IF - The Good, the Bad and the Ugly!
lissa11263
Posts: 8 Member
I thought I'd start a thread so we can share our experiences with IF. I'm hoping we can provide support, cheer each other on, share our successes and struggles, and offer constructive feedback (only if someone asks for it).
I've been doing IF since last Sat. (5/27/17) with the intention of doing Eat Stop Eat. I wasn't sure I could make it a full 24 hours so I started with 16:8. I only had one day where I felt particularly hungry but my carb/sugar cravings have been more of a challenge. I haven't gone way overboard with it but I haven't deprived myself either.
I'm attempting my first 24 hour fast from 6 tonight until 6 PM tomorrow. I fear I might not have gotten enough food in today to make it through since I fasted 10 PM last night until 2 PM today. I ate a healthy 580 Cal lunch and made a Whey protein shake with a banana before I started fasting again. I hope I can make it! The longest I have gone to this point is 19.5 hours.
I haven't really gotten into an exercise routine yet, I really need to work on that. I have been walking 3-5 days/week and have done a smattering of resistance work. I'd like to get to the point where I'm doing resistance work/weightlifting every other day and cardio 20-30 min. at least 3 times per week. If I start seeing good progress with this and the fasting routine I might start doing 1 cheat day/week where I can eat all I want and skip exercise.
What's up with you?
I've been doing IF since last Sat. (5/27/17) with the intention of doing Eat Stop Eat. I wasn't sure I could make it a full 24 hours so I started with 16:8. I only had one day where I felt particularly hungry but my carb/sugar cravings have been more of a challenge. I haven't gone way overboard with it but I haven't deprived myself either.
I'm attempting my first 24 hour fast from 6 tonight until 6 PM tomorrow. I fear I might not have gotten enough food in today to make it through since I fasted 10 PM last night until 2 PM today. I ate a healthy 580 Cal lunch and made a Whey protein shake with a banana before I started fasting again. I hope I can make it! The longest I have gone to this point is 19.5 hours.
I haven't really gotten into an exercise routine yet, I really need to work on that. I have been walking 3-5 days/week and have done a smattering of resistance work. I'd like to get to the point where I'm doing resistance work/weightlifting every other day and cardio 20-30 min. at least 3 times per week. If I start seeing good progress with this and the fasting routine I might start doing 1 cheat day/week where I can eat all I want and skip exercise.
What's up with you?
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I've been consciously doing IF for about 2 weeks. I say consciously because I believe I've done IF most of my life since I've never been a breakfast eater. Since I started reading about IF a few weeks ago, I started making a conscious effort to fast 16:8. I haven't noticed much of a change other than I'm not overeating and have an easier time staying within my calorie goals. I have yet to incorporate exercise into my routine but I'm starting back at the gym tomorrow so we'll see how that goes!4
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i am doing the 16/8 IF. i lost 7lbs in my first week! i eat from 11-7. i messed up last night and ate at like 845pm and ate again at 12 instead of 1, but normally i dont do that. so far i like it!
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i havent exercised yet and i dont pay attention to calories too much. i just eat until i'm full and stop and i add veggies as much as possible to each meal. i've had mcdonals, ribs, ice cream and STILL lost 7lbs this week doing 16/8 IF and NOT eating when i'm full, which is pretty important i think.5
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I started skipping breakfast last sunday. I gained a pound. Trying to figure out if my case will take longer or if I am doing it wrong.0
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i started 16:8 about 2 weeks ago and I just added back exercise. at the moment, i'm exercising at the end of the day/near the end of my feed window. so once I'm done i still have an hour left. next week, I'll be moving the workout to the beginning of the day 6 hours before my first meal, so that should be interesting.
so far my biggest issues are
- getting that last meal in
- 1 hour before meal 1 i'm so hungry, i have no idea how moving my workout to before meal 1 will affect me.
- getting in enough calories. right now i have to make an effort to make sure i get near my calorie goals1 -
16:8 is more or less natural for me. I always exercise before first meal and have had several of daily glasses of water by then too.
18:6 and 20:4 are more of a challenge, as is doing the fast without coffee (and milk). I'd rather go without coffee, as I do not like black. As long as I am going to bed on time, I don't need coffee to wake-up. I just really enjoy sitting down to work with my watered-down latte (2 espresso shots + same vol in hot water +1/4 c whole milk foamed 3x volume). --so technically this breaks my fast?1 -
I just started today. Trying 16:8 fasting from 8 p.m. until Noon. It looks like the best results are from a pre-feast workout but I can't get mine in in the morning so I go after work (5:30ish). I'm not sure what to expect... wish me luck!4
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@DananaNanas let us know how Tuesday went for you.
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I just started this last night, and I'm starting with 16/8. I haven't been able to lose an ounce since hitting middle age, unless I work out 3+hours/day along with calorie restriction. I'm hoping this bumps up my metabolism. Since this reminds me of how I ate naturally growing up, I'm hoping it's not too difficult to retrain my body.1
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16:8 is more or less natural for me. I always exercise before first meal and have had several of daily glasses of water by then too.
18:6 and 20:4 are more of a challenge, as is doing the fast without coffee (and milk). I'd rather go without coffee, as I do not like black. As long as I am going to bed on time, I don't need coffee to wake-up. I just really enjoy sitting down to work with my watered-down latte (2 espresso shots + same vol in hot water +1/4 c whole milk foamed 3x volume). --so technically this breaks my fast?
Yes, whole milk will break your fast, but worse yet, it will spike your insulin, which is the main contributor to weight gain. You need to use heavy cream (or half and half I think works, too), because the fat helps to reduce the insulin response.
This is why I love bulletproof coffee: one tbsp of coconut oil (the good stuff), one tbsp grass fed butter, and I add 2 tbsp of 30% fat cream. Doesn't induce an insulin response and easily keep me going in my 18:6 window. And yes, I know it's not technically fasting, but it keeps your body in a fat-burning state... I've lost 4 lbs in just over a week, where I was in the "final 10" bracket just seeking perfection at this point lol.
Check out this article and I also highly recommend the book "The Obesity Code."
http://www.marksdailyapple.com/dairy-insulin/
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By the way, I just realized that my comment about how much weight I needed to lose and "seeking perfection" could have come across and insensitive or as bragging, but I didn't mean it that way at all! It was just to give context that I lost 4 lbs with not much weight left to lose... and then making fun of myself a little.
Sorry if it made anyone feel bad!3 -
I am now drinking americanos with cream (same dbl shot of espresso, matched with same vol of hot water, then luscious cream!1
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@DananaNanas Initially attempt at fasting longer ended at 20h, for some reason I wasn't feeling strong physically. I tried again the next day and had broth w dollop of butter at 26h/4p then a few tablespoons of wholemilk plain yoghurt at 28h/6p. Next meal on the following day wasn't until after 2p. I was less hungry upon waking then when I went to bed. Although not a pure fast, I did bump my typically wkly loss from 1/2lb to over 1lb.
The following week, I found it difficult to resume IF at 20:4. I floated back to 16:8 and lost abt 1/2lb. This week IF 20:4 feels natural again. I weigh on Fridays, so I will see.1 -
Going to do minimum 18:6 with an aim to quickly work up to 20:4 and then OMAD. That is where its at for me
Day two complete1 -
Weekdays I generally do 20:4/2-6p, whereas on weekends I do 18:6/2-8p, to be more family & friends compatible. Like many, I do not count the coffee & cream I have between 16-18h. I find that I do better and feel stronger with a big meal at 2p, then a smaller one later, somedays I have a small snack in between. I drink lots of water and often a couple cups of plain tea, while munching on 1/4-1/2 tsp of mineral salt throughout the day.0
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i havent exercised yet and i dont pay attention to calories too much. i just eat until i'm full and stop and i add veggies as much as possible to each meal. i've had mcdonals, ribs, ice cream and STILL lost 7lbs this week doing 16/8 IF and NOT eating when i'm full, which is pretty important i think.
I am having a little challenge with this currently. After 17-18 hours fasting, I feel just fine right up until the moment my mind knows I can eat... then I go crazy! It's not bad stuff... mostly steamed broccoli and cauliflower with salted butter and vinegar, a normal portion of sausage (the big kind) OR steamed shrimp, kefir, and then natural unsweetened peanut butter with a tad of honey (or 75% dark chocolate).
The crazy thing is, tonight, when I got home from work and it was time to eat, I basically already felt full after having 200 grams of kefir and a couple pieces of cauliflower (while everything else was cooking), but I still ate all the cooked veggies and sausage and peanut butter lol. Now I'm so full! But this will be my only meal of the day, aside from the bulletproof coffee, of course, so I'm trying to prevent under eating in regards to calorie intake.
This is an interesting process, for sure!
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I'm only on day 2 of this, but can I just say what a relief this is? omg. I have so much more free time now. I'm doing 16/8 (which turned into 18/6 on day 2, because I was busy), but I feel fine, and perfectly clear-headed.
I don't have to spend so much time cooking, since I'm down to basically 2 meals a day, and I'm having no issues staying within my calorie limit. Also, I made it to the gym this morning, as well. Yes, I was hungry after the gym, but I made it early morning on just coffee.
I know it's only day two, but I'm not feeling hungry or stressed or anything like I used to. I hope it keeps going like this!1 -
I just joined the group Heather. I've been 16:8 for two months I love it works great for post menopausal women!3
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I just joined the group. I'm 6 days in to 18:6. I'm considering trying a 24-48 hour fast. Down 2.4 pounds in 5 days. 34# to go. I watched Dr Fungs YouTube video that someone posted and it was very groundbreaking for me. All this time I thought I was the failure but it wasn't me, it was my technique! Does anyone count the calories on the feeding hours? I've just eliminated sugar. I think I've finally found what works!
If anyone is doing 18:6- do you do it every day? Do you change it up?0 -
Mermaidtriathlete wrote: »I just joined the group. I'm 6 days in to 18:6. I'm considering trying a 24-48 hour fast. Down 2.4 pounds in 5 days. 34# to go. I watched Dr Fungs YouTube video that someone posted and it was very groundbreaking for me. All this time I thought I was the failure but it wasn't me, it was my technique! Does anyone count the calories on the feeding hours? I've just eliminated sugar. I think I've finally found what works!
If anyone is doing 18:6- do you do it every day? Do you change it up?
I count calories. I'm about 20 pounds to my goal weight (low end of healthy bmi) so at this point it's kind of necessary for me to do so. I'm hoping if I ever get to maintenance I can stop counting and just stick with IF.
I do 18:6 mostly.... 16:8 sometimes if my work schedule calls for it... I get home very late sometimes but still like to eat something at home. I think it's depressing to eat all of my meals at work.
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dynamicwon wrote: »I just joined the group Heather. I've been 16:8 for two months I love it works great for post menopausal women!
For perimenopausal women too! I can definitely see the difference in my ability to cope with mood swings and hormonal shifts while fasting.0 -
I am eating once a day, also eating a Keto diet. I had been great so far, right now I am 32 hours into my 1st extended fast, other than my mouth tasting awful it's been going great.0
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I'm new here, I started 16:8 four days ago and so far it's going well. I'm weight training for the first time in years at 10:30 and then I have my first meal around 11. I've lost 3 lbs so far, although it's been pretty erratic the day after working out. I'll be adding cardio soon. I'm going to try to not be discouraged if the scale doesn't move much!3
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DananaNanas wrote: »Mermaidtriathlete wrote: »I think it's depressing to eat all of my meals at work.
Amen sister~!0
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