The FastDay Forum

This is so interesting and encouraging.
I think for some of us in the obese range we cannot imagine being able to maintain once we have lost the weight.
16:8 sounds perfect for me as I don't really care about brekky, and not eating after 7pm is not hard for me- but I have always managed to fit in a lot of calories in between!
Now with a smaller appetite I can see 16:8 working when I get to maintenance.
Thanks so much for all your enthusiastic advice.
BTW, speaking of evangelism, I converted my hairdresser to 5:2 yesterday!

Good morning RubyLucy, Leannehills, gig55 and of course Rainbow,

How is life with you all this lovely sunny morning? Well, where to start? You probably all now know just about as much about 16/8 as I do now, especially you Rainbow as you are studying it like your PHD finals in the subject are just around the corner,

I rather slipped into 16/8 as opposed to making a conscious decision, I'd read in Dr MM's book (pages 43-44) about the mouse experiment where two sets of mice were given the same food, in identical quantities and calorie content. One group were allowed free access to their food and could nibble without restriction round the clock, whilst the other group had access to their food for only 8 of the 24 hours. The restricted group lost almost 30% more weight than the unrestricted group. After reading this I realised that I had been sort of doing this naturally most days so I then made a conscious decision to apply this technique to my eating every day. I was still doing 5:2 at that time so I continued with that till I reached my target weight then dropped the 5:2 element.

I cannot say for sure that you will or will not lose weight doing just 16/8 but I suspect you will as I have continued to lose a little and now must watch that I eat enough to maintain, how fabulous is that?

If I was to start this process again from scratch, knowing what I now know I would do 16/8 from day one as it just suits me so much. I can see it is not for everyone, especially if you have any health issues, which I do not have, but I always advise friends to start with 5:2 and see how they get on.

My husband could never do this as he would rather slit his throat than do without breakfast although when he was on 5:2 he was having breakfast later and later each day to stop the evening hunger pangs. In the end he just gave up, after losing 1 st (14lbs) he'd rather be fat than hungry. What can one say? He does have rather serious health issues going on but even he can see that losing weight would be hugely beneficial but hey, you can take a horse to water etc etc.

The moral of all this? Do what suits YOU, find out how your body works and what makes it happy and then go with it and good luck to you all. I am more than sure you will all succeed as everyone on this site would not be here if we were not determined to get to where we want to be, cheers

Ballerina x

P.S. Gigi, how did you convert your hairdresser and what did you convert her to? I'd love to convert my hairdresser to a plumber, much more useful!

Ballerina, another great post.

Yes, I have really researched this! Thank goodness I'm retired or I'd be fired by now! In reference to your mouse study, I read in the 8 Hour Diet book that along with losing weight after 16 hours fasting, the mice who ate a high fat diet even lost more than the mice who ate a low fat diet. Wow! Does that not fly in the face of everything we've been told about low fat eating?

I agree, we all must find our way and do what works for us in the end. We're not cookie-cutters.

Ballerina, your sense of humor is just wonderful! I'm sure we're all smiling after reading some of your posts. By the way, I'll take the plumber too.

Hi all: I've been busy with guests and a training program the last couple of weeks and have not been online much in the interim. What fun to come back and see the responses on this thread!

Ballerina, you are such a source of wisdom and inspiration re: this process! And Rainbow53, I've got the FastFive book, too. I'm very interested in moving to some version of the 16:8 when I reach my goal (which is fast approaching---or maybe not, given the hosting I've been doing recently ....I haven't had a chance to weigh myself lately.).

And I'm thrilled to hear about the successes of those of us who are in the "third age," as they call it in the US (50-70)

Very motivational, everyone!

Good morning all
I too have been doing a lot of reading into 16:8 and have a few questions. I have a lot weight to lose and am finding 5:2 easy to cope too, but to speed things up, could I do a combination of 2 5:2 and two or three 16:8? I think this would keep,me on the straight and narrow during the week and then I could relax a little at the weekend. Would this work or would it mess up what I am doing?

Good morning Slimmer,

I cannot see any problem with doing a mixture as I seemed to do that for a time as I approached my target weight. I was not doing it deliberately but just sort of drifted into it, so, go for it! I understand what you say about relaxing at weekends but I found that once I had settled into it comfortably then the weekends became just 2 more days when I naturally had my usual eating window.

For me, the key with this way of eating has always been to do exactly what suits you, when it suits you and how it suits you. That was always the trouble with other diets, I had to dance to someone else's tune so it was a foregone conclusion it would end in failure and tears, again, but that's men for you, hee hee!

Good luck, actually, you don't need luck as this is not a 'diet', it is a 'do it'

Ballerina x

Great post RubyLucy - very inspiring - I need this after a weeks holiday!

Congrats, rubylucy!

Thank you Ballerina for your words of wisdom and encouragement - I will try it out this week.

I totally agree. I started mid Jan at 200lbs (I'm a six foot male) and now weigh 173 lbs. Happy as Larry but it has not been a metronomic downward slide. I have plateaud more times than not; put on weight over the weekends (particularly when visiting my mother's!) and been more than a little disappointed when I have been good and still not lost anything.

It's important to look at it in the long term and not get hung up on the next weighing session. I eat normally on my off days although if I know I have a meal out and copious amounts of wine in store, I will eat fewer calories during the day and get some exercise in. You've got to burn them to earn them I say.

3lbs to go for me and then time to hit the gym for the first time in 10 years to tone up ( my belly refuses to look like a six pack and still wobbles even after all this time).

Stick at it, you will get there.

Thanks, Mary Ann & Claire23: My latest weigh-ins show me gaining & losing the same pound or so! I'm not terribly concerned because previous experience show that my body does this for a bit and then moves to the next plateau. I definitely notice a difference in my body composition, though. I'm still a size smaller than when I started--I'm sure my body fat has gone down.

We just need to keep on keeping on!

Congratulations RubyLucy! That is VERY encouraging! I just broke through 140 to 139 and want to reach 129 as well, but I agree I have to be patient! The slow weight loss is generally more likely to last...

Sifrina, well done, I'm sure you will get there, good luck

ballerina x

Thanks Ballerina, for the support and encouragement. Love what you say: It is not a diet but a "do it"!! Well said! And what a GREAT BMI you have!!

Hi Sifrina: I agree--slow weight loss is likely lasting weight loss. And congratulations on moving into the 130's! I'm now 1/2 lb. from my goal. I know that if I just keep doing what I've been doing (5:2, usually Mondays & Thursdays), I'l get there. This week I'll probably only fast 1 day due to the American Memorial Day weekend and holiday. What's best about this is the ease and "control" that I feel. Easy to do and I can make it work for me.

Good luck on your "downward" path!