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've lost the weight I put on over the Easter weekend this week which I'm happy about. Hopefully I can achieve my goal of 2kg weight loss this month.

I hope everyone else is getting on okay

I’m still fasting but went through an unhealthy spate which has lead to weight loss stalling

have decided to introduce more fermented foods to my diet and try the 30 plants a week too. Although that can wait until kids are back in school!

I've been making fermented foods a lot lately. I've done red cabbage,sauerkraut, cauliflower, broccoli and leeks.

@brightpompoms sorry to be dense but what is fermented cauliflower? I admit I may have completely misunderstood 😩

I lost 1.5 kg a few weeks ago in one week. It was a very stressful time and I barely ate. Then the following week I put on 1.5kg. Stress had gone ply I'd made two birthday cakes and we had two parties so totally expected. Then this week I lost 2.3 kg.is been trying hard but eating normally and often 3 meals a day. I can't get my head around it.

I wonder what next week will bring?

What has been helping is dusting off my Fitbit and making sure I do at least 10,000 steps.

So any vegetables can be fermented. You add brine which is just salt and water and leave it in a jar for a set time. Each veg takes a varying amount of time to ferment. There's a lactose acid that does some magic and over time. There's a lot of health benefits for your gut and microbiome. It's also delicious. Tastes like it's pickled when it's not.

Thank you, that is interesting , I’ve been reading the thread about secret ingredients in food and lots of people mention miso. I have to say my cooking is very plain and could do with some jazzing up.

Today, I hit my target weight of 10 Stone 12. This means that I've now lost exactly 5 stone since I started IF in July last year. I did the16:8 fast. I plan on keeping (mostly) to it for the foreseeable. Just going to add a few more treats to my diet.

This post was mainly to encourage others who are doing it and finding it a struggle. Hang in there. I know it's hard, at times, but keep at it. It does work.

@NewYearNewYu sorry I did a typo up there it's a lacto azide not lactose! Theres no milk! Here's a link to explain more thoroughly!

www.bda.uk.com/resource/fermented-foods.html

@dannyufcfan huge huge congratulations to you. That's absolutely wonderful news.
What an achievement! Is it just IF? Or do you exercise or do calorie defect too?

I don't know if I do calorie deficit at all. I just try and eat meals and no snacks. I do 20 mins actual exercise (squats and hula hooping) and the make sure I do my 10,000 steps

@dannyufcfan huge congratulations I hope I am where you are now in about a year. Do stay in touch with the threads, I think keeping the weight off is just as big a hurdle as losing it in the first place.

Congratulations to everyone who has lost this week!

@brightpompoms it's funny how weight loss works, there seems to be no reason to it a lot of the time. Interesting to read about your fermented foods, I used to eat a lot of kimchi but haven't had any in a while. Your post has inspired me to get back into it, as it's so good for our guts.

@dannyufcfan huge congratulations to you, what an inspiring achievement!

@HairScratcher how are you getting on?

0.9kg lost for me this week, which I'm so happy about, this has taken me into a healthy weight range rather than being over weight. I tried a few old pairs of trousers on yesterday and I can now fit into them. I haven't fasted today though, as I have had very low energy levels, does anyone have any tips for boosting energy?

I’ve had a tough few weeks so my eating hasn’t gone well but I am trying to focus more on 30 plants/fermented foods/protein goals. I’ve been keeping up with 16:8 barely and have not met any of my fitness goals

so mixed picture!! Checking into this thread has buoyed me up a bit. It’s good to hear everyone’s progress!!

I’m finding my energy levels vary according to my menstrual cycle so I’m trying to be abit more attuned to that and ease off on the fasting

@Rowdythree congratulations on the weight loss, that's huge! Also I agree with@HairScratcher if I'm ovulating I can barely do a thing!

Other energy boosters:
In bed by 10pm
No alcohol
Eat high fat and high protein
Drink water

@brightpompoms I think I have come to the conclusion that me, alcohol and late nights don't get on very well any more, which I'm finding quite a disappointing realisation. But feeling energised is a much nicer feeling than having a couple of drinks!

@HairScratcher I'm going to start keeping a record of my energy levels and menstrual cycle, that's something I hadn't considered to be a factor.

Maybe it's a combination of the two

I love fasting, I am just back from a week away where I ate out every night and had my fill of sweet snacks. I did still stick to my fasting hours and there was plenty of exercise but was pleased to get home only be 1lb heavier. Two days of normal eating and I have lost that pound. With previous diets a holiday would lead to a big gain so as I say, I love fasting.

@NewYearNewYu well done you! I bet you feel great for sticking to the fasting hours. It's so flexible isn't it!

I feel better about doing exercise. I did feel a bit like I was dragging myself around for a couple of weeks but now it's lighter I feel much more energised. And it's only 20 little minutes a day

I can definitely put my fatigue down to my menstrual cycle, I'm peri menopausal and my cycle is all over the place at the moment. I should have known it was a sign really. This has given me a boost to really listen to my body

How's everyone getting on? I still actually enjoying fasting everyday. I feel great and I'm staying on target. I definitely see it as a lifestyle now. I went out last night and it's all part of the lifestyle as it's so flexible. There's no falling off the wagon for me. Just adjusting the hours of fasting.

I've been listening to podcasts to help keep me on track with health and fitness. I like the Zoe ones if anyone is looking for something to listen to.

That's amazing! Have you done anything else apart from fasting? Restricted your eating, upped exercise? I have struggled to lose 2 pounds, then gone away for a few days and put it on again despite drinking no alcohol and walking all day long! So disappointing.

I'm 22 hours into a fast and can't wait to eat in two hours.

I'm aiming to do one 24 fast each month just to shake things up a bit

Wow, well done @brightpompoms ! How did you feel, We're you famished?

I didn't have a great week last week, so the scales went back up which I'm annoyed with myself about. Peri menopause and hormones can go away 😠 I'm back to normal now, so hopefully I can get back on track. I go away in 4 weeks so I'd love to lose a bit more before I go

@Rowdythree don't worry my scales are always going up and down. So long as it's down overall that's the main thing.

I was famished by the end and sick of black coffee! But glad I've done it for another month.

Well done to everyone who is still perservering with IF. I have been doing intermittent fasting for 5 months now, on average 19:5, and I lost 9kg over 3 months but then it plateaued and now for 7 weeks it's been gradually going back up. If it had just plateaued I'd have probably stuck with it and waited to see if I lost any weight but now that it's starting to go back up I've decided I need to try something else. I've read Mindy Pelz book Fast Like a Girl and I'm going to try her recommendation of tying it all to my cycle, eating different types of foods at different stages in the month, and including some 36 hour fasts. It all sounds a bit complicated but I've planned it out now and I will try my first 36 hour fast Thur - Sat, wish me luck! Anyone else following Mindy's recommendations?

I probably should have added, that yes I also went from zero exercise to exercising everyday. The reason I didn't mention it, is exercise is supposed to help so little with weight loss that i'm not sure how big a factor it actually was. Obv, it never hurt!

I was losing about 6 pounds on average for the last 6 months or so. I lost more at the start.

Feel free to ask me any other questions here or PM.