Intermittent fasting- Does this sound like it will work?

[Stormyinside]

I’m attempting to lose 2stone slowly- something I can stick to as a lifestyle change rather than a quick fix. I’m giving 16:8 a go, two days in.

My eating window is 10.30-6.30pm. I’m really struggling without my milky one sugar coffee in the morning, I tried to
drink black coffee yesterday and threw half of it away as it made me feel sick, this morning I dissolved a tsp of coffee in a small amount of hot water, let it cool and then knocked it back like a bleak shot 😂 I can stick to that, it’s not pleasant but stops me getting a caffeine withdrawal headache.

I’m trying to stick to 1600 calories, I know that’s not a massive calorie deficit but I’m
hoping that coupled with the fasting will be enough to shift some of my excess weight.

I’m hoping to add in some home workouts like Joe wicks a few days a week if I have the energy, I’ve heard it’s best to do it in the morning a couple of hours before you break your fast to make the most of the fat burning stage?

I like to have a nice drink (and a sugary snack to be honest) in the evenings when I’m watching tv just wondering if I’ll be able to get away with a Coke Zero of an evening during the fast once I hopefully get to the maintenance stage?

And what happens when you get to the weight you want to be? Do you increase calories or will you just stop losing naturally?

any input on your experiences and whether you think I’m planning anything that will sabotage the weight loss will be appreciated.

Hi, I do intermittent fasting. I would say that if you’re hating the black coffee, I’d stop now, because as you said, it needs to be lifestyle changes you can stick to. Realistically you’re not going to carry on with the cool black coffee shots. How many coffees do you usually drink in a day, and are you still having the same number, but just starting later in the day? I’m thinking it’ll be better to just keep trying to make it so that your first one is when you break the fast. It’s only been 2 days. Hopefully the headaches will stop as you get used to it. I have water at the gym, and break my fast when I get home, and really enjoy my sugary milky coffee then. In fact, I enjoy it even more, because I try and stick to just one or two a day now, so I savour it more.

I’ve also read that exercising first thing does help. For me, it’s also a case of getting it done early, otherwise I’ll make excuses not to do it. So I walk the kids to school, and keep walking straight to the gym, do a class, walk home, enjoy my coffee, then shower. And it’s become a routine I can stick to.

On the Coke Zero, I’m guessing it’s full of sweeteners instead of sugar, which can apparently spike your insulin levels just as much as sugar, and cause cravings. So although it might be calorie free, it won’t do you any good, and might make you end up falling back into the snack habit.

Once you hit your weight target, it’s kind of a trial and error process of figuring out how many calories you need. Online calculators will help, but not always accurate. The more healthy habits you can stick to long term, the better. Once I’d lost 1.5 stone, I relaxed and starting having a few more coffees, portion sizes probably crept up a little, more desserts here and there, plus Christmas chocolates and mince pies throughout December, and in 6 months I’d put half a stone back on. So now I’m back at it, but it’s a slog! So I’d not worry about maintenance calories just yet.

good luck!

Thanks for replying, very helpful. yes a long way to go before maintenance calories, wishful thinking at this stage.

You can have coffee with some cream instead, as it has much fewer carbs than milk .

also buy some decaf coffee and gradually wean yourself off the caffeine.

The rough rule is less than 50 calories isn't really breaking a fast*, so if you use cream be meticulous measuring it!

*Technically 1 calorie breaks a fast but this is an OK rule.

I loved exercising about 14hrs into my fast. It actually stopped me feeling hungry and I got a certain satisfaction that my workout was being fuelled by the fat I was storing rather than the food I'd just eaten iyswim.

I do intermittent fasting from 11am-7pm, I always have a cappuccino around 10am but dont eat anything until 11, have another cappuccino during the day, and I have to say it hasn't stopped me losing any weight, I've lost just over 3 stone in 9 months, I really cant see one milky coffee doing too much damage so if you enjoy it keep at it, so long as you watch what you eat during the day you should be fine, I also have the odd coke zero and again it does me no harm, I've only a few pounds left to lose so cant answer about maintaining yet but I'll make it up as I go along 😂

Yes I’ve been enjoying cream in coffee when I’m not fasting, much nicer and less carbs! I actually had and didn’t mind a black tea first thing this morning so will see how I get on with that first and if it’s still really hard then I might try the splash of cream.