16:8 does not feel like another shitty diet!. I managed to lose fat, have more energy and feel positive about life.

[sbh1991]

Hey,
I want to share my experience, I tried several diets in the past with little luck, I found them boring and I usually ended up caving in, binging on food and ending up back at square one.

However, I finally found the 16:8 fast really worked for me in losing weight.
I enjoy my food and more importantly I enjoy life without having to restrict myself anymore. Life is too short as they say!.

Weight loss can fill like a constant uphill battle, I know that feeling first hand. So, I would like to help where I can, let me know your struggles with the diet or what problems you have?. Happy to give tips or inspiration to others from my experience.

It is the little steps every day that add up to big results over time 😀. Let's all help and support one another!.

*Get back on it

Hi! Room for another?

I’ve decided to give it a go and am on day 2. I have a good few stone to lose and have been overweight/obese since early teens (now 33). I have never yo-yo dieted as my willpower is next to non existent! I tried MFP for a bit years ago but it very quickly made me super anxious and obsessive and paranoid I was measuring wrong. I am autistic and get into black and white thinking very easily.

I was also diagnosed with ADHD in November and the meds for that (like Ritalin) have helped - for me food=dopamine :o and it cut my sugar and caffeine cravings a lot, but now I am less impulsive as well so am also more capable of making good decisions. Between new year and a few weeks into lockdown I slowly lost about 1.5st with no effort, but since then the lack of distraction and some emotional baggage has meant I’ve been a bit up and down.

I tried MFP again for a couple of days but nope, quickly got really stressed out and thinking about food all day! I had 1800 to play with FFS (aimed for 0.5lb a week) but I felt so anxious. Feeling deprived or banned from something isn’t a good state for me (is it for anyone?!). Whereas this feels easy and not like something I’d be desperate to stop after a few days.

I learned a bit about blood sugar when I had gestational diabetes, and kept my sugars controlled with LCHF and lost weight, but doing it for the baby (now 2!) was much easier than doing it for myself! I have somehow avoided type 2 but I am insulin resistant.

Anyway I have long known (and yet usually can’t stick to it) that eating late makes me cranky and hungry in the morning, so I am hoping this rule will help there too. I did still feel hungry for a while before eating at 11.30 today (12.30 yesterday) but by that point I’d gone past the craving for sugary cereal and actually just wanted savoury food. I’ll still try and have a lower carb portion at dinner and if I want something sweet I’ll have it as dessert - not leaving it until 10pm as a “reward” as all that does is spike my sugar AGAIN.

I’ve never felt like a “diet” was accessible and achievable for me. EVER. And I know it’s only two days but I do feel like this could help as nothing is actually off limits, and I don’t so far feel like I need to “make up for” the fast hours. I don’t like tea or coffee anyway so water only is easy too.

I’m writing down everything including time I eat so I can get a feel of what works but basically I want to try this for two weeks at least. I have a feeling I’d need to do it daily as I don’t do well with inconsistency (something like 5:2 would not work for me) but I guess in time I could relax for social reasons now and then (I can’t work ATM).

Sorry that was a load of waffle! 😳 Going to go and read more of the thread now.

@LaneBoy hello, I hope 16/8 works well for you. Given what you've said I think it will! I'm similar to you in that I've tried calorie counting and other diets such as low carb but I've never been able to maintain it and have felt restricted. I've stuck at 16/8 for years and find it so easy. I don't calorie count and never eat "diet" or low fat foods. I just stick to a balanced diet and allow myself treats (although don't go crazy). It's worked really well for me. I'm a healthy weight and have maintained it for years. I admit the change in lifestyle that came with lockdown (less rushing about and more snacking) meant I put on a few pounds. Only a few and I'm still the same BMI but it made me realise you can put on weight whilst doing 16/8. I think it's also related to being 45... I'm being a bit more careful now but still eating what I want within reason. I generally feel much healthier doing 16/8. I love the fact the body has time to heal whilst you're fasting. I can really feel it working!

Thank you sally! :)

Today is harder so far (dinner was later than planned but I downloaded the Iife and zero apps to try so I really want to not hit the stop button before 16h :o) - eldest up really late with friendship worries, then the toddler was up twice. We have some work being done here today so I can’t sleep the morning away either! I was tempted to have a day off but I remembered what I’ve read on the thread so far about insulin and ghrelin. I’ll definitely listen to the podcasts too - have been meaning to try some so that’s good timing! Due to having had GD (twice, we think, as my middle child was massive) and apparently having mild PCOS, I am high risk for T2 so the knowledge about insulin is really motivating. I can’t believe I’d not thought about the frequency of eating and the time you eat any sugary snacks because of more frequent spikes. I’m sure I’ve heard and read over the years that you should eat little and often to keep your blood sugar even .

I will probably have some soup when the kitchen opens as I’m quite stressy due to the visit today and need convenience. I’m not planning to calorie count at all, as TBH at my size I don’t need to restrict hugely to lose! Especially if I’m making better choices with protein/fat vs carbs and eating less crap because of the smaller eating window! I know I could lose weight faster if I did but I know for me that’s likely to make me want to rebel - I’m very happy with slow loss.

I’m just over a flare up (I have ME, fibro and PoTS) and haven’t exercised properly for a few weeks, it’ll be interesting to see how that goes - I think I’d be better off trying it before eating so hopefully tomorrow. It’s only gentle stuff anyway.

Fast 3 done :) that’s the first time I’ve definitely done the full 16 - it was hard and I did feel quite achy and dizzy at times but (and this really isn’t meant to sound all “poor me”) that is a fairly frequent thing for me due to the health issues. So I’m not entirely sure it’s due to the fast. And I definitely felt better than I do when I’m crashing from a sugary breakfast - although I was really hungry I wasn’t shaky and panicky. I really enjoyed my lunch (in the end I had half an individual quiche and a big salad with mayo, avocado, nuts and seeds added) and had a single chocolate after. I am definitely thinking more about food now! But I’m full so it’s all in my head.

Past 12 was a bit of a struggle TBH so I’m going to have to cut my eating window short to gradually move it back (I won’t be able to tonight as we don’t eat until after DS’ taekwondo class on zoom).

I'm about 6-8 weeks in, and although weight loss is slow (i've lost half a stone so far) I'm seeing loads of other benefits. The main one being that my energy levels are through the roof! I have so much energy, even after bad nights.

When I first started I struggled to reach 16 hours, now I mainly do 18:6 with a few 20:4s a week thrown in. I find it so much easier to just not eat, than to eat 6 mini meals/snacks per day. I felt constantly hungry and was always thinking about food when I did the whole 3 low cal meals plus low cal snacks a day. This feels so much easier for me.

That’s great moon!

Finished fast 4. I had a sort of lie in (dozed after a rough night with the toddler) so that used up a bit more time. I only had to last till 11 because I ended my eating window earlier yesterday - I think I’d had too much carby stuff and I was just miserable thinking about food so I had a pitta bread and taramasalata instead of dinner as it was a nuggets and chips sort of evening and it didn’t feel worth it when I knew I’d find it hard not to snack further on top of food I didn’t really want. In a way it made it a lot easier just to close the kitchen earlier - but does there come a point where you fast too much and not eat enough etc?

I did manage my workout for the first time in ages today though, just before my fast ended, and it was fine. It’s only short but it’s something!

I have tried this but get so hungry in the mornings until my window opens at 11am. I am doing it maybe 3 times a week and have been for a couple of weeks but sometimes I just feel so nauseous I just need to eat something.

How long did it take for you before the hunger stopped and it became easier?

Fast 5 done. Finished slightly earlier (still did just over 16h) because I started it earlier. I had dinner followed by a couple of chocolates, and then closed the kitchen immediately as I knew I would just eat for the sake of it otherwise!

I have had cereal now so we shall see how that affects my hunger levels for the rest of my window. I was really craving carbs.

Could you move your window back a bit super? I am absolutely not an expert being less than a week in :o but I did see that some prefer to have breakfast at a more normal time and just eat dinner earlier. Or you could try 14:10 instead of 16:8 to ease you in?

Those of you who are losing on this...would you mind sharing what an average day looks like food-wise in your window?

It's not really making any difference to me but I don't feel like I am eating loads in my window?

Lunch - usually a sandwich or something like Bolognese or chilli
Snack - fruit or chocolate bar
Dinner - spag bol, chilli (obv not if I've had it for lunch!), meat and veg, pasta etc.

I’m eating normal meals - some days I’ve not actually skipped breakfast but just condensed them into the 8 hours. I think it’s the lack of snacking that’s made the difference and in particular the fact that if I have had something sweet (I would really struggle to ban myself from anything like that - it’s always counterproductive for me) I have it immediately after the meal as pudding, rather than having it on its own. I think that’s better for blood sugar (I did a lot of food pairing like this when I had gestational diabetes). I’m definitely less hungry between meals that way too. So if you did want to have chocolate or fruit in the day you may be better off having it with the meal rather than as a snack?

I’m not counting calories or anything, but I do have a lot to lose (current BMI 36ish) so I’m not needing to get into detail to see a difference. I’m being mindful of general carbs when I can, eg yesterday I was craving a sandwich but only had one slice (granary) and put in extra chicken and avocado so it was still filling.

Very early days though as I’ve done 8 fasts in a row (lost 1.8lb from last Monday to this) so no guarantees this is the right way to do it! I am doing a clean fast if that’s relevant (I don’t like tea or coffee so it’s no bother).

Thank you. I have around 5 stone to lose, so seems like it should be working, but it's just not.

I will move the sweet treat to straight after a meal, thanks for the tip.

I have been doing 16:8 for almost a month now. When I started I was already losing a good amount of weight but eating this way suits me much better so it’s been really good. I also think it’s speeded up my loss.

Today, I broke the fast at 11 with a protein smoothie made from fruit and veg and protein powder. For lunch I am having smashed avocado on toast with two eggs. I am also having low fat Greek yoghurt with strawberries and chopped nuts. For dinner I am having roasted salmon with new potatoes and salad and then some chocolate ice cream for desert. I don’t feel deprived in any way eating like this but I do think the most important thing is to make sure you’re eating at a caloric deficit.

Hi I’d like to join, I’m not sure how much weight I’ve put on since lockdown because a bit too scared to weigh myself currently. I put on a couple of stone after my second child who is now 4,was able to lose 1.5 with slimming world but then it has crept back on and lockdown has made things much worse. beginning of lockdown was not too bad food wise because there were few snacks in the house and we were not going to the shop
All the time. Now things have relaxed and I have been very stressed at work the night time snacking has increased. I noticed that as soon as I tried to do sw again during lockdown I felt deprived and started bingeing at night. So I’m wondering if doing 16/8 will help me. I’m going to make a start with the zero app, hoping this will make my relationship with food better. I’m planning on relaxing the eating window on weekends though but hopefully no bingeing. Am going to try and get dh involved and he said he would and then asked ‘but it’s ok to have a few beers every night right?’

I think I have about 5 stone to lose as well really although the idea of being that much lighter is a bit of a stretch for the imagination tbh!

I’m really glad I’ve been sticking to the fasts - on my tenth now I think. Today’s been really stressful for various reasons including something that made me really anxious just before dinner. I’m still really stressed now but normally I’d be absolutely stuffing my face right now, even though I’m full from dinner. I can feel the urges to eat - to push the anxiety down with comfort food - but amazingly, knowing the kitchen is closed is making it easy not to.

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Hi it’s Halide have changed name to be more relevant! I’m on day 3. Found it a bit hard not eating in evening last night because we didn’t have a family meal the way we usually have been doing since lockdown. So I had what I fancied from the fridge and no dessert as I had had an ice cream earlier in the day. Then this morning was a little bit tough and I had a bit of a headache but I managed it by drinking tea. Today I had some fruit first thing then my dh had the children for a few hours so I made myself a nice brunch of eggs and crusty bread. I’ve planned to make pasta with pesto and some veg for the kids for tea so I will have some of that and some soup which is already in the fridge and I will have a bit of apple pie which I am going to make with the children as an activity (I am off work this week) I am hoping this way of eating will stop me thinking about food all the time and seeing it as a reward in the evenings!

Is anyone around to advise please? I’m going to be booking the gym tomorrow for the first time since lockdown and I’m not sure what time to go as my eating window is 11.30-7.30. I’ve managed a bit of exercise some mornings before eating but not as intense as the gym would be especially as I’ll need to walk down to town to get the bus too. Maybe I should aim for 10.30 so I have the 50min session but keep it fairly simple this time as it’s been so long? And then I can eat after? I’ve no idea!

@laneboy You'll probably want to eat soon afterwards if it's your first time exercising on a fast.

I'm 2 weeks in to IF and now happy to wait a few hours after working out to eat, but the first couple of times I really wanted food afterwards.

Thanks. I guess I’m just worried I’ll be hungry and not as strong if I’ve not eaten yet! I definitely don’t feel as anxious about eating before doing anything now (3 weeks into fasting) but it would be a bigger workout. Although maybe I’d be spending more time figuring out the new system with cleaning and stuff anyway.

I’m not sure if it would be better to eat at 11.30 (yoghurt with nuts/seeds) then go at 1.

I’m probably vastly overthinking 😳😂 there are hardly any bookings yet so I could see how I feel in the morning I suppose.

Sorry, haven't RTFT but it's this diet every day?

Any room for a new joiner? I tried this a few years ago and failed miserably because at the time I was a post grad student getting up at 4am for work then staying in the lab until 9pm so I just couldn't spend that long on my feed while fasting. Now I have a more regular schedule i'd like to try again. I'm 5ft 9 and 11 1/2 stone so i'm not technically overweight but I carry almost all my weight in my belly/bum which is supposedly bad health wise so i'd like to loose about a stone.

I’m doing it every day at the moment but not everyone does. I have many stone to lose though, and am insulin resistant, so I want to maximise the effect.

I’ve had the odd day where I’ve reduced the amount to do 14:10 instead because of dinner being late and when I was full of PMT rage 😳 but if I want a day “off” I still set the timer for a minimum of 12h because the late night snacking is my downfall.

My decision re the gym was made for me as DSD has hurt her back so DH is on a drug run! So I’ll eat at 11.30 as planned and then go later.

I do it every day, but you can do it a few days a week instead if that's easier. I find I have adapted to smaller portions now and really enjoy my food, rather than just wolfing down whatever is to hand. Lost 2lbs last week - still having occasional treat and alcohol.