a good weekend everybody!

Has anyone had stomach pains from fasting? I feel I've been doing so well but my hunger pains are now really awful and there even when I've eaten. I feel really stupid if I've done something to damage myself.

@happytravels really sorry to hear this, it sounds dreadful. I have never had any stomach pains from fasting, and I think I would hesitate to continue with it if I did. Maybe somebody else could advise on this?

Yes I've stopped which is a shame because it definitely worked for me.

Well I've borne in mind today that it's a lifestyle, not a religion and am having a day off. DD likes to give me breakfast in bed on Mother's Day, so that blows fasting till 11.30! But it's only one day and I'll be back to it tomorrow.

Contrary to your experience, @happytravels, I'm finding that IF seems to be settling my IBS which would be a massive win. Wondering whether it's what you're eating or how much rather than ther fasting itself, but you know your body best and if it isn't working for you then definitely right to walk away!

Can I join please? I am looking to start this due to the health and recovery benefits.

I currently train around 2 hours a day but have a whoop and when ever I have done intermittent fasting (accidentally) my stats are brilliant

So when do you schedule your 16:8?
Is there a link to an instructional?
Can I have soy milk in my cu of tea while fasting ?

Mother's Day breakfast in bed followed by an afternoon of drinking prosecco and eating chocolate means I'm not even going to go near the scales today! K x

Morning folks. I’ve been absent for a while.
I’ve still be following 16:8 but am getting a little lazy and meals are predictable. I need to make sure I increase my fruit and veg intake.

I read in a different thread that’s it’s best to break your fast with something high in protein and then leave it about an hour before having any carbs. Anyone else heard that? In basic terms the protein is meant to line your stomach to stop your body absorbing so much sugar from the carbs when you do eat then? I was quite often having carbs straight away. Not sure if it’ll make a difference but worth a try.

8 weeks in and Ive lost another 2lb this week so now down 19.5lb. Please with that but still a way to go. Current weight is now 12-9lb and want to get to at least 11.

Hope everyone is doing ok.

Also had the weekend off piste, but back and fired up ready to go.

Making roasted tomato, red pepper and sweet potato soup so have something easy and nourishing to reach for for lunches this week.

I started yesterday and have lost 1/2 kilo, so I'm impressed (most probably water thou)

So I intend to break my fast with 0% Greek yogurt with protein granola and a t spoon of honey

The macros are good for this and high protien

Even more importantly for me is that my recovery is good

I am in the whoop green! Primed for training

Hi all! I've had two days off from 16:8 as have a had a horrible cold and felt very rough.

Back on it today though!

Well done @bjjgirl - what are you training for?

@Skinnydecafflatte I also am trying to shake up my meals, I think I need a bit more fibre so will eat more leaves with lunches! - Not sure about the carb vs protein but I know that in the Delay Don't Deny Facebook group a lot of people break their fast with some nuts and/or cheese, so that makes sense.

@Whoateallthechocolate sounds like a perfect Mother's Day to me! My husband cooked a lovely roast chicken dinner and I did the washing up

I am still plateaued on the scale, but I think my shape is changing. I tried on a heap of new clothes last night and for once, was quite happy at how my waist looked in them. I am even keeping a denim playsuit for the summer. It was only £11 from Next so how could I not?!

Currently on my black coffee and looking forward to lunch. Husband is feeling under the weather so I popped to Sainsbury this morning and got him a giraffe baguette for lunch - looking forward to having that with some brie and avocado! @anothermadamebutterfly I also got him a pain au raisin as the almond croissants looked a bit sad!

Re timings - I just try to make sure I have a 16 hour fast, not so worried about the eating window, if that makes sense?

@feliznavidad2 that soup sounds delicious! I've just roasted some tomatoes that were going squishy and will make a pasta sauce for my baby later with them.

Have a good day today everyone, check in and let us know how you are doing.

Howdy - @ladybranstonpickle suggested I join. I thought maybe I was too late for this one! First day and I ended up at a McDonalds drive through between IKEA and school pick up, having realised that I was over my 16 hours and faint.
Hoping to be better prepared tomorrow

@BlueSkyBlinking that's the beauty of fasting, no day is a failure! Fasts are just postponed/delayed.

I'm slogging away here, chipping at the scale - down another 200g today...basically a rounding error! But my jeans are all starting to feel loose and I certainly feel sleeker. Appetite correction is working although yesterday I indulged with a slice of delicious seeded sourdough with nutella after lunch - so good!

Am back on the yoga in the evenings, after taking a couple of days off because of my cold.

I'm also reading The Obesity Code by Dr. Jason Fung - has anyone else read it? It's very interesting!

Seems a bit quiet around here, I hope everyone is doing well.

Morning,

Please can I join you guys?

I've been IF ing for 2 weeks now and have lost about 1kg. I'm really enjoying it but noticed weight loss is gradually slowing down. Will I eventually end up maintaining at this rate? Do you guys switch it up to avoid a plateau?

I also calorie count to ensure that I don't go OTT within my eating window which is 12-6 during the week and 12-8 at weekends.

@ladybranstonpickle I've not read the obesity code but have seen it being mentioned alot. Do you recommend? How long has it taken for appetite correction?

I've also recently taken up yoga because I'm at home carrying my 5 month old all day so it feels great to stretch my tense muscles in the evening!

Have a good day everyone

Welcome @Sunshine1606!

I think the book is worth reading, it really puts into perspective why we have such trouble with obesity in modern times, and how we struggle to lose weight with conventional approaches. As for appetite correction, I don't really know, probably a few weeks? I was never a snacker anyway, so I think that helps. I used to eat breakfast, lunch, dinner, no snacks except for occasionally some fruit about an hour after dinner.

I also do yoga most days - are you just doing it yourself or following an instructor on line/doing videos? I've completed several 30 day programs with Yoga with Adriene and can heartily recommend them, it's very satisfying ticking the days off the calendar.

I've successfully delayed my half of an almond croissant - my husband put it on my desk this morning but i've returned it to the kitchen! Big win as I love them with coffee, but just thought I might as well wait a couple of hours anyway. I'm not planning to do 16:8 this weekend so really need to nail 5 days of clean fasting this week. I'll get him to make me a coffee after lunch and will have it then.

I hope the sun is shining as brightly with you as it is here, will head out for a walk this afternoon. Keep us posted on how things are going everyone!

Good morning all, hope the week has been good. I have found being back at work a bit all-consuming, so not so posting so much. But I have been following the thread and it really helps me keep on track.

It has been a good week for me, I weighed in this morning and am 2 lb down, which brings me within 2 lbs of the healthy range for my BMI, and 8lbs of my first target. This week I wore one of my favourite pairs of trousers that I retrieved from a box under my bed where I had hidden them last summer as they depressed me so much. Vanity is a major motivator.

I think being back at work has really helped leave the plateau I was on for several weeks. I am still having tea with milk outside the 16:8 pattern, but only one cup when I get in. When I was WFH the number was creeping up to 4 or 5 over the course of the morning. I am definitely more active as I am on my feet much of the day, and rarely snack during the afternoon (in non-Covid times colleagues tended to bring stuff in to share, but at the moment I am safe from that).

@ladybranstonpickle hope you are feeling better now! I really want to get back into doing yoga, maybe I will give Yoga with Adriene a try. And all this talk of almond croissants - I think I could have to venture out later today to look for one now. I am relaxing a bit at the weekends at the moment, not having breakfast usually, but extending the evening a bit for a drink/snack.

@Sunshine1606 I seem to have followed a pattern of steady loss for the first few weeks, and then it started slowing down and then completely plateaued for a few weeks, and now it has started picking up again. I get the feeling from this thread that this could be a familiar pattern? Somebody ( @ladybranstonpickle ? ) mentioned that the 16:8 can take a while to start ‘working’, if that makes sense, as your body has to adjust.

@bjjgirl that is impressive training! It is for another specific?

Have a great weekend everyone!!

Hey all, so I do Brazilian juijitsu (bjj) so compete at 66kg, or under 68kg in a gi, Lost a kilo this week so have gotten back down to 67, so near enough there.

I have adhd so training is really therapeutic for me- during lockdown I've been running/ circuits and doing bjj with my fella

I find it really helps me recover not eating after 6pm so my window I'm going to try next week is 10-6, I have tea with soy milk around this.

Hi all, can I join this thread?

Lacking serious motivation for 16:8 (I'm actually aiming for 14/15 hrs fasting as new to this and breastfeeding). I have some major weight to shift, it feels major anyway as I've been carrying this excess around for years now. Finally down to my pre preg weight of 12s 6 but in reality I shouldn't weigh more than 10s7 for my build and health.
Have tried nearly every diet under the sun and have failed, I've lost it before and got to 9 stone which in hindsight was too skinny for me. Gained it all back in a stressful job which I'm no longer in.

I just want to shift this weight once and for all and feel healthy and happy for my baby and for me.

GW: 10s 7

FOR those who have had success with fasting, did you get success with a dirty fast as well (hoping to be able to have one cup of tea w oat milk in a morning before I break my fast) and did you need to calorie restrict to some degree to get good success?

I’ve lost 1kg in four days, and yesterday I was feeling like this was pretty simple. Today I feel awful, however. I also had one glass of wine last night, after four nights off. Coincidence?
Only 37 minutes to go. Drinking coffee and water. I can do it.

Thanks for welcoming me and for all of the info @ladybranstonpickle and @anothermadamebutterfly. I weighed yesterday and had lost another kg so it's not bad going at all, especially as I don't feel deprived of anything. It sounds like everyone is having some great weight loss victories.

I do yoga by myself using good old youtube. I have done some of Yoga with Adrienne's videos but will look at doing a 30 day challenge. Thanks!

@GalaxyGirl24 I'm also breastfeeding so have been allowing myself some extra slack than I would had I been doing a traditional diet. I still stick to 16:8 or 18:6 but I actively allow myself treats and nothing really feels off limit and I think that's why I've made it to week 3!

Hope everyone has a good week.

@Sunshine1606 yeah I've been finding it so ridiculously hard to stick to any sort of food diet as I find myself stupid with hunger in the evenings after she's gone down (most likely habit eating) ! I find it hard to get to 14/15 hrs sometimes so I'll try this first before moving onto proper 16:8 I think. Good luck with it :)

Hello to the new joiners, especially to those bf'ing, I'm not sure if your babies (children?) sleep but both of mine were nightmares and I remember well the struggle of trying to lose weight after a bad night when all I wanted to do was eat. And it seemed impossible to ever find the time to exercise.
And hello to the oldies. I can join you in having come off the plateau @anothermadamebutterfly. You may recall me saying that I was going to try & judge my weight loss by cycle rather than anything else and certainly not weekly as I lose far too slowly for that. Well I thought I was going to have a cycle where I stayed exactly the same but then, at the weekend when I got my period, I suddenly dropped 2lbs and it has stayed off.
I'm now using Happy Scale (was that your recommendation @ladybranstonpickle?) and it seems my pattern is get period & hit a new low, go back up a bit seeing that new low weight towards the end of the week again for the first two weeks and then in weeks 3 & 4 see that new low weight a bit more often and then lose a couple of lbs just as I get my period. If I "know" this, it may help me stick to the plan when I'm despairing and wondering what else I need to do to lose weight. When I started this - and after the first month's losses - I was hoping for 10st2 by the end of the month... now I'm hoping for 10st7 by late April and 10st5 by late May. I would love to try and get to 10st5 sooner as, as I have said before, there is no reason for me to be overweight (well, other than greed & lack of exercise) so it is silly for me to be overweight and damaging my health.

Morning all, feeling a bit under the weather this morning with an allergic reaction to some red wine over the weekend, and my lingering cold. So annoying!

I'm back on 16:8 today and really quite looking forward to my fast. We had a weekend of three meals plus cake per day, which was wonderful - but felt a little much. I've had my black coffee and might have another in about a hour. Lunch today is quinoa salad from M&S, along with some chopped red pepper and possibly tzatziki if I can be bothered to make it.

@Whoateallthechocolate sounds like you've got some great insight into your personal process - well done. I'm still plateauing - no surprise as I've had the last three weekends off. Will consider only having breakfast on one of the weekend days, maybe that will help.

@Sunshine1606 well done too! maybe we can encourage each other on the yoga, i've definitely been dialing it in the past week or so...choosing the 'easier' and shorter practices. Tonight I could do a long one as my husband is cooking dinner...maybe I should just commit to it.

@GalaxyGirl24 I started doing a 'dirty' fast with milk in my coffee but then after reading Fast Feast Repeat and seeing the success stories the Facebook group (for the book) I've switched to black coffee and tea. As predicted by the book and fb people, I've found the fasts much easier - you don't notice you are hungry as much and my mind is sharper.

As for calorie restriction, yes - in the beginning I was combining 16:8 with 5:2, so had two days per week where I ate 500-700 cals only. I'm stopped that now and am just doing 16:8. That said, I often end up closer to 17:7 due to how my work schedule goes.

Three weeks in and I’ve lost 2.7kg. Plans to significantly change up my exercise have been thwarted by puppy (18 mos) having Kennel Cough then one week into that having her second season. Then older dog 13.5 yrs had seizure and has new heart murmur which nearly had him PTS until heart meds have given stay of execution. And while that was going on DC1 was having three interviews for dream job and I was having to keep our manic house quiet and stop DC 1 sobbing for older dog.
I had to eat all my mother’s frat Charlie Caterpillar faces at once. I’ve also been eating two packets of Maltesers and two creme eggs a day to give me strength.
Feel bad that I haven’t seen my DM in carehome and I’ve been doing my work at all hours to catch up. At least the lead walking only has another 12 days to go but sleeping in dining room with elderly dog and cleaning up after him is knackering