Ok, so this is long overdue. I am trying to get back to IF. Funny thing is I did IF, unbeknownst to me. I was losing weight and not eatiing breakfast. I am not into breakfast. Lost 120 pounds!! AS SOON AS I was told I needed to eat breakfast everything when beserk for me. Anyway, I am trying to make my way back to IF. I plan to do some 24 hour fasts in there as well to get back into the right frame of mind. I normally do 16/8. Once I make some changes at work, schedule lunch-wise I will be on cloud 9. I am working toward 1-9pm. with a workout session before my last week.

I have hypothyroid and PCOS. I have finally getting the right medications and I think my body is ready to cooperate with me!

I have been MIA for such a long time. I believe coming back to the forum and taking part of some the challenges and overall accountability will give the push I need. I am halfway through reading this thread... I am ! I hope to get know you all better and be a real part!

Hi Noname I used to eat a lot of cottage cheese, but for some reason stopped...but after I saw a photo of that omelet, I drooled lol! I need lots of protein on fast days to keep me full, because I'm also trying to eat low carb, well, under 75 grams - which means I am now mostly avoiding white flour foods. Your dinners sound good, I'm the same, coffee with milk/sugar in the morning, lots of water, and soup or broth, then a bigger dinner. Today was my 2 of 3. We made chicken fajitas, but I had just the chicken without the tortilla, with a side salad, it was yummy Tomorrow I'm fasting as well. We got a big T-bone for my bf, so I'll be trying out that omelet! I don't know about your body, but mine takes a few weeks to adjust...I also hope I see some difference on the scale next week! But even if I don't, I feel so much better when I fast, so I'm going to keep it going at least until the end of October at 4:3 to see how my body feels and what I weigh and measure.

Hi Alchick, Noname explained it perfectly. I also do a 4:3 now, it's an experiment to see how my body reacts because I feel great on fast days. I tweak mine a little because I'm a wine lover and refuse to give up my red wine each night, so I eat 600 calories on my 3 fast days of the week, that extra 100 is my glass of wine at night. Normally I would do M-W-F fasting, but this week because of our Thanksgiving and a few romantic dinners with my bf, I fasted Sunday, today and I'll fast again tomorrow. It's the same idea as zigzagging your calories to keep your metabolism working hard and healthy. I think it's fine to make things up as you go along, because none of us fall into the same formula, it's too subjective! Whatever works and is easy to keep up, then that's what you should do!

Hi Ann Congrats on your weight loss! That's awesome. I hope you get back into the fasting, I can't promote it enough because I feel so good doing it. Btw, you're not the only one who doesn't like breakfast, I'm a coffee gal in the morning, and that is all I need. If I eat breakfast, I eat like a bottomless pit for the rest of the day. So, the idea that eating breakfast will keep you from binging later on does NOT apply to me! When I eat breakfast, I gain weight. When I have coffee and work out in the morning, then have lunch and dinner, I lose weight. So breakfast being the most important meal of the day? Poo!

Hi folks... I haven't dropped by this thread in a long time, but I'm still doing a small eating window, basically just eating dinner each day. It's been terrific after a lifetime of yoyo calorie counting to lose weight with failed maintenance. I am so much happier eating 1 sizable meal each day rather than 3 tiny so-called "meals" and in-between snacks, hardly ever feeling full. Losing weight with an eating window was slow but low-stress and maintenance has been a breeze so far. My favorite part is that I get to eat out as often as I want (I tend to like to eat pretty healthy food usually, even when I eat out). I just hope it stays this easy.

RoyalAthena, the mainstream "breakfast is the most important meal" spiel and the "eat several times a day" diet advice couldn't have been farther off-track for me. And I follwed it literally for decades. One of the posters at 3fc (JohnP) helped me see the light, but DH also got me to reconsider, as he started having good results with an 8 hour eating window. I can't seem to do things by half-measure, so now I use a 1 meal approach, and I don't even really bother timing it any more.
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RoyalAthena Welcome back! Who told you that you needed to eat breakfast? You know what works for you, so ignore them! Good luck getting back into it. Sounds like it should come pretty naturally.

Chardonnay I think you're right about it taking time to adjust and I shouldn't just give up if 4:3 doesn't result in a loss this week. Goodness, I'm not sure I could eat an omelet while my OH ate a steak! I'm fasting with you today

yoyoma Welcome back! It's nice to hear from you and I am so glad (and inspired) that maintenance has been easy for you.

Tonight I'm gonna grill some pork chops and veggie kabobs for a fast-day less than 500 calorie dinner, and maybe make some rice for the bf to have on top of that. Should be an easy day! I got to sleep in and go into work late, but dinner will be a little bit late as well. I just need to get through my Friday without having a drink. I think that will be the hardest part of doing 4:3! I like to have a few drinks on the weekend, but I think I can wait until Saturday

Yesterday was a normal eating day and it wasn't exactly a good eating day. I couldn't stop eating chocolate! And then I had a work event, so my dinner was a bunch of appetizers - cheese and crackers, shrimp cocktail, mini quiche, and more sweets. But my weight came down over a half pound, to just .2 above my low weight. So after today's fast I might just see a loss this week after all! Funny how that works. I won't get my hopes up, since I haven't seen a loss in months, but I won't give up hope and I'll give 4:3 a few weeks before I decide on a new action plan.

Thanks Chardonnay, yoyomama and nonameslob for the warm welcome!
Chardonnay I have been reevaluating what works for my body. So, with IF I will also do "low" carb eating. For me 100g (stretch to 120g) of carbs is healthy for me. It may not be considered low but is not up to standards of what the American diet deems appropriate. I like that amount because I can eat healthy but also incorporate what I feel will make my diet doable for me ( brown rice, pasta, baked potato, etc) Things that aren't bad for me but I need to eat in moderation. When I portion control on those things i do so much better!!

Ok ya'll I will check in this weekend. . I am really going to try very very very hard to do a fast over the weekend to recharge my body and get ready for my 16/8. I shouldn't set myself up by saying that this will be hard but....this will be hard. Mind over matter. I figure if I can do a full fast then I can show my body that I don't have to constanltyeat. Hey, if I can fast then I should be able to NOT eat seconds!!

I broke my plateau! Ahh I'm so excited! 4:3 worked! Yesterday was pretty rough though. I had to go to bed quite early to keep myself from going over, but it paid off with a two pound loss this week. My first loss in 2.5 months

Congrats on the loss Noname!! Wow, no loss for 2.5 months, that would have frustrated the heck out of me. The fasting really does work, at least it does for me! But my biggest problem now is my body...I'm so damn injured all the time that I can't do any intense exercise to get my heart rate up. I'm worried about my metabolism, because I do have a metabolic disorder, I hope the fasting is enough to help with weight loss until my body heals.

Hi Yoyoma I tend to eat that way too, one big meal for dinner, I'm never all that hungry during the day anyway, coffee is enough for me usually.

Hi Ann I like eating low carb...well, my version of low, because I feel less bloated and I have more energy when I eat more protein in my meals. We're also flirting with lowering the gluten in our diets to see if it helps my bf's acid reflux. How did your fast go? I think if you have a back up plan and things to keep you really busy, the thought of wanting to eat naturally disappears, that's been my experience.

Hi everyone,

I'm totally new to IF but not to 3FC. I was doing really well with tracking calories until I became injured in April. Now, I'm recovered from that and want to get back on track. Someone suggesting not eating after a certain time of day may help me feel less bloated, and someone else suggested IF. I started 10/16 and so far I'm feeling very good. I'm on a 14/10 window, and tracking calories too. So far so good!

Chardonnay The fasting does work, I've been doing it for over a year now, but 5:2 just wasn't cutting it over the summer. At least now I know that 4:3 helps me get through a plateau! I'm going to try to do 4:3 for a few more weeks, and then will probably switch back to 5:2. This week will be tough as I'll have to do a back-to-back. Probably Monday, Tuesday and Thursday.

dcapulet Welcome!

Still overjoyed about my weigh-in on Friday. I have two more weeks to hit my goal weight for this month (50 pounds lost!) and I actually feel like I can do it now.

So Many new people and returns! I don't know the returns as I am new as of July, but only a few of us have been posting for the past few months. So excited to have a bigger group!

Big wave to everyone... I will be able to do more personals this week since I don't have a crazy schedule

Noname - I did wanted to say CONGRATULATIONS! So happy the 4:3 worked for you! YAY!!!!! Sorry I haven't checked in :/

I have had a crazy two weeks with my trip to Chicago and last week was competition week for my daughter (Cheer) so it's been crazy! I am proud to say that I kept my running schedule as well as my eating windows (although I was only able to get only one all day fast last week - I do a combo of 16:8 and 5:2). I weighed this morning at 144.8 and that is huge because I wasn't able to meal plan very well the past few weeks and ate crappy food at some points. So I am a happy camper! I'm doing a fast today (back to my Monday and Thursday fasts!) I'm hungry right now, but trying to keep it at bay.

Have a wonderful rest of the day! Will check in later!

nonameslob Congrats on breaking your plateau!!

Well, no will power. I have given up in a sense. I am so tired of losing and regaining weight. But I feel like out of everything going back to this is so doable. I didnt do the fast. I just mentally couldnt. BUT I did start my eating window today. 1pm- 9pm. I am going to stop eating after 9pm. In a few weeks due to work I will be at 1230-830pm. I will also start working out in two weeks...after getting acquainted with my eating plan. Oh, and I will be starting with a calorie count of 2200 and then... Anyway, I will check in later

Hey Ann,

When I first started this WOE I ONLY did 16:8 until I was a good month into it. In all honesty I don't think I would've been successful had I started with the 5:2. Big hugs! Take easy and don't be hard on yourself!

Good Morning!

Love me some fast days! Got a new low today of 142.7! WOOP!

Hope everyone is having a great week so far!

nayla - Welcome back. Looks like you'll be in the 130s soon

RoyalAthena - I believe you said you were going to try some 24 hour fasts? Man, that's hard. I know you view it as "resetting," but I personally can't imagine starting with the most difficult thing! It sounds like you've got a good start with your eating window - you certainly haven't given up! Well done and keep it up!

Yesterday was fast 1 of 3. Today was going to be fast 2 of 3, but change in plans so that the bf and I can have dinner together tonight. I'll do my other two fasts Wednesday and Thursday.

AHHH 130's! I can't wait!

Have fun at dinner with your BF tonight! Two fasts in a row? You're TOUGH! Not sure I could get through that! Maybe one day I'll try...