Intermittant fasting is really helping get the weight off

[BusynMember]

Its easy to do too. I decided to fast ftom 5pm to 11 am and during my eating time have at least two very healthy meals. I dont ever eat sugar but use Stevia. I do have tea or black coffee when I wake up and some peolpe who fast dont use any sweeteners but I have been using one or two packets of Stevia and still losing. I cant tolerate unsweetened black coffee! Ick! So the sweetener is a choice. I dont use creamer. I eat no calories until I break the fast and eat a lot of protein as it lasts me longer. I do not feel hungry or weak in between nor do I over exercise. 10k steps with some jogging each day.

I am never going to spend days fasting or get extreme but this is working. I am very happy with it and, best of all, working my way toward my chosen Mother of the Bride dress for Jumper's wedding.

Just checking in. Anyone else do intermittant fasting?

 

[Copabanana]

. I decided to fast ftom 5pm to 11 am and during my eating time have at least two very healthy meals.

SWOT. That is exactly what I was doing (along with Keto) where I lost the best. The only difference was I ate from 8 until 2, and I would have milk too with my coffee or tea.

So that is an 18 hour fast you are doing, which is exactly what I did. Maybe I will go back to it. It was easy! And after the first few days I was not hungry. I have 10 pounds more I would like to lose.

Are you hungry? I am dying to know how fast you are losing but I don't want you to think I am being competitive. I am not losing. I am just holding my own.

SWOT. That's great.

 

[Tired out]

I have friends (quite a few) that are doing IF and love it and are doing pretty darn good with it. I tried and it didn't work with going for an early morning run and not having food. Now that winter is setting in an I won't run early maybe I can give it a go and still stay in a window with having dinner at a normal (5pm) time. maybe 1-6pm for my window. Mixing it up for the winter months could be nice. I get board with WW over the winter when there are too many evil treats around

 

[Copabanana]

I tried and it didn't work with going for an early morning run and not having food.

Yeah. I can't exercise without some food, either. But I am okay stopping eating early, once I get the hang of it, and drinking tea thereafter.

The reason I began to eat breakfast is that I read a lot about time feeding. I forget the exact term. It seems that the time you eat very much effects the weight loss rate, and also I think there are health factors involved, but I forget what they are. There are multiple studies that show that eating breakfast does boost the metabolism, while eating in the evening is bad. But eating at 5 sounds perfect.

Tired. What's your experience with low carb?

 

[BusynMember]

I read that its best to exercise just before you break the fast but for me, and all our bodies react differently, I actually exercise on and off all day intermittant exercising (bad joke). I lose fast. I always have.

Some say you need to drink black coffee only while fasting. I hate black coffee so I go with tea until I eat and I do throw in a package or two of Stevia. That has never thrown me off and doesnt seem to make my sugar flucuate so I am not hungry. But many hold off on sweeteners. I have read that if you need some creamer of a type in your coffee than butter is good as it has no carbs. Milk not so good but if you must lose weight using a splash of milk it doesnt matter so much if you still lose weight. We have to experiment unless we are purists!!

Waiting on my coffee with half and half until 11 makes that coffee that much better. And to me its not coffee without the creamer. Just black mud.

I am very careful to eat healthy proteins, fats and carbs, but easy on the carbs. If this diet ever made me feel sick at all I would stop it. I also almost never consume sugar and for me this has helped me keep a very healthy blood sugar. Most people around my age seem to have some form of diabetes. It does run in my family....grandma had it. I dont want it.

I am down 8 pounds in two weeks without trying too hard. I have umtil Aug. 2019 for the wedding dress So I have time.

 

[Copabanana]

I am down 8 pounds in two weeks without trying too hard.

That is fantastic, SWOT. I feel the same as you. It is much easier for me to keep my eating stable and controlled, with low carb. I do put half and half in my coffee. I lose far more slowly than do you. But I was able to step it up with the IF and the KETO combined.

With you as a model I will try again. I want to lose 10 pounds. I would like to lose it by my birthday which is in March. I have to step up my game in order to do it. Bravo.

 

[Tired out]

Thanks for all the info.
I stick to low carb and low sugar. Bread type things make me so hungry and sugar isn't my friend. For my sugar I eat fruit. I crave salt at times and the Ritz crisps are WW friendly so I eat a couple of those to get my salty taste, or a couple of slices of pepperoni. I am 5'3" and for the last 3 years I have stayed right around 131, 2 lbs come and go. I keep it off with walking/running/weights. I usually get 1 hour walk/run in the am then go from there as time permits. I want to try the IF because in the winter with more fattening foods around is when I fight to keep the weight off and stick with WW. I am wondering if I go with IF so that I am limited in the time I can eat maybe it will be easier for me to get through the next couple months. I know it is all a head game. I like the size I am but I also like to bake .
I am not going to say I don't LIKE sweets or carbs BUT they like to jump on my butt and stay there!

 

[Copabanana]

Bread type things make me so hungry and sugar isn't my friend

I am like this. If I introduce carbs into my diet I lose control. One small piece of pie leads to half. That kind of thing.

I am 5'3" and for the last 3 years I have stayed right around 131, 2 lbs come and go. I keep it off with walking/running/weights. I usually get 1 hour walk/run in the am then go from there

That's fantastic.

I want to try the IF because in the winter with more fattening foods around is when I fight to keep the weight off and stick with WW.

I think this is a great idea. What I was trying to explain in the earlier post is about Time Restricted Feeding. It is not just the fasting, it is when you fast that seems to have an effect.

What would you do? Arrange your eating windows to times when you will be dining out and want to splurge? Or fast a couple days a week? Would you do a 16 hour fast for example or a 24 hour fast? I can't remember ever having succeeded at fasting 24 hours.

I am wondering if I go with IF so that I am limited in the time I can eat maybe it will be easier for me to get through the next couple months.

Again. I think this is a great idea. Have you read Dr. Jason Fung's work? Or dietdoctor.com (I think that is the site that explains so well the IF approach.)

Good luck, Tired.

I know it is all a head game.

I also like to bake

 

[BusynMember]

I have never tried, nor would I, to 24 hr. fast! I dont want to feel hungry!
.
I dont splurge ever. I eat like this. At 11am I usually have, say, an egg or two and veggies on one pita bread slice ,(Josephs pita bread brand is 60 calories and is tasty) and then after that I have some plain Greek Yogurt. Sometimes two little cartons. I have another meal around 4, maybe tuna and melted cheese and fruit for desert. And thats it. 5 is the cut off. I think I am eating less calories and with staying active all day I think that's why Im losing. Also Im not eating at night when all you do is sleep and dont burn calories.



If I fasted all day Id feel sick and be starving.

Copa Im like you. One sweet and I crave sugar. So I keep away from sweets. Of course on Thanksgiving I will have to have at least a piece of pie if my sweet chef daughter cooks for us. But I feel I can keep Thanksgiving under control. I will not insult my daughter by not eating everything she cooks. My precious pastry chef loves to cook and its always delish!!

 

[Tired out]

I am thinking of going with a tie restriction of 1pm to 6pm, we seldom have dinner past 5 pm. If we don't have parties to go to. I just KNOW I am my own worst enemy and I am dying to bake homemade cream cheese fruit tarts, maple walnut fudge, homemade (from scratch) white cake (like wedding cake) I can go on.... I won't. You get the idea. But with IF I can bake and then say... workout, have a healthy lunch then at 3 I can have a treat (within reason) then dinner at 5 and a treat for desert. with WW counting those points just makes me feel guilty. I am thinking if I do IF I can have my treats, throw the points out the window for a couple of months. I will weigh in every few days, just to make sure I'm ok although, my pants would tell me pretty quickly!
by the way.. when my son pulled his shenanigans in May (when I joined this site) I lost 12 lbs in 2 weeks without trying..it is all back but 2 lbs. I don't try to keep that off. it was "just stress" and I couldn't eat.

 

[BusynMember]

Do you have a lot of events to get through in the next few months? That can make it harder for sure. For us we have the two holidays and one big bash at the place where I volunteer. But thats it.

I think you have a good plan! You will do fine.

I use a half arsed Keto diet but also WW and count points lol. So its high protein but with WW points.

 

[Copabanana]

But I feel I can keep Thanksgiving under control.

There is a form of IF, SWOT and Tired, called 5/2. It is popular in England. The idea is to fast 2 days a week and eat normally the other 5. Research has shown that if the average size woman keeps her caloric intake to less than 450 or so, it is more or less the same as fasting. SWOT I know you would not want to go so low but it is an idea after a day where one might have gone overboard.

The idea is to NOT go over your recommended caloric intake for the other days. Let's say that would be 1500 or so, for the sake of argument. (I am convinced mine is less, like 1200.)

During the holidays what you could do is NOT go over 1500 on the bad days, by eating those days only when you are at a party.

I just KNOW I am my own worst enemy and I am dying to bake homemade cream cheese fruit tarts, maple walnut fudge, homemade (from scratch) white cake (like wedding cake)

Oh Gee. That sounds delicious. A few years ago I was perplexed why I wasn't losing weight. I was baking every single night for M and of course could not help myself. Mexican Bread Pudding. Apple Pie. Quick Breads. Flan. Coconut pie. Custard pie. Every.single.night

When I saw I was sabotaging myself I stopped. Like that. I will occasionally, like every few weeks, make a coconut pie...and every time I eat three quarters. No more.

I want to lose 10 pounds to get to 139 (I am 5'6") and there is no way I can do it while I am baking. I would really like to get down to 133 but I can do it with exercise, hopefully.

For me: very low carbs, IF, eating from 8 to 2pm. I swear I am going back to this. It worked for me. I still lost slowly, but I lost.

 

[Copabanana]

Keto diet but also WW and count points lol. So its high protein but with WW points.

And your feeding window 11am to end at 5pm so you are IF for 18 hours a day. I think this is the key.

I think that is what I was doing that worked. (I stopped it.)

18 hour intermittent fast.
low carb (aiming for 20 or less)
I did not do weight watchers points, but I kept calories down. I think I will do what you are doing, SWOT.

My only real problem with it is my coffee and tea. I need milk or half and half, even during my fast. I will eliminate the half and half and have milk again to conform to WW.

I can do herbal tea (without milk) but I am miserable. I am not willing to be miserable.

SWOT. What kind of de-caf tea did you end up getting?

 

[BusynMember]

Copa I love peppermint tea the most. I also found some called red velvet....not bad.

My real love is coffee though but I have it mostly when Im in the eating window. Although I recommend putting some butter in it if you are Keto. I tried it for a laugh and its actually good and no carbs! When you are fasting, some people have no calories until eating time snd some keep it to 50 calories. I can do fine without any but not everyone does that. I just played around to see what works for me. You can do the same and see. You are not at all overweight for your height! You must look great!

 

[Copabanana]

I recommend putting some butter

I have heard of this. Out here they call it Bulletproof Coffee. It sounds gross to me. But because you say it is good I will try it. UGH. Actually how different is it than putting cream in coffee. Except I like my coffee (and tea) light.

You know SWOT. I have a mint plant. And I will use fresh mint to make tea. It is better than the dry. It is healthy, too.

I know that my weight is within the healthy range for my height but it is not just vanity that makes me want to lose. I think it would be better for my health. Actually this was a weight I was at about 30 to 35 years ago. It was a good weight then. Now that I am older I think I will do better 10 pounds lighter where I was about 10 to 15 years ago (133 to 139).

Actually I vacillate. A few weeks ago when I was thinking I was eating like an anorexic I panicked and started to relax about eating. So I started eating way more vegetables, and a couple eggs every day, and no more steaks and now I feel like I am not being so extreme. So I feel able to start back on IF without going nuts.

Thank you, SWOT.