4-week fasting countdown to February 2024!

[Peae]

Welcome all, this a thread for Intermittent Fasters who want a weekly check-in on Fridays. Chat between the check-ins are welcome too, share as little or as much as you like. Each Friday, log your weight, fast, whatever metrics help you.

Check-in 0 Friday 5 January.
Check-in 1 Friday 12 January.
Check-in 2 Friday 19 January.
Check-in 3 Friday 26 January.
Check-in 4 Friday 2 February.

This is hilarious 🤣

Im just nipping on here to agree with @Fullsteamahead - utterly hilarious.

Yes, you ARE very funny @StealthLaSilkySightHound and I feel hugely grateful to be benefitting from your insights on life and your self-deprecating (and hilarious) comments about yourself on a bicycle!

Now off for a hot bath and bed....

Night night all and a huge thank you for creating such a fun supportive and welcoming group to be part of ...

I too have enjoyed reading everyone’s posts. Particularly intrigued by the long fasters’ experiences.
I couldn’t face the cold walk so drove again. However this bought me time and energy this evening to prep some healthy meals and weightlift and swim! It felt blissful to enjoy a long shower and leave the gym feeling warm.

@Peae sounds like a lovely productive evening - I think we underestimate the need to balance our energy use.

I am over 41 hours now and will be breaking my fast soon I think - 42 hours will be an hour more than my previous longest fast. I am tempted to carry on giving how great @Fullsteamahead was feeling at 47 hours but I am taking my teen dc to see Hamilton tonight and it will be quite a long evening, it might be hot on the underground etc and I am not sure how I will be at that stage of a fast. Originally I thought being out would be a good distraction but I have wimped out!

Something really cringey just happened at a teams meeting and the urge to shove food in my gob when i got off the call was very strong but I am managing to resist!

Really interesting @StealthLaSilkySightHound. I can’t reply properly but wanted to say what a lovely moment with your dd ❤️ mine would probably love it if I cried with love as they think I have no emotions!

😢 we had an emotional situation in the summer and when people were nice to me that is when I would start to cry. Maybe the fasting is releasing something, I hope it’s a temporary side effect. I wonder if timing your fasts differently could help - it does seem like fasting does effect mood - unfortunately this study was on men as always https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10421233/#:~:text=Some%20of%20them%20prove%20that,lower%20work%20efficiency%20%5B27%5D.

i snapped at my dd who was being very provocative yesterday and it did make me think I will need to be mindful of my moods and time the 20 hourish stage for when my kids aren’t at home.

Hope you are doing ok @StealthLaSilkySightHound

how did your fast go in the end @Fullsteamahead

@StealthLaSilkySightHound This is just my own personal thought. And you might totally disagree. Maybe your feeling of grief is exactly that. You are losing the faithful friend who was always there when you needed comfort - the jam sandwich and similar. But you know that your "friend" was harming your health, and you need a new relationship with food. I know how hard it is to turn that around.

In fact, doing this new WOE has made me very tearful on a daily basis. I have no idea why.

I don’t know if it’s the same for you, but for me it’s because I’m now having to sit with feelings I would previously have soothed or squashed down with food. And I don’t always have alternative tools to do this, so it’s uncomfortable. Sending hugs your way.

Hi @StealthLaSilkySightHound ... Networking first... I have two go to options, first (when I'm prepared to be different or its sit-down) I ask for a low-carb lunch like a salad with protein and just eat this alongside others, there are always 3 or 4 of us. Second way - I eat ahead, or swift 5 mins outside with a couple of hardboiled eggs or wee pot of whatever - and then put together a plate that looks like Im eating - eg 2 small sandwiches and a few grapes... take a bite out of one sandwich and then just gently lose the plate later ("Ive had enough") Most people dont watch you eating if everyone's milling around and chatting.

Secondly - wow you have had a tough time. Grief feels like the right word - so many griefs, including recognising what you did not have when young (and witnessing how important it is, as you give your own children this). You have come so far. Perhaps too there is an element of seeing yourself give you and your body all the love and care it hasn't had before as you look after it through fasting. I hesitate to ask but have you been able to have any therapy? Or does journalling help you?? It feels so very very powerful how you are reshaping how you care for yourself now. I hope you can be gentle and kind with yourself.

Hi everyone! Hope everyone's January is going well. It's stinking hot where I am. Would love some cooler weather!

Had some progress this week so that's good because it wasn't looking great at the start of the week.

CW: 65.2kg
Drop from last week: 0.4kg
Total drop since Oct 2023: 7.3kg
Goal is 61.5kg

Good luck everyone!

(Tried to get in before the Southern Hemisphere!).

Check-in Week 1!!

How did everyone get on this week? I'm up early with my black coffee and my 5 year old so did my weigh in.

I've been very hungry last 2 days as I'm about 5/6 days away from my period so very normal. I just opened my eating window a little early and have eaten a bit more and that's been OK.

Exercise has been a struggle this week as I'm so tired so I've only been to the gym twice but I have been purposefully going for walks at lunchtime (I wfh 4 days) which has been so nice despite the cold. I need to remember it all counts and not be too hard on myself.

Starting weight (2nd jan) 10st 4lb
Current weight (12th jan) 10st 0lb
Goal weight 9st 7lb

Up 0.5kg this week for me. Not a surprise - my mood is low, I'm sleeping badly (except I had a brilliant sleep last night, hooray!), haven't been fasting for the 17h average I was doing in December, and have eaten a load of rubbish.

It's ok: I'm also eating some good, healthy home-cooked meals and it could be a lot worse. I have a work deadline I'm not happy about next Friday, and Big Life Decisions on my mind, so the fact that I'm still bobbing along, getting things done, and not curled up in bed catatonic is encouraging.

I'm enjoying the posts on this thread, thank you everyone.

Joining...

Starting weight - 2nd Jan 14st 6
5th Jan - 14st 3
12th Jan - 14st 1

Bit gutted tbh though have to look at the overall picture of 5lbs over 10 days. But my midweek weigh in was 14st so I have gained an extra 1lb somewhere!

800 cals a day, 12000k steps, doing C25K, drinking 2/3 litres a day. Fasting 23/24 from 6.30pm to 5.30pm. Very low carbs. Not sure what more I can do. So much effort for a measly 2lbs!

Anyway - positive vibes! The scales are going in the right direction