16/8

I stopped in lockdown too with the usual result! Recently I started having Huel. It's not a weight loss thing it's more for busy people who don't have time to prepare and eat a meal properly but has all the vitamins and nutrients needed. I replace 2 meals a day. It works well for me anyway. No complaints and I've lost 4 ins round my waist. I don't weigh myself.

Just realised is green tea a no no I have been having it when I get up.??

I stopped it on lockdown as I really enjoy breakfast and life was hard enough without the little things like a bit of toast in the morning. I do plan to go back to 16:8 after our forthcoming (I hope!) mini break.
hellodear.in/sbi-hrms-onlinesbi
teatv.ltd

I did 16/8 a few years ago and I’m seriously contemplating doing that again as during lockdown my weight has crept up and this morning I weighed and I am 11 stone, 18 months ago I was 9 1/2 stone so I need to do something. One of my biggest problems as I have a lot of all milk coffee which I know I am going to have to stop. Also I work four afternoons a week 2 pm till 8 pm so as I don’t eat in the mornings my main meal does seem to be about 9 o’clock at night but that cannot be helped with my work pattern...

That’s interesting Pamela, but from what I’ve heard you can resist the temptation to eat but still not lose weight if you have sugar in drinks during the fast periods.

I wonder if the body just needs a calorie or two to stop it going into starvation mode?

I am going to try to last as long as possible during the day before eating, so that I can enjoy my pretend wine after dinner in the evening. Starting at 3.00 pm would mean I could have ‘breakfast’ then, a proper meal for dinner, and then drink my ‘wine’ until 11.00pm. It might be too difficult if I get up early, but we’ll see.

The thing with low calorie drinks or sweeteners is that they make the body think that energy is coming. ??Then it doesn’t ?? . This, apparently, makes the desire to eat stronger. This in turn means you will find it more difficult to resist food.

Michael Moseley and others demonstrate this by giving opposing sports teams either plain water or low calorie drinks at half time then measure the amount of food each team consume after the match. The team that drinks water always eat less.

I think another aid for me was my snacking practice. Never a whole meal other than when socialising. Little and often throughout my 8 hours. Never felt hungry once. Bingo.

You’ve got me revved up to start this again. I didn’t mind doing this last time but I didn’t lose very much weight. Now I find out why! I have a cup of tea when I get up and at 10 pm before bed. I have milk and a little sugar ! So that’s dirty fasting, is it? And it doesn’t work? I’ll wait for the morning one but just to have water at night, ugh!

I sort of do this but it sounds as though I am 'dirty fasting' - I don't eat for most of the day, as it makes me feel sick, I just drink, but I drink coffee with sweeteners and milk, so presumably that is a no, no?

Could I just have a black coffee with sweeteners? Or is it water only? I hate plain water, lol!

Thank you for your advice ?

Sarahmob , hi, just go out for your meal. I have eaten out whilst doing this I just start maybe eating earlier. Or if it’s evening go and enjoy the meal. When you get home then start your fast as normal (if you are fasting from evening) . It may mean you have a day where you aren’t fasting as long as you would normally, but hey it’s your enjoyment. It’s not ‘cheating’ it’s a short fast and you just adjust and get back into step the next day, easy. Have a lovely meal. ?

Sarahmob simply adjust your eight hours eating window that day to fit in an evening meal out. It's a very flexible scheme, I think that's the beauty of it, you're in control.

I follow the Ketogenic way of eating and feel great. I have two meals a day and do not get hungry. Feel so much better not having carbs or sugar. Don't crave anything either.

I like the sound of this, but what happens if I want to go out for a meal in the evening? (I’m venturing out to Prezzo later this week unless the hospitality industry is shut down again).

Thanks everyone. Not what I wanted to hear, but it’s good that I know, or I might have been tempted to just drink it, thinking it wouldn’t matter. I’ll think about changing the hours so that I can please myself in the evenings.

Sorry no lemon or lime , that is ‘dirty’ fasting ?
Ladies you can do this! You are awesome.
And no one is making money out of us! So that is a bonus?

Deedi,
I am 69 so an old hand at diets?. What have I got to lose? I just delay and now can eat anything. I am not living the rest of my life refusing cakes , chocolates. I made rhubarb crumble last week , I enjoyed every bit.
I lost my husband some months ago and thought ‘what’s the point?’ . The point is to try and be happy and not intentionally hurt anyone.
Eat your cake, just later on. Have a glass of wine (if you want one) just later on. I do it everyday, but you don’t ‘have’ to. Some people do every other day. Whatever suits you, but clean fast, no tiny tweaks. Then enjoy your meal.
You can choose your hours to suit you. You may want to eat in the morning and maybe do lunch and then maybe nothing from 4 or 5 in the afternoon until 9 or 10 next morning. All your choice.
The virus has us all in it’s grips. Let’s have a diet where we can still eat what we enjoy, and have some normality in our life. Wishing you all the best.

Doodle dog . I said exactly the same as you, no ‘decent’ hot drink from 8 at night until two the following afternoon, I can’t. But I have! I drink sparkling water in the evening after 8. You could also have black tea or black coffee ? but I stick with the water. My daughter introduced me to this. She lost a stone in about ten weeks. She has ‘told me the rules’ and introduced me to different reading and podcasts. So I’m giving a a go. There are health benefits too. When you listen to podcasts or read the I books it makes sense?‍♀️. I have done every diet going, lose weight, then put it back. What I like with this is, no special food, eat anything, just delay, don’t deny. No cost!! No club weigh in. I am 69 so fed up of ‘not being allowed’ that cake. Or not allowed chips. I am allowed anything on this. It’s the fasting which is magic! I’m happy to lose a pound a week. 50 in a good year. I enjoyed my stew and dumpling this evening followed by bread and butter pudding! Not a bad diet. Good luck ?

Yes any milk or sugar in your drink spikes your insulin so you have broken your fast, I am not at all keen on black coffee but I say to myself , it’s Medicine just take it? . When I stop my fast I have a lovely mug of white coffee with sweetener, yum! You just have to delay. Same with flavoured water. Just plain water in fast time , just delay , then once you end your fast you can drink anything! The line to remember is ‘delay don’t deny’.

PamelaJ having posted on a recent thread that I couldn't think of a reason to weigh myself daily, now I have one!

Doodle what about sparkling water with a slice of lemon or lime?

Doodledog the wine or cordials will contain sugars, so that would break your fast (or be a "dirty fast"). Why not try just the sparkling water without the cordial?

Can anyone explain why you can't have even low calorie drinks other than water, black tea or coffee, please? I don't really like hot drinks, other than a coffee with milk and sugar in the morning.

I can forego that, or swap it for fruit tea (oh, is fruit tea ok?) as I would fast until noon, but the thought of going all evening with only hot drinks is miserable. I don't drink alcohol, but I do enjoy cold drinks in the evenings - either cordials mixed with sparkling water or alcohol-free fizzy wine.

It marks the transition from the working day to the evening, and is a habit that I would really miss. A bottle of alcohol free wine is only 150 or so calories, so would it really matter if I had a glass or two during the fasting period?

Annefozzie thank you for info about the 16-8 intermittent fast. I think this is the way forward for me and my lifestyle. I need to lose about a stone, I eat a fairly well balanced diet I'm just too greedy when it comes to portion size! I can blame lockdown etc but I know I need to be more active generally. I'll have a look at the two Apps and will listen to the podcast.
I realise other posters mentioned 16-8 and other regimes, but I think your post was most effective when I read `I have done every diet in my long lifetime but this is great'.
I'm starting immediately so no food will enter my mouth before midday tomorrow and I'll be sure to eat a smaller portion when I do!
TallyHo

Hi. I am doing ‘16-8’. Started on July 16 2020 and up to now have lost 10 pounds. I am intermittent fastening. I usually do more than 16 fast. Average seventeen and a half to nineteen. I stop eating and drinking after 8pm. But do drink sparkling water (which I didn’t like, but do now ?‍♀️. Nothing then for at least 16 hours and longer if I am busy. You can drink Black coffee too. NO sugar or milk or sweetners whilst fasting. No flavoured water. The longer fast takes you into ketosis . And the best thing is I then eat ANYTHING, nothing is ‘wrong’. All you are doing is delaying what you eat until you have fasted. I listen to podcast intermittent fastening and use two apps, Happy Scale and Life. Happy scale tracks your weight showing your average weigh going down. I would say the first two or three weeks I didn’t lose and put on a couple of pounds. Then yo-yo with that two pounds on and off for a couple of weeks. I have done every diet in my long lifetime but this is great. It’s FREE, no special food, no classes, just delay, don’t deny. I can go 16 hours no problem but can start to clock watch after 17. But nothing to stop me eating. I just want to be in ketosis so the fat burns. I definitely will stick to this. Funny some days at 3.30 having my sugar puff breakfast ?. Try it. It’s free. Eat anything. Just delay!

I never eat after 6 in evening as I have an ulcer and this was docs advice. I’ve stuck to it ( more or less) for two years so far and have gone from 11 stone to 9st . 12lb. I’m happy with that and will keep not eating after 6 for my health...not weight loss. That was just a bonus for me! I rarely sleep more than 3 to 4 hours a night and bounce out of bed at 5.30. Eat breakfast about 8ish.I NEVER snack..... and think that is the secret. If you have three proper meals , snacks are pointless ! So I fast for 14 hours ...and eat during the ten left to me.. suppose I could try 16:8... if I got up later!