40F 5’6” SW 150 GW 130 Hypothyroidism treating with levothyroxine 2 kids
I am on day 8 of IF with 16:8. It seems like majority of posts I see are people doing 20:4 or OMAD or IF paired with calorie counting, clean eating, it r regular exercise. Obviously I understand all those things increase weight loss and improve health. But will just a 16:8 seven days a week also give me some progress?
So far this has worked great for me because a restrictive diet would be hard since im feeding a family too. I wouldn’t want to eat differently from them. I don’t buy lots of junk food but I do eat dark chocolate once in awhile or ice cream when we take the kids out. I dropped alcohol about a month ago as well. But I do often have second servings of a meal. I don’t exercise regularly but we do a big hike once in awhile or at least try to walk a bit each day.
Wondering if I need to step it up and if so, is just increasing the fasting period enough?
This is basically what I’ve been doing since April ‘22. I am 43F with 2 kids, 5’5”. SW 209 CW 182 GW 155
We start family dinner at 5:30/5:45, and this means I start fasting at 6:30 and then just skip breakfast. (I also have coffee with cream in the am which isn’t a true fast).
It was slow going (especially around the holidays) and if it’s the weekends and I am solo with the kids one morning, I’ll end my fast early because I know I might not be able to eat until the toddler is napping. (I have episodic migraine and POTS, so can’t do cardio and can’t fast more than 19 hours and that’s pushing it!). We also do a moderate hike once every week or two.Between May-Dec I lost about 22lbs. In January I started doing 17 hr fasts and the weight started coming off faster - about 1lb/week.
I’m now halfway to my goal weight, having lost 27lbs. It’s a lot slower than many ppl doing IF but it works for me. My meals have been getting smaller over time but I think that’s just naturally happening- I’m not trying to. I am not a crazy sweets person but if I’m at a kids birthday party you know I’m having cake!
So yes - I think you can totally achieve your desired weight loss with your plan, just be prepared for it to take longer than other ppl on the sub. This will probably be more of a lifestyle change rather than a quick fix. Try to go easy on yourself (if you need a day off every now and then, it’s ok).
Congrats you have a healthy BMI. I used 16:8 for months with success and lost 4kg.I switched to 18:6 now because I’m still overweight and have stagnated.
You are the best judge of what fasting period works for you
I have similar stats to you with slightly higher atarting weight and have had good progress doing lazy 16:8 (16:8 during the week and more relaxed on weekends/holidays, 12:12 for the week before my period). I’ve lost 12 lb since beginning of Nov. I find the approach of delaying rather than denying food effective. IF also makes me feel more comfortable with feeling hungry and I dont get hangry/shakey if I havent eaten in a while. I also find my appetite has decreased so I naturally eat smaller portions.
Im sure the strategy of counting calories works for some people but I know it doesnt work for me and is not sustainable. IF and not drinking alcohol are the only two things that help me lose weight. I could incorporate more exercise (I walk the dogs for 35 mins a day) but tbh I dont have the energy or brain capacity to do so right now.
I am your age and height. Starting weight was 133, goal weight 125, and I’m seeing 122-123 on the scale most days now. (I am no longer trying to lose weight). I am super lean and have like 13 to 14% body fat and I just did 16:8 (plus exercise) to get here.
I already ate a super clean diet and did HIIT workouts 4 to 5 days a week, but my weight had plateaued and I started IF to avoid weight gain during the holidays.
I started with 16:8 and the pounds melted off of me because I was no longer eating a 500 cal bagel for breakfast every morning. A couple months later I’m only fasting 12 to 14 hours a night. I still don’t eat a full breakfast, but I’m not doing a super long fast because I don’t need to. I break my fast with a protein bar before I hit the gym and then have a green smoothie for lunch.
If your diet is clean, you don’t need to fast for more than 16 hours a day. So, you have to ask yourself what is more important to you, paying attention to what you eat (while being able to eat lunch and dinner every day for the rest of your life), or ignoring macros and calories and restricting yourself to one meal a day?
The people who tell you that you must do longer fast are not as strict with their diets & exercise less than those of us who are successful with shorter fasting windows. That’s the trade off: do you want to focus on re-tooling your diet and exercising more, or would you like to just have a very short eating window so that you don’t have to worry about those things? Either is fine. It’s personal.
I can’t really answer that without knowing exactly how you’re eating now. I’d recommend eating normally and tracking w/ myfitnesspal or cronometer for 1-2 weeks so you know where you are. Then post your results w/ the same question. The apps make tracking easy. Most people don’t track long term but doing it occasionally will help you to learn what you’re eating. I do 16:8 almost every day but could easily gain weight doing it.
You need to eat below your TDEE, or you’ll stay the same or gain. IF is just an easy way to do that by cutting out an extra meal/lots of snacking. No matter how short your window though, you still need to be burning more calories than you’re taking in. Like mine is 1700 (maintenance now) and I could easily blow through that in one meal if not being mindful. I’d use something like MFP and track for a week and see what your calories look like, you might be someone that just naturally eats less and doesn’t need to track at all.
r/CICO is a great group with tons of good knowledge