-
Personally if you are struggling with feeling yuck due to low blood sugar at the end of the fast, I would experiment with eating earlier in the day (something with a decent amount of protein or healthy fats) and see if it cuts down on hunger throughout the day.
I think what works best for everyone is super-individualized, and can also change for an individual over time. I've always had blood sugar on the lower side (in my GD test by blood sugar has been below the normal range...) and when I don't have time to eat the morning I end up feeling awful and way overeating at lunch. Obviously this isn't the case for lots of people and they don't need to eat in the morning, but if you're feeling yuck and not happy with weight loss, seems like it could be worth trying....
-
@crazydoglady: I’m actually not sure exactly what that entails! But my intuition is to eat too many snacks
so rules are helpful to me, even loose ones. @periwinklebee: actually I do that! My window is usually like 7:30-3:30 or something if I do 16:8. I tried to do a later start once after eating later the day before, and I know my body hadn’t had time to adjust on day one but I felt truly awful. I also got a lot of low blood sugar while pregnant.
The funny thing is, I’m not that hungry during the window because I reach for protein in the morning, and sometimes I forget to eat later! Which is great until I’m hungry later. I think I just need to ease up and eat a dang snack outside the window sometimes while nursing!
-
@bhbee: It's based on the hunger/fullness scale. Basically, you should eat when you are around a 3 and stop when you are at a 6-7. I needed more guidance than the f it diet.
-
@bhbee: Sorry, I completely missed that! And yes, definitely be kind to yourself while nursing!!!
-
@bhbee: How is this going?? I keep toying with the idea...
-
@crazydoglady: I have been doing 16:8 for maybe 2 months now, I totally love it and am down about 17 pounds. I am not very restrictive with what I eat but am generally snacking less than I used to and am strict about my eating window. My husband is also doing it which helps and our hours are 12-8.
-
@KNS: Thanks for sharing! Besides the weight loss, are there any other benefits?
-
@crazydoglady: I generally find that I regulate my food much better, I don't have a desire to snack, I feel fullness and hunger better and feel much less bloated and heavy overall. I just generally feel really good and think a lot less about food and eating than I used to
-
@KNS: This is what I want! I have been trying to do intuitive eating to get there but feel stuck.
-
@crazydoglady: I mean - I am mindful of overall trying to make mostly healthy choices but sometimes I have a slice of pizza for lunch and a cookie after and I don't worry about it. And I have wanted to lose weight for awhile but every time I would try I would feel annoyed and restricted and then give up. For me doing IF has felt very freeing and sustainable as I don't at all feel deprived.
One other thing was the when we started doing this we found out that my husband's cholesterol was really high and so we needed to make changes to address that. It has definitely made us more mindful about weeknight dinners where we used to order in too often and very unhealthy food.
-
@crazydoglady: hi there! I’m still mostly IF although I’m not always 16:8 - sometimes more, sometimes less. I’ve been kind of off it the second half of October due to visitors, kid and my own illness, etc getting in the way but I found the ideas have still carried over - less likely to snack, eating lightly outside the window if I do an off day, less obsessed with food, all those things @KNS: mentioned. I’m down 15 pounds in 2 months and weight less definitely matters to me so I’m happy with that especially considering the overall low effort involved.
That is what I like most - just how easy it is. Easy to manage each day, easy to get back on if you get off the plan, etc. Doesn’t feel like a “diet” even though I’m definitely going for some of those things.
I think you see more weight loss being super strict about the window but I think you can see benefits doing less than 16:8 or not every day. If you can make it flexible to work for you I think it’s worth trying!
-
@KNS: Thank you so much for explaining everything! I would love to lose weight but want to make sure it is healthy (mentally and physically) and is sustainable. I feel like I eat from "emotional hunger" so often, that I am really interested in heightened hunger signals.
@bhbee: I'm glad to hear you can be flexible! And 15 lbs in 2 months is incredible! -
@crazydoglady: I have more weight to lose but it feels like a big win because I couldn’t stick with anything else. Emotional eating was my kryptonite and I still feel it especially if I don’t do a good job at IF - I do have to work at getting enough satisfying calories during my window (definitely not interested in starving myself!). That is kind of mind blowing to me, that instead of working to starve myself in a regular diet, I’m working to fill up on satisfying stuff, and it’s way more successful!
But when I do it right it is awesome and I will feel true hunger at times that make sense vs before feeling hungry all the time and snacking all the time, and snacking to beat my stress. Just cutting out eating at night has made me feel less bloated and really improved my morning headaches. I am a believer in the hype - there are of course people who get insane about it, which I’m not into, I try to make good choices overall but let myself eat whatever I want - which works because it’s true that getting a better handle on hunger and satiety (and the whole delay don’t deny thing) makes me less likely to binge.
I’d say just try it and see after a few days! You don’t have to start at 16:8, maybe do 14:10 first and see how it feels to you.
-
@bhbee: Thank you for sharing! How does IF help with emotional eating? I think I would do something more relaxed like. 15 hour fast.
Whoops! Just realized you explained in your second paragraph. Sorry--kids crawling on me ATM.
-
@crazydoglady: so much kid touching all the time right?? To elaborate I think for me it’s a few things. One, less interest in constant eating overall ... get rid of the combo of oh I’m a little hungry AND stressed so let’s fix both! Two, which I guess is part of the first, habit - like getting out of the habit of eating at night, so I can destress by looking for the end of internet instead
Three, which I guess is true of any diet, seeing results motivates me to do better. And if I really want that crap that seems so soothing? I can have it tomorrow! But by then, I often don’t want it or only a couple bites vs mindlessness.I mean, I’m not going to tell you I never emotionally eat, just that it’s curbed it a lot. I do my window early which is not very popular, but it’s what I prefer and also my emotional eating “needs” go way up as the day goes on and the kids stress me out more. So having my window close before that possibility (especially before kid bedtime) is probably helpful too.
-
@bhbee: I was going to say that for me I mindlessly eat during the day at work and am pretty good at night. So for me it's helpful to start at 12 so I don't snack at work and once I eat lunch I feel full and don't want to snack later in the day.
I would previously just keep snacking on popcorn and various other things that are just not appealing now. Sometimes I ill have one sweeter thing after my lunch but not always.
-
@bhbee: That makes so much sense! I agree that having my window end before my kids go to sleep is pivotal. And I am not even hungry! I seriously eat SO much after kids go to bed. What is your current eating window?
-
@crazydoglady: during the week my husband is rarely home for dinner with kids so I just don’t eat and just sit with them for their dinner (which is stressful and hard to eat during half the time anyway!). Depending on the day I do 7-3, often 7-2, because I have to leave between 2:15-2:45 for pickups depending on the day so it just makes sense to be done then. Also I just love to eat in the morning and I love to finish my fast while sleeping. On the weekend I try to start later (8-8:30 maybe) and finish by 6 (we eat early often) but don’t count the hours exactly usually.
-
@bhbee: I see! I love that you can move it around to suit your needs. As much as I like breakfast foods, the work day goes by sooo quickly (teacher here,) that sometimes I don't even get to eat! I think I am going to shoot for 11:30-7:30 for my eating window. Enough time for dinner and a couple squares of chocolate and wine before kids bed time.
-
@crazydoglady: the flexibility is awesome! Yes if you don’t miss eating in the morning definitely skip it. Make it easy on yourself to keep it sustainable. I think the key is just experimenting and seeing what works well for you.
-
@bhbee: I will! Thanks for the encouragement!
-
Just checking in! I fell off the wagon for the second half of October. It was so incredibly busy and we were so stressed out that I just decided to have one less thing to worry about. I’m ready to get back to a healthier way of eating for sure. I am determined to make Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays that are ONE DAY each this year (without tons of snacking leading up to the day and then tons of leftovers the following week). My usual approach to the holidays is like a Louis CK joke I heard: The meal isn’t over when I’m full, the meal is over when I hate myself. Really trying to change that.
I’m doing 16:8 fasting (my window is 12-8) combined with keto. I despise meal prep and love routine, so this time I’m going to order a bunch of Keto Chow meal replacement shakes for dinner. My daily meals will be something like:
Lunch 12:00
- 3 eggs
- bacon or sausageSnack 3:00
- carrots and ranch or saladDinner 6:00
- Keto Chow ShakeSnack (only if I’m still truly hungry) 7:45
- roasted pecans, sugar free jello, or moon cheeseI’ll let you know how it goes!
-
@bhbee: Just a thought: do you purposely try not to snack or just find it happens naturally? I dont really want to put any other restrictions on it other than the "window."
So, I stopped eating last night, made myself coffee with two TBS of half and half (40 calories,) let's see how it goes...
-
@crazydoglady: nope I find it happens more naturally. Part of that is just thinking about food less so I more eat when I’m hungry than just to eat - part of it probably is that I crave protein and fat by the end of the fast so I eat that and fill up longer. But I definitely eat if I’m hungry during the window - I’m often on the 2 breakfast and late lunch plan.
I try to make mostly good choices but I don’t worry about some bad ones!
-
@crazydoglady: also, good luck! It can take a couple days for it to feel normal.
-
@bhbee: Thank you for being so helpful! I kind of feel like a hypocrite, but I am just as interested in the appetite regulation and obsessing about food less as I am weight loss. I'm tired of thinking about food and my body ALL THE TIME. Anyway, thank you!
-
@crazydoglady: I think about food a lot less and feel a lot less hunger. My window is 12-8 and even after 10 months, I'm still amazed sometimes that I'm not HUNGRY by 12. I used to even be able to go for 18-20 hours almost effortlessly.
Part of the theory is that the more you eat / snack, the more inconsistent (rising / falling) your insulin level is, and that triggers hunger because your body is trying to maintain consistently. Like, if you eat at 7am, your insulin is going to start falling around 10-11, making you hungry for lunch, etc. etc. So, if you sleep through that period (3-5 hours after your last meal), you sleep through it and it's easier to maintain. It's like that sleep-begets-sleep idea.... hunger/snacking begets more snacking.
ETA: I also love breakfast so now I just eat breakfast for lunch. Legit, I keep Cheerios, milk, a bowl, and a spoon at work and that's what I eat for lunch.
-
@crazydoglady: If you're mostly interested in stopping obsessing about food, I just started doing the Fuel program through MommaStrong, and it is really helping me with that. They have 3 registered dietitians running the program, which is mostly through online videos and with an optional facebook group. It is based on the healthy plate model - basically that you need to have protein, complex carbs, fats, and veggie/fruit at each meal in order to feel satisfied. It is very aligned with the The F*ck It Diet (i.e., it's very much not a diet), but with a lot more structure, evidence, and support.
Even after only doing it for a week or so, I am so impressed with how much less I am thinking about food and how many fewer cravings I have. (Especially considering that I am usually a candy fiend after Halloween and this year I feel like my relationship is so healthy.) I am realizing that I needed a lot more support (and evidence) to start making healthy choices.
-
@hitchhiker: Yes! I've been eyeing that program. What are their views on intermittent fasting? 5 bucks a month sounds like a good deal, too!
-
@bhbee: @crazydoglady: @DesertDreams88: very curious about IF so thanks for all of your advice and info! Do any of you workout and if so, how do you manage post-workout fueling? Eating protein is essential to repairing muscles after working out, so I wonder how this is incorporated....you just have to work out during your eating window?
-
@crazydoglady: The video I watched that mentioned IF said that the evidence suggests that the natural fast that comes with stopping eating after dinner + sleep time is enough.
-
@Mrs. Pajamas: I do a barre workout 3-5 times per week sometimes early in the morning and other times late at night. I never eat right after and have found that my energy levels are good. I don't think that this is something I would worry about unless I was doing some pretty heavy weight workouts.
-
@hitchhiker: it's enough to maintain, but for people that are significantly "overweight" or experiencing blood sugar issues / insulin resistance / heart problems / fatigue / etc., fasting longer than 12 hours will help them burn through the fat stores in their body and push them to normalize their eating cycles & portions. It's called appetite correction.
-
@crazydoglady: Before I started IF I tried Noom which I liked for about a week and then hated. I hated having to log everything I ate, I hated the feeling that if I made a choice that wasn't perfect that someone was going to judge and shame me. So then I just gave up.
I started IF the same time I started Invisalign treatment which meant that even if I wanted to snack I just didn't because removing the aligners and then having to brush my teeth just to eat some popcorn or chips was too much. So I just stopped. I am about 12 weeks into that treatment which will last a total of 45 and the not snacking has become habit. I don't even really want to now but again, I haven't really put any mental restrictions on it.
-
@KNS: Thank you for sharing this info! I really don't want this to be restrictive. I really want the appetite correction, emotional eating help, etc.
-
@DesertDreams88: This is what I want!
-
@DesertDreams88: That makes sense! Have you experienced any weight loss? How long did it take for you to experience appetite correction?
-
I don’t think I’ve lost weight yet, maybe a couple lbs if that. So it hasn’t been magic for me. It’s been pretty painless for me especially on the 2 days/week I work. Usually on those days my eating window is 11-7 or so. My daily goal is 10-6 but sometimes we are eating dinner right at 550 and I don’t worry too much about going till 630-7pm. I guess now I need to take a look at what I am eating. I like that it’s an easy enough rule to follow without feeling seriously deprived. I would like look into intuitive eating as well.
-
@mrsbubbletea: Are you feeling better otherwise?Maybe look into the mommafuel program mentioned above?
-
@crazydoglady: Appetite correction was probably within the first month for the physical signs of hunger; not really sure for mental, more like 6-8 weeks? It's obviously easier the more faithful you are to it, but, I didn't do IF for most of July due to travel & intense hiking, and yet my appetite was fine.
I lost over 10% of my body weight over 5 months, maintained that for the last 5 months, and obviously fluctuate 2-3 pounds in general. My weights are on the photos below but keep in mind I'm 5ft2in.
so rules are helpful to me, even loose ones. 
I try to make mostly good choices but I don’t worry about some bad ones!
- Google Plus
- Stumbleupon
- Twitter
- Facebook
- Pinterest
- Favorite0
435 comments