So sorry about the dog as well. We lost our 17 cat last year and it was horrible.

@theCandEs The first few days I fasted I was really hungry when it was time to eat (5PM to 10 PM). If you do OK during the fast you might want to shorten your eating window. Mine is only 5 hours so that when I eat, I can really eat. I don't have trouble getting through the fast, but once I eat that first thing it triggers my appetite and I get really hungry. I also noticed that that ravenous feeling kind of went away after a few days. About the fifth day, I was busy and realized I was two hours into my eating window and hadn't even noticed... that was at 21 hours.

A lot of so called "experts" have said that fasting improves insulin resistance, so you may improve that with time if you keep fasting.

Good luck!

I would suggest you eat the salad and sandwich together. Slowly, if possible. The reason for this is in my experience eating larger meals is more satisfying and eating something small just makes me hungry.

It does get easier.

Also, at least for me, I've managed to learn to ignore my hunger and it goes away. They key is keeping myself busy because sitting around thinking about food only makes me want to eat.

So...I've decided to just not tell people what I'm doing...besides my husband. I tried telling a friend about it today and I felt really judged. Maybe it was just me. I think I'll wait a few more weeks so I have more time under my belt eating this way. What sort of reactions do u guys get when you talk to people about IF? I also need to become more well versed in the way our bodies work. It makes sense when I'm reading it...but then when I try to explain it to people...I just stumble over my words...I hate that.

jyoyo - I avoid using the word 'fast' and just explain that I have to eat my first and last food of the day within a certain time period of eachother in order for my body to do something sciencey lol, my boyfriend was much more understanding of this then if I would have said 'fast' i should think!

If someone were to write a FAQ how to explain it to your friends, family and co-workers should definately be included.

I agree that fasting has a lot of negative connotations.

I like to explain it to people in terms of evolution since there really isn't a study I can point to. We evolved over hundreds of thousands of years where food was very scarce so our bodies are well suited to short periods of not eating. I do it because it allows me to eat larger more satisfying meals which makes dieting easier and simplifies my life. After all, it's calories that matter.

Then no matter what else they say you can simply say no, that's a myth.

I also reccomend sending them the link to that page since all the science is there.

Oh well the best laid plans........ decided to stop eating at 7.30pm, watching Parenthood at 9.30pm and promptly made myself a glass of milk and a couple of biscuits COMPLETELY forgetting about my fast from 7.30pm, what an idiot.
So have to start again tonight.
And not only is my office near the staffroom but I have never really noticed how many morning tea's and birthdays we celebrate in the office, its crazy seems to be something we are celebrating every other day LOL.
John Im thinking I would maybe cope better with the 16hr fast and 8hr window rather than 19hr and 5hr window, just curious how your weight loss went for you when doing this method. (hope you dont mind my asking )
Or if anyone else has had better results switching from one window or fast to a smaller or bigger fast/window

Thanks for listening

@elkay If you are talking to me, no I don't mind. When I started fasting my goal was easier maintenance. I was 154-156 then. I lost down to 147 after I started IF in about 6 weeks. However, I wasn't really trying to lose so that was a great benefit! I sure wish I had known about this when I lost my 100 pounds in 1995...

What window you use is entirely up to your personal preference. 5 hours is easier for me because of what I said before, namely that once I eat something I want to keep eating. It's all mental in the end. Since I know I can't eat until 5 PM, I just put it out of my mind and it makes it easier.

@jyoyo It's hard to tell anyone because their reaction is so negative. I always get "but your body will go into starvation mode!" etc. etc. So, if someone asks I just tell them what I do then don't debate it. I mean I will say "no, it doesn't" to the starvation mode question etc. But I'm not going to argue science. I'll also tell them to check out fast 5 and leangains.com if they are interested.

There is a guy over on the IF forum at bb.com who has been doing IF since the mid-2000's. He is a builder and a competitor (looks really good too He says people in the gym are always asking him what he does and then freaking out when he tells them. His response is "well, look at me then look at yourself. What do you think works?" Easy for him to say

theCandes, welcome and great job on your first day. Yes, as said by others, it will get easier for you and you'll be able to do it with ease. Somestimes you'll make mistakes along the way or not put you're all into it like I have but every day is a fresh new start.

jyoyo, don't sweat people like that. They are the ones who should use common sense and research it before they judge. So far, I've had really open minded people. I tell them I still can eat my three meals a day, just within a smaller time frame. That could be another way you can explain it and leave it at that. LOL.

elkay, been there done that with forgetting about the fast. Keep up the good work, you're doing great.

I've been doing good this week. I'm down another pound this morning and I love that I lose a pound a day or every two days doing this. Great motivation. I'm in the zone now and hopefully I can stay that way. If I keep this up, by the end of next week, I will reach my lowest weight of the year at 210! I can do it!

Everyone have a great day.

Monique

Oh, something else I forgot to say about people judging...I told a complete health and fitness nut about it this morning and he approved. He said, "that's good, it's tricking your metabolism..."

Monique

Calories are what matters for fat loss or gain. Intermittent fasting has no magic just as no other diet has magic. IF just makes dieting easier in my opinion. So if a 5 hour window doesn't work make it bigger. I have been doing an 8 hour window for a long time and have been quite successful on it.* Occasionally my window is smaller and occasionally it is bigger. Makes no difference in the long run. Generally sticking to a schedule makes it easier to stick to the schedule but occasional flexibility isn't a problem either.

*I'd love to be able to quantify my specific weight loss with IF but I haven't been solely trying to lose weight while IFing as I've been alternating cycles of gaining muscle with losing fat. I also had a period of about 4 months where I just maintained my weight which was a breeze in large part due to IF.

@Monique Sounds like IF is going great for you! Good job

So sorry about your Dog. RIP little Chloe

Thank you, JohnP and KTucke7! I'm doing better today, I think. I made it to 1pm and I think it's going well. Dinner is in the oven, so I'm on track to have a decent dinner, unlike last night. Yesterday, I only ended up with around 1000cal. I'm not a calorie counter, really, but I was curious, so I put it in Fitday to find out. I'm going to do it again today to see if it's better. Hopefully, it is.

Thanks for the link, JohnP. I'm going to read it more thoroughly when I get a chance.

Hi, Monique, and thanks for the encouragement. I've decided to give this a trial period and see how I like it. I'm still not sure.

Much gratitude for the notes of condolensces from everyone over the loss of my little dog. My sons are doing better today, as am I. But it's still a struggle. I supposed it will be for some time to come.

As of today, I have arrived at 300 lbs. In the shadow of grief over losing my Chloe, I'm not feeling the sense of accomplishment yet. But I am feeling so much gratitude for having found Intermittent Fasting. And I am so grateful that it's simple, doesn't require extra effort or cost and that it works for me. I'm down 20 lbs in just a month, I've broken that ridiculous plateau I was on for three long, frustrating years. And I already physically feel so much better. I can make my Paleo dietary choices because I like how it makes me feel and I genuinely enjoy eating like that. I can continue avoiding foods that make me feel bad. I am very confident that I will continue with burning fat and lose the rest of my excess weight. I can forever stop monetarily supporting the diet industry machine. I feel like I've regained a piece of my soul again!

Thanks to everyone here who has shared their experiences and information. You're awesome!