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.

thanks @NewYearNewYu and good to hear that's working for you. hi @brightpompoms thanks for sharing what you do. I've been fasting on and off for a couple of years now (mostly off). I used to reliably do 16:8 but its just enough for me to shift the weight sadly.. For the last three weeks I've been doing a minimum of 18:6 with a few 21 or 22 hours thrown in on a few days. I'm hoping to stick to this and have gone back to using an app to keep me accountable. Will try and hang around here with you lot for the inspo!

Howdy all, checking in for accountability. Got on the scales yesterday and they were below 90kg for the first time since covid! Pretty pleased with that. Last time I checked I was at 92kg, but not sure when exactly that was. I can't say for certain when I started, has been a gradual move and I think I only really realised I was basically IFing about 3 weeks ago so decided to do it more mindfully. In the past I've had great success with things like the Cambridge diet (basically Fast 800) but the weight doesn't stay off, so am trying to see IF as a lifelong commitment to myself rather than a quick fix.

I like breakfast so tend to have my first meal between 7 and 9am and then finish eating at 3 no matter what time I started. Have been toying with the idea of trying a longer fast, or interspersing IF with 5:2 and OMAD, but the moment I consider these things all I can think about is food. So I think maybe I'll stick to IF for now (been mixing up 16:8 and 18:6) as it's not been that hard.

The biggest shift for me is the mental one, thinking that it's taken 2 babies, a pandemic and 5 years for me to put on this additional weight so it makes sense that it might take until mid 2025 to get rid of it. Compared to the previous weight loss attempts where I've taken extreme measures and aimed to lose as much as possible in the shortest possible timeframe this concept of slow and steady feels very alien. I like doing things like the fast 800, but it's much harder in a busy family household compared to living alone where I would just empty the cupboards and fridge so there was no temptation! Also feels like there are more opportunities to slip up. But I have 20kg to get back to my comfortable pre-baby weight. 24kg to get to a weight that BMI followers would consider acceptable. Feels like a mountain.

@Beansandneedles well done on your weight loss, sounds like your current plan is working so I think you’re right to stick with it. I also feel the same about yo yo diets, it would be nice to lose weight and keep it off. Anymore than a lb or two per week is probably too much. If it took me 5 years to get to a healthy weight I would just be pleased to see the scales continuing down and not bobbing back up. In some ways the hard work truly begins when we let ourselves think the diet is over.

How's everyone getting on?

I'm within the target weight again so pleased with that.

I do think I need some positive role models so I think I'll start listening to the Zoe podcast again to keep me on the straight and narrow. I'd love to do the Zoe project but I couldn't afford it right now.

I’m still going with the IF and it’s working, I have lost a decent amount since the start of the year.
Anyine else still sticking with it?

I'm intermittent fasting as nothing else works for me, but there's nothing better than a bout of Covid to help it along!! I'm having to force myself to eat. Lost 6lb in a week.

I feel like it's my lifestyle now. I've been doing it since September and it's flexible to accommodate real life whilst still working well. It's amazing really.

I've been doing IF for 18 months now, it really does work for me. I don't eat breakfast until around 11am and I stop eating by around 7pm. I lost 2 stone over the first 6 months of that 18 months & haven't put it back on. I eat very clean but do allow sweets, chocolate, alcohol etc in moderation, as this is a lifestyle.

Hello! I started IF at the beginning of June, so have done it for about a month now. I’m doing 16:8 but am clocking up a few 17 and 18 hour fasts each week. I generally eat between 12-8pm but have been experimenting with earlier eating windows. My problem with stopping eating at 4-5pm is that I’m hungry at bedtime, and I think hunger wakes me up at night. Does anyone else find this?

I’m 40 and wear size 12 jeans. My belly is my biggest problem - although I think the bloating is endometriosis related. I started fasting to try and help with endometriosis symptoms - having read Emma Barnett rave about it.

I recorded a weight loss of 2.7kg (6lb) but my starting weight was taken on day 1/2 of my cycle when I think I always weight more, so not sure how reliable it is as a loss.

@Queencam I stop eating at 4:30pm and I used to be ravenous at night and miss the snacking terribly. But it just faded in time and snacking doesn't occur to me now.

Of If I did feel anything I'd have a mug of boiled water. Sounds sad but I quite enjoy it now. It's like a cuppa.

I've been doing it since September. I do 14:10 and don't calorie count or watch what i eat in the eating window. I've lost 2 stone 5. Gone from 12st 3 to 9 St 12. I'm in my 40s.
I have a day off fasting once a week.

Hello all, can I join you please? I have been roughly doing 16:8 this week after doing 12:12 for a while and deciding I wanted to extend my fasts. It has surprised me how good I feel, I've just done 19 hours and felt clear headed and well which I would never have thought so I'm going to try to do some longer fasts every so often.

I'm on my weight loss journey l. I've lost a stone up to now but am still very overweight and in the obese BMI range. I'm hoping this is sustainable and also will help my cholesterol, which is slightly raised.

Welcome @GameOfJones , I have been fasting on and off all year. I do indeed feel much healthier and my gp mentioned my latest blood tests were much better than last years.

Thank you @NewYearNewYu !

I am really pleased today as I've been trying to move towards the "clean" fast. Up to now I've been used to black coffee but had herbal tea in the evening as I can't drink my normal tea without milk in the fasting window. But I've just tried white tea from Clipper without milk and surprisingly really enjoyed it! So that's another option I will have now. I really like a hot drink before bed and don't like to drink black coffee at that time, so the Clipper white tea will be perfect for that.

Hi all. I’ve 10lbs to shift and I’m 53 and it seems harder now. I’m always more about health and nutrition and love healthy food and favour a Mediterranean diet. For the last 10 days I’ve been doing 18:6 , walking 10,000 steps a day. So I skip breakfast every day which actually suits me because it gives me more time in the mornings and I do t feel hungry after a tea and an espresso. I work in school and lunch is at 12 so it’s not too hard as I can’t eat at all before then.
L: salad leaves, king prawns, radish, tomatoes, yoghurt and mint dressing ( homemade) a tablespoon of chick peas, an apple.
3 water bottle refills throughout the day.
D: grilled salmon fillet, air fryer potatoes, steamed broccoli and a herby sauce( homemade).
A pear
Peppermint tea
So far only lost 1lb but I’m in the zone. I’m carrying on at weekends but with addition of a couple of glasses of wine but definitely reduced alcohol.

Would love to get involved! My baby is 7 weeks old and I got on the scales and have 2.5 stone to shift. Not breastfeeding so GP happy for me to crack on!

@Phatmumslim welcome to the thread. I have been where you are with post baby weight to lose. My advice is to be kind to yourself, remember your body has performed a fantastic magic trick, making a person from a few cells. It is hard on your body and some bits might never completely spring back to exactly where they were before! Also a newborn is hard work and it is difficult to watch what you eat when not getting an uninterrupted nights sleep.
Having said all of the above, good luck getting started with IF and keep us posted.

Another 1lb off. This is slow. 2 lbs lost in 2weeks. I’m impatient. 18:6
Yesterday-
L- salad including smoked mackerel, apple.
After work snack- carrot
D- chilli con carne, small to medium portion. Peach
Tea x 2
Espresso x 1
3 water bottle refills
8000 steps

I’ve gained weight this week. It is time of the month for me though, so been eating everything in sight. Can anyone who has read Fast Like a Girl tell me when this should subside?

One benefit of being 53 I guess but I am finding it slow. I used to buy a chocolate bar when it was totm. Never touched it at other times.

I'm also 1lb down this week but food has been all over the place as work has been manic. I've done at least 16:8 though and often 18:6. Too much junk creeping in once home though due to tiredness/stress eg yesterday:

B - black coffee
L - mozzarella salad
D - fish and chips takeaway and a gin and tonic!

I need to plan better to have easy, nutritious food ready to go for the days I stagger through the door after a long and stressful day at work.

Haven’t weighed again yet, but did 16:8 all week until last night - shared a bottle of wine with a friend.

also find I’m ravenous in my luteal phase…

quick post work dinner for me is always stir fry veg and brown rice. Yo Sushi do a range of stir fry pouch sauces in the supermarket which I quite like

I am allowing myself wine at the weekend just trying to reduce.
L at 12.30 was mashed small avocado one slice of sourdough toast. An apple.
D - will be grilled salmon fillet, roasted Mediterranean veg, bulgur wheat.

Ok just weighed and none off since last weigh. Maintaining the 2 lb loss. I am very used to no breakfast now and not eating until 12pm so will carry on and hope I see a dip. My tummy feels much flatter and I can now get trousers on that I couldn’t do up a month ago but would like to see the weight reflect that. everyone else ?
Yesterday: lunch at 12.15- salad of lentils with crumbled feta, lots of veg, an apple.
Dinner at 5.30- chicken tarragon with, herby potatoes and broccoli, 2x kiwis.
Lots of water, 2 x black tea with skimmed milk,1 black espresso, 1 camomile tea. 8000 ish steps

@greengreyblue I am exactly the same. I lost 1lb last week but stayed the same this week. I also feel like I look less bloated around my stomach but no change on the scales.

I'm sticking to at least 16hr fasts every day and finding that reasonably easy to be honest. I've done a couple of 19hrs so my average is sitting around 17hrs of fasting a day.

Yesterday:

Black coffee and water in the morning
Yoghurt, fruit and granola at 11.30am
Avocado on sourdough toast at 4pm
Black tea and water in the evening