My windows are 11-5, sometimes 11-3, 10-5 etc (I’ve read that varying your window is good). I eat lot of fruit and veg, chicken and fish only, nuts, cheese and yogurt and that’s it (all as whole as possible, no processes food at all). No rice, no bread, no fried foods, no sugar (or very sparingly). I drink occasionally but if I do I always try to create a deficit with CICO. I exercise but not as much as I’d like (it’s zero degrees where I live - it’s difficult). 34M. If anything I feel fatter, especially in my face, now than I have ever been in my entire life. This is insanely discouraging since I have radically shifted how I eat, and to feel like I look worse than ever I think - what am I punishing myself for? Help. Please help.
If all that’s true, it may be time to consult a doctor.
It seems like you’re checking all the boxes. Deficit, IF, not drinking your calories etc. So, it may be some sort of thyroid issue or who knows what else.
You say you feel fatter. How have you been measuring results? I.e. scale, tape measure, how clothes fit
From reading what you eat, it seems you should have seen results by now. I would say it’s possible your calories are too low? Curious to what you aim to hit for the day.
I’d definitely visit a doctor at this point. Seems strange.
11-5 is my window too and I’m stuck at 157.5. I do snack and overeat in my window (due to THC) but I am thinking of pushing for a smaller window. I was 165 when I started IT but that was six months ago.
How much water are you drinking and whats your sodium intake. Could be water retention that us causing the bloating. You should also try adding in some resistance training even if its just body weight workouts in your house. Its going to obviously increase how many calories you burn because you are active but it will also increase how many you burn while resting thus making your goals more achievable in a shorter time.
I don’t understand about your windows. The sum of two numbers should be 24 as a number of hours during one day. I’m doing 19 : 5 or 20 : 4, where 19 and 20 are hours in my fasting window, and 5 and 4 are hours in my eating window. What are yours?
Maybe read up on the effects of cortisol on fat storage. If you’re feeling “punished”, maybe your stress levels are increasing your coritsol. Are you doing any self-care that you actually enjoy? Are you getting enough sleep? Winter sun? Things that boost your mood –massage, stretching, and even the occasional processed food– might make a difference. Also, CICO-in-deficit always plateaus after awhile. Your body figures it out. The book ‘Obesity Code’ explains it really well, if you’re interested.
TLDR: Sounds like you need to eat more and do some fun stuff. :)