My 16/8 / 18/6 fasting 80 pounds to lose journey

[TarasChoc]

I've just started this Woe last Monday and I'm very happy with how much more naturally this comes to me than anything else I've tried. I fell into it accidentally after starting The fast 800 a few weeks ago. I had a few things on and found the low carb and calories aspect hard to stick to but realised I was still in a decent deficit, eating less sugar and doing a 16/8 without finding it all too hard. I've now fallen into 18/6.
I am tracking calories, I'm only eating two meals and the occasional snack so I don't find calorie tracking hard.

I'm looking at losing 70 pounds so I'll be in this for the long haul. I'm currently doing a lot of research listening to Gin Stephen's podcast and reading Delay, don't Deny , The Obesity Code and Fast, Feast Repeat.
I've been weighing everyday to track the trends but my official weighin day will be Monday.

I'll probably be chatting away here to myself but that's OK, I find getting my thoughts out helpful so this can kinda be a diary for me.
I'm almost half way through Delay, Don't Deny. It's fascinating stuff, looking back the only times I've successfully lost weight or maintained weight loss is when I've not had a breakfast and not snacked after my last meal.
I've found transitioning to 16/8 very easy due to rarely been hungry in the mornings. The last few days I've been doing 18/6 or 19/5. The jury is out for me on calorie counting since starting reading Gins book but I'll continue for now as it's not something I find hard. However I'll read more on the subject before I fully decide as I don't want to risk messing up my metabolism.

books.google.ie/books/about/Feast_Without_Fear.html?id=7sWWtAEACAAJ&source=kp_book_description&redir_esc=y

I've finished Delay, Don't Deny and plan to start the above one after I finish rereading The Obesity Code which I started reading and realised I read it when it first came out so I'll speed read it again to refresh myself.

I've almost my first week finished and I'm feeling very happy. I've no hunger outside my eating window, no cravings and my eating window has shrank.
Weekends are usually a disaster for me but thankfully I had nothing on this weekend and nothing that I know of for the next few weeks so hopefully this will help get me off to a good start. My plan is on Saturday to open my window of eating later and if we're having a meal out/takeaway and or drinks to fit it in during that time and to remain sensible and not eat for the sake of it.
I'm not eating low carb but I am cutting down hugely on sugar and processed food. I've upped my protein which helps keep me full longer. My first meal is usually around 2am and last around 6/7 pm.
I have a cuppa tea in the morning with a dash of milk. I'm not sure how easily I would manage without that first cup but if it needs to go then it will. I had been adding sugar and calorie free dilute drinks to my water but after reading Gins first book that has stopped.
Weight in is tomorrow morning, it'll be nice to reach the target of a first official weigh in on this.

It's my first weekly weight in day today. I've lost 5.5 pounds. Its a great start, I feel like it hasn't taken a huge effort compared to anything else I've ever tried. I know some of it is most likely water weight so it'll be interesting to see what weekly fat losses are as time goes on.

Well done! I'm thinking of starting tomorrow. Never tried fasting before

Fabulous OP! I started 16:8 around jan, maybe feb, and like you I really took to it. The concept of delaying rather than denying was a really big deal. I had also got into the bad habit of eating things I actually didn't like, no idea where that came from as I'm not a comfort or binge eater, and it's knocked that on the head. The practice of not eating outside of the window really taught me to pay better attention so it reduced my snacking. Like you i can do shorter windows too, and I've done two total fast (miso hot drinks and water) days recently, which i never would have considered before. I ❤ intermittent fasting!

There's loads of information on this forum. I've been reading through it the last few days and finding it very helpful.
I'm rarely hungry in the mornings but if you are I read that if you have a drink the hunger will pass and you can continue on not eating until your next meal.
Good luck!

@dudsville that's a fair while sticking to it, would you consider it a way of life now? how are you getting on weight loss wise assuming that's why you're doing this?
Like you I now feel in control of my eating. I was also eating crap that I didn't even like, can't even explain why unless it's that my brain sees them as a treat!
I've settled into 19/5 or 20/4 the last few days without trying. I can see now a 24 hour fast wouldn't be much effort really. I'm not sure about longer just yet as the thoughts of a day without eating may make me feel like I'm deprived and on a diet, something I really don't feel now.

Thank you! I'm not a big fan of breakfast anyway , unless I'm out hill walking first thing in the morning I don't really get hungry until after mid day. I find later on in the evening is when I find it difficult

I've lost 16 pounds OP, so mine isn't a motivational story of tremendous loss, but I'm mid 50s and weight loss is a totally different kettle of fish at this stage and it doesn't help that I'm sedentary. I had 2 st to lose so I'm on my way.

The two fast days were out of curiosity really. Among other things I learned that hunger didn't continue building and getting worse as the day progressed and it just felt like a healthy option as opposed to denial or punishment. I don't plan to do it often, but now and then to help remind/reset me. I go to bed at 8 with my phone or a book, so as the day progresses i have a count down to 8pm and i feel increasingly proud as the day progresses, once i get to the final 2 hours i know I've made it.

The 16:8 (or smaller) is definitely a lifestyle choice now. When i was thin I wasn't a snacker. If i got hungry I'd just have the next meal, so I feel like I'm finding my way back to that. My window often closes at 4, when i stretch it to 6/6:30 i go to bed feeling so full now so it has certainly held me to learn my preferences and live by them. But i do feel ruled by hormones. When I'm in a long stretch of months between periods i do ok until the week or so before and of the period when i usual backtrack a bit, so i try to make the most of that week after to re-establish my intentions.

It sounds like you're well established on your journey @TarasChoc. Isn't it wonderful to have five a method you're happy with?! Before this I tried so many things that just didn't work.

You've lost almost half the weight so far that you want to @dudsville I would consider that motivating!
Thanks for your reply and the heads up around hormones and periods. Mine are few and far between but it'll be helpful to be able to make links when hunger does appear.

I really do find this WOE so freeing. I love not thinking about food all the time, not having any cravings and having the freedom to eat what I fancy. Now I do try and keep my meals lower carb as much as I can. This happens naturally as I try to have a decent protein amount. I've found on the day where my meals were less protein and more carb I ate a couple hundred more calories and was slightly hungry a few hours after my window closed. I had a bottle of water, a bath and a much needed early night and woke up the next morning with no hunger.
I'm lucky too that I've no social events for the next few weeks which gives me a chance to really cement my habits before I have to add any of that to the mix. I'm not daunted by the thoughts of them like I usually would be though.
I can modify my eating window if necessary. I'll still calorie count for information purposes and make the best choices both food and alcohol wise. As I say though they're a few weeks away and hopefully by then I'll have a bit more weight lost and both look and feel a bit better in myself.

Ok, so I thought "WOE" was a typo for something but now I see that you're using it intentionaly and I don't know what it means! 😂Ahhh, I think I just worked it out, Way Of Eating????

I completely agree, it is such a relief not thinking about food all the time. It's interesting what you noticed on higher carb days. I'm not low carbing but I can see how that would be the case. I wish I could in that people tend to lose a lot with it and it can be a really healthy choice, but I'm not as it's not how I'd like to eat for the rest of my life and I'm really focused on the maintanance bit of this process, so I'm dieting by using the same food I want to be eating after dieting, if that makes sense. It makes for a slow process though!

I get motivated by reading posts like yours, it helps shore up my own intentions, and I sympathise re the social aspect of dieting. I haven't mastered that over the course of these last 7 or 8 months, I just kind of give in on those days - I find I'm eating and drinking less, but not enough for weight loss on those days.

Yes it's Way Of Eating😄
I can do low carb in dribs and drabs but not long term, it would be a misery.
I like having some lower carb meals and reducing processed carbs but otherwise its business as usual.
I find this is also cheaper than other types of weigh loss plans. I'm not buying anything out of the norm in our family shop. We can all eat the same dinner and if there's bits at home needing to be used I can incorporate them easily into my own meals.

I'm guessing (hoping) that at first I'll be able to socialising moderately and still lose weight given the amount I've to lose. Realistically though this is a weight loss programme right now for me so sacrifices will have to be made be it deciding to stick to plan or accept slower losses. I think I'm OK with just taking a hit very very occasionally up until Christmas when hopefully I'll have lost a substantial amount. Perhaps afterwards when I'm feeling better in myself I will be happier with the pounds dropping slower.
Thanks for your posts. It's really helpful to chat to someone else doing the same thing and finding similar to me. It helps solidify that I'm not just imagining it all and it's not just beginners positivity😅

Well done, out of interest, what calorie limit are you using? I've got around 5 stone to lose and have done 5 2 before which I need to get back on. Thought of 16:8 before but can't see how it would be any less than normal?

I mean, eating over 6 or 8 hours instead of all day, is it just that you naturally eat less or that restricting calories works better over fewer hours. Is it a metabolism thing that a longer time not eating changes the way your body stores food

Hi @Stressybetty the idea behind fasting is very basically to keep insulin levels from getting raised all the time which is what happens when you dat meals and snack throughout the day.
Apparently when your insulin levels aren't raised and your sugar levels depleted then you will start using stored fat for energy and you'll deplete your fat stores. As I say that's a very basic description of the science behind fasting but there's loads of good information throughout all the threads on here and links to books and information.

For me yes I'm currently calorie counting too. I feel that I personally need to or else I would squander away any calorie deficit. As time goes on maybe I'll be able to take a step back from this but as someone who snacks mindlessly I find calorie counting makes me aware.
Currently I eat somewhere between 1200 and 1750 calories a day. It's very rarely its 1750, it would usually be around 1400. Now when I typically calorie count I would be very hungry or deprived on 1400 calories I would also worry about it before too low for my weight and messing up my metabolism but I've decided to trust that part and go with it. If I were to eat any more it would be junk as I'm just too full to eat.
So here's a typical day or two eating for me to give you an idea. I've settled into eating from 2 to 6 pm but I'm comfortable to expend this if necessary. I just find that having lunch, dinner and a snack or two in that time leaves me very full until near enough bed time.
Today my first meal at 2 was a salad. It comprised of aldi low fat coleslaw, aldi beetroot and carrot slaw. A chopped mixed salad of spring onions, cherry tomatoes, cucumber and pepper with a vinaigrette dressing. I had, slices of ham, chicken and turkey all aldi varieties too. That came to 470 calories. I had a snack of breakfast biscuits before my evening meal they were 230 calories. For dinner I had home made beef mince with lots of vegetables chilli with baby potatoes. I intended to have cauliflower rice but felt my calories would be too low. Calories for that were 515.
I ended up having some dark chocolate after for 100 calories. I include 100 calories for milk for tea every day and probably have 4/5 cups with a splash of the milk. I drink one cup when I get up and the rest usually in my window but occasionally one after its closed. So today's calories were just over 1400. If I have social events I am OK to sometimes add on a some extra calories and also not have snacks and divert the calories.
Honestly when I say that this feels a relatively easy way of eating I'm not exaggerating. Even compared to when I'm not dieting I'm experiencing less hunger and no cravings.
I walk in the mornings while still fasting. I've plenty of energy and so far have not got any energy slumps.
I drink A Lot of water through the day. I had been adding a sugar free cordial but I read that even the taste of sugar can raise insulin so I'm not chancing it anymore.
The cup of tea with milk outside my eating is debatable on been allowed. So far it doesn't appear to actually cause me any issues but if needs must I'll drop it.

When are you thinking of starting?

That's all really helpful, thank you. On a normal calorie counting diet I find it difficult to stick to 1200 but can manage 1400 to 1500 a day although you're constantly thinking about food and calories 🙄. Finding it really hard to give up sugar although I need to.

I don't think about food unless I'm shopping for or preparing a meal or if I fill my diary in advance. I'm just not hungry or craving anything.
I did the fast 800 for a week and then loosely for 2. I think the lower carb helped with the sugar cravings.
When I say I'm a used to constantly snack that's no exaggeration. I would consider myself a sugar addict. Snacking is the reason I put on so much weight, my meals are largely fine except for breakfast when I wasn't hungry and would often have white toast with lots of real butter.
Even now mentioning toast isn't bothering me even though I can picture it with the melted butter. It's like I think that would be nice but I don't actually want it. A month ago I would probably have got up and had to make some as the hunger/cravings would take over. It feels rotten to be in so little control of your eating.
I don't think for me right now 5/2 would work. The two fast days wouldn't be the issue it would be the normal days, I would just lose control if I started eating 3 meals and snacks on the 5 days. Hopefully though time and this experience will help cure that as it sounds an okay maintainance plan.

Hi @TarasChoc welcome to intermittent fasting :) Sounds like you are doing really well and have found the option that works for you. That's what I love about 5/2 - you can vary it to suit your lifestyle and energy needs at any time.
You say you're in for the long haul, realistically, we all are. It's like any WOE, if we go back to how we were eating before, we will have the body and health markers we had before.

I done the original 5/2 years ago to lower my cholesterol - it worked, and I lost weight as well even though I wasn't overweight. This time I am doing the new 5/2 (Michael Mosley), currently in the rapid weight loss stage (800kcal per day + 12-16hr clean fasting). I think the trick that everyone missed the first time was the "clean" part of the fasting regime. Milk in coffee/tea really can be used for energy and disrupt autophagy.

I've found religiously writing in my thread on here very helpful. I just completed 4 weeks on stage 1 and it's been super motivating to be able to look back and see how far I have come. Wishing you all the benefits that fasting can bring you!

Thanks silvershell I'll look up your threads, I love hearing other people's positivity around this subject.
I've finally accepted this time that whatever I do now to shift this weight needs to be along the lines of what I do to maintain going forward.
I've Michael Mosley new 5/2 here to read. I think the whole subject of fasting is interesting and want to learn as much as I can to try and be successful.
Regarding milk in tea I have one cup out of my eating window with 30ml the rest is inside. I've read varying info on whether a small drop of milk will or not interrupt autophagy or insulin production. Right now I really feel I need that first cuppa but I need to shift this weight more so if it seems like things weren't working as well as they can I'll drop it.

Thanks a million for your reply, its really motivating to read your successes☺️

@TarasChoc you're welcome! I love milk in tea/coffee, but I found that I got used to black coffee in the end. In a practical sense, I drink it for energy, and it still works without the milk, but it was hard to get used to, and I still love it so much that milk in tea/coffee is how I break my fast every day :)

The Fast 800 is well worth a read. A good chunk of it is recipes, which is good if you're looking for ideas. I find just sticking to the same (nutritionally complete) foods and meals makes life much easier, but some people need variety, so it's great for that. But it was also good just to reset my thinking and be reminded of all the benefits. My first concern this time was weight (I gained due to depression and SSRIs and just not caring due to the former). But I am starting to feel like my body is working so much more efficiently. I just feel better, you know?

Yep, me too. I am hoping I can stop losing weight when I get to 6/1 and that'll be my lifetime WOE.

Yes 6/1 or 16/8 would sound ideal really, bring on the time when we are in maintainance!

What I've realised this week is that though I eat the same foods regularly it's enough for me to have the same meals two days in a row and at a max three. It gets too repetitive otherwise and I end up been tempted to look for something else and making decisions last minute when I'm hungry may not always work out. Luckily it did today as I'm in the right frame of mind and had other decent options.
I've almost my second week over and it's flown by. I'm not going to pretend it's easy peasy it's never going to be when you've a complicated relationship with food and weight like I have but this is the least painful eating plan I've ever done that's giving results, so far anyway, and doesn't take a huge amount of effort or indeed willpower most of the time.

Second weekly weigh in today and I've dropped another 2.3 pounds.
Happily I can notice that my stomach has got smaller which is a big win as when you've a lot to lose you don't usually notice much difference until a couple of stone is lost. I'm guessing it's something to do with insulin and the liver.

Week 1 -5.5
Week2 -2.3
Total. -7.8

I largely do 16:8 when I am firmly in my daily routine. I just don't eat anything after dinner and I don't have breakfast, it's so easy I barely think about it.

I haven't really lost much weight with it, but I think it is helping to keep the perimenopausal wolf from the door! Plus it's supposed to be good for insulin regulation etc as well I think?

Well done @TarasChoc! Great start and sounds like it really suits you!

im around 15 atone and pre diabetic but been too lazy to change my WOE despite so much proof that fasting really does work

Ive just had breakfast but will join you from tomorrow- have Dr Moseleys book so will dig it out and get onto it

are you exercising as well?

Thanks 😊
I'm calorie counting too as I badly need to lose weight and as yet can't take the chance that there's not a decent deficit.

At the moment the only exercise I am doing is walking. I would like to keep up strength training but to be Frank at my weight I'm finding it too much to manage, fasting, weight loss, walking and strength training. I will resume it when I am significantly down in weight as I know the importance of muscle and in the meantime I'll try and maintain what I have through manual bits around the house, garden and work.