Introducing intermittent fasting

[StuntNun]

This thread is for Bootcampers that are interested in introducing intermittent fasting. There are a myriad of health benefits from fasting and it is particularly useful for anyone who is likely to be insulin resistant (diabetes, prediabetes, PCOS). It can also be useful for reducing overall calorie intake if you are hoping to lose weight more quickly, you are in an extended stall, or are close to your goal weight and weight loss has slowed.

If you're like me and you've never skipped a meal in your life then fasting may sound daunting but it really isn't difficult. It only takes a matter of days to get used to the feeling of hunger rising and then passing again. If you already miss meals or find yourself not feeling hungry at breakfast time then it will be even easier to introduce intermittent fasting, you're just formalising something that is already happening.

You should wait until you are at least two weeks into Bootcamp to start fasting and some people may need to wait for longer. Once you are fully adapted to burning fat your hunger levels rise more slowly and you have access to your fat reserves to get you through a longer fasting period without much hunger.

The method that combines best with low carb is intermittent fasting 16:8 where you have a minimum of three 16-hour fasts per week. This is usually by missing breakfast so if you have finish dinner at 7 p.m. then you don't eat again until at least 11 a.m. the next day. You can also miss dinner and fast from lunch to breakfast instead but most people find that less convenient; it depends on your lifestyle.

The easiest way to introduce fasting is to give it a try. Make a note of what time you finish eating and see when you get hungry the next day. If you're naturally getting hungry after 12 hours then aim for 12.5 or 13 hours for your first fast and build up to 16 hours gradually. It's fine to have a cup of tea or coffee (with milk not cream) during your fast period. At your usual breakfast time you will probably feel hungry. Have a hot drink and/or a big glass of water and usually the hunger will subside and then rise again later in the day. You don't need to fast every day to get the health benefits so if you're particularly hungry one day then just have breakfast and aim to fast the next day instead.

. I would definitely have ended up snacking last night if I wasn't aiming to fast this morning so I think intermittent fasting is helping me deal with non-hunger eating.

Yes to this.

I am also finding it easier to cut my portion size in the meals than am eating since I started fasting, in particular the meat portion. Feel a little peckish now but I've just done my sixteen hours, there is no urgency to eat so I'll put it off as long as possible. I've never in my life -up until I started bootcamp- eaten when my body tells me to and stopped eating when my body tells me I don't need anymore as opposed to there is no way I could manage another bite or I don't have time to eat any more.

I would definitely have ended up snacking last night if I wasn't aiming to fast this morning so I think intermittent fasting is helping me deal with non-hunger eating.

Yes, agree totally.
I wake up in the morning now thirsty and I know it is thirst, not hunger. I can now tell the difference, which I think is a big help in cutting out snacking.
Didn't get home until 8pm last night, so quick dinner meant I have fasted from 8.30pm. Will therefore do a 16-17 hour fast today. This is becoming the norm now and very doable.

I've just eaten breakfast now so did a seventeen hour fast in the end. I forgot to drink my ACV in water before eating so drank it alongside my food which was left over pork chop and stir fry. I think there's supposed to be a gap between drinking the ACV and eating? So perhaps not ideal but actually made it very doable. Although come to think of it it's still good for you if you put it on your salad so perhaps it is ok. Anyone know?

I made it to 10:30 but then ate far too much for breakfast. DS4 and I went out for an English breakfast and I screwed up the order so we had far too much bacon. This is why it isn't a good idea to let yourself get really hungry before eating I suppose. I ate until my plate was empty (a bad habit I'm struggling to break) then still felt hungry even though I had eaten loads. Ten minutes later I felt overly full. That's where years of being made to clean my plate as a child got me. Still at least I'm aware of these issues so I can try and do something about them. I just wish there was a way to relearn how to tell when I'm full. My kids are all great at it: as soon as they're full they stop eating, no matter how nice the food is that they have left.

16.5 hours here. Could easily have gone longer, but would have got into the situation of going 20 hours again when I know I would be very hungry.
Stunt the "you must clear your plate" mentality has a lot to answer for, hasn't it?

I did 16 hours again. Feeling that it's really helping me feel more in control around food.

Captain I can see where it comes from, my dad grew up with rationing and my mum is one of 11 so there was never enough food to go round. But we were systematically taught to ignore our feelings of satiety and to eat out of politeness rather than hunger. It's ridiculous in hindsight. However my mum is even worse than me, she cannot see food go uneaten and will eat all the leftovers on my kids' plates so they "don't go to waste". She will also eat leftovers in the fridge "because they were about to go off". Needless to say she's overweight. She's even stopped me throwing away milk that had gone off because "it wasn't that off" and she would rather drink it than let me pour it down the drain. No wonder I have food issues!

Was it the Idiot proof diet book that said "You are not a dustbin?" I find this handy to remember when I want to hoover up leftovers and am now very good at putting them in the bin instead.

Definite NSVs today. I didn't have lunch because I had such a big breakfast. I didn't get hungry at lunch time. Such a change from when I had to eat every two hours or become a raving lunatic. Then DH made a lush dinner of barbecued rump steak with dressed leaves and coleslaw and I left some on my plate! I just reached a point where I recognised I was full. It was hard to leave the rest of the steak because it was really tasty but I didn't need it. I have a bottle of soda water brewing with a rose lemonade teabag in the fridge so I'm going to have that over ice with a slice of lemon for the rest of the evening.

Well done Stunt I also left half my dinner, but I think that is more because I added lc naan bread to my usual butter chicken and cauli rice and I just hadn't realised how filling it would be. Leftovers all packed up for lunch tomorrow, so it saves me sorting something else out.
Fasting from 8pm tonight.

Captain is this the coconut bread recipe that's been talked about or a different one? Sounds nice.

Oh I've just seen you've posted the link to the recipe on the other threads. It looks delicious. I'll definitely be having some of that thanks.

Very it was very nice and filling - I'm still full now!
I've been up since 4am because of work. I would usually have several a creamy coffee, but I've stuck with black coffee at the moment and it's going down ok. I'll see how the morning goes, but if I really want one later, then I will.

I've downloaded Breakfast is a dangerous meal onto my kindle. Has anyone read it? It looks interesting. I know BIWI has recommended it.

I'm very tempted to read it Captain. I'd be interested to know what you think. My default setting is no breakfast but I was led to believe that this is why/because I'm fat so felt ashamed of it. Doing low fat I had more of a breakfast hunger, in fact some days I was very hungry, but then I'd want to eat all morning. It never made sense to me that breakfast was an essential meal. And of course I've taught all my children that it is. Well for young ones going to school I'm sure a healthy breakfast is good but as they get older? I'd be interested to know if it says anything about children.

I've started reading it but then got distracted by Jason Fung's Obesity Code. Do remember that Breakfast is a Dangerous Meal is intended for people with diabetes so it may not be as applicable if you don't have diabetes.

I had breakfast this morning, couldn't be bothered with fasting as yesterday was a difficult day that ended up with wine and carbs - not many but more than ideal. My DS1 got beaten up at school again and his bike was damaged so I've been trying to organise a new bike for him. I haven't managed to find a secondhand one on local selling sites and the bike shop I went to said they wouldn't be able to get a new one for him until July! He cycles to and from school and there's no school bus so we really need another bike right away.

Stunt that terrible. I can only begin to imagine how you're feeling.
(Thanks for the reminder re breakfasts)

Stunt that's just terrible, your poor boy.

I've done another 16 hours today, but it felt harder that it has been - not because I was hungry, per se, just because I was having a 'miss carbs' moment. I'm exhausted because I haven't had a decent night's sleep since I started this 4 weeks ago. I feel wired half the night. And secondly, my poor gut :(. Im swinging from the runs to constipated (currently in the latter phase). I'm sort of used to it with IBS, and I certainly don't have the pain and bloating I had before, but it's still demoralising having my left ruled by the bloody toilet. I just kept thinking today that a big slice of toast and honey and a bowl of porridge would go down a treat, and maybe help me sleep. But I resisted!

oh dear, Stunt your poor son. Hope he's ok and you've managed to get him a bike.

Have recently been fasting 7 pm -11 am, except for 2 coffees with 2 tsp cream in each. They fill me well and I need only a small lunch, such as a 2-egg omelette and small salad. Then nothing till 6-7, when i have a LC supper of lots of veg and some meat/fish/chicken. Another coffee with 2 tsp cream after supper. Is this ok, in the opinion of such learned folk? Thanks for your critique! ( the coffee w cream makes it all bearable!)

Polly if it works for you then keep on doing it. Four teaspoons of double cream is about 90 calories so above the 50 calorie rule of thumb BUT there isn't any real supporting evidence for the 50 calories, it's just a rule of thumb from anecdata.

Still no bike for DS1. We went to a different bike shop after school yesterday but it was closed with a sign saying back on Saturday. We're now sitting outside the bike stop which is still closed.

Thank you, stunt - so sorry to hear about your boy and the bike.

polly have you tried the coffee without the cream? I was doing what you are and was worried i needed the cream to keep my hunger at bay until lunch. I've now switched to black coffee in my fasting window and only having cream during my eating window and it's fine, not a problem at all. I have been pleasantly surprised.
Stunt hope the shop is now open and you've managed to get him a new bike.

So, I'm at 16 hours now, but not eating yet, likely to be another 1.5 - 2 hours, I think.

I accidentally did 18 hours today - courtesy of pre holiday prep of eyebrow wax, leg wax and haircut :). I'm still not sleeping though, gut is still shot to hell (now constipated) and the last three nights I've had incredibly itchy legs - it appears there is such a thing as keto itch! Who knew. Anyway, in desperation I had some tomatoes, half a small red pepper and a small red onion in my salad. I'll have some berries later. Hoping that's enough carbs to reduce the general yuckiness (because otherwise I'm actually fine), without messing about with how well Im doing otherwise.

I think I did 18 or 19 hours fasting. I was pretty hungry by the time I got to lunch but then didn't eat that much - maybe it's the heat.

The bike shop did open in the end (half an hour late!) and it's a good thing we arrived early as another three customers arrived while we were getting sorted. DS1 has a brand new bike arriving on Tuesday at ruinous expense. The little sod darling is 5'2" now so he's into adult-size frames! Pretty sure that's not allowed. He's still my baby after all. He's been having a lot of problems with bullying since he moved schools in September but I think getting an "adult" bike is a big psychological boost for him.