thanx moozie, that sounds like somerhing I can do..
italianne seems like last week I ate more veggies and ate less during my window and this week, even tho I am staying within the window I'm just eating the same fast foody, cheesy, desserty meals as before.

Thanks for the welcome ladies!

Hi all. I am on my second 18 hour fast this week and it has gone well. No major hunger pains and my blood sugar hasn't dropped low. It usually does if I do not eat. I actually feel pretty good.

I have been reevaluating the way I have been eating and I am thinking of going to a paleo based diet. I am tired of shakes and I realized that I am just not happy on them. I lose weight fast if I drop carbs anyway. Plus, I realized I have been sicker while I am on the shakes. I shouldn't feel crappy in my 20s. The only WOE I have liked was the Fat Smash so I want to merge the paleo and FS eating. I'll use the shakes only after my runs.

Over 3lbs down this week yay! I'm very pleased since I went a bit nuts with the Valentine's chocolate last Tuesday tee hee....

I'm finding what is working awesome for me are 20 hour 'fasts' with about 150-200 calories during, then a 4-5 hour window of eating in the evening. I guess a variation of Fast 5. I am not at all hungry in the morning so I may have some coffee with sugar-free creamer, then around 2pm I'll have 100-150 calories of protien (like 2 hard-boiled eggs or a handful of nuts or something. That way I'm not SUPER hungry when I really break the fast with an actual meal.

Ya' know what they say, if it ain't broke... lol

How is everyone doing?

Hi Everyone! Finished my 24 hour fast. I'm hoping for a loss this week of 1-2lbs. I weigh in on Mondays and Tuesdays, so we'll see.

35x35 - FABULOUS!!!!! You go girl. Sounds like you're working out a sustainable program for yourself. Keep going.

Mizzthingaling - I'm doing a little paleo type thing mixed in with my IF, it definitely helps nudge my weight down a little quicker. I feel better, too.

esmi - There seem to be weeks when it is easier to eat healthier. I have found that the longer I do IF, the vegis and whole, healthy food choices have come more naturally. I really think that you'll find that you will shift over, as a natural course of events. I'm not sure why that is, but it seems to be what happens to lots of people. Even so, giving your body a break from digestion is still a powerful and healthy thing to do, so just stay with your IF plan. I also found at the beginning, instead of worrying about eliminating things, it was helpful to add lots of healthy things and then the less healthy stuff just seemed to take a back seat. I often break my fast with a few pieces of fruit. That way I am immediately getting instant nutrition and taking the edge off my hunger. You could try that, and then let the rest of the night take care of itself. Two steps forward, one step back type of thing. If you're maintaining your window, that may be enough for now. Hang in there.

Rosey - My sister eats "little and often" She's healthy, thin and gorgeous. It just never worked for me. So it may be just the ticket for your boy friend. Sounds like he'll support you, especially if he sees that you are happy, healthy and getting results.

Moozie - Glad you're back in the groove

Geo - Your story about your son sounds like my house!

Hope everyone else is doing well! Don't forget to check in with your successes and struggles.

@Italianie good luck for your weigh in tomorrow! Yes eating little and often seems to work for him too, he has excellent willpower and can resist snacks. Me.....not so much! It is easier to just flat out not eat until a certain time, takes the temptation out of it!

I completed my second 24 hour fast yesterday. I caved at 23 hours though and had a few bites of chicken and broccoli before my meal, as although I wasn't physically hungry, I felt shaky and weird, whats an hour though, right?

I was also VERY VERY COLD! I know this is a side effect so I put the heating on, wrapped up in pjs and dressing gown AND tucked a hot water bottle into it which was much better, but still got chills now and again. Roll on summer :D

Rosey, I'm also experiencing a lot of cold. More than ever before! And then it's broken up by occasional hot flashes. I can't figure out what to wear these days.

I've been trying to manage my type 2 diabetes better over the last week and I've adjusted my eating style just a bit. I'm finding that eating breakfast is helping manage my blood sugar numbers a bit better. At first I was going with a bigger breakfast of mostly protein and fat and then didn't eat till dinner, plus a snack of protein just before bed. But calories were still too high. I was happy to discover that I could cut back on how much I was eating in the morning and still coast thru till an early dinner, plus the small protein snack. I've learned to keep below 15 gm of carbs per meal, which also seems to help me cut calories. So I'm succeeding to cut calories by around 300 now! Love this!!!!

I've lost 1.5 lbs this week. So happy for everyone's success too!

Found this article online, further promoting the benefits of IF! :)

https://apps.facebook.com/theguardia...pes=news.reads

@geoblewis glad you seem to have found what works for you as well as managing your diabetes. Losing weight is hard enough without added things to think about so good on you!

@katylil thanks for posting that article. It's really interesting and especially good because it is in a well known and well respected paper. I hope it continues to be mentioned in mainstream media, perhaps then more people will begin to challenge their old views and see the benefits of IF instead of being horrified :dizzy:

Mizzthingaling you are doing so good keep it up :)

Italiannie thank you for your encouraging words, it helps to know that this kind of challenge happens and I'm not the only one. I should focus on adding healthier options right now. I am out of town with family so lets see how the weigh in is on monday.

Everyone seems to be doing better and seeing results,,way to go! Lets keep it up :)

Thanks Italiannie and Esmi134.

Congrats Geoblewis for finding something to manage your type2. We are going to see if the primal will work for my mother. I want her to start the whole30 first and do a couple of short fasts (14hrs) and work up to see how it goes.

A good side effect from this is that I am getting fuller faster. Gotta love that.

Hi everyone,
hope you have all had a good weekend

Itallianne, i like your take on not giving things up but increasing the healthy and then naturally dropping the less healthy. Thats a really good way to look at it. I'm weighing too on Monday and will post as soon as i have done the deed. good luck, fingers crossed to us all!

esmi134- my legs were a bit achey the day after my first stint with the weights, so hoping that means its working!!as long as i dont end up with huge muscly thighs!!instead of just huge thighs

Mizzthingaling- im feeling fuller longer too. and quicker- which in turn has meant that im not eating so much at each meal.

Geoblewis-tee hee, the gas is a problem in our house but sadly its not verbal!!.
glad your diabetes is responding well, are you on medication or are you controlling with just diet? very low carb diets are also good for helping control blood sugars, are you combining it with your fasts?
its a tricky one to get your fast times right if you are taking meds, especially if you take them in the morning and then want to fast.im not sure how the medical profession would feel about tinkering meds to fit in with IF.
would be really interested to hear how you manage it. I dont have diabetes, but as a nurse am interested. I know a patient who likes to try different food plans- she does a modified Atkins which has done wonders fr keeping her sugars stable.

Rosey85-i cant do the old little and often, it becomes oh just a little bit more than more and more often!!! Glad your partner is supportive. My family have been great too.
well done with sticking to the fast, 23 hours is great. I just go with the flow now. some days my body copes fine with the full 24 hrs and other times i eat a bit early. it doesn't seem to matter much and i have found it really easy not to get critical of myself.
I also have had 2 days when i was freezing- to be fair it was snowing outside, but my house is toastie warm, I think it was because i was over tired and fasting.
oh and from one farm animal to another-love your little goat pic!!

Katylil- thanks for the link, its good to someone actually supporting IF for once. also good to know that we are helping our brains just a little.anything we can do to avoid dementia is worth it. a vile disease. i look forward to seeing results of such research but suspect it will be many years yet.

Have had a good but tiring weekend, having worked 14 hr shifts on the ward. I managed a 24 hour fast on Saturday and was FAMISHED by the time i got home. had to really hold back as i could have gone mad, but settled for some pate on toast and salad, then naughtily had a chicken roll too.but then stopped. as it was so late i just couldn't face cooking, which prob would have been better. ho hum, no harm done.
today i have eaten 3 meals with no snacks. had a big mac meal and couldn't eat it all- my tum just didn't want it . I thought I had wanted it, but actually didn't enjoy it as much as expected.

am going to continue next week with combining fast5 and ESE. good luck to all who are weighing in tomorrow.
:)

Monday morning again, a new week!

@mizzthingaling I love your name! I have also noticed feeling fuller faster, a great side effect :)

@Moozie great work on the weights! I have been doing squats and lunges with a heavy bar for a while now and my thighs have not gotten any bigger (good job really as my thighs are another problem area!) but I have noticed them toning so keep it up it does work! I love the goat pic, how cute is he! Plus goats eat a lot and will eat anything (me!)!

I have switched from the 16/8 lean gains method to the fast5 window, so I will eat from either 3pm - 8pm or 4pm - 9pm depending on my day, with a 24 hour tomorrow. I worked out yesterday at 17 hours fasted and felt fast and light on the treadmill, it was great! I was expecting to feel lightheaded but it has given me the confidence to try it again a little later into a 24 hour fast.

Yesterday I broke my fast at 19 hours with a pear and 2 wholemeal rice cakes with peanut butter. Then I had vegetable stew for dinner, half a tub of quark mixed with options white chocolate hot choc powder (tastes like cheesecake!) then 2 more rice cakes with peanut butter. Not much if I ate it over a whole day, but I felt stuffed! The feeling of eating after a fast is so nice, it makes me feel so relaxed and calm.

I work full time and study part time for my degree and today I am in Uni from 1pm - 7pm. I am not planning on eating til 3pm so I am praying that my stomach doesn't rumble too loudly during the first 2 lectures as I will not have access to my usual green tea!

Good luck to everyone weighing today!

hi ladies,
have just weighed and have lost another 3lbs! :carrot:
am so happy to have got back on tack. 2 more pounds and i will be under 200lbs, my first goal.
a long way to go, but feeling really positive.

I am on a day off so will be having a normal eating day today. doing a bit of shopping, some house work and planning to cook up a huge sweet potato and butternut squash soup to freeze. i love it when its cold and i want something to warm me up. its also great for taking to work or for a quick lunch.

do any of you now notice that you welcome feeling hungry? im sitting here, at 830 am and my tummy is grumbling and ive got that empty, i'm ready for food feeling. and instead of being unsettled by it, im thinking, well I can ignore it and nothing bad will happen, or i can go and get breakfast. simple.

whilst on a diet i was always terrified of being hungry, because the diets promised you wouldn't be, so i must be doing something wrong- stupid!!
Im also finding it easier to distinguish between hungry, empty and thirsty and accepting that these feelings are natural and normal. and surprise surprise nothing bad happens if you ignore hungry, and empty can actually be rather pleasant.

have a great day, good luck with the weigh ins .
:)

@Moozie well done on the 3lbs! Brilliant going! I know what you mean about feeling hungry, I agree it feels good. I am imagining fat being burnt with every rumble ha!

I can't believe how "hungry" I thought I got before when eating normally. My body was tricking me into thinking I was actually hungry, but I can't have been as I had eaten only a few hours previously, especially as real hunger disappears quickly when ignored.

I am 16.5 hours into 19 and this morning I haven't really been hungry as I have been chain drinking green tea, off to lectures soon with a big bottle of water so hopefully I can keep the rumbles at bay if they come.

Have a great day everyone :)