26 & New to Fasting. Losing 20-40 Pounds on 16:8?

This topic contains 11 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by healthygal 8 years, 4 months ago.

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Simply_Sara

3:08 pm
1 Dec 15
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Hello there!

I suppose I’m brand new to the fasting world and could use some solid advice about it.

I guess I should begin by telling a little about myself and what brings me here. I am 26, 5’7 and weigh 195 pounds. I’m looking to drop anywhere between 20 to 40 pounds. I’ve had a bit of trouble dieting in the past and have found A WHOLE LOT of things that absolutely do not work for me, but no winning combination for myself.

When I was younger, I lost my “baby weight” and stayed slim in high school unintentionally by what I know now as intermittent fasting. I was really busy with activities and school so I would skip breakfast and was unable to eat anything until lunchtime around noon. I’d work after school and would often have my dinner around 6pm or 7pm. I’d have homework to do when I got home and then I’d be in bed by 10. This means my eating window was often around six or eight hours a day. I wasn’t eating the healthiest at the time (I admit, Taco Bell was like my main thing lol), but I was never super hungry and managed to steadily lose weight.

It wasn’t until my last years of college that my eating habits changed. I was becoming so enlightened with all these ideas of diets. I made myself eat breakfast everyday and cut out most of the junk to begin with. I didn’t really notice it at first, but my weight actually began to climb and I gained five pounds in a year. I gradually put on the pounds in the same way, even though I was doing all the “right” things. I would tell myself it was muscle because of the protein, I would make every excuse I could but by the third year of watching this happen, I freaked out. By the age of 24, I was officially 200 pounds.

I started pushing myself at the gym, I tried all the extreme diets, gave myself one “cheat day” a week and eventually only one “cheat meal”. I tried the whole no carb thing, paired it with no sugar and everything in between. None of it felt right for me so I tried eating six small meals a day (under the advice and guidance of my doctor) and was eating more meat, low fat dairy (two things I’ve always naturally disliked) and healthy fats than ever before. I completely overhauled my lifestyle and hated every single minute of it. I was losing a pound a week this way and kept at it for nearly two months. My clothes fit better, but I was irritable, my mood was a wreck. I was tired, unhappy, and felt like all of the other important aspects of my life were being eclipsed by the priority this whole thing had become. So, I stopped.

I eased back into the gentle lifestyle changes I had started with. I was eating three healthy meals a day, going for 30-minute walks, and trying not to worry about it but to my disappointment, I saw the weight pile back on. I’ve since been able to get down about eight pounds, but I wasn’t making it a priority so much and found myself skipping meals a lot.

In the end, I think my body just doesn’t need that much food and it really hit me a few weeks ago:

I had been very busy working on a project and it was completely occupying my time. I was so busy that I didn’t have any time to meal plan or sit down for breakfast. Food was hardly a thought in my mind and it occurred to me that I had a lot more energy. My mind felt clearer than it’s felt in years, and I found myself getting a lot more done. I had naturally sort of fallen back into that high school eating routine I’d had: grabbing a quick bite for lunch around 1pm or so and then not eating again until I got home to my husband, having dinner around 8pm.

I decided to do some research because I hadn’t felt this good in such a long time. I love the way I feel when I’m not forcing my body to digest all that extra food, especially first thing in the day. That’s when I stumbled upon intermittent fasting and decided to give it a try. Initially, I was going to try to fast 20 hours a day and leave a four hour eating window open around dinner, but I get the feeling that will be too extreme for me. I firmly believe this 16:8 ratio could be what works for me. So I guess I’m asking for some advice for a newbie like me.

I’m starting my morning with 45 minutes on a stationary bike, five days a week. I eat lunch at 1pm, stopping the eating window by 9pm (but usually having dinner closer to 7pm). During this time, I’m sticking well within my calories. Does this seem like a reasonable way to lose weight?

Thank you! 🙂

Amazon

3:29 pm
1 Dec 15
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Hi Sara,
I don’t know that anyone will be able to help as this is the 5:2 website and most of us are following that or variations of it rather than daily calorie restriction.

bennyboy

7:20 pm
1 Dec 15
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I would say that if you are fasting correctly and also calorie restricting you will do well.Your challenge is to stick with it.

Simply_Sara

11:03 am
9 Dec 15
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Thanks. I thought I saw some posts on here about this style of fasting as well so I figured I would give it a try and post about it 🙂

Merryme

11:44 am
9 Dec 15
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Hi Sara,

Your story is interesting! I think you’ll find this easy, or if you continue with just 16:8, then ditto. As you already know this is the 5:2 forum, and there are people who restrict their eating to windows on the 5 non-fast days, me being one of them, doing 16:8 the 5 non-fast days(NFD). But technically speaking, we, in general, practice intermittant fasting the 5:2 way. That is on 2 days we fast (it’s an almost fast really because a real fast is no food at all)we eat under 500cals for females and under 600 cals for men. The choice of which days are the 2 fast days(FD) is entirely personal choice. People do all sorts of personal variations e.g some add a 3rd fast day a week, which they call 4:3. Anyway, it’s all semantics- what you’re calling a fast day is what we call a nonfast day. I call my 16:8 nonfast days as being like minifast, but that’s just my personal description.

I can see how it’s been a bit confusing, BUT, I believe you’ve come to the right place anyway, and I think you’ll get your weight back to normal easily and learn how to keep it there. Go to the menu and choose information for newbies. Their is an excellent thread started by simcoeluv who gives an excellent overview of 5:2. Read the book 5:2 by Dr Michael Mosley who invented the term 5:2, and look at his documentary. Perhaps some would put the links up for the simcoeluv thread for newbies and the documentary.

Good luch,
Merry

Pot-bellied Heron

8:51 am
10 Dec 15
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If it works for you, go for it. I’m amazed that anyone could lose weight just by eating normally everyday but in an 8 hour window. That’s how I’ve eaten for my entire adulthood so far and, until life caught up with me in my thirties, I just remained slim without losing or gaining.
Before I started ADF I was only having one meal a day on most days and I was STILL gaining (albeit via the gift of alcohol). I now fast every other day with one or 2 meals on feed days which means my fasting period is between 42 and 48 hours each fast.

bennyboy

9:38 am
12 Dec 15
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Im doing 5:2 and 16:8 and have a weekly calorie maximum of 10500 (1500 per day ave), and i lose around 2.5 lb a week. Over the next four weeks im going to only do the 16:8,it will be interesting to see what happens Im going to stick with 1500- 1800 cals a day,30 gramms carb max if i keep losing it will be great!.
2450 of those cals come from beer, so it goes to show calorie restriction does work.
( Coors light is 8 grms carb and 180 cals per pint)

metabolism

1:33 pm
12 Dec 15
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Bennyboy: hate to crush your party, but the 30 grams of carbs restriction per day places you on the “Atkins Diet” regimen. Also, in dropping out of the 5:2 scenario, you are losing all the physiological benefits of 5:2 fasting. You will basically be on an 8 hour mild daily restriction Atkins diet.

I didn’t understand you comment of 2450 calories coming from beer though since you indicated 30 grams maximum on carbs a day. The point is, in regard to the information in the FastDiet book, you have jumped off a cliff into some other world. Also, if you are successfully doing 5:2 and losing 2.5 lbs per week, why would you change a success story which sounds like you are comfortable with to a new experiment way off course? So, if you are indeed comfortable in doing 5:2 with 16 hour fast days, -keep up the road to great success!

As far as the beer goes, it’s a lot more to do with types of calories than you may know, as the way food breaks down and contributes its raw materials to body maintenance and repair is an important consideration. Also, your gut micro-biome has something to say with how your metabolism works, so flooding it with “excess” beer for calories will kill off the diversity of your gut microflora. Also, more than 1 or sometimes 2 beer a day may be affecting your food choices (judgment) and moods to stick with the program on a daily basis.

Stay on track and continue your success. 😉

Dalton

metabolism

1:51 pm
12 Dec 15
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Simply_Sara: Merryme had great advice. My only caution is to push home to you where your real BMR is at for a realistic goal for weight loss, and remember, weight loss is a side affect of the 5:2 FastDiet while the other physiological affects are just as important.

From your story, I’m suspicious you’re not really aware of how many calories you should be eating each day to maintain your body weight at rest, or with an energy expenditure like your stationary bike. These numbers are good starting points before making goals for reducing the pounds and getting healthier. This site has tools to confirm the correct numbers for you or use the formula from the FastDiet book. Stick with Merryme’s advice to start and you will be successful.

bennyboy

4:37 pm
12 Dec 15
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well, i beg to differ metabolism. The same old beer “may affect your food choices nonsense”Its very simple, 10500 cals a week, 2450 on beer, 600×2 on fast days leaves 6850, which is 1370 cals on food on the other five days, and i often don’t consume all those as its a lot if you skip breakfast.That is the beauty of the 16:8, even on a 1500 cal a day diet you have plenty to eat. I do not cheat and i know what i eat.
The 5:2 has many health benefits, but for weight loss is just another useful tool, and a calorie restrictive diet. I could skip the beer, have no social life and prob fall off the diet.
Just some background, Nine weeks ago i was diagnosed type 2 , i was 238lb, i did low carb and no alcohol, i lost 14lb in the first four weeks, then nothing for three, that’s when i changed to the 5:2, 16:8 and low carb with an average of 1500 a day, im loosing around 2.5lb a week on that, and am now 214lb
I am fully aware that to reverse my type 2 , i will probably need to go on an alternate day fasting regimen with no alcohol in the new year for at least eight weeks. However, almost all the symptoms have dissapeared already.Its going to be very interesting to see if i continue to lose weight on the 16:8.I am fully committed to reversing my type 2 without medication, so the next three weeks will be an interesting experiment.
My humble advice if someone wants to lose a lot of weight.Set a weekly calorie total Do 16:8 all the time,5;2 will allow you to eat more on the non fast days. No eating between meals,no rice,bread potatoes or sugar of any kind. If socializing with alcohol is a part of your life, drink spirits or wine or light beers, don’t forget these are part of your over all cal total. Then stick to it.

metabolism

1:30 am
13 Dec 15
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Bennyboy:
Sounds great! That clarification makes sense and very inspirational too. Thanks.

healthygal

3:24 am
3 Jul 16
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Well i hope you are doing well Bennyboy! But i am sure you know that any alcohol will slow up the process of slimming, and if you are now at a plateau this will be a big factor. Sugar turns into fat however you look at it, and being type 2 I certainly don,t advise drinking as much.
calorie in… calorie out…. with nutrition and is a better lifestyle choice in your case for the moment while you tackle your type 2.
best of luck