Hey all....I've been MIA from the boards for a few months and was surprised to see so much support for IF. I see some names I recognize others are new to me.
I enjoy seeing so many take IF and adapt it to suit their needs. I don't know where I would be without ESE. Surely I would have given up trying to ditch the extra weight I was carrying after baby#3.
In anycase, I hope to see more of this place more often as I am encouraged by everyone's progress and experience.
Sorry I've been MIA for awhile. Actually it was partly by design. I had a vacation, a death in the family and my birthday last Friday, so I decided to take a break from the diet without being too crazy and binging too much. Other than normal scale fluctuations, I have maintained the 3 weeks I've been off. Today is my first day back on ESE.
It seems my body loses 25 lbs at a time, then I plateau. Last time that happened I took a break over the holidays and got back to it and lost another 25, pretty easily. So I am hoping my 3 week break, translates into another 25 lbs, without plateauing.
Welcome to the newbies and keep up the good work everyone!
Hi Wuv- glad to have you back- congrats on the maintenance! 3 weeks of it is something to be proud of! Sometimes we just need a break from the thoughts of food! Sorry about your loss within the family.
Mellyme- welcome back.
Nothing much here- just doing IF the best I can, for me. Had a big family dinner last night w/wine and lots of yummy foods (note- high calorie!!). It was good, but the rest of the day was very well controlled. I do find that eating plenty of protein with the first meal eaten of the day, whatever time that may be, really helps the rest of the day. Usually that means eggs, but not always. Also brisk walking while fasting and green and oolong teas seem to really help with the fat burning.
Hi Wuv- glad to have you back- congrats on the maintenance! 3 weeks of it is something to be proud of! Sometimes we just need a break from the thoughts of food! Sorry about your loss within the family.
Mellyme- welcome back.
Nothing much here- just doing IF the best I can, for me. Had a big family dinner last night w/wine and lots of yummy foods (note- high calorie!!). It was good, but the rest of the day was very well controlled. I do find that eating plenty of protein with the first meal eaten of the day, whatever time that may be, really helps the rest of the day. Usually that means eggs, but not always. Also brisk walking while fasting and green and oolong teas seem to really help with the fat burning.
Tell me more about the teas you are referring to...
Supposedly oolong and green teas. I just take what I can get. DH goes to China sometimes and brings teas back that he buys or gets as gifts from people. Since it is in Chinese, I don't know exactly what I am getting except for the green or oolong. I have read up on both and they are both supposed to be great for fat burning and health. What he doesn't bring back from China- I get at specialty tea stores. The latest I have ordered was Japenese Sencha Green Tea which I have not tasted yet. I find that green and oolong are great for me b/c I don't need any sugar or milk in those- I usually like milk in black teas. So- great for fasting...
I fell off the IF wagon since Friday but stayed mostly with calories though. I am starting again from 9pm last night to dinner tonight (4-5pm.) Still holding at 183 and the "pulled muscle" is getting somewhat better. I can't wait because I am anxious about not working out, lol.
Kelleyb- I totally forgot about black tea with milk! I haven't had that for years. I love it especially if the black tea is chai-flavored. I'm gonna have to get some of that. Thanks for the reminder!
I recently discovered ESE & it sounds like the perfect plan for me
I've had a pesky 20lbs or so that I've wanted to lose for ages so I'm hoping this will be that extra push I need. I'm 163lbs and would love to be 143lbs by my 21st in August (Do you guys think that's possible using ESE?)
I've been reading through your blogs and you all sound very dedicated! I plan on starting my first fast today, It's now 2pm & I've just finished lunch (2 peanut butter sandwiches) I now won't eat again until 2pm tomorrow - Fingers Crossed! I've never done anything like this before so I hope I can hold in there :/
I was wondering if anybody had advice as to what they eat just before a fast? For example, do you have a large amount of food to keep you fuller for longer? Or maybe something high in protein? Or does it not really matter as you'll be hungry after 24hrs no matter what! :P
I'll keep you all updated as to how my fast is going Wish me luck!
I recently discovered ESE & it sounds like the perfect plan for me
I've had a pesky 20lbs or so that I've wanted to lose for ages so I'm hoping this will be that extra push I need. I'm 163lbs and would love to be 143lbs by my 21st in August (Do you guys think that's possible using ESE?)
I've been reading through your blogs and you all sound very dedicated! I plan on starting my first fast today, It's now 2pm & I've just finished lunch (2 peanut butter sandwiches) I now won't eat again until 2pm tomorrow - Fingers Crossed! I've never done anything like this before so I hope I can hold in there :/
I was wondering if anybody had advice as to what they eat just before a fast? For example, do you have a large amount of food to keep you fuller for longer? Or maybe something high in protein? Or does it not really matter as you'll be hungry after 24hrs no matter what! :P
I'll keep you all updated as to how my fast is going Wish me luck!
xx
Hi, Melissa! Welcome!
I find that what I eat before my fast DEFINITELY matters. Today you may notice that you are hungry and may even feel a little sick. This is normal in the beginning, but can also be caused by eating a lot of carbohydrates prior to your fast.
On days prior to a long fast, I try to make my last meal very high in protein. I also try not to eat any carbohydrates other than vegetables, or legumes. The big culpret of hunger for me is sugar! So, I suspect that Peanut butter sammies are not going to be your best pre-fast meal. I recommend eggs, meat, such as chicken or lean beef, and you can eat as much of it as you want without gorging. Carbs are not bad, and you will lose weight with fasting even if you eat carbs, as long as you keep count of your calories. But they will not help you feel full.
That's my personal experience. Also, plan a very high protein, moderate fat, moderate carb meal for when you break your fast.
Thanks for posting that article. It's great to read a recent article that supports IF, because so many people have no idea that intermittent fasting is a great alternative to conventional dieting. In fact, most people seem to think it's crazy and unhealthy. I'm so happy that I accidentally found out about IF. I've lost another two pounds this week, and I don't even feel like I'm restricting myself that much.
Also, I've actually found that IF encourages me to exercise. I usually get pretty hungry an hour before I'm supposed to break my fast, so I try to schedule my exercise for that hour if it fits with my work schedule. I've found that even though I'm very hungry after exercise, I'm not hungry while I'm doing it. So I feel more motivated to go to the gym to help pass the time before I can break my fast. I'm also surprised that I've experienced almost no problem during fasted cardio or strength training. Overall, IF is pretty freaking awesome.
]Thanks for posting that article. It's great to read a recent article that supports IF, because so many people have no idea that intermittent fasting is a great alternative to conventional dieting. In fact, most people seem to think it's crazy and unhealthy.[/B] I'm so happy that I accidentally found out about IF. I've lost another two pounds this week, and I don't even feel like I'm restricting myself that much.
Also, I've actually found that IF encourages me to exercise. I usually get pretty hungry an hour before I'm supposed to break my fast, so I try to schedule my exercise for that hour if it fits with my work schedule. I've found that even though I'm very hungry after exercise, I'm not hungry while I'm doing it. So I feel more motivated to go to the gym to help pass the time before I can break my fast. I'm also surprised that I've experienced almost no problem during fasted cardio or strength training. Overall, IF is pretty freaking awesome.
amen to this! agree 100%
i have dropped 10 lbs in 5 days so far (mostly water weight but still nice to see lol
Mrslynah: Thanks so much for your advice! Apparently peanut butter sandwiches are not the best pre-fast food as I didn't last 24 hours I'm so disappointed in myself.. but come breakfast time the next day I was STARVING & ate a bowl of porridge - I've got myself in a routine of having breakfast each day & I guess it's going to be hard to break that..
I'm also wondering if a 2pm till 2pm fast is the best place to start off - I know Brad suggests the 7pm to 7pm fast first. Which hours do you find easier for you? And if you don't mind me asking: How long have you been doing ESE and how much weight have you lost?
I'm going to plan my before-fast meal better this time & definitely incorporate some high protein foods. I'm thinking of doing a 7pm - 7pm from Saturday night to Sunday night (As I usually sleep in on Sundays so therefore I won't be hungry lol) :P
Mrslynah: Thanks so much for your advice! Apparently peanut butter sandwiches are not the best pre-fast food as I didn't last 24 hours I'm so disappointed in myself.. but come breakfast time the next day I was STARVING & ate a bowl of porridge - I've got myself in a routine of having breakfast each day & I guess it's going to be hard to break that..
I'm also wondering if a 2pm till 2pm fast is the best place to start off - I know Brad suggests the 7pm to 7pm fast first. Which hours do you find easier for you? And if you don't mind me asking: How long have you been doing ESE and how much weight have you lost?
I'm going to plan my before-fast meal better this time & definitely incorporate some high protein foods. I'm thinking of doing a 7pm - 7pm from Saturday night to Sunday night (As I usually sleep in on Sundays so therefore I won't be hungry lol) :P
Thanks again for your advice!
xx
Hi, Melissa!
Please don't be hard on yourself about not lasting 24 hours. My first ESE style fast was only 20 hours, and I have only done one 24 hour fast.
Which leads me to ... The style of intermittent fasting that I do daily is called Leangains. It is a daily fast of 16 hours, with an 8 hour eating window. You can choose different windows. This one works for me.
I stop eating at 9pm and start again at 1pm the next day. I've been doing it for three weeks, in ADDITION to calorie counting, which I was already doing. I started because I had hit a plateau and was struggling with crazy hunger and getting discouraged. I also do one 20-24 hour fast one day a week, to get the benefits of the 18-24 hour burn as well as a good detox.
The last week and a half, I have not done very well with my calorie counts or workouts, due to other factors... sick children, vacation weekend, etc. During the initial week, in which I worked out, calorie counted, and did leangains fasting, I lost 2.5 pounds. For someone at the beginning of their weight loss journey, that might not seem like a lot. But as you get smaller, it gets harder to lose that much in a week.
For me, fasting is the easy part. Sticking to my calorie budget when I DO eat, is the hard part.
If you can consistently fast, workout and eat well, in that order, I believe you will be stunned at your success. :-)
Thanks for the great article Ennay. That was a good read. This WOL makes more and more sense as time goes and there are so many ways to incorporate it into each individual lifestyle.
Amandie- YES, I love Chai. Just got a new shipment of tea from mightyleaf.com (or .se since I am in Sweden). I am waiting to open my Chai, but have some others to drink up first. I find it so odd though that I have a hard time drinking black tea (not green or oolong) on an empty stomach (while fasting) but can drink a huge cup of black coffee!!??
Melissa- you can't beat yourself up for not making a 24 hr fast right after trying to fast at all! Take it slowly and don't be too hard on yourself! I have only been able to make a 24 hour fast a few times since starting this. The most I can usually go is 20-22 hours and then I break it.
Not the best few days of IF, but I'll try to do better for the weekend. I will be working, so no alcohol anyway... we'll see.
