Fasting

akkelley81
akkelley81 Posts: 6 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hello everyone! I wanted to start this thread to discuss with anyone else that's doing a fasting plan. My Doctor recommended the book The Obesity Code to me, and it just makes so much sense to me why I've can't seem to find a way to lose weight and stick to it. How is it working for anyone else? What are you struggling with? Right now I can't imagine taking the creamer out of my coffee in the morning, but I'm working on the rest :)
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Replies

  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,128 Member
    Hi there, actually I started last week the 16/8 fasting and turns out that I am not struggling with keeping the hour , but to stay in the caloric allowance.
    And I went from creamer to milk 3 years ago, but the milk stays!
    Not familiar with the obesity code, sorry
  • didi75810
    didi75810 Posts: 6 Member
    Hello, I started fasting a month ago. It was tough at first but I have seemed to adjust. I still have moments that I sway a little, but I just keep going instead of beating myself up. I've lost 7lbs, I'm sleeping better and my energy is getting better every day. Using my fitness helps me to see where I'm at and keeps me honest.
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,128 Member
    All sounds good, happy to hear your results are so spectacular.
    The side benefits I’m looking forward are less pain in right hip and SLEEP.
    I started IF for a week now, and I messed up Sunday and Monday. I am working on not beating myself up, like you said, and getting hopeful for results this time.
  • bishopjulia
    bishopjulia Posts: 205 Member
    Hello I have been trying to follow fasting/OMAD for a while now, I’ve managed to lose 10lbs, was at a a 16lb lost and went up. My issue is I beat myself if I eat during the day, guess not the most productive attitude lol. What have you all been doing for exercise? I work long shifts and half the time am too exhausted when I get home to work out. Even the word “work” out makes me tired lol
  • GabiV125
    GabiV125 Posts: 3,128 Member
    I agree with you it’s all down to decreasing the intake. Well, easy said...
    I call it IF because it’s probably the closest to reality. I didn’t eat breakfast for years, but also snacked with an occasional binge, well into the night. If I tackle the end meal I know I will control the numbers a little better.
    Managed to lose easily the baby weight first time around but not the second time, and that child starts high school this fall.
    Tried many things and fell many times , got distracted and sidetracked altogether , and now I’m back on the horse and excited to have mates in this journey
  • Philippe74005327
    Philippe74005327 Posts: 4 Member
    Hi, 59 year old, down 28 kg since January 10th 2020, 10 kg more to go! Combination of 1600-1900 cal intake, walking *3-4/week (8 miles +) and resistance training at home 3-5/week.

    First, I think there is no way out of "burn more than you intake". If you add exercise to the somewhat reduced intake, you should get a calorie deficit and shed the kg. Exercise will allow to have an less painful "decrease the intake".

    Having said that, I am doing a 16/8, more often 17/7, around twice/three times a week when not exercising too much. Basically that day I have an extra deficit which is my breakfast calories. I will keep on doing 16/8 even when I have reached my weight goal, first because I usually feel extremely well the day after and second because it seems to help, at least for older man like me, to boost both growth hormone and testosterone - which is probably not an issue for you.
    Once every 10 days or so I do a "stronger fast" where I drastically limit my calories intake to around 700-800 maximum. Again feel pretty good the day after and will probably continue to do that as well. Stomach grumbling a bit, but lots of water, coffee and tea - sorry never used creamer or milk neither in coffee nor tea!

    If you are constrained by time, may I suggest you have a good look at using kettlebells? This is a great way to combine strength and cardio - a lot on YouTube - concentrated in a limited time. And forget on getting women bulky with that, it will get you toned and help shed the weight easier.
  • bishopjulia
    bishopjulia Posts: 205 Member

    Thank you very much (have no idea who the other poster is) I just like other people am looking for advice. That’s what we do when we feel stuck and lost. I’m not new to weight loss it’s been a battle my whole life. What worked once doesn’t seem to work as well as it used to. After reading yours and some other posts it seems that I’m putting to many rules on my self then I fail , beat myself up and sometimes “yes” give up from discouragement. Calories in vs calories out is very simple on paper or on post but can be hard in day to day life. If it where that simple no one would be over weight and obesity would be non existent. That’s why there are posts, forums, my fitness pal. All feedback I take with a grain of salt. Thank you for your help 😌😉
    [/quote]

    Geeze... I’m not saying calories in vs calories out is wrong, I’m saying it can be difficult for some people. That people deal with road blocks and frustration and discouragement and. And yes if it was extremely easy to lose weight there wouldn’t be No need for my fitness pal or weight loss centres or advice forums. Disagree all you want. Doesn’t bother me. Lol

    Philippe 😊, I haven’t tried kettle bells. Think I may have to invest in some. Thanks for your feed back.
  • akkelley81
    akkelley81 Posts: 6 Member
    @igfrie great to hear how well it's going! That's motivating!
  • akkelley81
    akkelley81 Posts: 6 Member
    didi75810 wrote: »
    Hello, I started fasting a month ago. It was tough at first but I have seemed to adjust. I still have moments that I sway a little, but I just keep going instead of beating myself up. I've lost 7lbs, I'm sleeping better and my energy is getting better every day. Using my fitness helps me to see where I'm at and keeps me honest.

    I agree, I've had more energy too! I no longer need an afternoon cup of coffee :)
  • akkelley81
    akkelley81 Posts: 6 Member
    bishopjulia wrote: »
    Hello I have been trying to follow fasting/OMAD for a while now, I’ve managed to lose 10lbs, was at a a 16lb lost and went up. My issue is I beat myself if I eat during the day, guess not the most productive attitude lol. What have you all been doing for exercise? I work long shifts and half the time am too exhausted when I get home to work out. Even the word “work” out makes me tired lol

    nice job! So far I've just been going for afternoon walks during my fasting stage. Helps keep my mind off eating but I hear it burns more calories too do that while fasting. I kind of want to tackle the fasting first then incorporate more workouts. Who knows!
  • dawkson2017
    dawkson2017 Posts: 18 Member
    My 2 pence worth:
    Im 68 yo female. 157 cm tall 115 lbs.... yes.... 115 lbs. Was 125 lbs in March.
    I did it by cutting out all bread, rice, pasta, biscuits, cakes, etc and increasing protein. I only eating between 10 am and 4 pm (6:18).
    What has helped is lockdown, as no socialising with cake and coffee or pub meals.
    I wake up with big pot of plunger black coffee, and after 4pm, I make a big pot of black/green tea to have something to put in my mouth.
    Ok, so I have to go to the bathroom in the night..... so what!
    Another tip: if its not in the house, you cant eat it!
    Will I keep going.... Yes.... I feel better, sleep better, less anxiety.
  • HeidiCooksSupper
    HeidiCooksSupper Posts: 3,839 Member
    bishopjulia wrote: »
    ... Calories in vs calories out is very simple on paper or on post but can be hard in day to day life. If it where that simple no one would be over weight and obesity would be non existent. That’s why there are posts, forums, my fitness pal. All feedback I take with a grain of salt. Thank you for your help 😌😉

    You are absolutely right -- so was whoever posted the graphic. Sadly, the only things that correlate with weight loss and health are eating less and moving more. Calories in, calories out. Do whatever works for you. For some, it's IF, for some its low carb, for some its OMAD, for some it's a cheat day. for some it's 5:2. For some of us, it's just calories and logging. That's me: calories and logging. The rest I can't cope with.

    You're right about this, too. If it were totally easy to eat to maintain a healthy weight, we'd all be doing it. Some of us eat too much and are overweight. It's not easy to change that but we are all in this together trying!
  • didi75810
    didi75810 Posts: 6 Member
    GabiV125 wrote: »
    All sounds good, happy to hear your results are so spectacular.
    The side benefits I’m looking forward are less pain in right hip and SLEEP.
    I started IF for a week now, and I messed up Sunday and Monday. I am working on not beating myself up, like you said, and getting hopeful for results this time.

    I started IF because I read it helps with menopause symptoms and weight gain.
    It is the only thing that has helped. I sleep better, hot flashes not as bad and I'm thinking much clearer. I love that it heals your body at the cellular level.
    I'm not super strict with hours. I have an 8 hour window to eat and I still have treats. If I deprive myself of those, I end up binging. I eat dark chocolate almonds and yasso bars. They are delicious and low cal.
    Good luck and stick with it, you'll get there.
  • preshalin
    preshalin Posts: 52 Member
    I've been doing it for a few weeks now. It's been working out for me. The important to ask yourself is whether it's sustainable for you? Is this something you can see yourself doing consistently. If yes then good thing for you. Most of the named diets can work in their own right and the best advice I can give is do what you know you can sustain. The important thing is to make sure you are in a deficit and log accurately. I'm doing the 16:8 fast and I love it.
  • igutt
    igutt Posts: 97 Member
    Fasting has a bunch of benefits but because of the smaller eating window some people (including myself) struggle to hit their calorie goal, since they are under their calorie goals the deficit will be bigger and the short term fat loss will be greater but it’s not good for the long term because your workout won’t be as good and your body will miss some nutrients. I still fast cuz I like it and I feel the benefits of it but you have to put some effort into making sure you hit your caloric goals for long term sustainability and health 👍
  • Xiaolongbao
    Xiaolongbao Posts: 854 Member
    kshama2001 wrote: »
    The point of that graphic is that there is nothing magical about IF, or OMAD, or keto, or paleo, or any named diet

    Yes but no one implied it was magical. The OP asked a question (in several places by the sound of it) and responding by posting a graphic that is just dismissive (and does not address what was asked) is pretty rude.

    OP I like IF. I usually aim for a minimum of 16:8 but often it’s about 18:6 instead. And then some days I’m just ravenous in the morning so I eat. I certainly don’t beat myself up about it.

    It’s very trendy on MFP to claim it’s all calorie deficit and for weight loss nothing else matters (hence the graphic shutting you down). No doubt about it- calorie deficit is key but we’re a lot more complex than simple machines. IF research is fairly early on and dietary research is notoriously difficult and complicated on humans. I’ve seen lots of claims of possible additional health benefits for IF and virtually none for possible downsides (assuming no other major health issues and that when you do eat you’re taking in sufficient nutrients). Now I’m sure all of the possible health benefits won’t turn out to be true but personally I think it’s possible some of them will.

    Regardless IF suits me because it means I have less snacking temptation and because it means I get bigger meals when I do eat. I have experimented a lot on myself and found the routine I explained above works best for me. I tried longer fasts (23:1 for a few weeks) and that wasn’t great for me (I could easily eat 2000 calories in my 1hour despite the fact I’m a vegetarian who eats very little processed food).

    So I’d say give it a try if you’re interested but be prepared to be flexible about what timing might be best for you.
  • moolynn
    moolynn Posts: 1 Member
    Yes! I’ve read The Obesity Code and I do think it has a lot of merit. I’ve been kind of following a modified version of it. Before I had read the book, I had been doing 16/8 fasting. When I first started doing that, I lost over 10 lbs in about 2-3 months, without even really changing what I was eating! I was like, wow, that was easy! But, then my weight loss stalled. Probably because I was still eating too many carbs during my eating window, and it was starting to catch up to me. Especially since I would still have lunch, an afternoon snack, dinner, and sometimes a cup of coffee with creamer in the evening or a dessert. Too many carbs and too many spikes of insulin during that timeframe. So, after reading The Obesity Code, I modified it. Now, I really only try to eat twice a day, to keep from spiking my insulin so much. Three days a week (M/W/F) I hold off on eating until a late afternoon snack, and then have dinner an hour or two later. Twice a week (Tues/Sat) I have only breakfast and dinner, no lunch or snack. And, twice a week (Thurs/Sun), I have only lunch and dinner, no breakfast or snack. So, I keep my body guessing on when it’s getting fed, but I’m not really sticking to strict eating times, just limiting which meals I eat on which days. And the last couple of weeks I’ve really been focusing on eating lower carb as much as possible. I will still have a cup of coffee with creamer with my breakfast or after dinner a few times a week, or a small sweet treat in the evenings (like at least 70%+ dark chocolate or carbmaster yogurts). But, for my coffee during my fasting periods, I’ve been putting only cinnamon, nutmeg, and vanilla in it. Not exactly sweet, but adds some flavor since I can’t drink black coffee very well. But, I’ve recently found a company called Flavor God that has dessert seasonings that are keto friendly. They do have some sugar and carbs, but less than 1 gram per serving (1/4 tsp). It does add up if you use several servings, I’m sure (like I do!! Lol!) but still better than creamer. I’m not perfect, but I’m doing better, and have been slowly moving down on the scale here lately.

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