Intermittent Fasting - Is it a healthy way to lose weight?
I have started out on a journey to lose at least a stone in weight (hopefully fat, not muscle!). I actually need to lose 3 stone to be at my ideal weight according to government statistics. I have tried so many diets, but always seem to self sabotage my results when I start getting anywhere, which leads to more weight gain and more despair!
I have been talking to a fitness coach about my dilemma. They have suggested I try 'IF' or Intermittent Fasting as it doesn't take special foods or powders or specific food preparations etc, it is literally fasting for a controlled amount of time to allow the body to heal and to burn stored fat for fuel.
I have to admit when I look at my eating pattern, I tend to eat when I am bored and when it is 'food time' ie breakfast, lunch or dinner. So my calorie intake is much higher than it should be. I also suffer with Underactive Thyroid so my metabolism is quite slow, that combined with my minuscule height of only 4 ft 10 inches, does not make a great combination!
After speaking with my Endo about my weight concerns, he calculated my BMI and my BMR. My BMI is waaaaaay to high and my BMR is really low. Basically this means unless I turn into a super athlete, I need to stop consuming so many calories.
The Doc calculated that my maintenance calories are only 1200 per day. This seems a really small number when most sites suggest women should eat 2000 per day. So basically, to lose weight, I need to eat LESS than 1200 calories per day, which is practically impossible if you eat 3 normal meals a day plus snacks! The doctor's professional advice to help me lose weight was to 'eat less and move more' lol
Obviously the first thing to do is to cut out snacking, which I have managed to do pretty easily much to my surprise. Even by doing this, I was still consuming more than 1200 calories per day! I have also cut out sugar (except for natural sugars from fruit and honey).
The next step was to make sure I track my food and calories in myfitnesspal.com to ensure I know what I am consuming.
After speaking with my fitness instructor, I have decided to give IF a go. I will basically eat between 1pm until 7pm and fast for 18 hours, 8 of which I will be asleep so it will be much easier.
I have been following this routine for 3 days so far and the hunger around mid morning is the hardest thing. Not only have I been fasting for 18 hours, but I have also changed the foods I do eat to low fat/low calorie choices so I don't feel as full for as long. I may have to reconsider eating some stodgier foods to curb the hunger pangs.
It is now 11:30am and I have an hour and a half until I can start to eat and I am absolutely obsessing over food and can't wait until 1pm! I will be filling the next 90 minutes with chores and walking the dogs to avoid eating before my time is ready.
I will continue to write about my IF journey, partially to share my experiences, but also to keep myself on track and hold myself accountable.
Thank you to unsplash.com for the free images and to you guys for reading!
Much love, @beautifulbullies xx
Reducing diet is not a solution. Just do yoga pranayam consistently and do some morning walk and exercise regularly then you will loose some weight..but you need to do some hard work dear...best of luck
thank you @bibekchandra :) I have 5 dogs so I walk a lot! haha
Well, not completely true, maybe for boys, but cutting down calories is important because you have to burn more than you take in.
I gave up carbs and reduced calories and also added fasting to my diet about 7 months ago and it does work. Just patience and dilligence, as with all things. I have found too that after awhile the habit of good eating and eating less just sticks as the eating from stress and boredom also stuck, it's all abou habit forming. And exercise too, of course, but diet is main key . Good luck!
Thank you hun! I agree with you, I think the amount of calories is key for my weightloss. I am happy to cut out high carb foods, I don't tend to eat many of them anyway. my biggest thing is sweets, but I am doing really well so far! :D
Ha ha very funny
I have been reading a bit about this lately and am interested, just not sure when I am still breastfeeding. I am sure you just need to give yourself a few days until your body becomes adjusted and it will all work out great, envisage success. Good luck xx
I am not sure about the IF guidelines for breastfeeding. It would be intersting to know if it it still healthy to do. I will have a look online later out of curiosity, not that is is likely I will ever breastfeed again! Lol xx
I've been doing IF (16:8 for 9 months, then onto 18:6) for the last year. It made it so much easier to lose weight. My calorie intake is higher, but it definitely still helps for me to track (I also use MFP) because if I don't, I tend to slide into eating wayyyy too much or wayyyy too little. Either one will make my weight loss stall.
It sounds like you're going about it in a healthy way!
I perhaps should have started with the 16:8 method first but I was so eager to bump start the weightloss that I jumped straight in! I am definitely trying to do it in a healthy way I dont want to lose muscle mass and I dont want to starve either so this WOE appeals to me for sure! :)
I one heard that eggs and tinned tuna are the secret to IF. Good filling protein and reasonable on the calorie front.
I can do eggs and tuna, in fact I am quite partial to them :) Thank you for the tip! :D
Wishing you well. You can do it!
I ate lots of protein in breakfast, that make me feel full longer in the morning, enough to eat for my next meal.
Thank you @sherylneil! I am hoping by posting it all on here with my progress and hurdles it keeps me on track! I have increased my protein too but with fish not red meat as I am cutting out red meat if I can stick to it. 😁
Yes it is! I had it for many weeks and I lost weight. All my friends are still telling me that I became very slim thanks to this great fasting method. I am still doing it from time to time and feel even better than before. I never felt hungry or weak, but healthy and energetic. Lovely photos! I didnt had yoga for a while and really miss it :(
I am really hopeful about this method as diets do not work for me. I am terrible at cutting out certain food groups because when I tell myself I can't eat (bread for example) I then binge on bread! lol I don't understand the reasons behind it. The images are from Unsplash.com, I would love to say they are mine, but they are not :) I really want to start doing yoga again. I have done it in the past, but gave it up due to time restraints, but it is time to put my health first! :D
Believe me I have the same problem. I cant resist bread and even if I dont eat it for one week I have to buy it the week after. It is a bit difficult, but we should try again and again. You can replace normal bread with whole grain bread and try to have more fruits and vegetables in the rest of the day. I found oatmeal bowls very helpful :)
Thats actually a really good idea thank you! I may have some porridge oats as either my firat meal or my last meal... not sure which would be best...
@bingbabe says she will drag you out of the house and make you run 5 miles a day if you move close by, we only live in Blackburn.. not too far? :)
Hahaha 🤣🤣🤣 yes I wish I had a figure like hers too! Blackburn is a bit far though if you were closer to Nottingham I might ask her to be my personal trainer! Lol
ah! Let me know how you go! I have the same exact goal of 1200, but I am a bit taller than you (4ft11) (Gosh, you are tiny!)
I am managing okay with the calories with this menu
Breakfast: overnight oats, with almond milk and almonds, Snack: Banana
Lunch: kale, spinach, feta, tomatoes and quinoa salad
Snack: Two wholewheat crackers, Dinner: Usually a grain or legume based meal, even a steak with salad is okay!
Interested to know how you go
I thought about moving away from dairy milk too but I cant have soya because of my thyroid disease and I cant have nuts either. I have come across oat milk which looks interesting so I am thinking of giving thay a try! 😀 yes it is a pain being so short, especially when you love food which I definitely do haha
good luck! great personal challenge.. maybe you can inspire me ;-)
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Wow! Thank you so much!😀 hopefully my story will end inspirationally rather than another weight gain story lol
I have done IF! Together with the high-fat low carb diet. I found it to be difficult at the beginning, but now my body has adjusted and I am just instantly not really hungry until like 12 pm. I love it and I would recommend it to anyone. After all, our bodies need some break as well!
I wish you a success on your IF journey!
Thank you @rimicane! You have an awesome figure so that is enough proof for me haha I have done keto before and it does help with hunger but I always fall off the keto low carb wagon. 🙈 Hopefully I have found something that works for me this time! :)