intermittent Fasting (Help) I think I'm doing it wrong..
omgshefluffy
Posts: 11 Member
So I started intermittent Fasting about 5 days ago. So far I've just gained a tiny amount of weight. I'm doing the 16/8 fast which is simple but I feel like I'm doing it wrong. I wait everyday until 11am to start eating regularly. then after 7pm I completely stop and only drink water all the way until 11am the next day. I'm fine with this. But I'm gaining a bit instead of losing.
I have a strong feeling its the food I'm eating. But the problem is funds are so out of order in my life I don't know what to cook or if I should just eat leftovers. Last night we had lasagna from the store. It was simple and easy to cook which I'm use to. But I know that's not something I can eat all the time.
Can anyone tell me the correct meal plan on how this works. I've also done Low-Carb but like I said its becoming a hassle with funds. Especially when I'm the only one on the diet. Could it be because I don't exercise? am I suppose to exercise? I was thinking about during my cut off at 7pm do some cardio in the house.
I've found articles online but I would feel a bit better if I could just get it from a stronger source.
I also drink a lot of water which I don't mind doing at all.
I have a strong feeling its the food I'm eating. But the problem is funds are so out of order in my life I don't know what to cook or if I should just eat leftovers. Last night we had lasagna from the store. It was simple and easy to cook which I'm use to. But I know that's not something I can eat all the time.
Can anyone tell me the correct meal plan on how this works. I've also done Low-Carb but like I said its becoming a hassle with funds. Especially when I'm the only one on the diet. Could it be because I don't exercise? am I suppose to exercise? I was thinking about during my cut off at 7pm do some cardio in the house.
I've found articles online but I would feel a bit better if I could just get it from a stronger source.
I also drink a lot of water which I don't mind doing at all.
2
Replies
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How many calories are you consuming? Intermittent fasting or no, if you don't have a calorie deficit, you won't lose weight.14
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Well, start there. IF is not a diet, and it holds no magical weight-loss properties. Also, it's not the food (lasagna is fine)...it's eating within your calorie goal.5
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cmriverside wrote: »Well, start there. IF is not a diet, and it holds no magical weight-loss properties. Also, it's not the food (lasagna is fine)...it's eating within your calorie goal.
So I can eat normally but just make sure I stay under my calories? I did my fitness pal calculations on my cell and it says for a non active person I need to eat 1,770 calories to lose weight.3 -
Track your calories. You could easily be eating more than you need. You could be subconsciously eating more between 11am-7pm because you've told yourself you can't eat anything outside of that time.3
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eliciaobrien1 wrote: »Track your calories. You could easily be eating more than you need. You could be subconsciously eating more between 11am-7pm because you've told yourself you can't eat anything outside of that time.
Good point. I'll work on this for the next couple of days and see if there is a change. Thank you guys for taking the time to speak with me about this. I'm glad I found some help ^__^2 -
omgshefluffy wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »Well, start there. IF is not a diet, and it holds no magical weight-loss properties. Also, it's not the food (lasagna is fine)...it's eating within your calorie goal.
So I can eat normally but just make sure I stay under my calories? I did my fitness pal calculations on my cell and it says for a non active person I need to eat 1,770 calories to lose weight.
You can eat anything you want any time you want as long as you stick to your 1770 calories.3 -
eliciaobrien1 wrote: »omgshefluffy wrote: »cmriverside wrote: »Well, start there. IF is not a diet, and it holds no magical weight-loss properties. Also, it's not the food (lasagna is fine)...it's eating within your calorie goal.
So I can eat normally but just make sure I stay under my calories? I did my fitness pal calculations on my cell and it says for a non active person I need to eat 1,770 calories to lose weight.
You can eat anything you want any time you want as long as you stick to your 1770 calories.
That I can understand. I do like the IF though, for some odd reason I helps my body relax if that makes any sense. I use to eat really late at night so I' happy with the IF I'm not doing that anymore.
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Also is it normal for your stomach to not growl? my stomach has literally not growled in 5 days. XD I feel like when it growls I can say " Oh, your hungry? okay let's eat " for the last 5 days I've been like " Hello?...anyone there? I have food in front of me. Can you make some sort of noise? "0
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when IF first came to the attention of the public it was being used 2 or 3 times a week at most
This was to get total calories consumed down, to lower blood sugar, do carb depletion before carbing up (bodybuilders do this)
The whole point of intermittent is that it is NOT a regular daily thing
This new 16/8 thing is not IF at all. It's probably got a definition but not one that includes 'intermittent'
Intermittent means by definition 'sometimes occurs' not every day8 -
Rickster1967 wrote: »when IF first came to the attention of the public it was being used 2 or 3 times a week at most
This was to get total calories consumed down, to lower blood sugar, do carb depletion before carbing up (bodybuilders do this)
The whole point of intermittent is that it is NOT a regular daily thing
This new 16/8 thing is not IF at all. It's probably got a definition but not one that includes 'intermittent'
Intermittent means by definition 'sometimes occurs' not every day
Well even if we didn't call it IF I really like that I can tell myself when to stop eating. Is that still okay? to have a cut off time.0 -
omgshefluffy wrote: »Rickster1967 wrote: »when IF first came to the attention of the public it was being used 2 or 3 times a week at most
This was to get total calories consumed down, to lower blood sugar, do carb depletion before carbing up (bodybuilders do this)
The whole point of intermittent is that it is NOT a regular daily thing
This new 16/8 thing is not IF at all. It's probably got a definition but not one that includes 'intermittent'
Intermittent means by definition 'sometimes occurs' not every day
Well even if we didn't call it IF I really like that I can tell myself when to stop eating. Is that still okay?
You can do whatever you want. You should buy a food scale tho and track your calories because that's what it boils down to.2 -
Yeah, Rickster I tend to agree. I eat in a eight hour window. It's just a convenient way for me to eat and it keeps me on track. I prefer to eat two largish meals and a little midday snack, so I eat between 8AM and 4PM, which is technically 16/8, but I do it every day so - dunno why all the hoopla. Except it does help some people place boundaries around problematic behaviors, like late night eating and the "once I start eating it's hard to stop" phenomenon. If people delay their first meal it seems to help.3
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Calories in calories out.
Its a simple way that WILL work.if its not working you are eating too much.simple0 -
Well if you can find a rhythm that you are comfortable with, where you get the calories & nutrition you need, that overcomes any cravings or addictions
but I don't see any need to put an arbitary time window on your food consumption
The main thing is to get your 16 hour fast in. Whether you eat the last thing at midnight or 6pm it won't really matter. I'd recommend you only fast 2 or 3 times a week and then do a workout in the fasted state before breaking the fast
Working out in the fasted state, then eating has many benefits such as improved insulin sensitivity
Whatever you do, you'll need to be in deficit if weight loss is the goal. Also, remember this: you should be working out a way to live that you can maintain for life. If it's not sustainable then probably not a good plan.
In my case, between 2000 and 2007 I lived on a very low carb diet, got into bodybuilding. Got very lean and buff.
However, life intervened (credit crunch, family breakdown) and I was unable to maintain the low carb life. Became a food addict and gained 140lb. Problem was the low carb lifestyle was HARD and took major effort which I could not continue when stress became a factor.
Not saying that this will happen to anybody else, just a warning to plan a sustainable lifestyle4 -
Rickster1967 wrote: »Well if you can find a rhythm that you are comfortable with, where you get the calories & nutrition you need, that overcomes any cravings or addictions
but I don't see any need to put an arbitary time window on your food consumption
The main thing is to get your 16 hour fast in. Whether you eat the last thing at midnight or 6pm it won't really matter. I'd recommend you only fast 2 or 3 times a week and then do a workout in the fasted state before breaking the fast
Working out in the fasted state, then eating has many benefits such as improved insulin sensitivity
Whatever you do, you'll need to be in deficit if weight loss is the goal. Also, remember this: you should be working out a way to live that you can maintain for life. If it's not sustainable then probably not a good plan.
In my case, between 2000 and 2007 I lived on a very low carb diet, got into bodybuilding. Got very lean and buff.
However, life intervened (credit crunch, family breakdown) and I was unable to maintain the low carb life. Became a food addict and gained 140lb. Problem was the low carb lifestyle was HARD and took major effort which I could not continue when stress became a factor.
Not saying that this will happen to anybody else, just a warning to plan a sustainable lifestyle
I see what you saying. I was on the lowcarb for a minute and then slowly fell off because I love fruit and that's all I wanted to eat. Right now I'm not really hungry since I had lasagna at 11am. T__T Its a really bad habit for me when it comes to leftovers. anyways, I'm not sure when I'll eat again hopeful I'll feel like eating but as of right now I don't.0 -
omgshefluffy wrote: »Rickster1967 wrote: »Well if you can find a rhythm that you are comfortable with, where you get the calories & nutrition you need, that overcomes any cravings or addictions
but I don't see any need to put an arbitary time window on your food consumption
The main thing is to get your 16 hour fast in. Whether you eat the last thing at midnight or 6pm it won't really matter. I'd recommend you only fast 2 or 3 times a week and then do a workout in the fasted state before breaking the fast
Working out in the fasted state, then eating has many benefits such as improved insulin sensitivity
Whatever you do, you'll need to be in deficit if weight loss is the goal. Also, remember this: you should be working out a way to live that you can maintain for life. If it's not sustainable then probably not a good plan.
In my case, between 2000 and 2007 I lived on a very low carb diet, got into bodybuilding. Got very lean and buff.
However, life intervened (credit crunch, family breakdown) and I was unable to maintain the low carb life. Became a food addict and gained 140lb. Problem was the low carb lifestyle was HARD and took major effort which I could not continue when stress became a factor.
Not saying that this will happen to anybody else, just a warning to plan a sustainable lifestyle
I see what you saying. I was on the lowcarb for a minute and then slowly fell off because I love fruit and that's all I wanted to eat. Right now I'm not really hungry since I had lasagna at 11am. T__T Its a really bad habit for me when it comes to leftovers. anyways, I'm not sure when I'll eat again hopeful I'll feel like eating but as of right now I don't.
how much have you got lose? Be careful with not feeling hungry
get into a rhythm of eating, skipping meals is not needed0 -
Yes, what they all said...
It's not a magic bullet and it's not starvation. One major benefit is that it really helps with your discipline as you begin tracking calories and maintaining a workout schedule. Keeping top-of-mind your eating window makes the other aspects that much easier (and simpler).0 -
Again, there is nothing wrong with lasagna. It's a matter of logging it in your Food diary and accounting for the calories, is all. I have pasta a couple times a week. I have bread every day, and potatoes or rice a few times a week, too. I've maintained my weight-loss for a decade and spend $5 a day on food. The good thing about grains and potatoes (and pulses) is that they are energy intense and inexpensive. Eat the food you like that you can afford and log it. That's it. Peanut butter sandwich? It's fine. Mac and cheese? Go for it. Add some frozen vegetables and a little chicken and it's still less than $2 per serving.1
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Rickster1967 wrote: »omgshefluffy wrote: »Rickster1967 wrote: »Well if you can find a rhythm that you are comfortable with, where you get the calories & nutrition you need, that overcomes any cravings or addictions
but I don't see any need to put an arbitary time window on your food consumption
The main thing is to get your 16 hour fast in. Whether you eat the last thing at midnight or 6pm it won't really matter. I'd recommend you only fast 2 or 3 times a week and then do a workout in the fasted state before breaking the fast
Working out in the fasted state, then eating has many benefits such as improved insulin sensitivity
Whatever you do, you'll need to be in deficit if weight loss is the goal. Also, remember this: you should be working out a way to live that you can maintain for life. If it's not sustainable then probably not a good plan.
In my case, between 2000 and 2007 I lived on a very low carb diet, got into bodybuilding. Got very lean and buff.
However, life intervened (credit crunch, family breakdown) and I was unable to maintain the low carb life. Became a food addict and gained 140lb. Problem was the low carb lifestyle was HARD and took major effort which I could not continue when stress became a factor.
Not saying that this will happen to anybody else, just a warning to plan a sustainable lifestyle
I see what you saying. I was on the lowcarb for a minute and then slowly fell off because I love fruit and that's all I wanted to eat. Right now I'm not really hungry since I had lasagna at 11am. T__T Its a really bad habit for me when it comes to leftovers. anyways, I'm not sure when I'll eat again hopeful I'll feel like eating but as of right now I don't.
how much have you got lose? Be careful with not feeling hungry
get into a rhythm of eating, skipping meals is not needed
I went from 242 to 228. But when I went all oranges and grapes crazy and then foods not low carb I shot up to 232.8. I really just want to get down to 200 and see how I feel and look. Don't want to come out with a big head and small body. XD
And yeah I think its because the meal was heavy. I'm drinking water right now. I think I'll have strawberries here in a bit. Also I fail to mention one important thing about all this. I had Gastic Bypass surgery back in 2013. so I get full easily as well. I think I should have said that before.
I'm not even sure if I'm suppose to be counting calories or doing low carb or anything of the such. but I do it because I feel like my pouch isn't what it use to be and I have talked to my dr about this and he basically said I'm just eating to much. Tis why I went with the IF so that I can stay in check.
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Type your stats into MFP and set to lose 1# a week. Do exactly as it says and log your food. Eat during a “window” if you wish, but stay within your calories. That’s how it works.1
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if you want to know more about IF the go to place is
leangains.com0 -
been reading articles on kept saying those things were bad for you. So I just stopped eating them. I can't really eat bread anymore anyways. For my pouch it is heavy on it so I cut it out.cmriverside wrote: »Again, there is nothing wrong with lasagna. It's a matter of logging it in your Food diary and accounting for the calories, is all. I have pasta a couple times a week. I have bread every day, and potatoes or rice a few times a week, too. I've maintained my weight-loss for a decade and spend $5 a day on food. The good thing about grains and potatoes (and pulses) is that they are energy intense and inexpensive. Eat the food you like that you can afford and log it. That's it. Peanut butter sandwich? It's fine. Mac and cheese? Go for it. Add some frozen vegetables and a little chicken and it's still less than $2 per serving.0 -
I love IF or whatever we need to call it to not get on people’s nerves. I start eating around 2pm and stop around 9pm. No magic, nothing special about doing it except it makes it easier for me to not eat more calories than I need. Plus I really like a rather large supper and an evening snack. Not sustainable for me is never getting to eat chocolate before bed. I have always pretty naturally eaten like this though unless there is a special occasion that involves breakfast in the morning. If it works for you great! But everyone is right you will have to count your calories anyway.0
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maggibailey wrote: »I love IF or whatever we need to call it to not get on people’s nerves. I start eating around 2pm and stop around 9pm. No magic nothing special about doing it except it makes it easier for me to no eat more caloro a than I need. Plus I really like a rather large supper and an evening snack. Not sustainable for me is never getting to eat chocolate before bed. I have always pretty naturally eaten like this though unless there is a special occasion that involves breakfast in the morning. If it works for you great! But everyone is right you will have to count your calories anyway.
Yeah, I think that's the best. Pretty much have been eating blind folded. XD0 -
omgshefluffy wrote: »Also is it normal for your stomach to not growl? my stomach has literally not growled in 5 days. XD I feel like when it growls I can say " Oh, your hungry? okay let's eat " for the last 5 days I've been like " Hello?...anyone there? I have food in front of me. Can you make some sort of noise? "
stomach growling isnt always a sign of hunger. https://www.healthline.com/health/abdominal-sounds#other-symptoms. if you arent having any issues I wouldnt worry about it. if you arent hearing anything I also wouldnt worry about it.1 -
omgshefluffy wrote: »
Try tracking for a while (including using a food scale, if you can). Personally, I'm still weighing and tracking four years into maintenance, but lots of people are able to stop tracking after they've done it for a while and have a good sense of portion sizes that fit within their calorie goals, and others can go for months without tracking and then just come back to tracking for a few weeks when the scales show their weight is creeping back up.0 -
yeah as others say track calories, But eating healthy doesnt need to be crazy expensive. I just shopped for my week and only spent 20$ and that included shampoo i needed. Alot of potatoes and frozen veg for me nice plain week to prepare for christmas lol. Eating healthy doesnt need to be complicated and expensive. Just saying. This is cheaper by far thn any other way i could be eating1
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Basically, you're just skipping breakfast. You won't lose weight by skipping breakfast if you eat more for dinner and supper.3
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You are eating too many calories or are having some temporary water gain. You can control the calories by counting or you can do portion control and not count and see if it results in losses. You can shorten your eating window also to see if it helps keep the calories in check.
I know someone I work with that lost a lot of weight by doing the 16:8 schedule by eating a small lunch (400-600 cal), afternoon snack (200cals), small dinner, evening snack. He droped 70-lbs doing this. Good luck.1
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