So, as you guys know, I've been taking a bit of a break from IF. Last time, I was at 212 I think and I've gained three back so I'm at 215...bur good thing is I've been staying there when normally I would probably be at 220 and the reason for that is, I haven't been eating THAT much. I sort of munch, snack and drink my favorite sweet coffee here and there throughout the morning and then eat actual meals after three. So it's kinda half IF...not much effort right now.
Gosh, 8 more days before I move into my apartment....it's taking FOREVER to get here. Haha.
I've been doing the leangains IF for a week now. I was always one of those people that had to eat every 2 hours. I was never full and constantly focused on when my next "meal" was. I have always been a breakfast person, too. It obviously wasn't working because my life was consumed with thoughts of food.
I decided to try IF, because, "why the heck not?" and it has been great. As long as I eat a decent meal at the end of my window (I go from about noon - 8) I am not hungry the next day.
I have found IF very freeing. I still CC, but I am actually full after my meals and I usually have a little wiggle room in my calories if I want a treat. My weigh in is Sunday and that will be a whole week of IF. I hope to see results, but either way this is the easiest and most satisfying method I have tried (and I have tried it all!)
I've been following a low-carb protocol for a little over a year &, even though it's worked remarkably well (for me), I'm ready to phase off that program... I'm not completely new to IF, a few years ago I did Fast-5 for a while, then at the beginning of this year tried Eat-Stop-Eat 'til too much life got in the way (my dad had some serious health issues).. & thinking back, many years ago when I was doing Weight Watchers, if I hadn't lost much weight during the week, the day before weigh-in I fasted... so even then, I was doing ESE without even knowing it... anyway, I'll probably always follow a low-carb-type way of life, because I'm convinced that carbs were my undoing for at least 20 years during which I just got fatter & fatter trying to eat low-fat...
So, starting tomorrow, I'm going to start combining IF with my other diet... I'm choosing to follow the ESE way, simply because I remember when I was doing Fast-5, I spent a great deal of my fasting time thinking about my eating window... too craving-causing, even if it was all in my head... if I eat breakfast, then know I'm not gonna eat the rest of the day, my short ESE experience showed me I can spend the day thinking about other things...
Something else... in his ESE blog, Brad Pilon recently discussed fasted workouts... he said he still hadn't made a final decision about that, but he was thinking it might be good to start the fast with your workout... in other words, eat beforehand, maybe not a lot, but enough... then fast the rest of the day... I don't remember if he said how long that day should be, but I think I can make it 'til the next morning... if not, I can have a small meal before bed... since my gym workouts are all at 10:00 a.m., Mon., Tue., Wed., & Fri., I'll just plan on a Tuesday fast & another on Friday... tomorrow will be more or less just a jumpstart & then next Sunday I'll decide if 3 times a week is good or not...
Looking forward to being a part of this positive & supportive group...
Just finishing my first 24-hour fast (not my first ever, but the first in this re-start of ESE).. well, it wasn't really 24 hours, more like 20 since I started yesterday right after lunch... I did okay 'til nightfall... then I had to keep reminding myself to stay away from the fridge except for my tea & ice refills... it wasn't real hunger, just habit... broke my fast this morning with a handful of blueberries, then I'll have some protein in an hour or so...
The good part ~~ I was about 5 lbs. lighter this morning than yesterday morning... I sure didn't expect that... I'm not going to expect that every time I fast, but it sure was a nice surprise this time, especially since I had had a few days of poor food choices last week & had put back on a few lbs... nice to see that blasted number on the scale dropping again...
So, today will be my usual low-carb eating, then another fast tomorrow...
My first attempt at this diet was a failure. I just didn't have enough will power to pull of my first day fasting attempt.
The second attempt, wonderful. I went one day without food. I went to two parties and refused food. It gave me a lot of self confidence and now I know food doesn't control me and even if I'm hungry I can resist. This is my third day on the diet. I ate yesterday and today I will just not have anything (except tea of course : ) Thanks guys for turning me on to this diet, I feel as though it's gonna work for me. ) I'll check in later, thanks again.
I have read through this thread and did a ton of research on IF/fast5 and I became hooked. After losing quite a bit of weight calorie counting and having mini meals I started binging way too regularly. Because I hate mini meals, and breakfast I decided to give it a go and today is my 3rd day. I feel wonderful and have lost 3 pounds!
When I started, I decided no food was off limit and I was upping my cals from 1200/day to 1500/day. I'm now eating things I have missed like crazy! I also don't see how I could ever feel the need to binge since I'm No longer restricting myself.
I finally hit the 130's this morning and I cannot be more ecstatic about it. I think if it wasn't for researching IF after seeing the thread on here, it's quite possible that I'd be giving up on my weight loss after coming so far!
Thanks to everyone who has posted on this thread! it's time for me to go eat now (1-6)!! Lol
Welcome to the newbies. Hope you're all well. I'm still on my IF break and will resume when I'm settled in my new apartment I'm moving into this Friday.
Hi everyone, hope you don't mind me jumping on board.
A little about myself. I was at goal 130 and wearing a loose size 6 for 4 years. felt great. Then 2 years ago decided I need to loss 5 more vanity pounds. That magic 125 number on the scale. Well I drove my self crazy trying every diet that I had been on or new ones until I ended up dieting myself fat again 180.2 in January of this year. Now the crazy dieting has continued to get rid of the weight I had gained back. Plus went through menopause which I'm sure didn't help the madness.
Thinking back to when I lost the weight (196 to 130) in about 6 months I ate basically 1 meal a day with out thinking about it. I was grieving at the time (my Dh of 34 year marriage passed away) And ate only to make the kids happy. That was in 2004. Well life does go on and I have recently remarried (although I miss my husband dearly my true love) I am living.
But up until 2008 I continued to eat the one meal a day with out giving it a thought, Then When I decide to go for the 5 lbs and eat this way or that way and count this or that, the weight slowly came back on. The harder I tried the more I gained.
So I am now ready to re-train my body back to eating the one meal a day. I am so tired of thinking about what to eat, or I don't have the food for this diet, can't stay Low carb. or low fat and so on.
I do know that if I eat I cant stop eating. then I sleep and start over again. A doctor told me it was reactive hypoglycemia and wanted me to eat 6 or 7 small meals a day. Well lets say that was a total bust.
So yesterday I fasted till noon and stopped eating at 8pm. Today I plan on going longer and through the course of the next few weeks get back to eating my main meal in the evening. I have no plans to count anything I eat and well just try to stop thing about food all the time.
My weight as of Sunday was 175.2 and since January have bounced down to 172 then back up. So my goal is hopeful to let my body just do its thing and will go from there.
I am glad to have found this thread and have read the whole thing. Grats to all of you.
Monique and to you thank you for starting the thread and good luck on your move, you have to be so excited.
What is your eating window?
what has your average weekly weightloss been since IF'ing?
THANKS!
I have a 6 hour eating window, which is in the evening. I've just started, but have lost 7 lbs in 3 weeks. More importantly for me, I've lost most of my cravings and I'm a lot more relaxed.
For IF'ers using Eating Windows....
