Who wants to start intermittent fasting?

[cosypompoms]

I'm no expert but I have been doing Intermittent Fasting (IF) since September and I've lost 9kg/ a stone.

I eat breakfast at 7:30, lunch and the tea at 4. So my eating window is finished by 4:30pm. So it's a 9 hour eating window and 15 hours of fasting.

I haven't read any books about it but I do listen to podcasts about it.

open.spotify.com/episode/7hKdAJpfDEeRnGDEo42MWP?si=RpKRylgHTb6nJtmBPPH9dg

open.spotify.com/episode/5YEfEhHllXaFxiEO6WZxMq?si=11rhciaDSkKj_V8p2mAU6w

I don't know anyone in real life who does IF so thought there would be a community here.

I'm weighing tomorrow too - I've popped on the scales a few times this week, no sign of any loss yet, so I don't have my hopes up. I still feel great though, and this evening at the gym I felt different somehow- I wondered if it's because my energy source had changed.
I've been 17-7 ing for 5 weeks now, but I don't think the first 3 weeks counted as my direct sugar intake would have been so high over Christmas.

Hello everyone, I’m still sticking with IF, and currently on a fast 800 mindset as I’m one of those people that needs an initial result to keep me stuck in, I’m hoping to angle this as a lifestyle where my weekdays are pretty rigid and weekends have some flexibility for wine. I don’t want to give up socialising, although being on a weight loss journey and alcohol free would make life a lot easier!

the scales are showing as being 5lbs down this morning, which I 100% understand isn’t fat loss but it’s been what I needed this morning to keep me on track and think it’s going in the right direction. From this point on I’m going to be realistic and hope for a 1/2lbs a week drop, which should get me to my first goals of Easter time.

Does anyone else find that the increased water intake bloats them? I don’t feel any lighter during the day as my stomach resembles a fish tank of water I’m lugging around with me!

I've lost 400g/14oz/0.8lb. Not sure what measures people use but I'm thrilled anyway

@AuntieJoyce it's amazing isn't it how the hunger just goes away

@allnewfor2024 I think all the weeks count. Don't talk yourself down!

@BranchGold that's a great weight loss. You must be thrilled with that. I do drink extra water now but really only in the morning. I normally have three big glasses by 9am and a few coffees and then just try and drink green tea in the afternoon. I try and have the fluid earlier as I'm up all night weeing

Also apparently I was 55% water today when I weighed which is a new record.

Someone asked me further to the thread what scales I have. They are just salter scales that weren't super expensive but they do weight, bmi, water and body fat percentage. Seems like magic to me how it knows but it's an electrical charge going through your body and the speed it returns determines all the data.

So I haven’t lost anything this week despite sticking to the diet. I’m just holding on to the fact I have lost 7llbs since the start of the month which I am happy with.

@cosypompoms that sounds like an incredibly accurate scale. Mine are a bit random depending on where I put them in the bathroom. I may need to buy some more

I’ve lost a pound this week which I’m happy with because I’ve only really felt hungry in the morning until I ate at 12, and then most of that time is in meetings, so it’s not like I’m sitting all afternoon absolutely starving at my desk.

@NewYearNewYu 7lbs this month is amazing.

Hello, after 2 weeks of restarting IF I have lost over half a stone (7.6lb)🥳
Back in 2019 when I was doing 16/8 regularly I was 150lb, when I finally restarted in January I was almost 14 stone, post menopausal and had developed Hashimotos autoimmune condition - by far my highest weight ever, yikes.

SW 195.5lb - 13 stone 9lb - 88.7kg
CW 187.5 lb - 13 done 3lb - 85kg
GW 150lb - 10.7 stone - 68kg

I have averaged fasts of 16-18 hours with one 14 hour and one 20 hour fast. Also stopped drinking wine during week, only have a couple,of glasses on Saturday massively cleaned up diet - lots of homemade veg, soup, pulses, salad, kimchi, kefir, probiotic Greek yog, protein is chicken, fish & egg, incessant water and walking uphill on an inclined treadmill most days plus dumbbells. Also going to bed at 9.30pm ( have to get up at 5.30am so makes a huge difference to get enough sleep)

listening to the Zoe podcast is very helpful and I got Gin Stephen’s Feast Fast Repeat book - although I disagree with her that 16 -17 hours isn’t ever enough to see weight loss results. For me it has always worked, and longer fasts I think are a gallstone risk (but I use lots of olive oil, pulses and exercise to mitigate the chances)

Good luck everyone getting their fasting groove on

@PartridgeInAPearShape that's a great weight loss well done you!

I think we all have to take the experts with a pinch of salt sometimes. We can find what works for ourselves. I fast for 17 hours mostly and I've lost 9kg since September.

@cosypompoms that is great, well done yourself

Wow, some great losses all round, well done all!
My dodgy scales registered a very tiny loss this morning, but not enough to be significant when rounded to the nearest kilo.
I'm not fussed at all though. Suddenly I'm starting to feel slim. My clothes are looser, my skirts are longer, and it's easier to get up and down the stairs.
So I'm sure it'll show on the scales sooner or later, but I don't need the reassurance right now.

Hi everyone. I am in week 2 of Fast, Feast Repeat Fast start month.

The rules are (for those that don't know) get used to your fasting window and don't change what you are eating at the mo. I'm doing two weeks of 18:6 to start then 19:5 and last week 20:4.

I have found the first two weeks really easy and enjoyable, I'm sticking to the fasting window and feeling good for it. However I just eat and eat in the window and I just can't stop myself.

So next week I have to have some sort of plan and a diet of sorts. Cutting down on snacks and salty food like crackers and cheese. I do feel that this is the way to go though. It feels fairly natural and I'm really enjoying not thinking about food until mid afternoon.

I won't weigh until the end of the month as per instructions.

@allnewfor2024 any loss is great to be honest. Slowly is great and sustainable.

@MissFancyDay aren't you tempted to weigh just to see how eating in a window is affecting you?

Has anyone else found a bizarre phenomenon that the more you eat in your window the more weight you lose? Because I weigh daily I see all the fluctuations and I've noticed that if I eat more, even to the point of feeling very full, I lose more weight the following day. If I'm not particularly hungry and don't make an effort to eat a good amount, I seem to stay the same or go up. I have theories as to why this is the case but just wondering if other people have noticed this.

@MissFancyDay well done on keeping up the resolve on not looking at the scale! I was unable to do it, but I promised myself that even if I'd put on 5kg I'd continue until the end of the month regardless, and that seemed to stop me getting demotivated.

@cosypompoms @NatureGlimmers Yes I am tempted to weigh, but I've got a technique in which I have persuaded Dh to bring me a black coffee in bed before I get up, queenly I know, and when I've drunk that I'm reluctant to weigh myself because I'm not nice and empty iykwim. It works for me anyway 😂

It would be really great if eating a lot in your window does rev up your metabolism, I suppose if you did it every day it might result in weight gain, I think you have to keep your body on it's toes a bit and change the routine.

I'm still here - doing 15-16 hour fasts during the week (helped by a very busy work week so the mornings have flown by), aiming for 12-13 hours at the weekend. I haven't weighed, mainly as my scales are pretty dodgy, but jeans feel a little looser perhaps?

@NatureGlimmers I don't weigh every day so I don't know if that's the case here but I have weighed whenever I've done a 24hour fast and I've always gained weight the day after but not overall at the end of the week

@BobbleHatDay this seems the same schedule as me mainly

Well done everyone on the weight loss and non scale victories.

I just had my final weigh in of the week and lost 600g/1.3lbs this week, despite the long weekend away. That takes me to over a stone of weight loss and my BMI finally under 40, so I am no longer "morbidly" obese. Result!

@NatureGlimmers huge congratulations 🥂 🥳 🙌 to you. That's a great boost to keep going isn't it!

Thanks @cosycosypompoms 😊 interesting that you track your water percentage, what does it represent? I've checked mine in the app and it seems pretty constant regardless of weight. But my fat % has reduced.

Hi still here but name changed (was MrInbetweener).

Been sticking to IF really well, with one ‘day off’ on the weekend. I’ve also now completely cut out any milk in my tea in the mornings so doing a proper fast.

I only weigh myself once a week and I’ve lost 4lbs since starting (1st Jan) which I’m happy about. Not necessarily doing it to lose loads of weight but to stop the middleaged/peri spread that is occurring!!! Also to make some healthier choices while also being able to do the ‘nice’ things like go out for a meal or have a treat now and then.

@NatureGlimmers well done that is brilliant keep going!!!

@OctopusRule limiting peri-spread sounds like me!

Mornings are definitely easier now,just need to move evening snacks to 8pm (and ideally a few less!)