Intermittent Fasting and Atkins

I tried the Atkins diet some time ago - I found I became very tired, had stomach upsets and headaches. One morning I fainted - that's when I gave it up

No, not those particular ones. But I eat low carb and fast 16:8 on 5 days a week. Sometimes I may feel wobbly in the morning because of low blood sugar. I just have a coffee and am fine until midday when I can eat. No stomach problems . In fact I used to suffer from acid reflux. No more

Can I ask what you mean by 16:8 BBbevan? Thank you.

Was chatting to a friend when out walking last week. She’d put on 10lb since lockdown so she just cut out carbs-no more potatoes or pasta. I thought I can do that! Started last Monday, do feel a bit peckish but have lost 3lb with little dietary effort!

I’ve lost nearly 2 stone in 3 weeks. A lot of that was fluid as I had swollen feet. I’m eating ordinary food but sticking to 800 calories and under 20gm of carbs. The 16/8 is variable but what it means is you don’t eat for 16 hours and eat within an 8 hour window only. I actually eat at 12 and 6pm. I have a measured. Amount of cheese and nuts at 12, and a cooked low carb meal with green vegetables at 6pm. I only drink water. Once you are in ketosis your appetite disappears so it gets easier. Good luck.

Some years ago, after putting on weight due to medication, I managed to lose 2.5 stone in 3 or 4 months by alternate day fasting. I ate 400 calories on fast days and plenty of healthy mediterranean food in between. I found it very easy, knowing that I only had to wait a day to eat more.
I loosely based my regime on Michael Moseley's first book. He has since devised several plans based on fasting (800 cals these days) and low carb.
I think most plans work if you stick to them, so good luck with whatever you choose. I need to get rid of the lockdown extra weight from extra baking! Watched MM's TV programme which started last week.

I lost a stone, and now maintain the weight I’m happy with, on the 5:2, and have been doing it for years. I find it very easy and it means I don’t have to calorie count or deny myself for 5 days a week. The other 2 I’ve got used to!

It’s horses for courses though - my DD1 has tried intermittent fasting and had to give up as she felt faint. Many years ago I tried low carb and the Atkins with no success, as I felt headachey and ill on each of them.

Good luck with finding what works best for you.

I’ve done the 5:2 before and literally ate whatever I wanted on the other 5 days. It definitely works but you have to stick to it on the 2 days of fasting. When I did it 500 calories were allowed on fasting days but it’s 800 now so a bit easier I should think. I also did the Slimming World one recently and found that pretty easy and didn’t feel hungry most of the time.

I have lost 6 lbs recently. Mainly by cycling 20 miles each morning and trying to eat a bit less. I set off cycling by 7.30 am at the latest so I am back by 9am. I reward myself with a soak in the bath!

Sorry just realised my post is nothing to do with the title!!

Am I the only one who lost weight during the lockdown? I think because I wasn't going out and about I didn't feel hungry so was eating less.

I've ballooned over the lockdown. I'm desperate to get back to my aquafit and yoga. 16:8 works well for me so I'll go back to it (one day!)

Lizbeth I eat only in the 8 hrs period. So if my last meal is at 7 in the evening, then I will not eat again until 11 the next day 16 hrs fast. The beauty of it is ,,is that most of the time you are fasting you are asleep.
Drinks, tea,water and coffee are allowed in this period. This type of fasting ,as well as helping you to lose weight, also helps regulate your blood sugar. Which is the reason I do it.

It does work well.

The 16:8 didn’t suit me at all. I tried it for a couple of weeks as a change from the 5:2 and found the weight was creeping back on. The other health benefits probably still applied though.

Another disadvantage for me was that if I fancied a drink I’d to have it before 8, which is the opposite of what I normally do. The pub quiz just wasn’t the same with a lime and soda!

Mostly avoiding carbs and living with a 16:8 pattern of eating works for me. Also keeping an eye on my waistline and the tightness of clothing! It's easy to cut back and lose a couple of pounds, much harder once you've gained half a stone or more!

Like 'mumofmadboys' I also think some serious, high intensity exercise is very important for cardiovascular health never mind weight. I was a gym goer, now I cycle two or three days a week, the hills around here are horrendous but I'm getting up them more easily now.

The 5.2 diet is the one that works best for me. I've just started one again as I put on weight during the lockdown.

I've tried both. The low carb one works, sort of, but post menopause, I can lose a stone, but no more, no matter what I cut out / cut down or how much I exercise.

Intermittent fasting doesn't work for me. But doing them together might be a deal breaker! I'm going to give it a go. I must try to shift the lockdown weight.

There's a program on with Michael Mosley which suggests you can lose a stone in 21 days - why not try that, he's a doctor and his wife is a nutritionist so I'm sure that will be healthy.

I fast alternate days , the longest continual fast I have done was 110 hours on water & black coffee. I have lost and kept off 18lbs so far, good reduction in body fat and inch loss.
I find it easy to fast, my gut appreciates the rest as I have lots of dietary issues so overall it works for me.
16/8 usually works well for most beginners as you sleep for more of the fast then you would on a 24/48 /36 hour fast.
Good luck with it. Remember research and talk to your gp if you have any medical issues that might make it problematic.

I also need to lose lockdown weight - a couple of stone has crept on, and I really don't like it. Part of the problem is lack of exercise (I am staying indoors). I don't think I am eating more than usual, or eating less healthily, so it's difficult to know where to start.

Those who cut carbs - what do you eat? My husband is vegetarian, so whilst I am happy to eat meat, a lot of our cooking is veggie, and we do eat a fair bit of bread, rice, potatoes and pasta. I am ok with a 16/8 regime, but need some ideas for what to eat, particularly when it comes to carb-free options.

A spiraliser is good, for making pasta alternative vegetables. I used to have one and used it a lot.

GagaJo

A spiraliser is good, for making pasta alternative vegetables. I used to have one and used it a lot.

Oh, good idea, thanks.

I have one somewhere. I got it when they were all the rage, and never really used it. I tried to offload it onto my children, but they were having none of it, so it will be in the back of the pantry . I'll dig it out and have another go.

Michael Mosley thoroughly annoys me. He’s a psychiatrist not a medical doctor. His ever widening reinvention of dieting has proved to be a money making machine for him so unfortunately he won’t stop reinventing the wheel just yet.