16:8 - How long to I give it before I unashamedly give up?

[BoogieBoogieWoogie]

OK, so I've not been doing it long but I've stuck to the rules of fasting 16:8 and nothings happened besides I feel deprived.

I started last Monday, so I'm on day 11 now. I don't eat or drink anything in my 16 hour slot (as I'm not a black tea/coffee or water fan) and eat normally (ie, including some junk) in my 8 hour slot.

But I've not lost anything 😥

Am I doing something wrong or should I wait longer for initial results?

I'm doing 18/6 20/4 and am losing weight but I'm only a few weeks in so by no means an expert.
Do you count calories too, have you a lot to lose? Personally I think not drinking plenty of fluid is a big mistake and something you should reconsider. It's something that should be part of your life anyway but especially when trying to lose weight. It really helps to flush out the body.

Start by checking out YouTube videos by Dr Jason fung and reading Gin Stephen's books. You've already started the work don't give up now but maybe you need to tweak things.

Thanks for the reply ☺️
Im not counting calories as I thought I’d read that you didn’t need to and that you just eat your normal meals in the 8 hr slot. Maybe i misunderstood

If it involves calorie counting then it might not be for me unfortunately. I’ll take a look at the yt vid, ty

You're just eating too many calories. How much "junk" are you eating?

But also, 11 days is not long. Do you have a lot to lose?

There's lots of different approaches to IF, calorie counting, low carb, different time lines etc.
I think do some good research and find one that suits with your lifestyle.
I calorie and macro count for now but don't low carb. I have cut back on sugar hugely.
Intermittent fasting is based on lowering blood sugar and insulin.
I've a lot to lose so I feel I can play around and see. I would like to eventually drop the calorie counting but if I am not careful I know I'll over eat in my eating window, I won't give macros and it'll be processed carb heaven which will mean no results.
Take your measurements or download the methreesixty app to take your measurements by scan.
Don't give up, start learning to tweak things.
I've gone from been someone who has their first meal and constantly snacking on junk and driven to feeling hungry by hormones created by this process to someone who typically fasts 20+ hours every day, isn't hungry and eats either one large meal with a couple of snacks straight after or one light meal, one larger meal and a snack after one of those.
I'm very rarely hungry and to date have had a couple of mild cravings.
It's a big change not thinking of food/treats and constantly trying to resist or beating myself up for caving.

Fasting works because your overall calories are lower in a 24 hour period. Krista Varady is the scientist who has studied fasting the longest and she says that when you do 16:8 there is roughly a 300 calories reduction per day. However if you eat more in these 8 hours and include the missed meal, there is no calorie reduction and no weight loss.

Calories will make you lose or gain. You are not losing, you are too many.

I'm so so sad that the Facebook group for delay don't deny isn't happening any more as it was such a wonderful community where you could ask these questions and as there were so many people on there, there was always one that had experienced your exact dilemma and would be able to help out!

I just went back and screenshot some of my updates that I could find as I needed to remember, I'm starting again after 2021 turned my life upside down and derailed my 'intermittent fasting lifestyle'.
Please please please read delay don't deny the book or do what I did and listen to it on audible. There is a new updated book (fast feast repeat) but ddd is shorter and an amazing starting point. It claims to be really long on audible but actually most of that is her having to list all of the references, of which there are hundreds, as she bases all her statements on real scientific studies. It's not pop science.

But basically- don't worry if you haven't lost weight on the scales after 11 days!! I forgot and was just reminded today, but I stopped weighing at the start, as recommended by the group at the time. When I finally weighed the weight loss was fab but the best way is to actually weigh in the mirror. Eventually I had lost two stone in three months. I am so glad I have remembered this as I know it works and I will persevere without weighing now- I have been doing it for two weeks again this time and was gutted when I stepped on the scales on Wednesday and saw I hadn't lost anything- but I had been feeling slimmer so was so disheartened.

One of the takeaways I remember from the group is - just keep going! Some people lose faster than others and weight often comes off in a 'whoosh' - that was definitely true! Our hormones play a massive part in our weight and at different times of the month we lose more rapidly. I'm perimenopausal but even when AF doesn't show up for the month I am definitely still having hormonal cycles.

Good luck and keep at it!

So keep going

Thanks @emanonsah that long reply is gratefully received.

I probably have 2 stone to lose. My meals are fine - healthy and balanced. Mainly overdo the lattes and late night snacks (crackers and cheese etc). Rarely drink booze. But very sedentary lifestyle.
I think my mistake is bringing the late night snacks forwards to within the 8 hr slot rather than dropping them all together. As I said earlier, I misunderstood the concept as i thought the fasting meant your body acted differently and allowed you to have the junk. But I’ve started afresh today 🥳
will try and and stick to my 2 meals and the odd coffee.
Really struggle with calorie counting though so that’s not going to happen 😳

Losing weight is all about calories reduction. How you get there however doesn't really matter. It can be by counting them, by cutting the time you consume them (fasting), by cutting a macronutrients (carb or fat), cutting processed foods and so on.

The beauty is that there isn't a system better than the one, the best one is the one that works for you. Many will combine one or two together (fasting and low carb for example increasing the calorie deficit).

It is important for you to understand the calories so that your attempt at fasting will be successful . The best weight loss method is the one you can stick to.

Obviously, if you are not eliminating the foods that put your where you are today in terms of weight, you must have them within your daily calories.

There isn't a metabolic secret that allows you to overeat and lose weight. A uni professor did the famous "Twinkie diet" to prove it is all about calories.

You don't have to consciously count the calories, but there needs to be a deficit.

@WeAreLateAgain
With fasting there's a lot of focus on insulin and changing your body from burning glycogen to fat stores, the focus isn't really on calories and a lot of fasting experts don't believe all calories are equal.
I'm not saying calories don't matter but they aren't the only factor when it comes to weight loss. It's worth reading up on the effects constant eating has on our insulin levels and how it drives hunger hormones in our bodies leaving those of us who struggle with weight issues constantly hungry and craving.
The Obesity Code is a good starting point on this subject.

I start 16/8 on Monday , iv been told if you don't drink enough water this can stop you from losing weight.

The Obesity Code has a scientific accuracy of 31% @TarasChoc

Red Pen Reviews uses a structured expert review method to deliver the most informative, consistent, and unbiased nutrition/health book reviews available, free of charge.

www.redpenreviews.org/reviews/the-obesity-code-unlocking-the-secrets-of-weight-loss/

A scientific accuracy of 31% means 69% of the book and statement , science presented is not correct.

The author sells a program called diet doctors ( he is a co-founder) .

And just so you know, a steak will raise your insulin higher than brown rice.

@emanonsah my copy of delay don’t deny arrived today!
I will persevere with it and hopefully see some results soon

I fast 16 hours a day, tbh I can do it quite easily as I don't eat breakfast and drink herbal tea. I'm mostly doing that to give my body a rest, to lose weight I absolutely need to calorie count in the 8 hour window, if I ate what I wanted there's no way I'd lose weight. I calorie count with MFP.

You shouldn't be feeling deprived, you'll eat it later.

I personally think 8 hours is too long, it's long enough for 3 meals plus snacks and you can basically be drip feeding that whole time.

But, even without weight loss can you feel good that you're improving your health? Your insulin resistance should be decreasing, lower risk of cancer, heart disease, alzheimers, etc? It's worth reminding yourself of that frequently!

Stick with it. Think about reducing eating to 2 or at max 3 instances. Think about how good this is for you.

I didn't realise it had such good health benefits, I will try to stay on it even if I know I've eaten too many calories that day, at least all is not lost 😂

I'm also doing 16/8 - today is day 8. I find it easy and most days not hungry at the 16hr mark (which is usually about 1pm) but I tend to eat some lunch then (low carb lunch) as it works with my job to break then. I then don't eat until dinner at about 7:45pm and try to finish all eating by 8/30/9pm.

As it's been easy, do you think I should extend my fasts on work days? Weekends are harder as family are eating around me so I do get some cravings then but I have been good so far!

Weight loss wise. Zilch. Nada. I did go down 1lb middle of the week but it's back now. I know this is normal so I'm hoping my body will catch up soon. I'm trying to stick to 1,200-1,400 cals per day and I track intake. I also do 3/4 weight based workouts per week and I've found since starting weights I don't see as much loss on scales as I used to but my clothes are feeling better and I can see some muscle tone finally coming through!

When would weight loss usually begin to be seen?

There's a private Facebook group, intermittent fasting women, you could ask to join and see how people close to your stats do.
I've a fair bit to lose. I do count calories because I need to be certain I maintain a Deficit.
My window is now pretty much 21/3 during the week and at weekends 16/8 or 18/6.
What I've found with fasting and stopping insulin spikes is i am not hungry while fasting. I don't eat junk or have any desire for it. The hormones that controlled my appetite are working properly.
Weight training is excellent but will impact on the scales, don't let it get to you. Download the methreesixty app or measure yourself.

If you need 2,000 calories a day to maintain and you eat 2,000 calories a day, whether you eat those calories in 1 hour a day or 16 hours it means you are still going to maintain.

You need to drop to 1,500 calories a day to lose 1lb a week and by having an eating window of only 8 hours means you're more likely to be able to only have 1,500 calories in that time frame.

You don't need to actively calorie count, but you need to stop eating as much as you were before.

Cut out the junk, up the exercise (a 3 mile walk can burn about 250 calories) and stay within your 8 hour window and you will lose weight.

I’d really try your best to up your water intake, maybe play around with it in different forms, like hot water with lemon or with lots of ice.

water is so important to overall health, and I notice it gives me a feeling of fullness that definitely aids weight loss.

I like to drink water from a bottle straight from the fridge, and aim to drink a full 500ml directly before my meal, then another one during the meal.

it took me 2 months to start losing any weight on IF!!!
I started 16:8 in January 2022 after putting on weight over lockdown. I coupled it with cutting out sweets and chocolate plus trying to exercise everyday, even if just a walk.
And I didn’t worry about what else I ate. So I still had takeaways and the same meals as the rest of the family.
After 7 months I’d lost 10lbs - back to pre covid weight. Since then I’ve easily maintained just by following 16:8 (loosely over Xmas) and I’ve given up sweets and chocolates entirely.

There’s so many other benefits to fasting,plus giving up sweets, not just the number on the scales. better skin, more energy and something that surprised me was my mental health was soooo much better. Which I put down to the reduced sugar intake.

16:8 only works for maintenance for me as I can still eat a lot in 8 hours. You need to shorten the eating window or take note of your calories to find out how much you're really eating. Right now I'm eating 2 meals a day (lunch around 12 or 1 and dinner around 5 or 6). I keep those meals to around 600 calories each. I don't snack, but I might have the occasional piece of fruit. It's working well so far.

I think you have to count calories as well. I'm doing 17:9 ( 16:8 doesn't quite work for me!), high protein/ low carb and 1500 calories a day and I've lost 4 pounds this week. I find restricting the times I can eat helps as it stops me snacking at night and as I start eating later (10am), I eat less during the day.

Of course you need to count calories as well.

You don't have to count calories.

I've lost 50lbs with IF without counting a thing.

Just posted this on another thread, sorry, copying it across!!

Intermittent fasting definitely has benefits over ordinary calorie-counting diets. I'm pretty sure in Gin Stephens' later book Fast Feast Repeat (or maybe it's in Jason Fung's The Obesity Code...?) she cites studies where they compared calorically-matched diets either eaten spread out across the day or squeezed into a smaller eating window, and the ones eating in the smaller window proved a metabolic advantage.

This makes perfect sense when you understand that the longer periods of time without food help to balance your insulin levels, and as insulin is what dictates whether energy is burned or stored as fat, you can see why you want to keep it low for as much of the day as is possible.

Clearly eating for 8 hours a day rather than 12+ means you are highly likely to eat less... But! The fat stored on anyone's body is NOT just dictated by how many calories they eat, but by a much more complex cocktail of hormones etc. as well. EG a type 1 diabetic who can't produce their own insulin can eat more calories than they technically need, but if they aren't taking enough exogenous insulin, they will be physically unable to store the calories as body fat.

Fasting is excellent for weight loss because the single best way to reduce your insulin levels (and therefore allow your body to burn fat rather than storing it) is to not eat anything.

However, for a lot of people, 16:8 isn't going to be enough fat-burning time to be effective for weight loss. However, if you can manage 16:8 then you will be able to gradually build up to 18:6... And once you're adapted to that (and you will adapt) then you can build up further and find your weight loss 'sweet spot'.

Stick with it, don't give up just because you don't get quick weight loss like with some (unsustainable) diets. It's so so worth it in the long run.