November IF/eating window accountability thread

[Altoo]

I've well & truly embraced the IF way of life, I fast every day with an eating window of between 4-6 hours on average.

Lost two stone this year, ideally like to lose a bit more as I'm hovering right at the top of ideal BMI, and have been plateauing here for a few months now.

I suspect the reason is that I have days where o have a longer eating window, and days where my diet isn't the best (occasional carb binges still!). On a positive though I'm also a lot fitter and leaner than I was at the same weight a couple of months ago.

I want to try to keep a tight eating window for a month, and take greater care over what I'm eating. If that doesn't work I may consider a period of ADF to shift a few pounds for good!

Would anyone like to join me in an accountability thread for a month?

I struggle with weekends. I'm starving and craving a fry up! Only four hours to go...at work I'm never on count down!

You've got this @izzy2076

I'm on day 5 with one fail. Not noticing any real difference yet but it's early days and my window is relatively long compared to many of you. Not missing milk in my morning tea which is a surprise as I thought I would.

I hope its OK to join in here? I've got a thread going detailing my own journey but would like to chat here too if that's OK?
Well done on the weight loss @Altoo.

@Poppiesway1 I fell into IT after initially starting the fast800. I found the fast800 low carb aspect a good way to detox from sugar but I couldn't stick to those calories.

@againmaeve I'm just starting Day 1 of the ZOE 14:10. We've had a lie-in so that's good - usually have my first cuppa of the day at 6:45 and we often have tea at 21:00-22:30 so my eating window is usually huge!!

Can't say I'm particularly looking forward to my black tea or coffee - have you been having for teas or just sticking to black tea? I often go without breakfast during the week so hopefully it won't be too bad 😬

@littlefaith I am having black tea first thing in morning now and herbal tea in the evening. Tea with milk when not fasting. I don't drink coffee. Not having a glass of wine later in evening as been more of a test for me! My one fail so far was because I did that so I need to be vigilant this weekend.

Oh no! No wine! I must have missed that bit 😱 I thought we were just eating within the 10h window but not restricted with what went in?! Better go and read up...

Yes black coffee is alright isn't it? Although I tend to cane it in the mornings!

I think I may reduce the fast today from 18 hours to 16 as I'm just too hungry. I've managed with hunger quite well for the last 4 weeks but PMT may have something to do with it.

Haha! Yes @littlefaith no wine in fasting window! Or any drinks apart from water, herbal tea, black tea and coffee... I guess you could start eating later in day so could finish later but I've eaten around 9am so need to stop eating/drinking wine by 7pm

Ah @againmaeve I see what you meant! 😅 Phew! No, I'll stay off food until 12-1 so I can enjoy my tea & a glass of wine to around 10pm.

I don't know how you PPs survive on just a 6h window 😱 Although I know part of my problem is eating way too late - it's just by the time DH is home from work it's often getting on for 7pm - I've already fed the kids in-between various clubs and we just end up sitting down together at 9/10pm. I hope ZOE is investigating whether the timing of the window matters.

I got around that by having my wine after dinner, so finished by 8pm (we have dinner 6-7pm).
Like others, find weekends harder as I'm used to having breakfast at the weekend, whereas I don't ever have breakfast before work (just eat biscuits from 10am!).
I can work through on black coffee until 1pm with no trouble though.
Have a crappy cough/virus at the moment and didn't fancy coffee when I woke up so I have slightly cheated and had milk in my tea this morning.

Managing 16:8 but would struggle with shorter eating window. Just in first week. Wonder if it feels easier with time? Also, stayed away from the scales so far. Sometimes I think the frustration of small gains, which are inevitable, make me give in. Trying to judge by having some discipline about how I eat and by how clothes feel. Just hoping this translates on the scales in the longer term.

Just popping on to say I took a couple months to get to a 20:4 ish schedule - and I certainly loosen it on high days and holidays, there's just been too many of them recently to lose weight - but I have been maintaining which is such a win for me compared to any attempts at dieting in the past!

Stick with what works. If you start forcing yourself into shorter Windows you'll end up feeling like it's a struggle.
I started with 16/8, fell into 18/6 after not too long and have settled around 20/4 give or take an hour or so.
But everyday I wake up thinking I'll do 16/8. This way I've room to maneuver if something knocks me off kilter.
At weekends I eat 16/8.

Last time I did this, I did a few days a week of 20:4 or even less. I find it much easier to fast when I'm at work. Also easier to fast if I keep sugar consumption low. If I binge on crap I wake up hungry.

Checking in for Sunday morning. I didn't manage 20:4 yesterday - friend came round with leftover homemade birthday cake so we were drinking tea & eating cake at 9pm!

However I don't feel diet guilt, just that it might be a little longer to lose a bit more weight. Went out for a decent run (for me!) this morning and currently enjoying a black coffee.

Hope everyone has a good Sunday!

I only managed 17/7 yesterday (bloody PMT) I also treated myself to a cup of tea with milk this morning. I usually clean fast but decided it's ok to mix things up a bit as misery is the route to failure!

Fasting during the working week is a lot easier!

6 hour window today. Delayed lunch by drinking black coffee in bed watching a show on Prime then when I got hungry I started cleaning the bathroom!
Nothing healthy today though, so really need to get some veg in this week! Dinner was cheesy pasta with gammon in, with chips on the side It didn't need the chips, but DH was making them for 2 of the DCs who don't like cheese sauce so had a different dinner and DH's homemade chips are divine.

Hoping there will be leftover pasta I can take for lunch tomorrow. Really want to eat lower carb but food budget is tight at the moment and DH does most of the cooking. He's not great at adding veg!

Can I join?

I've been clean fasting daily since the end of July. I started at 14:10 and gradually built from there. I mostly do 18:6 but it can be a slightly longer fast if I'm busy or I want a later eating window due to a social event.

I've lost 14lbs so far and am at the lightest weight I've been in a decade. I love this way of eating - the diet guilt has gone completely.

What has been a revelation to me is the impact that it has had in my peri menopausal symptoms: tiredness, aches, mood changes and sleeplessness - all gone. So much so that I have my HRT but haven't started it yet.

I recommend reading Gin Stephen's Fast, Feast, Repeat. It made so much sense to me. I had been trying to lose weight through healthy eating and increased exercise for ages and the scale wouldn't budge. IF might not work for everyone but it certainly works for me.

Yes! The peri symptoms have gone! It's mad. I really didn't believe this was going to be a side effect. The biggest one for me is sleep quality. I usually wake at 3 and then can't go back to sleep, I am now sleeping all the way through!! I am the worlds worst sleeper and take medication. I've only been doing this a month!

@izzy2076 I'm so glad that's happening for someone else too!

That's so interesting about the peri symptoms. I don't think I have any yet (?) but that would be great!

Hello, can I join in too?

I have started doing IF on and off for a bit now...... I am finding it so much easier to not eat breakfast and Iast till 1pm to break my fast. I have joined a FB group called "intermittent fasting lifestyle" and I find it to be so inspiring and supportive, there are 200k members and they aren't selling anything, I like seeing the before and after photos and how good people look even 2 years on.

So I am managing to do a 18:6, not sure if I'll be able to get to just OMAD. I hear that if you can stop eating at 3pm, its amazing for fuel burning whilst you sleep. I have 20kg to loose

I'm in 👋

I'm late 40s, peri-menopausal and love my grub too much! I'm not massively overweight and I do really enjoy food so I will be realistic about what I'm going to eat during my eating window. I'd like to lose a stone although I haven't weighed myself but I have so many clothes in my wardrobe that are too tight or just won't go on at all that I'll easily see if I'm losing weight.

I started at the weekend and am doing 17/7. Missing my coffees in the morning (yep, multiple) I have tried it black but really don't like it. I wouldn't mind but I don't even take a lot of milk in it usually (and no sugar) but I just hate it black. I tried tea and green tea but it actually makes me feel a bit sick. So until 12:30pm it's just water for me. Mixing it up with some sparkling water too, woo!!

Forgot to add that I'm delighted to hear it might ease the peri symptoms and in particular sleep issues! I am on HRT but it hasn't helped my sleep at all so it would be a fantastic side-effect if IF helps me sleep!