Just Starting This Group

leighn62

Hi! My name is Leigh and I've been doing a ton of research about Intermittent Fasting and the use of HCLF or Keto to sustain it. I am a 53 year old woman and most message boards I see on the internet relate to a somewhat younger crowd. Sometimes there is a lot of HIIT involved for exercise which is very beneficial, but being of "a certain age" like myself I'm inclined to do 30 minutes on the elliptical or treadmill maybe 4 times a week. That's as intense as it gets for me although I'd love to hear ideas from others about the type of fasts and exercise they do. I'm always looking for new ideas and motivation. Of course I'm in it for weight loss mostly but there is a good deal of research on the beneficial aspects of IF from a longevity and aging perspective aside from weight loss. I'd love to hear from anyone and everyone interested in beginning the IF journey or practicing IF currently.

abzbargs

Hi, I've been reading up on this too and have seen some stuff on tv about its benefits. For the last two weeks I'm eating a large lunch at 1pm and dinner between 6pm-7pm (depending on work). Trying to eat no snacks between those meals. So that's 18:6 I'm doing. Walking at least 5 days a week for an hour in the morning. Aiming to fit in some more walks and swims also. I'm 40. Enjoying this so far. I'm feeling more energetic, happier and healthier. I've also lost 7lbs in the two weeks since I started. Let's motivate each other.

regmcc

Will be 53 next week. I just lost over 50lbs on the program called Ideal Protein and I'm just starting their maintenance program. It's a very restricted calorie diet and excersize isn't suggested, which was a real draw for me because I tend to be a bit lazy lol. In the past when I did excersize I walked a lot and have Jillian Michaels dvd's which I really enjoyed. I'm not a gym rat lol. Anyways I just found out about IF and am just starting to do a bit of research. I don't want to feel like I'm on a diet for the rest of my life and I think this may be a great option for me and especially my husband who isn't a breakfast person at all.

leighn62

I've been doing IF with Low Carb steadily for a couple of weeks. If started 16:8 and am now able to go 18:6. I find wonderful freedom being able to eat a large satisfying meal twice a day. I make sure I have a good bit of protein and fat with my first meal (about 1:30 pm) so that I'm not too hungry before my 2nd meal around 7:00 pm. It has made me realize that if I'm hungry between meals, I'll be fine. There's no need for me to have a snack. After all I'm able to fast 16-18 hrs at a time!. I feel powerful and in control of my life. I do count calories here at MFP. I try to stay around 20-35 gm net carbs but I don't freak out if I go to 50 gm of net carbs. I haven't lost as much weight as I want to far, so have reduce my calories a little. So much easier to accomplish lower calories when each meat is at least 600 calories! I would never have considered eating 600 calories at one sitting. But I can and I really love feeling full and not deprived because I had to split my calories between 3 meals AND snacks. None of the meals or snacks satisfied me so I just kept eating. Now I'm SO satisfied with lots of yummy fat, meat and veggies (with butter or cheese of course). IF and Low Carb for Life! Love to hear how you all are doing!

leomakarov

How much weight is typically shed per week with a 18:6 IF plan ? I just started it 2 days ago and lost 4 lbs. Is that normal ? Everywhere I read it states that typical results are 1.5 to 2 lbs per week. I'm 35 and not sure if that's considered the "younger crowd" or not. LOL.

To Leigh, High Intensity workouts are counter-productive while IF. Instead, like someone mentioned, walking or other low intensity workouts are a lot more beneficial while in a fasted state. From what I've understood, ALL workouts should be done during the fasted state to maximize their potential.

How much weight is everyone losing per week ? And what is the recommended calorie intake per day ? I'm currently averaging about 1000 calories during my 6 hrs of eating time. MFP frowns on this and won't post my progress because of it. Haha

TheDoctorDana

Hello. I just started IF about a month and a half ago. So far I have lost 12 pounds. Mine is 20/4. I eat from 4 - 8 and keep it under 2000 calories a day. I haven't started exercising yet because I am waiting for my DDP yoga program to arrive, it was on backorder. Before IF, I was off and on counting calories and hating it. I'm really liking IF so far. I feel like I am in control and I never liked to eat breakfast anyway. Since starting my weight loss journey. I have lost a total of 50 pounds.

leighn62

Hi leomakarov. Yes you are of the younger set. HaHa. It does seem like 1000 calories is pretty low for a guy your age. People suggest using a TDEE calculator. Can't remember what that stands for but here's a link. https://tdeecalculator.net/
I calculated without entering the body fat % because I really don't know and also entering 35%. for fat %. The number of calories was the same. I also used the "sedentary" activity level. That way if you want to add exercise calories on MFP, you can. When you click calculate, it will give you maintenance calories. People suggest reducing that number by 20% or 25% if you want quicker weight loss. I think you will be happy with the number because even at my advanced age, it recommends that I eat 1398 cal for a 20% deficit. (I took 80% of the maintenance calories to get to that number.) I actually reduced calories to 1250 on MFP and am easily able to accomplish it when I do IF. Two 600 calorie meals are much larger than I would eat all at once before IF. It's great to be able to eat tons of food without guilt. Good luck leomakarov and feel free to let us in on your progress. I've become a little obsessed and have a good bit of info to impart.

leighn62

Hi, THeDoctorDana. Congratulations on your 50 lb weight loss! I think you will find IF a huge help when it comes to not feeling deprived. I'm doing well at 18:6 and am pretty proud of myself actually for being able to increase from 16:8. It does a great deal for my confidence to be able to accomplish a longer fast. Whatever plan we decide to use is of great benefit because IF even without the goal of weigh loss is SO beneficial. Can't wait to hear about your experiences on this journey.

abzbargs

Hi everyone, please feel free to friend me as I'd be interested to share diary and typical routines with people following a similar eating pattern. Just like leighn62 says, I'm also enjoying the freedom to have a good 600 cal lunch and dinner and when I feel hungry I don't have to snack because I know a nice satisfying meal will be around the corner. In the 3 weeks since I've started this I've lost 10lbs. What excites me most about this is that I really do feel that this is how I will FINALLY manage to get some control in my life with regards to food. Too often I've lost a lot of weight, only to pile it back on again because I've never learned how to control snacking and overeating. I feel that I finally have a solution that I'm very happy with. So refreshing! I've also not drank alcohol for almost 4 weeks (a miracle for me). I'm feeling good for doing this and will only drink now when I have an evening out, as apposed to sitting on the sofa with a bottle of wine!

leighn62

Wow albzbargs, 10 lbs, fantastic! I added you as a friend. Seeing each other's diaries may help us plan good low carb meals. Are you doing low carb? I know how you feel, I've gained and lost the same 30 lbs so many times. I know a ton about nutrition which happens when you always battle your weight, haha and I really believe in the LCHF way of eating, but the light bulb moment for me recently is when I figured out that I just really like to eat a lot of food at one time and I really resented not being good and full when I would eat 3 meals not to mention a couple of tiny snacks. That's when I had my binge moments I think. I just never felt satisfied and would eat a whole bag of chips or a whole bag of M & Ms such searching for satisfaction. Now....I feel so satisfied after my meals and am doing very well eating around 1200 calories which I feel sure I have never done in my life, much less feeling satisfied while doing it. Hallelujah! I do drink wine a few days a week which no doubt has slowed me down somewhat but I always keep it within my calories and carbs so I don't feel guilty. I try and keep carbs below 50gm net. It's a quality of life thing for me. Giving it up could very well have helped with your amazing weight loss in only 1 month. I'll have to think about that. LOL.

sunshine4040

I have read a lot about this, and am giving it a try. It's only been a couple of days, so, this plus low carb will hopefully get me headed in the right direction. I'm doing more of a 24 hour fast, but it isn't really bothering me. I get so caught up in my kids and housework, it is time to eat before I know it. Hunger doesn't seem to be an issue, it is more in my head. Do you know what I mean? Anyway, I am new to both this and low carb, so while I have read heavily on both, any advice is welcome.

leighn62

Wow! Jumping into a 24 hr fast right of the bat! That's impressive. I think my diary is open, so feel free to look for ideas for low carb options. Sometimes I log things a few days ahead as well just to keep myself on track. Also I having a great time with the thinking of new ways to stay in my cal and carb goals. Kind of like a puzzle. HaHa. Good luck and I hope you continue to enjoy it.

leomakarov

Sunshine, don't be surprised to see dramatic weight loss then bounce up again, the "yo yo" effect with a fast and low carb diet. The problem is, carbohydrates hold your body water in. This has to do with the muscles storing the energy to function.

When you drastically reduce your carb intake, the water is naturally flushed out of your system. Since our bodies are made up roughly 60% water, you can see how quickly it will seem that you're losing "weight". Combine that with a low intake of drinking water, and you're headed for a disaster.

Water weight is quick to come off but also quick to come back when carbs are re-introduced into the body. You best bet is to stick to MyFitnessPal's recommendations about the macros: Carbs/Fat/Protein. You should be getting about 150-160 grams of carbs/day.

leighn62

That's a lot of carbs if you're trying low carb. There shouldn't be a yoyo affect after the first week if you keep carbs consistently low. Drink lots of water and get plenty of salt since your body is flushing electrolytes with the water. Once we get rid of the excess water, weight loss should stabalize and become more gradual. The whole purpose of Low carb is to drastically limit carbs. Most people doing low carb on MFP customise their macros to fit better with low carb. MFP defaults are counterproductive to HFLC way of eating. Not sure why you would recommend so many carbs in this group.

leomakarov

I don't see how carbs have ANYTHING to do with intermittent fasting . It's the calorie intake that is the primary focus. There was a study done (year?) that a guy ate twinkies and other high carb foods and still lost weight. Again, low carb, high carb, it doesn't really matter as long as calorie count is low.

See here : Twinky Experiment

At 1600 calories intake per day, about 150g of carbs must be consumed for a healthy weight loss. I use this as a guideline: Calculator

How are the MFP defaults counter-productive ?

leomakarov

Here is an interesting article regarding the matter:

http://www.leangains.com/2010/06/malcolm-gladwell-on-low-carb-diets.html

abzbargs

leighn62 wrote: »

Wow albzbargs, 10 lbs, fantastic! I added you as a friend. Seeing each other's diaries may help us plan good low carb meals. Are you doing low carb?

Hi, no I'm not really doing low carb but I'm trying to eat more carbs at lunch and less at night. My husband bought Granola and I was annoyed at him because I keep eating the stuff. I mix it in with porridge but I know it's sugary rubbish! I try to make most things from scratch but you'll notice in my diary there are a few instant meals! When I have those instant meals I try to put a large portion of vegetables through them so that they've more nutrition. One thing I also found this week was on the day I was tired, I craved more food. Sleep deprivation really affects my eating patterns. I was able to handle it though.

I have an evening out tomorrow with friends and so I'm likely drinking wine then. It's so strange though, I'm not looking forward to drinking it! Perhaps I'll just not bother. My friends will think I'm pregnant because I NEVER refuse alcohol haha!

leighn62

HFLC doesn't have anything to do with IF except that this is a group for people practicing IF and HGLC and sunshine4040 indicated she was trying low carb.

leighn62

Haha abzbargs. That would be funny. Unfortunately I still really like my wine but try to fit it in my calories and eating window. Adding veggies to any dinner instant or otherwise is a great idea. I find that if I add half an avocado to any meal it really helps with hunger. Whatever helps you power through your fast is best. Experiment and see what works best. Can't wait to hear what you think!

p0nderful

Glad to find this group. I am 57 and prediabetic. I have been following the "Always Hungry" low carb plan. During Phase 1 you are allowed beans and dairy, which make it palatable for me. I am planning to start IF 16:8, after watching http://www.dietdoctor.com/the-perfect-treatment-for-diabetes-and-weight-loss. I found his perspective very interesting and informative.

leighn62

Glad to have you! Good luck on your journey. Keep us posted on how you are doing with IF. Looks like we all practice it so I'm sure everybody could help with tips or info. I am finding it very liberating and enjoyable. I like eating large meals and not eating like a bird several times a day!