I had twins this past summer and am still holding onto about 50 lbs of extra weight. I’m a stay at home mom, and I find I’m having trouble keeping up with my toddler and babies. I’m out of breath, my knees hurt, and I just feel heavy. I need to get serious about losing the weight! I’m curious about fasting…are there any other SAHM’s who have done it? Anyone that could offer inspiration or guidance? Do I…just stop eating and start again in x number of hours? How do I decide which fasting time to do (16/8??) What if I get a headache or I’m exhausted during this time? Can I have coffee?
Sorry for the ignorance, I just need some help to get me started!
Thank you!!
Hi! I’m also a SAHM!! I have 3 kids, youngest is 1. I just do 16/8. I don’t eat after 8 PM (which is when the kids are in bed and I usually want ALL the snacks) and I eat at noon the following day. It’s working so far!! I have lost about 20 pounds & have about 15 to go. You’ve got this mama!!
16/8 is a good starting point. I would try clean keto in your eating window (at least at first) as it is pretty helpful for reducing hunger. Start with those two things. Then notice how good you feel. Let that inspire you to try longer fasts. Find what you can do long term and go for it! I do 18:6 every day with a 24-36 hour somewhere during the week. I’m pretty new as well and it is working for me :).
I dirty fast and I fast 20/4. I’ve lost 60 lbs. I’m a SAHM. I don’t get headaches and you get used to the hunger. Drinking a lot of water helps. I was obsessed with food at first but now I enjoy eating once a day and enjoy cooking dinner and thinking about making interesting food. Fasting can be difficult when preparing food constantly for the kids though. It’s hard not to lick the knife after making a PBJ, that kind of thing.
If you are new to fasting…. START SLOW… it will be much easier to maintain for life.
1.) NO SNACKING - this can be hard because toddlers eat every two hours and it’s easy to slip up and toss a goldfish in your month. But start with 3 meals a day spaced out by at least 4 hours.
2.) Go down to TWO meals per day. I space my out by at least 6 hours. These meals should be healthy, balanced, low carb or high fiber.
3.) When you are ready and your hunger levels have reset…. Try OMAD (one meal a day) or one meal every 48 hours …. For rapid results.
4.) Walk / Bike - get active with your kids DAILY
5.) a girdle or spanx might be beneficial for some
Black coffee is fine, sugar or milk would break the fast.
Play with the window to suit yourself best! When are you most hungry? When is it easy to not eat? If you don’t eat at X time do you notice the symptoms you mention more?
The key with success here is finding something that is, not easy to follow, but fits your schedule so you don’t fail and quit.
For me, I do not wake up hungry so I usually stop eating the night before after dinner (the second I stop eating is the start of the fast) and then I eat around 5pm next day. So that’s about a 20:4 fasting schedule. 20 hours fasting and 4 hours to eat my food for the day
SAHM here! I started with OMAD as soon as my daughter weaned. Then gradually worked my way up to whole days fasting. I didn’t count calories at first. I ate whatever I wanted as long as I ate it all in one sitting until I stopped being hungry all day.
I gained almost 22 kgs ( 48.5 pounds) due to hormonal imbalance and inactive lifestyle . I have shed almost all of it (45 pounds) over one and half year. I have initially started on 16:8 as it is easy to follow along with eating healthy - eggs and lot of vegetables ( cheat meal only when going out for special occasions ) and a 30 min walk. I amped it up to 18 :6 and finally omad (22:2). I almost didnt get to work out due to hectic work schedule but fasting did keep up with my weight loss goal. My body fat percentage is still on the higher side but i didnt lose much of muscle mass. Hope this helps.
Everyone has given good advice so far, my wife’s milk supply dropped significantly when she was trying to lose weight. Not sure if you are still doing that, but something to consider if you are.
16/8 fasting is tough at first, but if you ease into it you can find a good rhythm. Like starting with a 12/12 or 14/10 for a week or two might help you transition into it.
It’s best especially as a girl because we’re sensitive to stress hormones from fasts, to start with say 14hour fasts, then work your way up to when you feel upto it. Be on even 22hr fasts 2 hrs eating window.
After that mix in some full days eating to keep your metabolism high (and just enjoy let’s be fair) then go for some prolonged fasts 72hrs ect. As a girl you should be hungry but not super uncomfortable like dizziness and extreme fatigue. So don’t be strict if you feel too unwell to do day to day tasks, eat and start another fast :)
P.s protein and veggies are your friend. Carbs, especially refined carbs make fasting so much harder. They literally make you hungry for days after eating. Fats, proteins and veggies make it so much easier to fast longterm.