16/8 intermittent fasting
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Annabobanna1985 wrote: »I usually do a 16:8 or 18:6 schedule starting at 2pm during the week. This works best with my schedule for work etc and I'm asleep for a big chunk of it
I've started doing this last week and I'm down a few pounds.
Well done ! 😀
I train in the mornings so waiting till 2pm would kill me lol. I also sleep quite early I usually break my fast at 11:301 -
alexandravictoria88 wrote: »Annabobanna1985 wrote: »I usually do a 16:8 or 18:6 schedule starting at 2pm during the week. This works best with my schedule for work etc and I'm asleep for a big chunk of it I've started doing this last week and I'm down a few pounds.
Well done ! 😀
I train in the mornings so waiting till 2pm would kill me lol. I also sleep quite early I usually break my fast at 11:30
What works for you now might change drastically as you adjust to IF.
I started with a morning window because I needed a meal to have energy, especially for exercise, then my energy would fade throughout the day until bedtime.
That reversed over time, I now prefer to be fasted for anything that requires energy, especially exercise.
I now eat mostly in the evening because eating drops my energy and allows me to sleep well. Otherwise, being fasted is too energizing and I get insomnia. That took about 6 months though for that to happen.
Listen to your body, but don't be surprised if what your body tells you changes over time.2 -
alexandravictoria88 wrote: »Annabobanna1985 wrote: »I usually do a 16:8 or 18:6 schedule starting at 2pm during the week. This works best with my schedule for work etc and I'm asleep for a big chunk of it I've started doing this last week and I'm down a few pounds.
Well done ! 😀
I train in the mornings so waiting till 2pm would kill me lol. I also sleep quite early I usually break my fast at 11:30
What works for you now might change drastically as you adjust to IF.
I started with a morning window because I needed a meal to have energy, especially for exercise, then my energy would fade throughout the day until bedtime.
That reversed over time, I now prefer to be fasted for anything that requires energy, especially exercise.
I now eat mostly in the evening because eating drops my energy and allows me to sleep well. Otherwise, being fasted is too energizing and I get insomnia. That took about 6 months though for that to happen.
Listen to your body, but don't be surprised if what your body tells you changes over time.
Love this. Thanks for this insight. I totally agree with the depletion of energy as soon as I eat.. I feel really lethargic and sluggish but whilst I'm fasted I have so much energy. But I must say by 11 ish I have started to become hungry again... bit it would be great if I could push it further and eat later.. and hopefully the bloating will go!0 -
Good morning! One thing that stuck out for me was that you said you don't log your food all the time because you know approximately how much you consume. You'd be surprised just how off you might be.
IF doesn't cause bloating. All it does is limit the time you take in calories. So if you are experiencing bloating, it would have to be from your food. You should try logging for at least a week. And make sure the entries are accurate. What you might find in the database could be way off. You should also get a food scale and weigh your food. Use Grams as the measurement. For a week, don't do anything different. Just log what you take in. And see if it really is around 1500 calories. My guess it is more than that.
I could be wrong about the amount of kcals you take in. If so, then it's likely the food itself. Something you are eating is causing the bloating. But it wouldn't be because of intermittent fasting. You don't need to do IF. I find it easier for me to stay in a calorie deficit. If I didn't limit the time I eat, I would just keep eating all the time. Which is how I got to be fat. I need the structure. Not everyone does. Good luck!0 -
NYPhotographer2021 wrote: »Good morning! One thing that stuck out for me was that you said you don't log your food all the time because you know approximately how much you consume. You'd be surprised just how off you might be.
IF doesn't cause bloating. All it does is limit the time you take in calories. So if you are experiencing bloating, it would have to be from your food. You should try logging for at least a week. And make sure the entries are accurate. What you might find in the database could be way off. You should also get a food scale and weigh your food. Use Grams as the measurement. For a week, don't do anything different. Just log what you take in. And see if it really is around 1500 calories. My guess it is more than that.
I could be wrong about the amount of kcals you take in. If so, then it's likely the food itself. Something you are eating is causing the bloating. But it wouldn't be because of intermittent fasting. You don't need to do IF. I find it easier for me to stay in a calorie deficit. If I didn't limit the time I eat, I would just keep eating all the time. Which is how I got to be fat. I need the structure. Not everyone does. Good luck!
This is not my experience.
The human body starts the digestive process in anticipation of food, so if you change that routine, the digestion process isn't as prepped and indigestion, bloating, gas, and diarrhea can happen. Diarrhea is especially common for people starting IF, and persists for some if they aren't careful with how they open their eating window. For some people, the diarrhea is so predictable and persistent that they have to plan for it when they eat.
Putting food into a body that's prepped for food is very different than putting food into a body that isn't prepped for it. To this day, if I eat after 5pm, I'm fine, because that's my normal routine now, my body expects food at that time, and like clockwork, I feel "hungry" starting around 4pm, which is my digestive system prepping for the food it expects.
But if I eat in the morning, which is very unusual for me, then I have to prep my system myself. I have to eat something small and easily digestible, like toast or juice to get the system running before I can put something like protein or raw vegetables in there, otherwise I will suffer, mostly bloating for me.
This isn't unusual, many people suffer from poor digestion when opening their eating window and have to experiment with ways to open it that don't result in bloating, gas, or diarrhea.
This makes perfect sense based on the physiological actions the body typically takes before an expected meal.2 -
Hmmm...I've been intermittent fasting since last year. I go from 16:8 to 20:4, changing it up depending on how I feel. I have not felt bloated at all. I've lost 60 pounds in 7 months and I credit IF for helping me stay in a calorie deficit.
Again, if the OP feels bloated each time, then perhaps IF isn't for her.1 -
Congratulations! Great story.0
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NYPhotographer2021 wrote: »Hmmm...I've been intermittent fasting since last year. I go from 16:8 to 20:4, changing it up depending on how I feel. I have not felt bloated at all. I've lost 60 pounds in 7 months and I credit IF for helping me stay in a calorie deficit.
Again, if the OP feels bloated each time, then perhaps IF isn't for her.
Yeah, some people are lucky and don't have digestive side effects from fasting. That's great that you didn't.
Still, it's quite common. I was part of Gin Stephen's online forum for awhile and it was talked about constantly, and for many people it went away over time or with adjustment to how they opened their window. Just today I had a bad stomach reaction to opening my window because I opened it with protein. Like clockwork, if I eat protein first when I open my window, my intestines have a full on hissy fit.
I personally never had this issue with protein before IF, so it's specifically an IF thing for me, but that doesn't mean IF isn't for me, I just have to open my window a certain way and it's easily avoidable.
But for OP it isn't really and IF thing. She has said in other threads that she has always had bloating, it's a general eating thing for her, she's just seeing that she's not bloated when she's fasting.
That's kind of critical information for giving her advice. In her other thread, I've encouraged her to explore food reactions through an elimination diet.2 -
NYPhotographer2021 wrote: »Hmmm...I've been intermittent fasting since last year. I go from 16:8 to 20:4, changing it up depending on how I feel. I have not felt bloated at all. I've lost 60 pounds in 7 months and I credit IF for helping me stay in a calorie deficit.
Again, if the OP feels bloated each time, then perhaps IF isn't for her.
Yeah, some people are lucky and don't have digestive side effects from fasting. That's great that you didn't.
Still, it's quite common. I was part of Gin Stephen's online forum for awhile and it was talked about constantly, and for many people it went away over time or with adjustment to how they opened their window. Just today I had a bad stomach reaction to opening my window because I opened it with protein. Like clockwork, if I eat protein first when I open my window, my intestines have a full on hissy fit.
I personally never had this issue with protein before IF, so it's specifically an IF thing for me, but that doesn't mean IF isn't for me, I just have to open my window a certain way and it's easily avoidable.
But for OP it isn't really and IF thing. She has said in other threads that she has always had bloating, it's a general eating thing for her, she's just seeing that she's not bloated when she's fasting.
That's kind of critical information for giving her advice. In her other thread, I've encouraged her to explore food reactions through an elimination diet.
I will try some probiotics first and If this does not help then it will have to be as suggested. An elimination diet:)0 -
alexandravictoria88 wrote: »I will try some probiotics first and If this does not help then it will have to be as suggested. An elimination diet:)
I personally don't like taking digestive enzymes because they're very expensive and they don't help you solve the puzzle of what's setting you off. I'll only take them if I *know* I'm going to be eating one of my problem foods, the way someone with lactose intolerance will take lactase to have some ice cream.
As I said in your other thread, a full elimination diet isn't as daunting as it sounds if you make a plan for what you are going to eat. If you don't plan properly, it's brutal trying to figure out each day what you can and can't eat, but if you are well prepared with delicious meals that fit each stage, it's just not that big a deal.
That said, you seem really resistant to it, so in the meantime, you can try a few basic strategies to see if there are ways to improve your issue.
Experiment with how you open your eating window. Try a very small snack first and don't eat for 30-60 minutes. See what kind of snack sets you off most/least. As I said for me, when I had a lot of stomach problems opening my window, simple carbs were the best for me. For you it might be fats (some people have a tbsp of olive oil), or protein (some have a hard boiled egg), and others fiber (some have raw vegetables).
When it comes to fussy digestive systems, all you can do is experiment and see what happens...which the elimination diet does in the most systematic way, and gives you WAY more useful information.
That said, have you ever been tested for celiac? If you have it, then all of what I've suggested is a huge waste of time.
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mannabrewery wrote: »Have you tried something like Prolon to break your fast? It is pricey but it may work.
Hello!
I'm new to this board.
@mannabrewery, could you share a little more about your experience with Prolon? I've been struggling losing the last 9 lbs for 2 months now. Nothing seems to help and If just keeps me on my current weight even though I'm on the lowest possible of calories that I can consume safely. I'm hoping that Prolon will help with losing fat, specially visceral fat...
I just got a box and I'm thinking about starting next Thursday since I'll have a few days off...
Could you share about issues that I should be aware of, or, do you have any advice?
Thanks in advance for any help.0 -
@alexandravictoria88
Im on a similar boat. I'm 1.59 meters and weigh 60 KG
I've been struggling with losing the last 4-5 kilos to achieve my goal but my body won't budge! My preference for exercise is cardio and HIIT (YouTube videos) or speed walking on trails. I'm welcoming the warm weather since I get less hungry and it helps me keep my IF regimen.
Please share if you find what works for you. I'll be reading!!
Best luck to all
-A0 -
mannabrewery wrote: »Have you tried something like Prolon to break your fast? It is pricey but it may work.
Hello!
I'm new to this board.
@mannabrewery, could you share a little more about your experience with Prolon? I've been struggling losing the last 9 lbs for 2 months now. Nothing seems to help and If just keeps me on my current weight even though I'm on the lowest possible of calories that I can consume safely. I'm hoping that Prolon will help with losing fat, specially visceral fat...
I just got a box and I'm thinking about starting next Thursday since I'll have a few days off...
Could you share about issues that I should be aware of, or, do you have any advice?
Thanks in advance for any help.
Prolon is just expensive food.
I've looked thoroughly at their claims and they make less than no sense whatsoever.
It's normal for weight loss to stall near your goal weight. IMO, it's best to not push harder at that point.
If I were you, I would actually increase intake to see just how much you can eat while maintaining, and give your system a break from being restricted and losing weight for a few months.
Let it get used to being well fed for awhile and then it will probably cooperate and lose weight again with a small deficit.
If you keep pushing your body when it's already fighting to not lose, you are likely to just keep driving your metabolism down.
IMO, the best thing you can do in a stall is focus on being as active and healthy as possible, and keeping your body really well nourished to protect your health and metabolic function.
The main benefit of IF for me has been to repair a metabolism that was damaged. You have to nurture the CO part of the CICO equation as well, not just the intake/CI part.2 -
@Xellercin, I'll take your advice into consideration. Thank you for taking the time to share your insights.
Best,
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@Xellercin, I'll take your advice into consideration. Thank you for taking the time to share your insights.
Best,
-A
Anytime.
I know the instinct is to knuckle down harder when your body fights back, but remember, this is a lifelong process.
The consequences of your eating choices don't end when you hit an arbitrary goal weight. You still have to live in the body that has experienced whatever you've put it through, and pushing a body harder than it can handle is a great way to have your "success" be temporary.
Always work *with* your body, not against it.
It WILL push back if you push it too hard. There's a reason almost everyone who loses weight gains it back.
You have to respect your body's adaptive capacity if you want to spend the rest of your life living in your ideal body.
ETA, I'm doing this right now. I've lost over 20lbs and I feel my system getting a bit sluggish again, so I am significantly upping my calories to see just how much my body can take before starting to gain.
Remember, the CO part of the CICO changes all the time. As soon as I started eating more, I felt my energy rise again and my weight has actually dropped a bit over the last month because I've been crazy active with house renos.
Learning to listen to your body is a crucial skill for long-term weight management.2
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