18:6 - Healthy weight by Christmas 2024

[Amazonmulu]

Over the summer I read Gin Stephen's Fast Feast Repeat book and started fasting 18:6 6 days ago.

I've not been very hungry apart from at the weekend. It's for sure lifted my mood and I just feel better.

Does anyone want to join me on an Autumn Fast in time for Christmas?

Thanks, then I'm jumping in and joining from the weekend.

What sort of meals do you guys eat in your six hour window?

I follow the recipes on the Fast 800 recipe book - high on protein and low on carbs. They are really nice too, although portions are (by necessity I guess!) smaller than I would like - which is why I’m chubby 😂

Thank you! I'll get my husband to download it tonight.

Btw - chubby = sexy fat

I eat regular food - the point for me of this way of eating is to take out the headache of macro or calorie counting. That said, it's all homemade, lots of veg and legumes. Yesterday I had the previous night's dinner for my first meal - a white chicken chilli from the Bold Beans website, and pork with new potatoes and a warm med veg salad. I don't often eat large quantities of meat but sometimes I really fancy it. I also made a Spanish butter bean and red pepper stew so I have that ready for lunch today. I'm working and I prefer to take my own food in with me.

What's regular food

@Namebechanged I mean what I fancy eating, be it pasta, salad, steak, etc. Basically I don't specifically choose food that would be considered 'good' as I'm trying to stop thinking that I've been naughty for eating pizza for example. Saying that, if I was to have pizza it'd be proper Italian pizza with minimal processing, rather than an overloaded Dominoes job. So just good home cooked meals with lots of good nutrition, and not to worry if I'm eating out as long as it's working my window.

Ditto - so much easier not measuring and counting.

I eat low UPF food and prioritise plants.

I batch made a 18 plant salad that I've been having for lunch every day - lashings of balsamic vinegar, gallons of olive oil and tahini.

For dinner I've had chilli, pasta, baked pots, Fish chowder, Risotto.

For me regular food is what my family is all having.

Have to say I'm in the office and STARVING today. I did 20:4 yesterday but defo can't manage it today.

Going to go and drink a gallon of weak coffee to help me last until I'm at 18h.

It's been a bit of a process, getting out of the good/bad food thing. Last night I had some chocolate in the bath, and that's fine - it's the learning not to eat the whole bar that's the tricky bit 😂

on Reddit the IF subs are obsessed with calorie-counting, but the IF advocates I follow specifically say not to calorie-count, so I don’t.

As PPs say, I do eat for health - reducing UPF and upping plant-based meals cooked from scratch.

I find it so much harder in the office! My team are feeders and we often get given boxes of chocolates or biscuits.

18 plant salad sounds amazing!

Got you. Thanks - seems a mich more balanced approach to eating

Can I join?I'm stuck at 13 stone 4 and also suspect I'm peri. I got into a nice routine of 16:8 but I think I need to try 18:6 to get it going again alongside low UPF and more plants. I'd love to be 11 stone but that's more long term, 12 by Christmas would be amazing! I've just had a week and a half of a rotten cold so have been eating anything that's comfort food and feel grotty. Weighing once a week is a good idea xx

Welcome @norbert23

I've found from my very short fasting journey that varying the fasting length does seem to help.

I've kind of settled into an average 19h fast and I'm dropping about 0.5-1lb a week. I'm not very active. Walk the dog daily and do some sit ups and push ups every day but that's it.

When I was doing 16:8 it gave me loads of time to eat and graze which didn't help anything for me.

I'm at a wedding today. Normally if I was being "good" I'd worry about what I can eat. Now that I fast I'm opening my window on the 2.5h drive there with some nutty snacks so I can last till after the service and then eating all the food I want until I close my window. Conveniently I have to leave and get DC and I can just close my window having enjoyed the beautiful friends wedding and not worried about being good or bad.

No more good eating and bad eating. There is just eating till I'm full and while I'm in my eating window.

It's transformed my life.

But... it's only been 25days 🤦🏻‍♀️😂 My worries how will it work during holidays and over Christmas???

I'm starting tomorrow! Husband is joining me so there's no snacking infront of me.

My aim isn't so much to lose weight as to calm my obsession with "what to eat next". There's so many benefits to fasting actually

@Namebechanged absolutely. 1 week in and I already feel more energised. I'm back using a fasting app too, and I love that once I close my window that's it, it feels like a definite shut off. I definitely recommend using one, as without it's all a bit more fluid.

How are you all doing? 10 fasts in and 3lb down, which is a nice start. I feel quite energised and positive, but really need to start adding back in my weightlifting. I'll do it tomorrow and assess how it works alongside the fast. I much prefer to exercise first thing, but it may be that I need to readjust. Walking and yoga are fine at least. I also managed a very busy shift in work fasted which I haven't done for a few years. I work in a restaurant so it can be tricky, but I drank coffee and ran about a lot until I could eat my overnight oats.

That sounds like an amazing start!

Also fasting while working in a restaurant 🤯 blows my mind. I can't even make DC breakfast when fasting 🙈

I'm approaching my period and have been grumpy and hungry 24*7. I really wish it would just come so I can move on.

Two nights out this week so I'm going to play around with OMAD and changing my fasting times 😱 Wish me luck!

Weirdly since starting (day 28 today) I've not really craved chocolate. Which is unlike me as I can eat two large galaxy bars in one sitting normally. So even though I've not dropped a huge amount for me this is mind blowing progress!

Starting weight 14'6
Today's weight 13'10.4
Goal weight 12'00

You've lost more than 2lb a week, which is amazing, as well as jumping into the next stone category which is always satisfying! That's fantastic.

Still here.

Completed by second 36 hour fast and seeing results.

I lost 6lb in September and looking to lose a few more pounds before our holiday then I’ll go back to 18:6 or similar.

That sounds great! I’ve done intermittent fasting before, and I agree—it can definitely lift your mood and give you more energy. I’m not doing 18:6 at the moment, but I’ve been focusing on a mix of workouts, healthy eating, and hormone balance. HGH therapy has been a game changer for me in terms of treatment, recovery and energy. It might be something worth looking into if you’re interested in boosting your results. Here’s more info if you're curious: medzone.clinic/product-category/hgh-pens-for-sale/

Good luck with your Autumn Fast! I’m sure you’ll feel amazing by Christmas!

Hello all. 6lb down and have been feeling fabulous. My tummy bloating, which has bothered me more than anything is significantly reduced, and I've been really happy with the foods I'm choosing to eat in my windows. As I restarted after a bit of a break I've not done my usual weight training as I made the mistake of doing so on my second fast in, and felt awful, but I've added it back in and seem to be able to do it without feeling wobbly afterwards.
I have felt a bit under the weather this evening and have indulged myself with bacon mac and cheese. Having an early night so hopefully I'll be back craving veg and beans again tomorrow.

I’d like to join you all please!

Per my shiny new username really. I’d never heard of Gin Stephens until this thread and have just ordered Fast, Feast, Repeat in paperback and then bought both that and the 28 day fast on audible as I’ve got a ton of credits.

I need to lose weight, I don’t eat that badly, I rarely drink. Piled on weight due to chemo and hormone therapy which didn’t ‘miraculously’ shift when I came off everything. Perimenopausal, I feel huge at the minute with a really bloated stomach which is hormonal, I can literally gain 7-9lbs pre TOTM, grim.

I’ve toyed with trying injections but am reluctant so want to try IF.

I also want to eat normal food, I’m a single parent and don’t want to demonstrate faddy eating. Normal food for us includes things like a salmon fillet with noodles and something green, homemade chilli and rice, a pasta thing I make with roasted tomatoes, cavolo Nero, Parmesan, garlic and pine nuts, minestrone and home made focaccia, marinated chicken with salad and a tahini dressing on a flatbread. The odd meal deal, Waitrose no 1, Charlie Bighams, M&S gastropub - whatever is on offer (realise these aren’t the best choice). Nothing fried, no fizzy drinks or biscuits to cut out. I don’t have a sweet tooth so rarely have dessert although could eat my body weight in cheese twists. I can’t eat a lot of eggs or high fat as I have familial Hypercholesterolemia, I love a boiled egg and soldiers for breakfast but that’s about it, once a week.

I’ll get stuck into Audible this weekend, book arriving on Monday and take it from there. No idea what is off limits or not sensible to eat atm so am here to/need to learn/read.

Hello @InForAPennyInForThreeStone
Honestly, this way of eating is so liberating, as like Gin Stephen's first book says, you're delaying what you want to eat, not denying yourself anything. As you adapt you may find that you crave more nutrient rich meals, though for sure when I started I'd have burgers, pizza, chips etc without worry, and still lost weight. I find it works so well with family meals and it takes away the faff of calorie and macro counting, which only makes me think about food more.

I've been back at this for 3 weeks today and have lost 6lb, so am delighted with this. I started a few days after a trip to Italy in which I felt I drank more than was good for me, so I've not had any wine at all in that time. Last night we had friends for dinner and I had several glasses. Was wonderful, until it was followed by the worst nights sleep ever. I think my body may be telling me something 😭