Starting 16:8 diet tomorrow... anyone fancy joining?

[Leopardpj]

I'm starting the 16:8 diet properly from tomorrow after trying it out a couple of days last week and finding it seemed to suit me OK. Would love it if anyone doing the same would like to share experiences??

My 'kitchen closed' at 6.15pm this evening so technically I think I can eat from 10.15 tomorrow but I'm going to see if I can last until midday and eat 12-8 on weekdays. I don't think I'll realistically be able to do it on weekends but am going to try to stick to the general principles of not snacking in the evening/ eating more 'mindfully'...

I have a stubborn half a stone to lose which I've never managed to shift since having my second dd (who is now 3).

I've always dismissed this diet before as I love breakfast/ brunch so much! But I'm now changing my mentality on it and saying I'm basically delaying my breakfast not ditching it. I'll have a big brunch style meal around 12 and then a decent dinner before 8.

I'm hoping it'll suit me as I am not someone who eats loads of sugar/ junk but I do love my food and hate diets - just the idea of being restricted makes me miserable but if I feel I'm just 'delaying' food I feel loads better. My big weaknesses are milky hot drinks (I'm probably going to allow myself a small splash of milk in tea in the morning that'll make it a lot more bearable for me!) also buttered toast, cheese, and snacking on the kids' tea leftovers at 5pm....

Be so lovely to have some company but if not I can always chat away to myself I guess!!

Also planning to listen to some Jason Fung podcasts which are supposedly v helpful!

Anyone else doing similar??

I will join in with this thread. I have been doing 16:8 for a week. Have found it surprisingly easy. Sticking to 1200 ish calories in the window is okay for me. Dropped only half a pound, but that's fine as I'm very sedentary due to ill health. But today I have been given a 7 day course of antibiotics that I have to take in the morning with food. So won't be able to do 16:8 again until next week. It's annoying but I'm glad to know I can get back on it next week and it suits me. 😃

Good luck @Lionoso ! re: calorie deficits, Jason Fung is really good on this in his podcasts. He talks about how the most important thing is the effect different foods have on your insulin levels , rather than calories. 100 calories of coolies will spike your insulin but 100 calories of spinach won't spike insulin as much, Insulin is the hormone that instructs your body to store, rather than burn, fat. Our bodies are much more complicated than 'calories in, calories out.' It's just as important when and how frequently and what we eat, as how many calories are in it. Fasting and eating only a couple of times a day is really powerful even if you don't count calories because you're really reducing how much you're activating insulin. Similarly a bit of chocolate after a healthy dinner spikes insulin a lot less than chocolate on its own at 4pm will. So all these things are relevant to weight loss as well. It's v interesting (for me, calorie reduction has never worked on its own, whereas 16:8 does even though I'm not counting calories).

cookies I meant to say there *

Yes thanks Leopard it's a bit annoying having an antibiotic I have to take at 8 am and 8pm with food. It's only for a week though. Then I will get back to 16:8, although I was doing more like 17.7 without any problems. Only blip I had was having black tea one morning. The caffeine made me feel quite nauseous, so I found just water or herbal tea is best until 12. I found Redbush tea the best to tide me over until lunchtime.

Still going but feeling a bit disheartened as think I’ve only lost 1lb this week and was aiming for 2 and I’ve really stuck to it, kept within calorie goals, made healthier choices, exercised lots and drink loads of water.
this is the danger zone for me as get easily disheartened and tend to give up if I don’t see instant results.

I know I expect way too much being 49 and peri 🤦‍♀️

Hey @RM2013 - I know exactly what you mean about the 'danger zone' of being disheartened and I'm the same, and I felt that when I only lost like half a pound the first week. But I'm so glad I persevered because although its been slow I'm so happy with the weight loss. Around a pound a week feels slow for the first week or two but when you lose half a stone in six weeks which is basically the same thing it's a transformation, it feel that way to me anyway. Try and keep the faith! Also if it's slow but consistent its so much more likely to stay off! x

I think you need to be kinder to yourself @RM2013 . Some weeks are just like this and I think they are more common for women who have hormones making us retain water or crave salt etc.

Absolutely this! Some weeks I have lost 200gr, but I have exercised a lot and gained more muscles instead. My stomach gets flatter every week and that was my primary goal, even though the weight loss is slow.

Thank you all. Will try not to be too hard on myself. Slow and steady wins the race 🤣

Exactly @RM2013 . I’m thinking that if losing weight was easy and quick there is no incentive to keep the weight off long term.

Slow and steady progress here

week 1 3lbs lost (although I’d gained 3lbs over the previous bank holiday weekend so I. Falsity back to where I started)

week 2 1lb lost. Had hoped for 2lbs so feeling a bit disappointed.

I had 1 day off the fasting window last week, stayed within my calories goals, exercised, drank more water and increased my protein intake

hey ho keep going

I have been doing the diet since February and today reached my goal weight of 53kg, a drop of 9kg. Fat % has dropped from 27% to 21% (US army method). I also cut out most processed food which I think was the most effective thing in losing weight and now have zero food cravings.

I am now focussing on reducing blood sugar spikes by reducing/having starchy/sugary food last, upping fibre and exercising after high carb meals.

How are others doing when you reach mainainence phase? I am a bit worried that I might not stop losing weight and now want to start building more muscle so don't mind if my weight goes up a bit.

Hi everyone, checking in at 172 lbs down from 189 which I'm pleased with in 2.5 months.
Another 25 to go.

I'm mildly concerned my muscle mass has dropped slightly - it started from a really high level so I still have loads but my fat loss doesn't seem to be higher. I'm going to up my protein in case that helps. I already exercise daily but don't do the gym as I did last year so that might be why.

It is the best feeling having clothes which are too big. I haven't had this in years. I am definitely down a size now - a 12-14. My overall shape has improved with loss of back and hip fat in particular. I can wear fitted dresses again

The Gin Stephens intermittent podcasts are really helpful - I listen to one a day while i walk and can highly recommend.

Well done everyone, especially those at goal/ that is fantastic

@whirlyswirly and @Wheretheskyisblue WOW you've both had such HUGE success! Massive congrats to you! That's incredible.
Thanks so much for the podcast reccs. I haven't found a good one in a while so will try those.
I've had a DISASTROUS weekend, ended up having far too many drinks on Friday night and then ate loads of awful food when hungover yesterday. I need to get back on it big time this week, the two of you have really spurred me on - I was feeling so good having lost the first chunk of weight and really really want to keep this up.
Ate better today, had a late lunch and closed the kitchen at 3.30pm, which is v early for me and am going to try and last as long as possible tomorrow, maybe kick-start things with a bit of a longer fast. I've never managed past 20 hours before but I have found a few longer fasts really help.
On muscle loss, I have been conscious of this too. I try to make sure I'm still lifting heavy weights regularly (I use kettle bells at home) as you only lose muscle if you don't lose it. I think heavy weights are the best way to guard against this, and going low carb high protein.

Thanks Leopardpj. @whirlyswirly on the muscle loss I was listening to this huberman lab podcast
https://open.spotify.com/episode/2ZdOl4cO0F2fsPjssJagbj?si=Gv_5wqEuRmGGUnLK8wk3kQ
and it was suggesting that the injestion of protein before 10am is important to building muscle 1.01 minutes in). This is becuase their is enhanced protein synthesis hesis early in the day due to the expression of a gene call bmal which is more active first thing. I am not sure when your eating window is but if you have breakfast you may want to ensure it is high on protein.

Oh thank you, that's good to know. I'm vegetarian so always struggle with protein and have to consciously add it to each meal. I'm eating a lot more nuts and try to break my fast with low sugar nut rich muesli, high protein yoghurt and berries.

I'd have eggs but I'm generally in the office by that time and it wouldn't make me popular..

I'm still here too. Very slow progress but pleasing. I still drink occasionally during the evening, but it is better than the chocolate bar, plus toast, plus drink I used to do. Down from almost 13 stone to 12 3lb.

Hello all! Hope you don’t mind me joining the chat in this thread? I’ve been reading along for a while and it’s really motivating, but want to hold myself a bit more accountable so thought it was time to speak up!

I started 16:8 at the end of January and consistently lost 1lb per week until I lost 11lbs - while still having tonnes of treats, being able to socialise etc. Then I had a difficult couple of months with stuff happening at work and in my personal life and lost focus a bit. I still tried to follow it to a looser degree but was comfort eating a lot and ended up putting a few lbs back on.

I’ve restarted it about a week ago and already lost 2lbs. I’ve changed my window a little, so I now have lunch earlier and then eat an early evening meal before I leave work or on my way home. This means I know by the time I get home I will not eat anything else which is psychologically easier for me, as previously evenings were the time I wanted to snack. This pattern has fallen into more of a 17:7 and seems to work so far for me. I also plan on increasing my exercise a bit.

To summarise…my total weight loss so far this year is 9lbs and I’d like to lose another 11. Thanks for everyone who has contributed to this post so far - it’s been so helpful to me!

@Swansw Wow, you have done really well and it clearly works really well for you. At this rate you will have reached your goal in just 2-3 months!

I have my weigh in tomorrow (weigh myself every Friday now) and hoping for -1lbs, but I had a terrible weekend with lots of partying with food and wine so I am not too optimistic.

@Snoken thank you! I am sure the rate of weight loss will slow down/plateau so not sure I’ll manage as quickly as 2-3 months but here’s hoping! So far 16:8 has definitely been more effective than anything else I’ve tried - I’ve basically just been losing then regaining the same 4-5lbs over and over again before this! fingers crossed for a good weigh day result for you tomorrow!

Please can I join the thread? I've been doing 16:8 for 4 weeks exactly, and lost 3kg. Somehow ended up doing 21:3 today as so busy at work and just wasn't hungry enough to do anything about it! In a perfect world I'd lose another 9kg but I'll be happy to lose 5-6 and get back to almost pre-pregnancy weight.

Welcome @Swansw and @Numberninetynine and huge congratulations on your amazing losses!

I am throwing myself back into 16:8 properly this week after a couple of big weekends and really busy weeks that threw me annoyingly off track.
I have realised this week that something that is really unhelpful is eating late and just thinking you can compensate by shifting the window… I just don’t think it works for me as much unless I have dinner early. This accords with things I’ve read which say the most effective window is 10-6ish, so you have an empty stomach overnight and your body is able to detox.
So am trying to be much more strict and stick to 11.30-7.30 at the latest window, as that’s what really worked for me last time. If I can do a longer fast once in a while then even better. And need to stay strong on alcohol and carbs!
However - trying to be kind to myself, it’s a marathon not a sprint, etc etc!!
On the upside have got competely used to drinking black filter coffee and now find coffee with milk a bit too sickly in the mornings which I never thought I’d say!
Good luck everyone!!

I had the same with black coffee! It's a total revelation

Difficult day yesterday as went to a work function and the dinner was so late and heavy. Then we were in a fancy hotel and meeting for breakfast and I sat with an untouched bowl of yoghurt and berries while everyone scoffed. I caved and ended up eating some when I wasn't hungry and it made for a long morning of feeling ravenous.

It's so much easier not to eat anything at all until it's time to break the fast. The hunger that way is far more manageable.

For me, fasting 11.30-18.30 seems to be easiest - so I'm kind of doing 17 7. Hoping for a loss tomorrow despite last nights food and booze..

I’ve really stuck to it this week and I’ve lost 1lb. Naturally I’d love more of a loss especially as we go away next sat and I’d hoped to get to 9st 7 for holiday and currently sat 9st 11.
I intend to enjoy my holiday so know I will probably gain what I’ve lost.
maybe I’ve lost inches though as saw a gym buddy tonight that I’ve not seen in a while and she commented on how I look (actually only lost 3lbs)
perhaps I should have taken measurements when I started too and not focused just on the scales.

im finding 16:8 fairly easy to follow and tend to fast from 7pm-11am. Have managed some longer stretches as occasionally I’ve eaten at 5.30pm but then not been able to eat my breakfast until 11.30am

welcome to all the new comers

I'm back on this after a 7 day course of antibiotics. Stuck to calorie counting though and I have lost a pound so not too bad. It's definitely easier to stick to my calories in an 8 hour window though.

I have a celebration dinner next week which will be calorific and wish I could do one meal a day. Don't think I can though as I start to really feel my blood sugar drop around midday. I think I would struggle to stretch my fasting window further.