Day Two of 16:8

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anissacarrollx
anissacarrollx Posts: 7
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm on day two of 16:8, feeling fantastic! I'm wondering if any other women have had success with this lifestyle change?
I'm 5'6 and around 144. I'm not currently working out, except for cleaning and playing with the kids. Should I be making more time for workouts? And what types of exercise, cardio or strength?

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  • barbecuesauce
    barbecuesauce Posts: 1,771 Member
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    I do cardio first thing in the morning and bodyweight exercises every other evening. I know you don't need to work out to lose, but everyone who keeps it off is active. It also helps to take some of the focus off of food so you don't obsess.

    My window is from afternoon to night, ending with a small snack an hour or so before bed.

    The week before I get my period I am hungrier and usually eat something mid-morning.
  • ilovemypeekapug
    ilovemypeekapug Posts: 106 Member
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    I tried 16:8 two different times last year, for about a month each time. I actually gained a few pounds both times! Obviously, I was doing something wrong. Lol. I loved it and thought it was easy to stick to, just wasn't what worked for me. Best of luck!
  • Liftng4Lis
    Liftng4Lis Posts: 15,150 Member
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    Exercise is for health and helps the deficit. The deficit is about weight loss.
  • anissacarrollx
    anissacarrollx Posts: 7
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    Thanks guys! I appreciate your replies!! Really going to try and get my workouts in.
    Also, on day one I was able to go 14 hours before I got hungry and ate. On day two, I went close to 16 hours before I got hungry. Should I force myself to eat when the window opens? Or is it ok to hold off until I actually feel hungry?
  • hsmith0930
    hsmith0930 Posts: 160 Member
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    Is 16:8 an intermittent fasting schedule? I've thought about trying it, but it never really seems practical for me. Since I have two young kids who are constantly eating it's hard to not eat when they do!
  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
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    anissacarrollx wrote: »
    Thanks guys! I appreciate your replies!! Really going to try and get my workouts in.
    Also, on day one I was able to go 14 hours before I got hungry and ate. On day two, I went close to 16 hours before I got hungry. Should I force myself to eat when the window opens? Or is it ok to hold off until I actually feel hungry?

    I've been doing 16:8 for a few months now and it's working very well for me. It has had the unexpected benefit of completely stopping my midnight snacking. I'm not sure why that is. I guess I have it in my head that all those 16 hours of fasting are important.

    As far as waiting until you're hungry to eat...

    You still need to eat all your calories. If you can still eat everything within fewer hours, there shouldn't be any harm.

  • anissacarrollx
    anissacarrollx Posts: 7
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    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    Is 16:8 an intermittent fasting schedule? I've thought about trying it, but it never really seems practical for me. Since I have two young kids who are constantly eating it's hard to not eat when they do!

    It is! I have little ones too, so I aim for my "window" to close by 7. I've never been a breakfast eater so that time of day is not difficult for me.
  • Barbs2222
    Barbs2222 Posts: 433 Member
    edited March 2015
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    I've been doing 18:6 since Jan. 15. I've never been happier. I'll never go back. When I get within 10 or 15 pounds of goal I'm going to switch it up to 16:8. Sometimes I have to break fast early. Like on Friday I went to lunch with a very good friend. She's 97, if lunch is what she wanted to go out and do so be it. It would have been rude not to eat. Still eating early yesterday made me feel so hungry today I had to eat a banana early. No biggie. I'm so happy because I feel like I finally, after 15 years, have found a lifestyle change I can live with. I'm not suffering like I used to at all. But back to OP's post. I'm not exercising either besides walks. I did get Jillian Micheals 30 day shred in the mail from Netflix today though.
  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
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    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    Is 16:8 an intermittent fasting schedule? I've thought about trying it, but it never really seems practical for me. Since I have two young kids who are constantly eating it's hard to not eat when they do!

    That would make it really tough, especially when you have prepare their food for them. If the kids are school age, you could give it a try on school days to see how it works.

  • hsmith0930
    hsmith0930 Posts: 160 Member
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    lthames0810 wrote: »
    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    Is 16:8 an intermittent fasting schedule? I've thought about trying it, but it never really seems practical for me. Since I have two young kids who are constantly eating it's hard to not eat when they do!

    That would make it really tough, especially when you have prepare their food for them. If the kids are school age, you could give it a try on school days to see how it works.

    Thanks, One is school age, the other isn't. Thankfully this time around I'm not having too hard a time sticking to my calorie goals without feeling too hungry, but if that starts to change I might try to fit that in and make my eating period when the kids do most of their eating...
  • hsmith0930
    hsmith0930 Posts: 160 Member
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    anissacarrollx wrote: »
    hsmith0930 wrote: »
    Is 16:8 an intermittent fasting schedule? I've thought about trying it, but it never really seems practical for me. Since I have two young kids who are constantly eating it's hard to not eat when they do!

    It is! I have little ones too, so I aim for my "window" to close by 7. I've never been a breakfast eater so that time of day is not difficult for me.

    Some days I am ALL about the breakfast, other days I am fine not eating until noon or later... I haven't figured out what the trigger is, for me, that makes me want to eat more in the morning. Maybe if I can figure out what habits are making me hungrier in the morning will help me figure out a way to fit IF in.
  • anissacarrollx
    anissacarrollx Posts: 7
    edited March 2015
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    lthames0810 wrote: »

    I've been doing 16:8 for a few months now and it's working very well for me. It has had the unexpected benefit of completely stopping my midnight snacking. I'm not sure why that is. I guess I have it in my head that all those 16 hours of fasting are important.

    As far as waiting until you're hungry to eat...

    You still need to eat all your calories. If you can still eat everything within fewer hours, there shouldn't be any harm.

    I definitely get my calories in!
    It's encouraging to see that it's working well for you!
  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
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    I'm just curious...what made you guys try this out in the first place?
  • ZiggySquish
    ZiggySquish Posts: 87 Member
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    I tried this a while back and I was really happy with it, unfortunately I wasn't able to stick to it and kinda forgot about it, until now! I'll start incorporating this back into my daily life, so glad I read this post!
    Thanks :)
  • Barbs2222
    Barbs2222 Posts: 433 Member
    edited March 2015
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    lthames0810 wrote: »
    I'm just curious...what made you guys try this out in the first place?

    I looked into it because someone here in forums had a post about breakfast being the most important meal of the day. All the people that came out and refuted it, made me do an internet search on it. I found leangains and then I found a video of this girl eating all this food. I was like omg that is so me. I wish I would have bookmarked the page because I wish I could find it again. I thought, what does it hurt to try?

  • anissacarrollx
    anissacarrollx Posts: 7
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    lthames0810 wrote: »
    I'm just curious...what made you guys try this out in the first place?

    Personally, I can't eat all day long. It's proven to be impossible for me. I plan out my meals for the day, and I eat them. And then, I snack. I finish the kids meals when they're full.. Etc.

    So when I was reading about IF it just felt natural. I can eat all of my healthy meals within this 6-8 hour period and be done. I've been throwing the kids extra food to the chickens, instead of eating it.
    It just feels right. I know it's only been two days, but I've been looking into this for a while.
  • lthames0810
    lthames0810 Posts: 722 Member
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    I read an article about Alzheimer's (something I'm terrified of) that mentioned intermittent fasting as a possible way to prevent or reverse it. It kind of seems plausible since Alzheimer's has to do with insulin resistance in the brain. Anyway, that led me down a rabbit hole of research and I stumbled on to the lean gains site. I decided to try it just to see how doable it was. I was surprised at how easy it turned out to be.

    I'm skeptical about whether it really has any effect on human brain health, but in the meantime, I discovered that it helps me stick to my calorie budget. I don't do it on the days when I take a long bike ride, but other than that it's my habit now.

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