Trying 16/8 intermittent fasting for the first time. Who has had success with this?

DonnasHealthyJourney

I am hoping to get things switched up with my metabolism and to get the scale moving again. I have 12 lbs to goal and I am stuck.. Been plateaued for a long time 🤨

paperpudding

How will intermittent fasting help break the plateau?

I dont think it will do any 'switching up your metabolism'

spider_mark51959

I’ve tried it before with some success. Worth a shot. My body is pretty stubborn too. I may try it again. Good luck! It works spectacularly well for some.

TraceyKakes

I do it and I love it!! I eat my whole days worth of calories in 2 hours usually. Something about it just jives with my body and feels natural. Took about two weeks to get used to it. It’s nice because I only have to plan one big meal a day for myself and only wash dishes from one meal too. Probably the biggest thing I noticed was that I can eat healthier because I’m not constantly tempted anymore by snacks and random food. And knowing I’m eating only in one sitting means I have to be smart about how to get my calories and nutrition. Another huge plus was the benefits to my digestive system. I have terrible digestive issues and this allows it to rest and not get overloaded. Wayyyy less bloat nowadays. Hope it works for you! I’ll add you. Happy to answer any questions you have. The style of eating is called OMAD.

I was terrible with consistency until about two months ago when I got invested.

heybales

DonnasHealthyJourney wrote: »

I am hoping to get things switched up with my metabolism and to get the scale moving again. I have 12 lbs to goal and I am stuck.. Been plateaued for a long time 🤨

I'd avoid any sites that made it sound like you'll be switching up anything with your metabolism.

It's an eating method - plain and simple.
Plenty of people have gained weight eating that method - nothing magical about it if you aren't counting calories.

It MAY make it easier to adhere to an eating goal - like if your issue has been binging frequently and way overeating your goal several times a week.

My schedule commonly causes a 20/4 or 22/2 IF schedule.
I can easily put away a sedentary day maintenance amount of calories, and even a workout day with 1000 extra calorie burn added to it.

https://youtu.be/7o_Qd7tcB3E

al0481113

It's an eating method - plain and simple.
Plenty of people have gained weight eating that method - nothing magical about it if you aren't counting calories.

Agree 100%!!!
I was practicing IF and it worked but still I had to watch what (and how much) I ate. Now I prefer to count calories because it's less stressful for me))))
And due to my experience last 10-12 lbs never wanted to leave my body))))
Wish you to achieve your goal!

sijomial

I found strict 16/8 just plain annoying and felt restrictive even though I was eating at maintenance.
Far prefer simply making breakfast an optional meal, mostly I skip it, sometimes I don't.

What does "get things switched up with my metabolism" mean to you?

Do be careful the sources you use for IF information. As it became more fashionable it's also become monetised and popularised by charlatans and fools.

J72FIT

sijomial wrote: »

I found strict 16/8 just plain annoying and felt restrictive even though I was eating at maintenance.
Far prefer simply making breakfast an optional meal, mostly I skip it, sometimes I don't.

What does "get things switched up with my metabolism" mean to you?

Do be careful the sources you use for IF information. As it became more fashionable it's also become monetised and popularised by charlatans and fools.

This is where I am as well. Dinner as well. Not every day of course but here and there...

TAisHappierYay

Im starting intermittent fasting, today is day 2. I'm doing 14 hrs. fasting and 10 hrs. to eat. I eat my 1st meal at 11:45am and my last meal by 9:45pm. It helps me not to eat late at night, like I did in the near past. It also helps me get a chance to fill hunger. A lot of times I snack during the day, and I never actually feel hungry. So I'm really feeling the hunger now! I drink black coffee, plain tea, and water with liquid chlorophyll in it. This is my 1st time trying the Intermittent fasting for wt. loss. I like it.

DonnasHealthyJourney

TraceyKakes wrote: »

I do it and I love it!! I eat my whole days worth of calories in 2 hours usually. Something about it just jives with my body and feels natural. Took about two weeks to get used to it. It’s nice because I only have to plan one big meal a day for myself and only wash dishes from one meal too. Probably the biggest thing I noticed was that I can eat healthier because I’m not constantly tempted anymore by snacks and random food. And knowing I’m eating only in one sitting means I have to be smart about how to get my calories and nutrition. Another huge plus was the benefits to my digestive system. I have terrible digestive issues and this allows it to rest and not get overloaded. Wayyyy less bloat nowadays. Hope it works for you! I’ll add you. Happy to answer any questions you have. The style of eating is called OMAD.

I was terrible with consistency until about two months ago when I got invested.

I am a week in. I stop eating at 7:00 PM and don't start until 11:00 the next day. So far what I have found is it has completely stopped my late night eating and snacking, even though I kept it healthy it was still late at night. And yes I felt bloated many times and that has improved a lot. So if that is the only benefit it has been worth that discipline. I guess I read where it helps boost metabolism, but according to the comments it must not. Lol🤷‍♀️

sl8liftsandstuff

If you eat less calories than you burn, you lose. If you do IF, and still eat the same amount (only in a shorter window of time), you will not see much difference.

I definitely see trends of weight loss when I do IF, but realistically it is because my calories are always lower for those days.

Ketosis (the science behind the certain amount of time to achieve the actual state) is harder to put your body into, unless you are completely strict with nothing but water…or, I would drink black coffee for my morning workouts.

If you consume anything with calories or even zero calorie items (say, sugar free gum or zero calorie k-cup), -probably not going to achieve ketosis those days.

If skipping meals (and time blocks) will help keep you in a calorie deficit, do it…

If it’s going to make you consume more, in shorter periods… you’re better off not doing it.

Metabolism is the key to fat burning. As we age, it slows down so much that I am forced to do much more active stuff in free time (sedentary, desk job) to maintain weight; much less, lose much.

I used to train some people. Women sometimes fear weight training, thinking they will get, “bulky”… muscle tone means more lean mass…meaning, your body needs more fuel to burn, even at a resting rate.

Muscle is all our friend. There are definitely ways to utilize weight training, without getting too, “muscled up”…and, be able to eat more while still burning at a deficit.

Derf_Smeggle

I'm currently practicing 20/4 TRF, after doing 16/8 off and on for a few years. I do think it can help some folks maintain their CICO goals more easily. However, IF/TRF is not a magic weight loss bullet by itself. Studies, controlling for calorie intake have demonstrated this a few times now.

I would be curious how long you've been experiencing your plateau, and if you've looked at your current methods critically?

Aside from all that, I believe there is enough research to support some of the health benefits attributed to this lifestyle/eating pattern. Anecdotally, my cholesterol levels were lower after 3 months following the 16/8 schedule, prior to any weight loss. I feel that I sleep better and wake easier. I feel good practicing anywhere between 16/8 and 20/4. I'm relaxed about my practice, so that if I'm not feeling 20/4 on a day it's no issue. That has translated on average to doing 18/6 or 16/8 once a week. Best wishes on reaching your goals!

mBanda83

currently doing 18/6… cut off is 8pm - refuel is 2pm. (Stay hydrated & when refueling make sure everything on that plate has a purpose for your body, if it’s counter productive why introduce it to your vessel?) & basically the results you are looking solely depends on the “user”