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.

@justcouldntthinkofausername
Firstly I understand your frustration and how you're feeling right now. Unfortunately life throws up lots of obstacles and it's not easy when we're out of our routine.
Secondly, I doubt very much you've truly put it all and more back on. If I weigh in the evening I'm many pounds heavier than in the morning. Plus you'll be retaining extra water from eating processed foods.
Do a reset, listen or read up on just how good fasting is for your overall health. Drink lots of water and plan your next few days meals.

How were you getting on up until you were away? Did you find yourself adapting to the windows?

@justcouldntthinkofausername it's just one week ❤️ all is not lost.

It's hard wrapping your head around fasting when you're away from home, and not being in control of what you eat doesn't help either. But both of those things get easier the longer you do it, you learn coping mechanisms and also start to realise that it's okay to relax your grip every now and then - it doesn't negate all the effort you've put in so far.

Am I right in thinking you've not long been doing IF? I would jump back into your 16:8 pattern and work on cementing the habit for a bit longer before stressing over the scales. There will be plenty of weeks to come where you can practise longer fasts or tweak what you're eating to make the weight loss happen. Xx

@justcouldntthinkofausername it's very frustrating when you feel out of control like that but I agree with the others and think they have given you great advice. Just remember, yes you might have taken a step back the way but you haven't undone all that you have learned about your body since you started this and you will have made other gains during your fasting. It's not all about weight loss.

Well done @TarasChoc. I'm delighted for you that you are back in equilibrium.

There been a few obstacles (otherwise known as life) in my way since Christmas meaning that I haven't always been able to make the best choices but I have stuck to the fast and my body seems to be coping with the changes as I move up and down within a 3lb range. I seem to currently be in maintenance. I'd like to lose a few pounds more but this is how I want to love long-term so I'm going to roll with it and see what happens. My fasts are typically 18 hours but range between 16 and 20. I find that most people I see regularly know what I'm doing so no one really bothers any more if I say I'm not eating yet. It's liberating!

Thank you for the support and guidance. Tomorrow is a new day 💪🏻 I'm going to forget week 4 and start all over again with 16:8 again. Starting now

😘 you lovely people xx

@TarasChoc you are doing so well! I've loved reading your updates. I'm going to recommit to fasting as I've done it before and had success but fallen massively off the wagon. I'm too scared to even weigh myself right now but I'm going to ease myself in with 16:8 but also try and cut back on sugary treats. You are inspirational thank you x

@NorseKiwi I flipping love this!

Here is another one I got half way through yesterday, he uses the results of studies to provide advice.

What I took away from this is that an 8hr window is wise, as if you do OMAD you tend to overeat, and I do overeat if I do OMAD

Effects of Fasting & Time Restricted Eating on Fat Loss & Health | Huberman Lab Podcast #41

Thanks@NorseKiwi will check that one out later. I was just in total agreement with the other one about hormones I’ve always found it harder to fast in the second half of my cycle … Dr Pelz makes so much sense and she explains things so well. I feel really encouraged by this so thanks very much x

I'm still here lurking away and following everyone's progress. Very well done OP. After several months of not following the plan and staying roughly the same weight, I'm starting again tomorrow with a new target. Summer holiday booked for July and will try to lose 2 stone by then

This has been a fantastic way of eating for me. I been fasting plus keto.

I started exactly a month ago today to lose the 7lbs I gained over Christmas, but I’ve kept going.

As of today, I’ve lost 21 lbs. I’ve got just under 3 weeks until I go on a beach holiday so I’m going to keep going. I’ll be having wine at a lunch today, having not drunk for 31 days. Really hoping it won’t derail me!

How's your week gone, @TarasChoc ?

I was so motivated by the Mindy Pelz video that I've been playing around with some longer fasts this week (in the first half of my cycle so figured it should be okay) and I've got on really well with that. The scales are moving down again at the moment 🥳

Excited to experiment through the rest of the month, and won't feel at all guilty for relaxing the length of my fasts if/when I need to. Makes such a difference understanding my body better and knowing why it needs less stress and more carbs before my period.

@DillDanding 21lbs in a month! 😮 Well done you, that's fantastic.

@alwaysonadiet1 that's excellent that you've maintained even when you weren't following a fasting plan 🤗

@NorseKiwi one of the traps I think people fall into is restricting OMAD to a fairly tight window, say only an hour a day, and also trying to jump into that without building up their fasting tolerance first.

Gin Stephens points out that you can technically have one actual 'meal' but spread it out across 3, 4, even 5 hours - so you have a snack or a starter, then your dinner, then some fruit or pudding or even a glass of wine a bit later. Psychologically that's much easier for most people and should help take away the urge to binge or panic eat.

Hi everyone, I almost forgot to update. It's a bank holiday here in Ireland and it's thrown me off.

Week 22 loss -0.8
Total loss 30 pounds.

I didn't have a great week, tried to not calorie count and it didn't go well over the weekend.
I'll catch up with the thread properly tomorrow, off out now.
Hope you're all doing well.

@TarasChoc 30lb is a lovely round number and you are doing brilliantly. Hope you are enjoying your bank holiday.

Thanks for the link @NorseKiwi
I'll watch it later. I find myself though with one meal a day I usually don't eat enough and 16/8 I would eat more.
I find anything over 18/6 is a sweet point weight loss and hunger wise.

@mumlikeaboss I'm delighted to hear the longer fasts have things moving again for you.
Last week wasn't good for me really I don't feel I really fasted properly at all.

@alwaysonadiet that's fantastic, you must be thrilled! any tips you can share.

I am considering having a couple of weeks off alcohol, takeaways and all junk. I feel I need to reset.

I wish there was an edit button. I posted too soon and tagged the wrong person.
Well done to @dillanddander
and good luck @alwaysonadietalwaysonadiet1
Thanks @Neeko how are you getting on?

@TarasChoc I'm doing fine, thanks. Got back to my lightest pre-Christmas weight at the weekend and I'm just sticking to a 4-6 hour eating window and seeing what my body does. I'm trying not to overthink it, especially as work is really stressful and my stress response is usually to comfort myself with food (chocolate, mostly). Knowing my window is "closed" is psychologically very helpful.
I do have a NSV as I'm wearinga dress to work today that I haven't worn in at least ten years. I've dismissed it for so long that it feels like a treat to wear it.

Hope you have a better week this week. It may have done you good to be a bit off plan last week. They do say it's best to mix it up a bit and I tell myself that when I have a day when I indulge myself. 😊

That's a great achievement @Neeko enjoy getting wear out of your dress again.

I'm back on antibiotics, another dose of tonsillitis. At least its just that this time and not a chest infection too but it's very frustrating been off work again so soon and not properly been able to fast.
Hope everyone else is doing well.

WEEK 23 -0.4

To be honest I'm not happy with the slow progress I've made since December.
But I'm going to have to just keep going and hope that eventually I'll get another clear run at fasting and start making proper progress soon.

Antibiotics have kicked in and I'm on the mend. Fingers crossed I can fast properly this week.
How's things with everyone else?

That's good that you are still on the downward trend @TarasChoc. I'm sure your body has been concentrating more on getting well than losing weight. Fingers crossed you get a whoosh next week.

Sympathetic @TarasChoc it's very frustrating to stall when you still have a way to go.

It's difficult to concentrate on fasting / eating well when you're poorly... Also antibiotics can do nasty things to your gut bacteria and that can affect weight and food cravings.

On the positive side, at least you're managing to maintain most of your loss so far! 🤞

Sorry, I shouldn't have implied you've stalled as you are in fact still losing, if only slowly 🤗

I'm still going crazy with massive hormonal fluctuations... 236lbs is the bottom of my range, at the beginning of my cycle, and I can easily get up to 245-ish by the end!! Very frustrating.

Lowest I've been in recent years is 229 last summer, but didn't stay there long. Seem to stuck at a bit of a set-point weight. Sigh.

Thanks for the words of encouragement @Neeko and @mumlikeaboss I think I need to be realistic and fully accept that I need to do a full month reset. I'm sure my glycogen stores are brimming over.

Isn't it crazy how much our body's fluctuate. I find when I'm losing very little and seeing big fluctuations that it's very hard to stick to plan.
I'm trying to eat lower carb this week, not a great success today but a good reduction on the last while.

It can be really hard to keep going, some weeks.

Just remember that whatever you're eating and whatever else is going on, your fasting period every day is doing so much good in your body 🤗 so just keep plodding on... Fast for as long as you can each day, whether that's 15 or 16 or 19 or 22 hours! - do your best to get some healthy stuff in between fasts, and try not to stress too much. It's so worth it 🤗

I think you just need a couple of weeks of IF routine. If I recall correctly, between illness and holidays you've had a "disruption" each week for about 6 weeks? I'm sure if you can just have a couple of weeks without interruption you will be grand. Focus on eating a wide range of gut-healthy foods to build up after the antibiotics. I think Jason Fung recommends aiming for 30 different fruits and veg/nuts and seeds in a week. Could focusing on that help?

I'm back to work today after a long weekend. I've really relaxed on sugar since before Christmas and I'm going to try to rein that in/delay for a couple of weeks, more for health than weight loss. I definitely feel better overall with less sugar, but it's so easy (and momentarily delicious) to slip into old habits.