The August Intermittent Fasting Experiment
Options
misterhub
Posts: 6,195 Member
So, on Noom, the lessons have been on experiments that may improve our health.
I am stuck in a rut, and my weight loss has not been very effective. So, I have decided to conduct an experiment using their guidance.
Experiment Question: Will intermittent fasting positively affect my weight loss?
Duration of Experiment: August 1 - August 31 2023
Experiment Description: For the month of August, I will limit my consumption of food items to between the hours of 11am and 7pm. Could shift an hour either way due to situational issues, but 8 hours of food - 16 hours of no food. If I get hungry during times outside the delimited time, I'll drink water, coffee, or tea. I will only adjust for time. Otherwise, I will eat what I normally eat, tracking every morsel. I will continue to use walking/steps as my method of activity.
I will post a daily description the previous day's experience here on this board. This will be the chronicle of my experiment and will keep me accountable.
I am stuck in a rut, and my weight loss has not been very effective. So, I have decided to conduct an experiment using their guidance.
Experiment Question: Will intermittent fasting positively affect my weight loss?
Duration of Experiment: August 1 - August 31 2023
Experiment Description: For the month of August, I will limit my consumption of food items to between the hours of 11am and 7pm. Could shift an hour either way due to situational issues, but 8 hours of food - 16 hours of no food. If I get hungry during times outside the delimited time, I'll drink water, coffee, or tea. I will only adjust for time. Otherwise, I will eat what I normally eat, tracking every morsel. I will continue to use walking/steps as my method of activity.
I will post a daily description the previous day's experience here on this board. This will be the chronicle of my experiment and will keep me accountable.
3
Replies
-
I’ll be curious to see how this unfolds. All too often, we hear glittering tales of the value of IF from converted true believers. I think your insights might be a bit more objective. (Specifically curious about the magic of timing vs IF simply leading to eating less.)1
-
I’ll be curious to see how this unfolds. All too often, we hear glittering tales of the value of IF from converted true believers. I think your insights might be a bit more objective. (Specifically curious about the magic of timing vs IF simply leading to eating less.)
My goal is to be as objective as is possible. I have no preconceived notions. And, as I said, I will be logging my consumption/activity; although, I probably won't share the details of that publicly - just the total calories/steps.1 -
@misterhub Greg I hope good fortune befalls you. I'm believing it will be a good outcome.0
-
The science is in: Intermittent fasting is as effective as counting calories, new study finds
Looking forward to your updates!
0 -
Day One:
Mild hunger by the time I finally got to eat - just before noon - due to meetings at work. I had not brought anything, which is a little unusual. I usually to bring lunch. Lunch was a Mediterranean grill type of meal. Although I gave it a good college, I am pretty sure I underestimated the calories. I tried to overestimate; but I doubt my skill at that. lol
I had set a baseline weight in the morning.
I really did not snack because I felt full.
I ate some leftovers at dinner. Again, I doubt my estimation skills. I need to work on that.
When 7pm rolled around, I felt sated, and I did not get hungry again. Emotionally, I think I wanted to be so I could justify something sweet. But, I really was not.
Moderate activity during the day. No energy level problems.
Note: Need to work on serving estimates. When home I can measure and weigh; but when I am out, I need to hone those skills.
Day One concluded.
1 -
Day Two:
A little anxiety to start the day because the team I manage had an off-site, social team luncheon scheduled. So, I would need to be careful. But, it went fine...other than the service taking forever due to the volume of people.
I started out the day +2 from my baseline weight on 8/1. I am well aware of daily fluctuations; so, I didn't let it bother me.
Mild hunger until around noon, then serious hunger kicked in for real. The slower service intensified that feeling. But, once they took our orders, the food came out rather quickly. I had a blue cheese burger and some fries. The calorie count was significant, but not nearly as bad as I expected. I had a salad for dinner; so, I still managed to feel sated and not go to far over my calorie budget. If I was doing WW, FlexPoints would have handled the difference easily.
The afternoon was a bit more fraught. Our 18-year-old, beloved cat had a health crisis, and we had to make the decision to say goodbye. We consulted with our longtime vet, and she confirmed we were making the correct choice. Very tough afternoon and evening.
I managed to eat my feelings only a bit, and it was, honestly, healthy stuff. So, I ended the day feeling pretty good. I slept very well.0 -
Sorry about the cat; our pets do become family members.1
-
Sorry about your cat Greg.1
-
Sorry about your cat, Greg.1
-
The hardest part about owning a pet is that eventually you have to make that hard decision, and it hurts horribly. Very sorry about your loss1
-
Day Three
+1 relative to the starting weight. All weight gains/losses will be relative to the original starting weight on 8/1.
I was a little draggy when I woke up despite a good night of sleep. I went with an energy drink, and that helped a lot.
Moderate hunger through lunch but nothing unbearable. Ate lunch later due to meetings, and the fact I did not bring my lunch.
But, it was a good day overall. Once I had lunch, I wasn't really hungry at all.1 -
Day 4
-1 relative to the starting weight.
Good energy. Mild Hunger for the morning. Good day.
Day 5
-2 relative to the starting weight. Slept in...got in some of walking as I did my errands. Not really hungry. But, I did eat slightly past my hours in the evening.
Day 6
-1 relative to the starting weight. Good day. No hunger. Had lunch with my son and DIL. Did pretty good. Once again, I did eat slightly past my hours. Weekend thing, maybe?
0 -
Charlie (crewhal) posed the question regarding whether success could be tied to hours or paying more attention to what we eat. Noom refers to that as a confounding issue. I do think there is some truth to that. I have not changed what I eat, but I may be monitoring my portions a little better. Something of note.1
-
Day 7
-2 relative to the starting weight.
Did really well all day. Got in a good number of steps. Wasn't terribly hungry. Ate good healthy food.
Then, I went home. Ate a good, healthy dinner. But, I should've eaten half of it. Then, I kept snacking. And, I snacked beyond my timeframe. Didn't eat anything bad. Just kept eating. Not my finest hour.
Oh well. That day is done. Can't fix it. Moving on.
0 -
Day 8
-1 relative to starting weight.
No hunger. Not as many steps as previous day, but that will vary.
Did pretty good on the food intake. Good portions. Hearty food. No real issues with snacking, for once.
Pretty good day overall.2 -
Day 9
-1 relative to starting weight
I had some early morning hunger, but it went away with some hot coffee and hot tea.
Pretty good energy through the day; but, I fell asleep in quite early. Got a good night of sleep, however.
Did not have snacking issues last night. That's a good thing.1 -
Day 10
-2 relative to starting weight
Good energy for the day. I was hungry at the start of the morning, but that resolved itself with a cup of coffee, and I was not hungry again.
Bought some fast food during my eating period, which I have not done previously. Stayed within my calorie budget. We'll see how that plays out.
Solid night of sleep.2 -
Day 11, Day 12, Day 13
-1 (Fri), 0 (Saturday, -2 Sunday relative to original starting weight.
Decent weekend. Held my own. Not a lot of activity.
Solid sleep.1 -
Day 14
-2 relatives to original starting weight.
Seem to be stuck in a 3 pound loop.
Did well during the day. Struggled a bit last evening.
Good energy during the day.
Slept well.1 -
Day 15
0 relative to original starting weight
So, this day was weird. I felt off the entire day. Not sure why, but there was no energy, and I sort of felt out-of-body until the early afternoon. Again, not sure why. Got home from work and immediately took a nap. I woke up because my cell phone pinged, and I discovered I had been hard asleep for two hours. Very unusual for me. Naps are usually 1/2-hour, not much longer - often shorter.
I did okay food wise. A little carb craving in the later evening.
2
