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.

Hi. I’d love to join if possible. Had some success with IF last year but then got derailed by various life things. Hoping to start Fast 800 combined with 14:10 next week. I feel like seeing results more quickly will work better for me than slow and steady (although not sure how I’ll cope with restricting to 800!) .

I’m hoping some group support will spur me on.

@Rowdythree That’s the thing there is always tomorrow and I think one cup of tea is not something we should obsess over or beat ourselves up over😊

@Namechange800 welcome and you can do it!

Have you thought of meal ideas for the 800 days?

I don’t think fast 800 would suit me but if I were to try it I would do OMAD. So just eat my normal evening meal as that has lots of veg and a decent lump of protein.

Thanks. No but I’ve ordered the books so planning to meal plan tomorrow.

Good luck, and enjoy the meal planning part- I always find that so motivating!

Welcome @Buntyforgirls and @Ahumanjellyfish !

I have weighed in and lost 200g/0.4lb this week, so I'm still up on the start of the month but going in the right direction. I've done 19-20 hour fasts every day. I've been increasing protein this week like other PPs and my scales say my muscle mass has increased and body fat gone down but they aren't very accurate so I don't know how true it is, but it could be the reason I'm not losing so much.

Congrats on finally seeing a loss on the scale @Rowdythree and @pippablackwell, it keeps me motivated hearing these stories when I'm having a plateau like I have been these last 2 weeks to remember this is a normal part of weight loss and hopefully will eventually result in a loss.

@Buntyforgirls I also often find myself losing focus and unable to concentrate as my main "symptom" of fasting. Throughout the day I will get hungry and my stomach rumbles a lot but that doesn't worry me at all, it's the not being able to concentrate around 3pm at work that is annoying. It has got better with time though and I find if I drink a lot of water and wait it out, I can start to concentrate again. I guess it's the point when my body is moving from using glycogen to fat as an energy source and I'm not perfectly fat adapted yet. Hopefully it improves with time!

My weight loss has stopped as I have not been watching the calories/protein as I’m stressed! Starting again tomorrow. Still making healthy choices though so the change in how I eat has continued.

I’ve lost 8kg overall and feel a lot better when I look in the mirror. Still want to lose another 4kg by summer to get to my ideal weight.

I need to start doing some weights as well to tone up and for health. Tricky as they have disappeared into my sons room🙄

Hello everyone, it's been a strange one for me, having that morning cup of milky tea really disrupted my day yesterday, I felt much hungrier in the morning than I had for ages, and today I had to break my fast at 12pm rather than the 1pm I had planned. I don't think I'll be having a milky cup of tea again for a while.

I'm going to try and finish eating at 7pm tonight so that I can get back on track.

I hope everyone else is having a good day!

Thanks for the tips@NatureGlimmers . I hope to keep extending my fasts, and eventually do a 24 hour once a week.
This weekend involved wine in the evenings so not sure how today will go as I find it harder when the fast window starts at 9pm. Also, I didn't sleep well because of the alcohol so have cancelled my pilates class for a gentle dog walk and yoga at home - maybe even in the garden.
This could be a tricky day, but I will listen to my body.
Also back on the green tea @Rowdythree !
Enjoy the day everyone and remember the good we are doing for our bodies!
(Note to self- no more wine!)

I managed my first 18 hour fast, which I'm really pleased about. I am struggling to know what to eat though. My go to is eggs or avocado on toast, but I don't want to eat too much bread 🤔

I’ve started making aubergine or courgette stacks - alternating layers with tomato sauce and cheese. With some tofu or lentil dish on the side.

@Rowdythree I generally make an eggs or avo bowl to avoid eating bread (I do eat bread sometimes but I don't want to eat it every day). I will put scrambled eggs and/or avocado in it, then add olives, pumpkin seeds, mature cheddar, pistachios and any other whole foods I have lying around and then eat it all mixed together.

Thank you for the suggestions, they both sound delicious! I'm going to make a crustless quiche today, as I haven't got round to trying that yet.

I hopped on the scales this morning and I'm down another 0.5kg so it looks like longer fasts are starting to work for me

Does anyone sign up to the Times? They had an article today saying intermittent fasting is linked to increased cardiovascular issues. Would be interested to know the research behind the article.

article is in the mail as well

If it was just the mail I wouldn’t be worried but the Times do tend to research properly. That said if it helps weight loss that must be good for heart health.

I have access to (not my own!) Times subscription and this is from the article:
However, long-term outcomes have now been explored in one of the first studies of its kind. After tracking about 20,000 adults in the United States, it found that those who said they ate within an eight-hour window were nearly twice as likely to die of heart attacks or strokes, compared with those who said they spread meals and snacks across 12 to 16 hours.
The researchers stressed that the results must be treated with caution, as this kind of study cannot prove cause and effect. They also had very limited information on the participants’ eating habits.

One limitation was that the volunteers who took part were only asked about their eating patterns on two days, and it was assumed that they followed the same schedule for several years. However, other experts said follow-up studies would be valuable as the “striking” results challenged widely held assumptions.

It’s correlative rather than causative, but interesting to read. I’ll see if I can share the article somehow if others can’t read it.

Yes I imagine people following a fasting diet are probably more likely to be overweight. So already higher risk, it doesn’t mean fasting is the factor that causes the increased risk 🧐

Glad to see the thread is still going strong. I've fallen off Mumsnet recently as am so busy. I'm still doing IF everyday though. I've plateaued and stayed the same weight exactly for three Weeks but I am my target weight so that's how it should be I suppose.

I'm going for 20 hours today, and then b2b 650c today and tomorrow, simply as I am away for 10 days with friends next week and won't be in control of own eating patterns much, although hope minimum of 14:10, depending when the wine stops flowing!
Big breath... I can try...feel so much better for it
What's everyone else up to?

@brightpompoms , well done on maintaining at target weight, that is fantastic! Do you switch up your IF patterns, or do the same fast daily? (Reading FFR, and she suggests this might help )

Good luck @Buntyforgirls and @brightpompoms well done for maintaining, if you're at your target weight then maintenance is the long term goal I guess!

I'm not fasting today, it's my dh's birthday so we'll be having a few treats. Back on it tomorrow though

Is everyone weighing in tomorrow? I’m hoping to have lost a small amount after stalling last week.

I've a habit of taking vitamins/mineral supplements at night, just before bed, It's the only time I remember to consistently take them, does this risk breaking my fast?