Intermittent Fasting 2011

[Kristopia]

Dropped nothing this morning, and this evening my window was heavily interrupted due to lack of planning on my part for a meeting that took nearly all the window, so I ate between 11 and midnight.

[girl81]

Originally Posted by Kristopia

I do have one caloric item outside my 5-hour window (which is always in the evenings when I'm most at risk to graze). In the morning, I have a large coffee with 1 oz half and half and 2 splenda packets. It has calories because of the half&half. So far that hasn't done me harm yet, and helps me to keep my cravings under control until my eating window begins at 5 or 6.

I'm glad it doesn't affect you as it did me.

[girl81]

Originally Posted by ddailey320

Morning All....

Hump Day Already!! Not as good as a friday, but seeing as th week is half over, I'll take it! Hit my 5 pound challenge goal this morning!! Woo-hoo 126.8! Had a subway salad with tuna last night and a coke w/cream. Also sucked the living daylights out of 1/2 of a Cool Ranch Dorito! LOL....talk about exhibiting self control.

Thinking i ought to up my calories up a bit today, but still not sure what exactly that will entail. I am hoping the weather stays fairly decent out there this afternoon so that I can get a jog in later. We shall see though!

Hope everyone has a great day!

Awesome Danielle.
Have you lost all your weight by IFing?

[Kristopia]

girl81 - it's weird (and annoying sometimes) how we're all different, isn't it?

I went off my fast today *sigh* - was craving like mad, so ended up having a miso soup with the friend I met for a lunch walk. No peer pressure - I did it myself - but I kept it to a bowl of miso, so hopefully won't hurt my window later - I'm not changing the window as we're going to a barbecue this evening, and I know I'll be eating during my later 5 to 10 window.

[LCShadows]

Belatedly, welcome to the board, Kristopia! (Another Carolinian here, too!) A bowl of miso soup doesn't sound too damaging. One of our old board members, who exercised pretty intensely in the early morning, used to eat a single hard-boiled egg after her workout, and then open her window later in the day. Kind of an "outlier" meal. Didn't seem to slow down her loss.

I've had such crazy hours this summer that I've sort of wandered off my usual IF schedule. I usually do a 6-hour window from about 10A-4P or 11A-5P. But I've been getting up at 4 or 4:30 this summer, so I've been eating earlier (8:30 or 9A) and then don't eat again usually until around 4 or 5PM. I hope, once I stabilize at the new schedule, that I'll get back onto a more regular schedule. I'm not pushing it right now, though. I'm too busy trying to get my sleep schedule straightened out.

Karen, how are you doing?

[girl81]

Kristopia and Shadow,
WOW! You've both lost 120lbs. WAY TO GO!!!!
Did you lose it all/most via LC and IF?

[iakaren]

Originally Posted by iakaren

Been a couple months since I checked in. Looks like new faces. I will try and catch up.

Had crept up to 191 during tax season. This morning I was 184.

I started IF again in full force on May 1st. I am very satisfied with my progress. One can always wish it was more, but I am finding (and hoping) that something sustainable is better than something quick.

I do not work with rigid guidelines. That doesn't work in my life, and if I start trying to stick real close to strict eating rules, it just ups my stress, and sets me up to crash.

[Kristopia]

Thanks for the welcome, LCShadows.

Girl181 - my loss has been over several years, using a combination of things, but Low Carb appears to be the only thing that really works for me, and even then I stall often. Intermittent Fasting is the only thing that seems to help break the stall AND get my brain off food so I don't graze all day!

[alaskachick]

hiya all,

can i join your thread? i re-committed to IF this week (started last week but fell off the wagon!)

i am a hormonely challenged 40-yr old in surgical menopause, with hypothyroid to boot. i've been FAT since i was 12. hoping IF will help, and get my mind off FOOD.

plan on following Fast-5, but with a 4-hr window: 5-9.

thanks and great job everyone!

erica

[quitecontrary]

Well, I'm back once again! It's been a while, but I'm still convinced that IF is the optimal diet for me personally. I don't like to eat breakfast, and if I force myself to do so then I'm on a downward spiral until bedtime . Also, I have a horrendous time trying to cut out all the foods I love. I believe in low carb eating, but I have a harder time giving up certain things than I do condensing my eating time. I'm hoping that my food choices will improve as I go along.

I usually last about three weeks when I start an IF way of eating. So the way I figure it, if I can stay on it for four weeks then I've broken my record! Seriously, I'm going to persevere.

I'm going to post here daily to be accountable. I won't post what I eat, but I'll share how long my eating window is (shooting for no more than four hours), and I'll also share how I'm feeling and my energy levels, etc. I will be trying to keep my window from 4:30 p.m. until 8:00 or 8:30 each day. On days that I have a lunch date or on a special occasion, I'll adjust the times accordingly, keeping with 3-4 hours of eating.

I'll weigh tomorrow and start posting my weight daily.

I wish all of you much success and health!

[Kristopia]

Welcome back to IF, Erica and Carol Ann. This is my first go-round, and it's definitely the best method I've found of getting my brain off of food and not over-grazing. Plus, it gives so much more time during the day NOT eating or looking for my next meal!

[surfnmom]

Hi all, been reading the thread and have read fast 5.
Today I started the fast 5, but well gradually be pushing my eating window later and later as I get back into it.

Normally I eat at 11.00am, so today I waited till noon and ate. I hopefully can shut it down at 4:00pm. I well eventually get to the 5-10pm window as I continue to push the time to eat further and further in the day.

I am not aiming for any one way to eat as far as food choices now. But will fine tune that area as I get use to eating this way. Personally I would love to eat once a day, then forget about it.

I am getting to the point of hating food. It has controlled my life for to long. But have to eat. Whats that saying 'Eat to live not Live to Eat' lol easier said then done.

Have a great day all

[quitecontrary]

Thanks, Kris!!!

So today went rather well. I got hungry around 2:00 p.m. at work, but I was strong. They had birthday cake for my supervisor. Instead of trying to be brave and saying no, then running in the break room a couple of hours later stuffing my face, I graciously took a lovely slice decorated with a big, pretty pink icing flower, wrapped it up, and brought it home. It's a small step, but I feel so victorious!

I opened my eating window at 4:30 as planned and ate for about 15 minutes before getting really full. I didn't binge as I thought I would. I even incorporated green beans. A veggie hasn't passed these lips in weeks. I ate semi-healthy, although I could have done much better. If I get a hunger pang I can't ignore before 7:30 or so, I will have a small bite of something.

A couple of things I've noticed today: 1) I had way more energy not eating; 2) I didn't get the afternoon sleepies as I usually do; 3) My body has let go of a lot of fluid today. So many trips to the little girls' room! I love it!

This morning I weighed 221.6, which is where I hover normally. I'm always between 223 and 219.

I'll post again tomorrow! Hugs to all!

[LCShadows]

girl81, I dropped about the first 70 pounds or so before discovering IF, but have done the whole thing on LC.

Erica, and Carol Ann, welcome back! Erica, sticking to an IF window can help get your mind off food. I had eventually stalled out with LC after 70 pounds or so -- and stalled for about 8 months. Learning to not eat at night (my window tends to be about 10A-4P when I'm on my normal schedule) got the scale moving, albeit slowly, again. But slowly is kind of the norm for menopause, as I'm sure you've noticed.

Karen, your determination to find and stick to a reasonable plan for your life is admirable -- and exactly why you have succeeded, I bet.

I am still on a really screwy schedule which has messed with my ability to stick to an IF window -- or sleep pattern, for that matter.

[surfnmom]

Hi all, Yesterday wasn't to bad I ate the last snack at 8pm last night. It was a longer eating window then planed but did not gorge the whole 8 hours. So was happy about that.

Today planing on going past noon and hopefully past 3pm. Ideally would be 4 to 9. I am cooking a real meal to look forward to and then maybe a desert before bed.

quitecontrary way to go on bringing the cake home. I do love birthday cake (the corner piece with all the icing) and that was great that you thought to bring it home for a treat later. I have been in that situation so many times and ended up saying the hell with it and end up sugar binging the rest of the day.

Since I am a stay at home wife, It is hard to keep busy through out the day, looking to go back to work part time for something to do and extra cash. Hopefully well get a call soon.

kk well drop by later

[LeanLioness]

Hi all.

I would like to join in with the IF plan.

[iakaren]

Originally Posted by LeanLioness

Hi all.

I would like to join in with the IF plan.

Welcome.

[iakaren]

Originally Posted by alaskachick

hiya all,

can i join your thread? i re-committed to IF this week (started last week but fell off the wagon!)

i am a hormonely challenged 40-yr old in surgical menopause, with hypothyroid to boot. i've been FAT since i was 12. hoping IF will help, and get my mind off FOOD.

plan on following Fast-5, but with a 4-hr window: 5-9.

thanks and great job everyone!

erica

Good luck with IF. I have to admit, I couldn't do IF without the coffee or diet pop in the morning with my vitamins/supplements.

And posting on this site is a definite assist.

[iakaren]

Originally Posted by LCShadows

girl81, I dropped about the first 70 pounds or so before discovering IF, but have done the whole thing on LC.

Erica, and Carol Ann, welcome back! Erica, sticking to an IF window can help get your mind off food. I had eventually stalled out with LC after 70 pounds or so -- and stalled for about 8 months. Learning to not eat at night (my window tends to be about 10A-4P when I'm on my normal schedule) got the scale moving, albeit slowly, again. But slowly is kind of the norm for menopause, as I'm sure you've noticed.

Karen, your determination to find and stick to a reasonable plan for your life is admirable -- and exactly why you have succeeded, I bet.

I am still on a really screwy schedule which has messed with my ability to stick to an IF window -- or sleep pattern, for that matter.

my life is as hectic as they get also.........and I have adjusted. If my day before was way off track for amount of food, and I am hungry, I will eat a small BF, but I try and keep it to a minimum. I find that allows me to get back to my usual window without binging. That is where I make allowances to fit life. And I am really trying to get to where I can stick to one plan. The hopping around from plan to plan has always been a pitfall for me.

IF seems to fit my life very well, and I am determined to figure out a way to make it work for me.

[VGRAY77]

Hi, I posted this under a Zero Carb thread but wanted feed back from the IF community also.

Just wanted to introduce myself to the forum and tell a little bit about my eating plan. I began eating low carb back in 2004 after being diagnosed with type II diabetes. My blood sugar was in the high 400's. Starting with Atkins I soon got control and after some time I got down to a 5.4 A1c.

I got complacent and went back to my old way of eating. I tried to follow the ADA recommendations on eating and my Dr. just kept upping my medication. I ended up with 50 units a day of insulin, and maxed out on Metformin and Glyburide and still had a 9.2 for my A1c. At the first of the year I decided to return to the low carb path that I knew would work. January 1st I went back on Atkins induction. Within a week I had to stop all the Insulin. After 5 weeks I was able to cut my other meds in half. By then my A1c had dropped to 8.1. and by Mar 30th it was down to 6.2. At the end of May it had dropped to 5.8.

As I said, I began dieting to lower my blood sugar. Jan 1st I weighed 219 lbs and quickly dropped to 195 lbs. Then I hit a wall. I have been bouncing back and forth between 194 and 197 lbs. Throughout April and May I would lose 3 or 4 lbs during the week, when I did not cheat, and gain it back on the weekends when I would have a few drinks and eat outside of the house. Checking blood sugar often I came to realize that 20 grams of carbs was still too much for me. After lurking on many forums and reading all the success stories, I have decided to adapt a VLC to ZC food plan combined with an Intermittent Fasting plan. I am also cutting out all of my cheats especially alcohol.

I started May 30th and for the month of June I planned on following the Intermittent Fasting / VLC Plan. I fast 21 hours each day and eat during a 3 hr window from 5 PM to 8 PM. My meals total between 1500 and 1800 calories a day. Meal composition was VLC with a target of 80% fat, 15% protein and 5% carb. Meals consisted of meat, eggs, cheese, butter and sugar free mayo. Since then my blood sugar control has been better than ever with a average BS of 110 but still no weight loss. Starting last Monday 6/13/11, I decided to cut my carbs even further, approaching Zero Carbs. With a goal of 80% fat, 20% protein and 0% carb, I cut back on cheese and increased my fat. My blood sugar control improved with a daily average of 106, morning readings around 115, and readings of 70 to 90 during the day and post meal readings of 101 to 110. It may be too early to be sure but I am seeing a loss of 1/2 lb a day.

I look forward to your feedback and support.

Some to the things I have learned are:
Pick a plan and stick with it.
Make small changes and give them time to work or fail.
Track everything, weigh or measure.
Listen to others that have gone through this before.
While most plans will work for many people, individuals will vary and one plan may work better than another for you.

[Kristopia]

Originally Posted by iakaren

my life is as hectic as they get also.........and I have adjusted. If my day before was way off track for amount of food, and I am hungry, I will eat a small BF, but I try and keep it to a minimum. I find that allows me to get back to my usual window without binging. That is where I make allowances to fit life. And I am really trying to get to where I can stick to one plan. The hopping around from plan to plan has always been a pitfall for me.

IF seems to fit my life very well, and I am determined to figure out a way to make it work for me.

Same here - I have trouble sticking with one plan, and have gotten impatient quickly and bounced plan to plan. I need to make IF work for me as well.

[Kristopia]

Hey all - I've been off-plan for a few days - thought I'd bounce off of it because my schedule has been hectic, and stuck with low carb. I was up 1 lb this morning, and I'm TIRED of bouncing around the same few pounds without going down below them. So I need to STICK to something, and this (along with low carb) should be it.

I've had trouble sticking to just one plan in the past (and recently). Seems if I drop a few lbs in a few days, I'm happy, but the minute I stall, for even one or two days, I'm bouncing to something different again. I have to learn to stick to plan and be patient, without all this bouncing around and getting nowhere.

So, fasting til 5, window til 10. **sigh** One of these days, I'll get it right.

[iakaren]

DH took me to city today....we got new (used) SUV.........good for my diet. I have sworn off buying any more pop for my household......figure that would make a few bucks of payment each month......

[TexasMommy]

Hello all.

Today is day 1 IF for me. I used IF as a maintenance tool when I reached goal last time, and I did do some longer fasts in order to reach that goal. I've been struggling like mad with losing, and subsequently gaining back the few pounds I do lose because of cravings and momentary lapses of sanity.

I like to eat VLC, but I find that I overeat some items ie: cheese, mayo, bacon. I'm returning to IF, and I'm going to expand my food items in hopes that I won't feel like I have to eat sooo much in order to feel "satisfied".

My window will be 2 PM to 7 PM. Today, I've had some hunger and queasiness, but those feeling only last a few minutes at a time and disappear. It's about 4:10 PM and I haven't eaten anything since I didn't bring food to work, but I have had coffee with HWC and sf cocoa with HWC to tide me over until dinner.

I look forward to joining you on this thread!

[iakaren]

Originally Posted by TexasMommy

Hello all.

Today is day 1 IF for me. I used IF as a maintenance tool when I reached goal last time, and I did do some longer fasts in order to reach that goal. I've been struggling like mad with losing, and subsequently gaining back the few pounds I do lose because of cravings and momentary lapses of sanity.

I like to eat VLC, but I find that I overeat some items ie: cheese, mayo, bacon. I'm returning to IF, and I'm going to expand my food items in hopes that I won't feel like I have to eat sooo much in order to feel "satisfied".

My window will be 2 PM to 7 PM. Today, I've had some hunger and queasiness, but those feeling only last a few minutes at a time and disappear. It's about 4:10 PM and I haven't eaten anything since I didn't bring food to work, but I have had coffee with HWC and sf cocoa with HWC to tide me over until dinner.

I look forward to joining you on this thread!

Welcome!!

[TexasMommy]

Originally Posted by iakaren

Welcome!!

Thank you for the welcome. It's been quiet in here, but I'm going to post occasionally.

Yesterday, day one, went well. My window opened at 2 PM, but I didn't eat anything until about 5:40 PM. I did have 3 shots of liquor, but it was within my window. I'm not checking my weight until next Monday. I did not overeat anything, which is a WIN!

[TexasMommy]

Food has been posted in my journal.

The fasting is going pretty well. It's nice to know that I don't have to worry about packing a lunch for work or eating breakfast.

[ddailey320]

Hi All!!

Hopping back on board. Haven't been on LCF for a while (mentally had to take a break from being so obsessed about food/weight/etc and then 1 month ago today our small town in Monson, MA was hit by a tornado which flipped our lives upside down! I Can't complain too much as we still have a house standing and are more fortunate than others but now going through the rebuilding process (porch needs to be completely torn down and rebuilt, new roof on house and garage- tree fell on it, all the kids toys and swingset need to be replaced, new fences, etc). Lots more work to do to get things back to normal, but getting their slowly. Hoping that coming back here might help too. Just wanted to pop in and say to anyone around that may still remember me, as well as new faces just starting out in IFing.

[RW City Sue]

Hi IFers! I've been away for a long time but sooner or later seem to bounce back around to IF Eating in a window is a natural pattern for me. I am back from being out of town for over 2 months, visiting with relatives in Nebraska and Tennessee. And can I just say this?: I just plain don't want to be the fat girl anymore, so here I am...

Sue

[VGRAY77]

Hello All, Hope everyone had a safe 4th of July
I just wanted to get the month of June on paper.
For the whole month I was cheat free, with the exception of 2 alcoholic drinks.
Maintained a 21/3 eating schedule with a window from 5PM to 8PM, I did open up the window on the weekends to start around noon.

Meals averaged 1536 cal per day, carbs were 1 to 10g per day

I aimed for an 80/20 ratio of Fat/Protein and averaged around 70/28 plus the carbs.

I lost 6.2 lbs. and my blood sugar monthly average was 105.

I could have done better but I tried to cut out my Glyburide medication. The first couple of days were ok and then my blood sugar started to spike after my meal with a daily average around 120. I added back the Glyburide and blood sugar returned to my normal. At the end of July I will try to cut it in half.

For the month of July I want to:
Go to a 22/2 schedule
Get a better handle on my weekend eating and cut down on the amount of cheese that I eat.
Start exercising.