Fasting and timed eating

ahclay
ahclay Posts: 36 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hello all. I'm about to turn 60 next month, and I had just about given up ever shedding this weight. But I started timed eating in 2020, and turns out I like it.

After a several months, I had lost weight, but it was slooooooow. I kept reading about what I was doing. Generally, I eat between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. I got to bed super early, so that works for me. Then I read something that changed my way of thinking.

I've been counting my calories for simply decades. It's a habit now. But I was trying to eat all the calories I used to eat (eating all day) during those 8 hours. This article suggested that the point was to SKIP A MEAL. Well, like most of you, I'd always heard that was bad to do, but it made a bit of sense. I do not eat breakfast right when I wake up anymore. I have black coffee (took years to learn how to enjoy that) until 10.

So now I eat just two meals a day, brunch and dinner. Snacking in between varies due to how active I am and how much I'm out of the house. But I don't restrict the times of those snacks, just the calories. I'm also tracking my carbs and protein, because I'm a carb addict and would live on cereal,bread, and pizza if allowed.

For three months now, I have eaten around 1350 calories a day (I weigh over 300 pounds), and have eaten them only between 10 and 6. And suddenly I've lost 30 pounds in three months. Before trying this, I had lost 12, but it took from January to the end of September to do that.

It's habitual now. It's not hard. I feel like I could do this forever. Has anyone else had success with this sort of thing? I do not feel that I am going to gain it all back when I go off the program, because I have no desire to be 'off.'

I made exceptions for Thanksgiving, Xmas, and NYE. It was not hard at all to get back onthe wagon.

Replies

  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    Many of us find that when we adopt an eating pattern/timing that matches our preferences and lifestyle, it becomes much easier to hit our calorie goals.

    That will vary by person, but I know there many here who have success with delaying their breakfast/first meal until later in the day.

    The best "programs," IMO, are the ones that feel so natural that you aren't counting the days until you can quit. Congratulations!
  • Tinatlc
    Tinatlc Posts: 12 Member
    I'm just starting and hope that this will be a natural fix for me. I will be 50 this year and I currently weigh 221 pounds. I'm beginning with a 12 hour fast. Wish me luck. Thanks.
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
    edited January 2021
    Yep, there are many times I feel content eating a slightly bigger breakfast and a slightly bigger dinner, and then either having a light snack in between, or skipping lunch all together. Satiety is different among different people, truly. Some people don't like to eat breakfast, or don't eat it because it makes them hungrier throughout the day. The whole bit about breakfast being the most important meal of the day is nonsense and not true for everyone. I am definitely a breakfast eater, though. If eating this way makes you happy, go for it!
  • callsitlikeiseeit
    callsitlikeiseeit Posts: 8,626 Member
    most people fast and dont realize it. if nothing else... we don't eat when we are asleep.

    my husband (who if anything could gain a few pounds) routinely ONLY eats when he gets home from work.

    even myself, its rare I eat anything before 9 or 10 am (aside from my coffee and creamer) and we have an early dinner because, like you, we go to bed early and are in the bedroom around 7.

    the thing with me, though, is that if I don't actively monitor what and how much I am eating, I can fit a WHOLE lot of calories in a few hours timespan. Even if I said 'ill only eat between noon- which would be feasible for me and 6 - and try to eat 'intuitively' ... well, that is basically how I regained some of the weight that I lost years ago that now I'm working on re-losing.

    its all knowing (or figuring out) what works for you, and your habits, and body.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,522 Member
    @ahclay : Congratulations for finding your rhythm. I'll have 60yrs in April and I'm working to find what works for me now. It's definitely changing from what worked for me "then."

    BTW: 30lbs in 3 months is VERY FAST. A sustainable loss rate is 0.5-2lbs/week. I hope your method continues working for you and you settle into a sustainable rate.

    Best of luck!
  • pauldalen1
    pauldalen1 Posts: 3 Member

    ahclay wrote: »
    For three months now, I have eaten around 1350 calories a day (I weigh over 300 pounds), and have eaten them only between 10 and 6. And suddenly I've lost 30 pounds in three months. Before trying this, I had lost 12, but it took from January to the end of September to do that.

    1350 calories is starvation level for someone at 300 pounds.

    Intermittent fasting is what you're doing. The science behind it is clear...it is a method of controlling insulin levels because insulin is inseparably related to weight gain. But you have to properly fuel your body.

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