I have finally found what works for my body!
nklp
Posts: 62 Member
Hi everyone. I began MFP in 2014, after gaining 50lbs in my first two years at Uni, going from 8st6lbs to 11st. While calorie restriction and excercise did help me to lose weight, because I'm short and have a really weird metabolism, in order to lose weight I was having to eat around 1,100 to get any weight loss at all. Over time this was obviously unsustainable. I felt cold all the time, my brain wasn't working properly, and eventually the weight loss plateaued at around 10st and wouldn't shift at all despite the extreme restriction.
I tried the 5-2 diet, eating 500kcal on fasting days, but found that on fasting days I was so ravenously hungry that I would either overconsume and go above my alloted 500kcal, or I would massively over eat on the following day; sometimes up to 2,300. The weight didn't climb up, but it wouldn't budge, and I had wild mood swings and was constantly battling with hunger and obsessive food cravings.
After a battle that lasted years, I gave up, and decided I would intuitively eat. I would allow myself to take comfort in food when I really felt the need, and focus my energy on my career, friendships and self-care. I'm really glad I did this, as completeing teacher training in the UK without these comforts would have been really really mentally draining. However, my weight began to creep up over the course of 3 years. Suddenly, my weight had creeped back up - higher than it had ever been - and I was 12st. I took up running and swimming and began to concentrate on healthy eating, and the weight stopped creeping, but suddenly lockdown happened.
I stopped going to the gym (they were closed). I was still concentrating on healthy eating, but I was definitely over-consuming even though the food was healthy. I went for long walks, but between walks was entirely sedentary. I weighed myself in May 2020 (three months after my previous weigh-in in February), and I was over 14st, and nearly morbidly obese. I was heart-broken. I felt rage at the unfairness of the situation. I felt as though I was doing things right; I was vegetarian, avoided most fats (desipte craving them all the time), ate a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, went for long walks, and ate a mostly balanced diet - very few processed foods, rarely ate take aways etc.
How on earth had I gained 30lbs in three months?? The would have meant (assuming 1lbs = 3500 calories) I would have had to over-consume by 1,166 kcals every single day. I knew that I hadn't done this; a rough estimate of my average daily calories using MFP showed that I had eaten around 2,000 kcal - exactly what I should have eaten for maintanence (in line with my BMR of 1,500 and 500kcal from my 2-3 hours of walking). I remembered the YEARS of calorie restriction that had only resulted in 14lbs lost, and was horrified to think that this would be my life again - for even longer this time.
I was stumped. How on earth was this possible? I despised my body for betraying me, and raged at the calories-in-calories-out equation that clearly - CLEARLY - didn't work for my body.
I began researching on line, and remembered that when I was slim as a teen I would routinely intuitively and often accidentally fast. I've never been a breakfast person, and for a lot of my teens I was accidentally doing OMAD because I was often late for school and forgot to make time for breakfast or remember my lunch money. Some days, I would stay out hopping from friend to friend and miss dinner because I was so engrossed in a conversation / walk that I would genuinely not be hungry. In fact, I often wasn't hungry at all; not the way I felt later in life, after forcing myself to eat at least three (healthy) meals a day, constantly battling uncontrollable hunger and intense food cravings.
I used to think this was awful for my health - and I'm sure that as a teen it most certainly was - but the more I researched into intermittent fasting, the more it intuitively felt right for my body. I could eat whenever I was hungry until I was full, and whenever I wasn't hungry I didn't have to eat. I rejected the mantra that breakfast was the most important meal of the day (all it ever did for me was make me feel a bit sick while I was eating it, and then be so ravenously hungry that I'd over-consume later in the day once the spike in blood sugar fell), and began to really tune into my own body's hunger signals. It turns out, I'm not actually hungry that often, as long as I eat enough for me to feel full in the first place and limit carbs that cause my blood-sugar to massively spike and fall. The beauty of it is that if I eat until I'm full (with enough protein and fat and fiber), even if I do over-consume in that moment, I am as a conequence fuller for longer - the balance between fasting and feasting feels completely natural, as though it is what my body has always been designed to do. And intense food cravings are for the most part, completely gone. It's hugely helping with binge-eating too; because I'm eating almost exclusively high-fat, low-carb food, I don't get those crazy dips and falls in blood glucose that have historically led me to binge when my blood-sugar dips.
I have finally lost over a stone for the first time in my whole life, and feel incredible. I have ebergy, whenever I'm hungry I eat something that is filling and nutricious, no more spreading 500kcals out across the day, no more limiting to 1100 and feeling like I was shrivelling up and dying. This is something I am managing to sustain.
Discalimer - PLEASE do not fast if your body is still developing; it is likely why I have struggled so much with my weight in adulthood! And even if you are an adult, please listen to your own body and do what feels good for it and helps keep it healthy. Listening and copying what I've done and expecting the same results is like a fish watching an ant climb a tree; you may have very different needs and your body may have different (equally cool) mechanisms to keep you healthy. I just wanted to share my story in case someone out there needed to hear that there are other ways than extreme calorie restriction and constant hunger and mood swings, if this has caused your weight to yo-yo in the past.
I tried the 5-2 diet, eating 500kcal on fasting days, but found that on fasting days I was so ravenously hungry that I would either overconsume and go above my alloted 500kcal, or I would massively over eat on the following day; sometimes up to 2,300. The weight didn't climb up, but it wouldn't budge, and I had wild mood swings and was constantly battling with hunger and obsessive food cravings.
After a battle that lasted years, I gave up, and decided I would intuitively eat. I would allow myself to take comfort in food when I really felt the need, and focus my energy on my career, friendships and self-care. I'm really glad I did this, as completeing teacher training in the UK without these comforts would have been really really mentally draining. However, my weight began to creep up over the course of 3 years. Suddenly, my weight had creeped back up - higher than it had ever been - and I was 12st. I took up running and swimming and began to concentrate on healthy eating, and the weight stopped creeping, but suddenly lockdown happened.
I stopped going to the gym (they were closed). I was still concentrating on healthy eating, but I was definitely over-consuming even though the food was healthy. I went for long walks, but between walks was entirely sedentary. I weighed myself in May 2020 (three months after my previous weigh-in in February), and I was over 14st, and nearly morbidly obese. I was heart-broken. I felt rage at the unfairness of the situation. I felt as though I was doing things right; I was vegetarian, avoided most fats (desipte craving them all the time), ate a wide variety of fruits and vegetables, went for long walks, and ate a mostly balanced diet - very few processed foods, rarely ate take aways etc.
How on earth had I gained 30lbs in three months?? The would have meant (assuming 1lbs = 3500 calories) I would have had to over-consume by 1,166 kcals every single day. I knew that I hadn't done this; a rough estimate of my average daily calories using MFP showed that I had eaten around 2,000 kcal - exactly what I should have eaten for maintanence (in line with my BMR of 1,500 and 500kcal from my 2-3 hours of walking). I remembered the YEARS of calorie restriction that had only resulted in 14lbs lost, and was horrified to think that this would be my life again - for even longer this time.
I was stumped. How on earth was this possible? I despised my body for betraying me, and raged at the calories-in-calories-out equation that clearly - CLEARLY - didn't work for my body.
I began researching on line, and remembered that when I was slim as a teen I would routinely intuitively and often accidentally fast. I've never been a breakfast person, and for a lot of my teens I was accidentally doing OMAD because I was often late for school and forgot to make time for breakfast or remember my lunch money. Some days, I would stay out hopping from friend to friend and miss dinner because I was so engrossed in a conversation / walk that I would genuinely not be hungry. In fact, I often wasn't hungry at all; not the way I felt later in life, after forcing myself to eat at least three (healthy) meals a day, constantly battling uncontrollable hunger and intense food cravings.
I used to think this was awful for my health - and I'm sure that as a teen it most certainly was - but the more I researched into intermittent fasting, the more it intuitively felt right for my body. I could eat whenever I was hungry until I was full, and whenever I wasn't hungry I didn't have to eat. I rejected the mantra that breakfast was the most important meal of the day (all it ever did for me was make me feel a bit sick while I was eating it, and then be so ravenously hungry that I'd over-consume later in the day once the spike in blood sugar fell), and began to really tune into my own body's hunger signals. It turns out, I'm not actually hungry that often, as long as I eat enough for me to feel full in the first place and limit carbs that cause my blood-sugar to massively spike and fall. The beauty of it is that if I eat until I'm full (with enough protein and fat and fiber), even if I do over-consume in that moment, I am as a conequence fuller for longer - the balance between fasting and feasting feels completely natural, as though it is what my body has always been designed to do. And intense food cravings are for the most part, completely gone. It's hugely helping with binge-eating too; because I'm eating almost exclusively high-fat, low-carb food, I don't get those crazy dips and falls in blood glucose that have historically led me to binge when my blood-sugar dips.
I have finally lost over a stone for the first time in my whole life, and feel incredible. I have ebergy, whenever I'm hungry I eat something that is filling and nutricious, no more spreading 500kcals out across the day, no more limiting to 1100 and feeling like I was shrivelling up and dying. This is something I am managing to sustain.
Discalimer - PLEASE do not fast if your body is still developing; it is likely why I have struggled so much with my weight in adulthood! And even if you are an adult, please listen to your own body and do what feels good for it and helps keep it healthy. Listening and copying what I've done and expecting the same results is like a fish watching an ant climb a tree; you may have very different needs and your body may have different (equally cool) mechanisms to keep you healthy. I just wanted to share my story in case someone out there needed to hear that there are other ways than extreme calorie restriction and constant hunger and mood swings, if this has caused your weight to yo-yo in the past.
18
Replies
-
So how many cals is your OMAD?
You are still eating in a deficit....in order to lose fat you need to eat less calories than you burn.....simple fact...
Or are you not tracking in the hope you prove the deficit theory wrong or the other ways (calorie restriction/deficit) wrong?
Sorry to sound cynical, what you are doing is not magic or the only thing that will work for you...it is a caloric deficit...keto, OMAD, low carb, intermittent fasting, athlete type meals, bodybuilding type meals, tracking calories, tracking macros, low fat, drastic low calorie diets....blah blah blah, the list goes on and on...all done, making one be in a caloric deficit are all the same principle...less calories equals fat loss (and if you don't get macros and exercise right and lose too quickly, muscle or lean mass loss)....15 -
Weight loss is all about finding a sustainable way to eat at a deficit to lose then at maintenance for the rest of your life. There are many ways of eating out there, glad you have found one to suit you.
I do agree that perhaps we put way too much emphasis on time of eating. Breakfast time, lunch time, dinner time. So we eat at those times because it is expected of us and a social norm during a work day and our bodies get used to eating at those times.
However if lockdown has taught me anything it is that we can do what we like in our own homes
15 -
I'm so glad you found what worked for you! It sounds like having the freedom to not be locked down to meals is what is helping your to stay in a deficit at the same time as you reduce cravings and feel better. That's wonderful!4
-
Hi nexangelus - I definitely am eating at a calorie deficit, that's true! I just have realised that eating a small amount of calories spread throughout the day is much harder on my body than eating a small amount of calories all in one go so I feel full 8
-
Thank you so much sand_tiger and manderson27! I am so happy!3
-
Hi nexangelus - I definitely am eating at a calorie deficit, that's true! I just have realised that eating a small amount of calories spread throughout the day is much harder on my body than eating a small amount of calories all in one go so I feel full
@nklp well done - whatever it's called it's FINALLY my way as well to get to a healthy weight, feel great and feel like I have found the magic formula for me. I have battled for so many years and yo-yo constantly. I now don't eat after dinner for 14-16 hrs most days. Then I have 2 good and satisfying meals of protein, minimally processed carbs and healthy fats. Yes, of course it's a deficit. It's also conquered my cravings, mood swings (mostly) and frustration.
Great job in finding YOUR healthy way.4 -
Whatever way someone chooses to lose weight, the biggest things you have to make sure of is to get in your RDA's and essentials of macro/micronutrients.
A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition
4 -
Yay! You found what is working for you....IF is a great tool to facilitate calorie deficit. Each of us, in order to create a sustainable lifestyle that is balanced and healthy has to individually find what resonates and produces success. Good for you finding your path and wishing you much success!4
-
I recently discovered IF too. It was as if a light bulb turned on over my head! Truly a revelation!2
-
This is a really nice story to read. Its so good to see someone cracking what works for them, particularly after having struggled for so long. Keep it up!3
-
This resonates with me so much. I joined MFP for real in 2014, lost 55 pounds over the course of a year and a half through careful calorie counting, and did an okay job of maintenance until the fall of 2018 when a huge amount of stress hit my life and didn't let up and THEN we all went on lockdown. Someone on Facebook mentioned a book called Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens and how much they loved this way of eating, so I ordered it and started reading.
I, too, remember when I was younger and was effortlessly thin, and I remember that I would accidentally fast for long periods of time. I never ate breakfast and sometimes only ate maybe an orange and some popcorn during mid-day and early afternoon and then ate a normal dinner. I didn't count calories, and I wasn't hungry. I was able to easily maintain a healthy weight back then doing IF, eating intuitively until I was full but fasting from about 6-7 pm until 12-1 the following day.
So I'm back on that-- I haven't been able to give up sweetener and sugar free coffee creamer yet but I'm trying to wean myself off of it (her book preaches black coffee in the morning if you need coffee). Back in college when I did IF without knowing it I just didn't even drink coffee. I tried that one day and found myself really missing it and watching the clock until I could break my fast. I wasn't even hungry that morning, but just seemed to miss having something besides water. I used to just eat a granola bar in the morning, so it's not like I'm cutting that many calories out in the morning, but now the thought of anything in the morning, especially something so full of sugar just doesn't even sound good at all. After gaining 40 of the 55 pounds back I'm back to calorie counting with IF. I plan to maintain by keeping the IF and eating intuitively. Going for a loss of 30 pounds because at the lowest weight I was a bit too thin (even though it's higher than when I was at my thinnest). Seems that an older person needs to carry a little more weight - even my husband said - don't lose that much this time.3 -
I too am in the 'don't eat breakfast club' Have done slimming world and other diets in the past and had people tell me 'you must eat breakfast' but it just doesn't work for me. So long before intermittent fasting was a 'thing' I was inadvertantly doing it anyway. I still log all my foods as this also works for me, but like you I also listen to my body, so if I'm hungry I eat, if I'm not I don't - and I'm trying hard to curb any emotional eating too. Really pleased you found something that works for you (especially as lockdown has been and continues to be so tough (UK too). 2
-
I too have lost weight this way. We should be listening to our bodies not shovelling food in at a particular time! I have also now just started fitness videos to help take the last stone off. I used to love dancing and exercising as a child. it is amazing if you look at your inner child- you often do find your answers.1
-
dramaqueen45 wrote: »I, too, remember when I was younger and was effortlessly thin, and I remember that I would accidentally fast for long periods of time. I never ate breakfast and sometimes only ate maybe an orange and some popcorn during mid-day and early afternoon and then ate a normal dinner. I didn't count calories, and I wasn't hungry. I was able to easily maintain a healthy weight back then doing IF, eating intuitively until I was full but fasting from about 6-7 pm until 12-1 the following day.
...
Going for a loss of 30 pounds because at the lowest weight I was a bit too thin (even though it's higher than when I was at my thinnest). Seems that an older person needs to carry a little more weight - even my husband said - don't lose that much this time.
I totally agree - I'm not trying to get back anywhere near to where I was as a teen! I used to be absolutely tiny - those shorts were a size 6!!! (Excuse the drunken mess I was at 18)
This is my current progress with 19lbs lost, I think you are right; I'm aiming for around 35lbs lost - so only 16 more to go!
1 -
dramaqueen45 wrote: »This resonates with me so much. I joined MFP for real in 2014, lost 55 pounds over the course of a year and a half through careful calorie counting, and did an okay job of maintenance until the fall of 2018 when a huge amount of stress hit my life and didn't let up and THEN we all went on lockdown. Someone on Facebook mentioned a book called Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens and how much they loved this way of eating, so I ordered it and started reading.
I, too, remember when I was younger and was effortlessly thin, and I remember that I would accidentally fast for long periods of time. I never ate breakfast and sometimes only ate maybe an orange and some popcorn during mid-day and early afternoon and then ate a normal dinner. I didn't count calories, and I wasn't hungry. I was able to easily maintain a healthy weight back then doing IF, eating intuitively until I was full but fasting from about 6-7 pm until 12-1 the following day.
So I'm back on that-- I haven't been able to give up sweetener and sugar free coffee creamer yet but I'm trying to wean myself off of it (her book preaches black coffee in the morning if you need coffee). Back in college when I did IF without knowing it I just didn't even drink coffee. I tried that one day and found myself really missing it and watching the clock until I could break my fast. I wasn't even hungry that morning, but just seemed to miss having something besides water. I used to just eat a granola bar in the morning, so it's not like I'm cutting that many calories out in the morning, but now the thought of anything in the morning, especially something so full of sugar just doesn't even sound good at all. After gaining 40 of the 55 pounds back I'm back to calorie counting with IF. I plan to maintain by keeping the IF and eating intuitively. Going for a loss of 30 pounds because at the lowest weight I was a bit too thin (even though it's higher than when I was at my thinnest). Seems that an older person needs to carry a little more weight - even my husband said - don't lose that much this time.
I’m not there yet, so humor me... but why is that?0 -
msalicia07 wrote: »dramaqueen45 wrote: »This resonates with me so much. I joined MFP for real in 2014, lost 55 pounds over the course of a year and a half through careful calorie counting, and did an okay job of maintenance until the fall of 2018 when a huge amount of stress hit my life and didn't let up and THEN we all went on lockdown. Someone on Facebook mentioned a book called Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens and how much they loved this way of eating, so I ordered it and started reading.
I, too, remember when I was younger and was effortlessly thin, and I remember that I would accidentally fast for long periods of time. I never ate breakfast and sometimes only ate maybe an orange and some popcorn during mid-day and early afternoon and then ate a normal dinner. I didn't count calories, and I wasn't hungry. I was able to easily maintain a healthy weight back then doing IF, eating intuitively until I was full but fasting from about 6-7 pm until 12-1 the following day.
So I'm back on that-- I haven't been able to give up sweetener and sugar free coffee creamer yet but I'm trying to wean myself off of it (her book preaches black coffee in the morning if you need coffee). Back in college when I did IF without knowing it I just didn't even drink coffee. I tried that one day and found myself really missing it and watching the clock until I could break my fast. I wasn't even hungry that morning, but just seemed to miss having something besides water. I used to just eat a granola bar in the morning, so it's not like I'm cutting that many calories out in the morning, but now the thought of anything in the morning, especially something so full of sugar just doesn't even sound good at all. After gaining 40 of the 55 pounds back I'm back to calorie counting with IF. I plan to maintain by keeping the IF and eating intuitively. Going for a loss of 30 pounds because at the lowest weight I was a bit too thin (even though it's higher than when I was at my thinnest). Seems that an older person needs to carry a little more weight - even my husband said - don't lose that much this time.
I’m not there yet, so humor me... but why is that?
Not a medical professional.
Having 'extra' weight when you're older helps if you get an illness that causes you to not be hungry, eating makes it worse, or you're vomiting/have diarrhea, that 'extra' weight acts like a back-up of calories to keep your body alive until the illness is over (good or bad).
Extreme example is my mom, who had lung cancer, and couldn't eat much during chemo. She lost a lot of weight and had she been a 'normal' weight, she would have been hospitalized due to starvation.2 -
msalicia07 wrote: »dramaqueen45 wrote: »This resonates with me so much. I joined MFP for real in 2014, lost 55 pounds over the course of a year and a half through careful calorie counting, and did an okay job of maintenance until the fall of 2018 when a huge amount of stress hit my life and didn't let up and THEN we all went on lockdown. Someone on Facebook mentioned a book called Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens and how much they loved this way of eating, so I ordered it and started reading.
I, too, remember when I was younger and was effortlessly thin, and I remember that I would accidentally fast for long periods of time. I never ate breakfast and sometimes only ate maybe an orange and some popcorn during mid-day and early afternoon and then ate a normal dinner. I didn't count calories, and I wasn't hungry. I was able to easily maintain a healthy weight back then doing IF, eating intuitively until I was full but fasting from about 6-7 pm until 12-1 the following day.
So I'm back on that-- I haven't been able to give up sweetener and sugar free coffee creamer yet but I'm trying to wean myself off of it (her book preaches black coffee in the morning if you need coffee). Back in college when I did IF without knowing it I just didn't even drink coffee. I tried that one day and found myself really missing it and watching the clock until I could break my fast. I wasn't even hungry that morning, but just seemed to miss having something besides water. I used to just eat a granola bar in the morning, so it's not like I'm cutting that many calories out in the morning, but now the thought of anything in the morning, especially something so full of sugar just doesn't even sound good at all. After gaining 40 of the 55 pounds back I'm back to calorie counting with IF. I plan to maintain by keeping the IF and eating intuitively. Going for a loss of 30 pounds because at the lowest weight I was a bit too thin (even though it's higher than when I was at my thinnest). Seems that an older person needs to carry a little more weight - even my husband said - don't lose that much this time.
I’m not there yet, so humor me... but why is that?
Not a medical professional.
Having 'extra' weight when you're older helps if you get an illness that causes you to not be hungry, eating makes it worse, or you're vomiting/have diarrhea, that 'extra' weight acts like a back-up of calories to keep your body alive until the illness is over (good or bad).
Extreme example is my mom, who had lung cancer, and couldn't eat much during chemo. She lost a lot of weight and had she been a 'normal' weight, she would have been hospitalized due to starvation.
Thank you! 🙏🏻😊0 -
msalicia07 wrote: »dramaqueen45 wrote: »This resonates with me so much. I joined MFP for real in 2014, lost 55 pounds over the course of a year and a half through careful calorie counting, and did an okay job of maintenance until the fall of 2018 when a huge amount of stress hit my life and didn't let up and THEN we all went on lockdown. Someone on Facebook mentioned a book called Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens and how much they loved this way of eating, so I ordered it and started reading.
I, too, remember when I was younger and was effortlessly thin, and I remember that I would accidentally fast for long periods of time. I never ate breakfast and sometimes only ate maybe an orange and some popcorn during mid-day and early afternoon and then ate a normal dinner. I didn't count calories, and I wasn't hungry. I was able to easily maintain a healthy weight back then doing IF, eating intuitively until I was full but fasting from about 6-7 pm until 12-1 the following day.
So I'm back on that-- I haven't been able to give up sweetener and sugar free coffee creamer yet but I'm trying to wean myself off of it (her book preaches black coffee in the morning if you need coffee). Back in college when I did IF without knowing it I just didn't even drink coffee. I tried that one day and found myself really missing it and watching the clock until I could break my fast. I wasn't even hungry that morning, but just seemed to miss having something besides water. I used to just eat a granola bar in the morning, so it's not like I'm cutting that many calories out in the morning, but now the thought of anything in the morning, especially something so full of sugar just doesn't even sound good at all. After gaining 40 of the 55 pounds back I'm back to calorie counting with IF. I plan to maintain by keeping the IF and eating intuitively. Going for a loss of 30 pounds because at the lowest weight I was a bit too thin (even though it's higher than when I was at my thinnest). Seems that an older person needs to carry a little more weight - even my husband said - don't lose that much this time.
I’m not there yet, so humor me... but why is that?
I'm 53 now. When I was 21 I weighed 117. Losing 55 pounds a few years ago got me down to 125 and I found that brought out a lot of wrinkles in my face and neck. I wasn't even thinking of the health benefits of carrying a little extra weight as mentioned above. My "ideal weight" according to the doctor is anything from 110-140. I definitely think 110 has always been too small for me, even being a small frame person. 117 was fine when I was young and had the elasticity in my skin. Now- 130-135 would be a nice, sustainable healthy weight. 140-145 is a bit too heavy for my small frame IMO. And when I was 125 - like I said- I was a bit too wrinkly, AND it was a bit too low to try to maintain my weight without continued strict restricting and counting. It's all individual- I'm still trying to figure out maintenance, but with the plan of IF I think I may be able to do it this time when I hit my goal!2 -
dramaqueen45 wrote: »msalicia07 wrote: »dramaqueen45 wrote: »This resonates with me so much. I joined MFP for real in 2014, lost 55 pounds over the course of a year and a half through careful calorie counting, and did an okay job of maintenance until the fall of 2018 when a huge amount of stress hit my life and didn't let up and THEN we all went on lockdown. Someone on Facebook mentioned a book called Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens and how much they loved this way of eating, so I ordered it and started reading.
I, too, remember when I was younger and was effortlessly thin, and I remember that I would accidentally fast for long periods of time. I never ate breakfast and sometimes only ate maybe an orange and some popcorn during mid-day and early afternoon and then ate a normal dinner. I didn't count calories, and I wasn't hungry. I was able to easily maintain a healthy weight back then doing IF, eating intuitively until I was full but fasting from about 6-7 pm until 12-1 the following day.
So I'm back on that-- I haven't been able to give up sweetener and sugar free coffee creamer yet but I'm trying to wean myself off of it (her book preaches black coffee in the morning if you need coffee). Back in college when I did IF without knowing it I just didn't even drink coffee. I tried that one day and found myself really missing it and watching the clock until I could break my fast. I wasn't even hungry that morning, but just seemed to miss having something besides water. I used to just eat a granola bar in the morning, so it's not like I'm cutting that many calories out in the morning, but now the thought of anything in the morning, especially something so full of sugar just doesn't even sound good at all. After gaining 40 of the 55 pounds back I'm back to calorie counting with IF. I plan to maintain by keeping the IF and eating intuitively. Going for a loss of 30 pounds because at the lowest weight I was a bit too thin (even though it's higher than when I was at my thinnest). Seems that an older person needs to carry a little more weight - even my husband said - don't lose that much this time.
I’m not there yet, so humor me... but why is that?
I'm 53 now. When I was 21 I weighed 117. Losing 55 pounds a few years ago got me down to 125 and I found that brought out a lot of wrinkles in my face and neck. I wasn't even thinking of the health benefits of carrying a little extra weight as mentioned above. My "ideal weight" according to the doctor is anything from 110-140. I definitely think 110 has always been too small for me, even being a small frame person. 117 was fine when I was young and had the elasticity in my skin. Now- 130-135 would be a nice, sustainable healthy weight. 140-145 is a bit too heavy for my small frame IMO. And when I was 125 - like I said- I was a bit too wrinkly, AND it was a bit too low to try to maintain my weight without continued strict restricting and counting. It's all individual- I'm still trying to figure out maintenance, but with the plan of IF I think I may be able to do it this time when I hit my goal!
So for you it was purely aesthetic. I completely get that! Thanks so much for the insight. Now you got me thinking...
If, say, I was 117 lbs at 53 years without losing weight, would that make a difference in the way the wrinkles looked or sat on my face? This might be a really good incentive to keep my weight in check in the future if so.1 -
msalicia07 wrote: »dramaqueen45 wrote: »msalicia07 wrote: »dramaqueen45 wrote: »This resonates with me so much. I joined MFP for real in 2014, lost 55 pounds over the course of a year and a half through careful calorie counting, and did an okay job of maintenance until the fall of 2018 when a huge amount of stress hit my life and didn't let up and THEN we all went on lockdown. Someone on Facebook mentioned a book called Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens and how much they loved this way of eating, so I ordered it and started reading.
I, too, remember when I was younger and was effortlessly thin, and I remember that I would accidentally fast for long periods of time. I never ate breakfast and sometimes only ate maybe an orange and some popcorn during mid-day and early afternoon and then ate a normal dinner. I didn't count calories, and I wasn't hungry. I was able to easily maintain a healthy weight back then doing IF, eating intuitively until I was full but fasting from about 6-7 pm until 12-1 the following day.
So I'm back on that-- I haven't been able to give up sweetener and sugar free coffee creamer yet but I'm trying to wean myself off of it (her book preaches black coffee in the morning if you need coffee). Back in college when I did IF without knowing it I just didn't even drink coffee. I tried that one day and found myself really missing it and watching the clock until I could break my fast. I wasn't even hungry that morning, but just seemed to miss having something besides water. I used to just eat a granola bar in the morning, so it's not like I'm cutting that many calories out in the morning, but now the thought of anything in the morning, especially something so full of sugar just doesn't even sound good at all. After gaining 40 of the 55 pounds back I'm back to calorie counting with IF. I plan to maintain by keeping the IF and eating intuitively. Going for a loss of 30 pounds because at the lowest weight I was a bit too thin (even though it's higher than when I was at my thinnest). Seems that an older person needs to carry a little more weight - even my husband said - don't lose that much this time.
I’m not there yet, so humor me... but why is that?
I'm 53 now. When I was 21 I weighed 117. Losing 55 pounds a few years ago got me down to 125 and I found that brought out a lot of wrinkles in my face and neck. I wasn't even thinking of the health benefits of carrying a little extra weight as mentioned above. My "ideal weight" according to the doctor is anything from 110-140. I definitely think 110 has always been too small for me, even being a small frame person. 117 was fine when I was young and had the elasticity in my skin. Now- 130-135 would be a nice, sustainable healthy weight. 140-145 is a bit too heavy for my small frame IMO. And when I was 125 - like I said- I was a bit too wrinkly, AND it was a bit too low to try to maintain my weight without continued strict restricting and counting. It's all individual- I'm still trying to figure out maintenance, but with the plan of IF I think I may be able to do it this time when I hit my goal!
So for you it was purely aesthetic. I completely get that! Thanks so much for the insight. Now you got me thinking...
If, say, I was 117 lbs at 53 years without losing weight, would that make a difference in the way the wrinkles looked or sat on my face? This might be a really good incentive to keep my weight in check in the future if so.
I'm another one who finds that being 7-10lbs heavier than my lowest goal weight actually mean my face looks younger/less lined - I'm 51, 5ft 2, being at my lightest weight of 124lbs for a few years ended up making me look very gaunt and older looking imo (plus friends were always commenting that I had lost too much weight). Its only looking at photos now that I can see I look healthier and more vibrant being a little bit heavier. For so long I just wanted to see a certain number on the scale! thankfully for me it now more about how my clothes look/feel and the amount of muscle I have built that feels more important and the nice bonus of having youthful looks now too .
I'm also an IF fan, 16:8 have been using that method of keeping my calories in check for over 6 months - personally it feels pretty easy.
Congrats OP on finding a method of losing weight that works for you.3 -
LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »msalicia07 wrote: »dramaqueen45 wrote: »msalicia07 wrote: »dramaqueen45 wrote: »This resonates with me so much. I joined MFP for real in 2014, lost 55 pounds over the course of a year and a half through careful calorie counting, and did an okay job of maintenance until the fall of 2018 when a huge amount of stress hit my life and didn't let up and THEN we all went on lockdown. Someone on Facebook mentioned a book called Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens and how much they loved this way of eating, so I ordered it and started reading.
I, too, remember when I was younger and was effortlessly thin, and I remember that I would accidentally fast for long periods of time. I never ate breakfast and sometimes only ate maybe an orange and some popcorn during mid-day and early afternoon and then ate a normal dinner. I didn't count calories, and I wasn't hungry. I was able to easily maintain a healthy weight back then doing IF, eating intuitively until I was full but fasting from about 6-7 pm until 12-1 the following day.
So I'm back on that-- I haven't been able to give up sweetener and sugar free coffee creamer yet but I'm trying to wean myself off of it (her book preaches black coffee in the morning if you need coffee). Back in college when I did IF without knowing it I just didn't even drink coffee. I tried that one day and found myself really missing it and watching the clock until I could break my fast. I wasn't even hungry that morning, but just seemed to miss having something besides water. I used to just eat a granola bar in the morning, so it's not like I'm cutting that many calories out in the morning, but now the thought of anything in the morning, especially something so full of sugar just doesn't even sound good at all. After gaining 40 of the 55 pounds back I'm back to calorie counting with IF. I plan to maintain by keeping the IF and eating intuitively. Going for a loss of 30 pounds because at the lowest weight I was a bit too thin (even though it's higher than when I was at my thinnest). Seems that an older person needs to carry a little more weight - even my husband said - don't lose that much this time.
I’m not there yet, so humor me... but why is that?
I'm 53 now. When I was 21 I weighed 117. Losing 55 pounds a few years ago got me down to 125 and I found that brought out a lot of wrinkles in my face and neck. I wasn't even thinking of the health benefits of carrying a little extra weight as mentioned above. My "ideal weight" according to the doctor is anything from 110-140. I definitely think 110 has always been too small for me, even being a small frame person. 117 was fine when I was young and had the elasticity in my skin. Now- 130-135 would be a nice, sustainable healthy weight. 140-145 is a bit too heavy for my small frame IMO. And when I was 125 - like I said- I was a bit too wrinkly, AND it was a bit too low to try to maintain my weight without continued strict restricting and counting. It's all individual- I'm still trying to figure out maintenance, but with the plan of IF I think I may be able to do it this time when I hit my goal!
So for you it was purely aesthetic. I completely get that! Thanks so much for the insight. Now you got me thinking...
If, say, I was 117 lbs at 53 years without losing weight, would that make a difference in the way the wrinkles looked or sat on my face? This might be a really good incentive to keep my weight in check in the future if so.
I'm another one who finds that being 7-10lbs heavier than my lowest goal weight actually mean my face looks younger/less lined - I'm 51, 5ft 2, being at my lightest weight of 124lbs for a few years ended up making me look very gaunt and older looking imo (plus friends were always commenting that I had lost too much weight). Its only looking at photos now that I can see I look healthier and more vibrant being a little bit heavier. For so long I just wanted to see a certain number on the scale! thankfully for me it now more about how my clothes look/feel and the amount of muscle I have built that feels more important and the nice bonus of having youthful looks now too .
I'm also an IF fan, 16:8 have been using that method of keeping my calories in check for over 6 months - personally it feels pretty easy.
Congrats OP on finding a method of losing weight that works for you.
@msalicia07-Like I said- it's all individual and how and where you carry weight. I think I just was a little obsessed with seeing a number on the scale - more so to see if I could actually see it than anything else. When I look back and photos of myself at 125 I can see that my face and neck just look a bit gaunt and wrinkled. I now know that I'll be fine at 130-135. Plus most of my clothes will fit again- I had given away all my fat clothes and now I'm limited on my wardrobe because I've gained weight back.
But my mantra is now- I did it before- I can do it again. Better days are ahead, the pandemic is on its way out, the situation at my place of employment has taken a much better turn so I'm on my way.
@LivingtheLeanDream - are you still losing at the 16:8 method? I was reading Fast, Feast, Repeat and it says that you probably won't lose weight with that method and they recommend a much smaller window like 18:6 or even 20:4. I'm pretty much trying to keep it at 18:6 or sometimes 19:7. I've only just started so we'll see. Today I'm trying hot tea instead of coffee - so zero calories in the morning (still a little splenda) so we'll see how that goes.1 -
@dramaqueen45 I am using IF to maintain my weight as thats my goal, a smaller eating window than that would likely lead to loss because it would likely lead to one less meal.
Theres nothing magical about meal timings or fasting, its all about creating calorie deficit in order to lose (if that's the goal).4 -
LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »Theres nothing magical about meal timings or fasting, its all about creating calorie deficit in order to lose (if that's the goal).
@LivingtheLeanDream I think there may be slightly more to it than that. Hormones definitely also play a role, having a huge influence on whether you can actually maintain what you're doing.
If you are constantly eating really low calorie foods, but never actually feeling full, eventually you are going to snap because your hormones are constantly telling you that you're starving. However, if you eat until you're completely full and then wait until you are completely hungry before refeeding you definitely feel most satisfied and the way of eating is more sustainable.
By allowing myself larger meals, I also find that I don't mind skipping some even if I am a bit hungry, because I know that my craving will be met eventually, and it helps me not feel panicky about food and food shortages.
There's also some research that fasting - and the hormonal changes that come of it - can help with slowing aging, reducing type two diabetes, and reducing the risk of alzheimers (something that runs in my family and that I'm very frightened of).
That's not to say that it's magic or that calories don't matter - they obviously do! It's just that it seems that human health is a bit more complicated than only cal in / cal out.
2 -
@nklp I eat on average approx 1800 calories (don't measure/weigh any more so that's just an educated guess from years of weighing and knowing portion sizes and knowing calories in everything I eat). I always feel sated/full (until the next day when its close to my new eating window to start LOL). I feel 1800 is a good amount for someone who is small and older. I have 2 large meals and 1 small one in my eating window which is very sustainable for me. Personally I find it refreshing not to have to think in terms of calories all the time (which I had been doing since I started my weight loss journey here on Myfitnesspal in 2012, and in maintenance since 2013). What's more assuring is that my weight has been stable now for months and months
There's no doubt that a large meal really does keep us fuller for longer.
If Alzheimer's or diabetes etc can be kept at bay then eating this way is even more beneficial.3 -
LivingtheLeanDream wrote: »msalicia07 wrote: »dramaqueen45 wrote: »msalicia07 wrote: »dramaqueen45 wrote: »This resonates with me so much. I joined MFP for real in 2014, lost 55 pounds over the course of a year and a half through careful calorie counting, and did an okay job of maintenance until the fall of 2018 when a huge amount of stress hit my life and didn't let up and THEN we all went on lockdown. Someone on Facebook mentioned a book called Fast, Feast, Repeat by Gin Stephens and how much they loved this way of eating, so I ordered it and started reading.
I, too, remember when I was younger and was effortlessly thin, and I remember that I would accidentally fast for long periods of time. I never ate breakfast and sometimes only ate maybe an orange and some popcorn during mid-day and early afternoon and then ate a normal dinner. I didn't count calories, and I wasn't hungry. I was able to easily maintain a healthy weight back then doing IF, eating intuitively until I was full but fasting from about 6-7 pm until 12-1 the following day.
So I'm back on that-- I haven't been able to give up sweetener and sugar free coffee creamer yet but I'm trying to wean myself off of it (her book preaches black coffee in the morning if you need coffee). Back in college when I did IF without knowing it I just didn't even drink coffee. I tried that one day and found myself really missing it and watching the clock until I could break my fast. I wasn't even hungry that morning, but just seemed to miss having something besides water. I used to just eat a granola bar in the morning, so it's not like I'm cutting that many calories out in the morning, but now the thought of anything in the morning, especially something so full of sugar just doesn't even sound good at all. After gaining 40 of the 55 pounds back I'm back to calorie counting with IF. I plan to maintain by keeping the IF and eating intuitively. Going for a loss of 30 pounds because at the lowest weight I was a bit too thin (even though it's higher than when I was at my thinnest). Seems that an older person needs to carry a little more weight - even my husband said - don't lose that much this time.
I’m not there yet, so humor me... but why is that?
I'm 53 now. When I was 21 I weighed 117. Losing 55 pounds a few years ago got me down to 125 and I found that brought out a lot of wrinkles in my face and neck. I wasn't even thinking of the health benefits of carrying a little extra weight as mentioned above. My "ideal weight" according to the doctor is anything from 110-140. I definitely think 110 has always been too small for me, even being a small frame person. 117 was fine when I was young and had the elasticity in my skin. Now- 130-135 would be a nice, sustainable healthy weight. 140-145 is a bit too heavy for my small frame IMO. And when I was 125 - like I said- I was a bit too wrinkly, AND it was a bit too low to try to maintain my weight without continued strict restricting and counting. It's all individual- I'm still trying to figure out maintenance, but with the plan of IF I think I may be able to do it this time when I hit my goal!
So for you it was purely aesthetic. I completely get that! Thanks so much for the insight. Now you got me thinking...
If, say, I was 117 lbs at 53 years without losing weight, would that make a difference in the way the wrinkles looked or sat on my face? This might be a really good incentive to keep my weight in check in the future if so.
I'm another one who finds that being 7-10lbs heavier than my lowest goal weight actually mean my face looks younger/less lined - I'm 51, 5ft 2, being at my lightest weight of 124lbs for a few years ended up making me look very gaunt and older looking imo (plus friends were always commenting that I had lost too much weight). Its only looking at photos now that I can see I look healthier and more vibrant being a little bit heavier. For so long I just wanted to see a certain number on the scale! thankfully for me it now more about how my clothes look/feel and the amount of muscle I have built that feels more important and the nice bonus of having youthful looks now too .
I'm also an IF fan, 16:8 have been using that method of keeping my calories in check for over 6 months - personally it feels pretty easy.
Congrats OP on finding a method of losing weight that works for you.
Makes perfect sense to me! Congrats on reaching your goal as well!1
Categories
- All Categories
- 1.4M Health, Wellness and Goals
- 393.4K Introduce Yourself
- 43.8K Getting Started
- 260.2K Health and Weight Loss
- 175.9K Food and Nutrition
- 47.4K Recipes
- 232.5K Fitness and Exercise
- 426 Sleep, Mindfulness and Overall Wellness
- 6.5K Goal: Maintaining Weight
- 8.5K Goal: Gaining Weight and Body Building
- 153K Motivation and Support
- 8K Challenges
- 1.3K Debate Club
- 96.3K Chit-Chat
- 2.5K Fun and Games
- 3.7K MyFitnessPal Information
- 24 News and Announcements
- 1.1K Feature Suggestions and Ideas
- 2.6K MyFitnessPal Tech Support Questions
Do you Love MyFitnessPal? Have you crushed a goal or improved your life through better nutrition using MyFitnessPal?
Share your success and inspire others. Leave us a review on Apple Or Google Play stores!
Share your success and inspire others. Leave us a review on Apple Or Google Play stores!