The FastDay Forum

Hi
I have been doing 5:2 on and off since last summer and had good results, I found it very easy in the summer but have been struggling in the winter with being cold, plus changes in my life have meant I don't have the routine I used to have.
Yesterday I decided to fast and did very well on 2 coffees and water until 6 but then caved in and ate spag bol with the rest of the family!
So this morning I have not eaten yet, just my usual 2 coffees with milk.
Does this mean I am kind of doing 16:8 without noticing?
I have read a little about it on here, it is something I could do easily if all you have to do is consume calories in an 8 hour window to achieve results.
I just want to know, is it necessary to buy a book on this or can I just eat within an 8 hour window? And is it best to do this every day or can you do it to suit?
It does sound too good to be true!

Hi Traybelin,

Well, it's all a matter of what suits you, a bit like everything else on here. I never have breakfast and I don't nibble late into the evening so, it seems that I do 16/8 every day. It suits me as I hate counting calories but I still wish to have any, or all, of the alleged long term health benefits from regular fasting and 16/8, I hope, affords me this. A lot of days I eat only one meal, a late lunch with wine and this is definitely not low on calories. No need to buy any books unless you enjoy reading about these things particularly, so, if you fancy giving it a go, off you go. If it doesn't suit you then change to a different routine, this us not a one size fits all and the link to the 16/8 thread is included in my signature, good luck,

Ballerina x

I am very dubious about 16:8, I would need to be very mindful of what I ate in that window still. I haven't eaten until after lunchtime for years and I am still 40lb overweight so I think you can still pack a fair few calories into that window!

[carorees]

It is very simple, but of course, if you over-eat in the 8-hour window you won't lose weight. The answer is to keep shortening your eating window until you can't overeat in that time! So while 16:8 may well work, you may find you have to shift to 17:8, 18:6 or 19:5. Most people who are doing 16:8 on this forum are having at least one or two days a week of lower calorie intake, either by doing 5:2 fasting or by deliberately aiming to have one or two low calorie and/or low carb days. This enables a couple of days 'off'. I think that keeping calorie intake low every day of the week eventually backfires for various reasons and having one or two higher calorie days benefits us both mentally and physically.

As you'll see from my signature, I'm finding 16:8 very effective for weightloss, but I often have a shorter eating window and I don't fill up my 8-hours with eating - I have a normal lunch and dinner and perhaps 1 snack.

If it appeals to you, give it a go, you can always return to 5:2 or mix and match...whatever works for you is fine!

Well I've still got a very long way to go but when life gets in the way I do 16:8 and can lose weight but they do have to be very cautious ones. My routine at the moment is 2 x 500cal fasts plus 1x half/semi fast and plus the other 4 days at 16:8.

This combination worked all last year and have just kicked back in as I've been struggling since xmas.

I will give it a go... on normal days I should find it easy. Today I had my first meal at 1.30, which was the bowl of cereal and fruit that normally would be breakfast.
Tomorrow I have an exam at 9.20 am and I was planning to eat breakfast beforehand - I'm not one for breakfast normally but I have been brought up on the "you must eat for your brain to work at it's best before and exam" stuff!
Do you think this is true? My group are all going out boozing in the evening too so I guess I will just have to write tomorrow off!

I wonder how many of us have, in the past , shoved unwanted calories and carbs down our necks in the morning believing that you HAD to eat breakfast! Believe me, you will not keel over if you kick this particular myth into touch and will manage perfectly fine if you have your first meal later in the day at whatever time suits you best.

I do think the "you must eat breakfast" + most important meal of our day is probably load of bull!!!
Because the book says the longer you fast the better health benefits we gain, but you do what you need to for tomorrow and if you function better after a breakfast then please have one because your exam is more important so call it your normal day and enjoy.

Oddly enough I find myself MORE alert the mornings I don't eat breakfast.

I've been doing 5:2 on Mondays and Wednesday and 16:8 on Fridays. I actually feel hungrier doing 16:8. I'll keep going for a while longer but I may cut it out eventually.

Well I've still got a very long way to go but when life gets in the way I do 16:8 and can lose weight but they do have to be very cautious ones. My routine at the moment is 2 x 500cal fasts plus 1x half/semi fast and plus the other 4 days at 16:8.

This combination worked all last year and have just kicked back in as I've been struggling since xmas.

Hi @Sue.Q,
I'm doing 5.2 twice a week. But I start back at uni in march and I'm wondering if 16.8 would suit me.
So is this how it works? I'd wake up on a non-fast day, not eat till lunch time...eat normally for 8 hours till dinner...than not eat till morning. Is this just a way to restrict cals rather than have just a normal feast day? Do you find 16.8 easier than a normal feast day?

curious and wondering if its for me.
Cheers
Jo

Hi:

With 16:8 you can eat as much of anything you want for 8 hours each day. As there is no calorie restriction involved, it is not a weight loss diet in any way. It is just like any non-diet day - you have to make sure you eat less than your TDEE or you will gain weight.

Good Luck!

I do think the "you must eat breakfast" + most important meal of our day is probably load of bull!!!
Because the book says the longer you fast the better health benefits we gain, but you do what you need to for tomorrow and if you function better after a breakfast then please have one because your exam is more important so call it your normal day and enjoy.

Hi @Sue.Q how you doing!
I must admit to giving a priJust sending a shout out to @rawkaren!
Thinking of you,hope youre settling in..
I feel so excited just seeing San Fran Bay by yr avatar! So gosh knows how excited and blown away and overwhelmed you must be.
Looking forward to the blog!
@Manderley also looking forward to the rest of yr story! Xvate little grin to myself when i heard someone say today,that tomorrow they had a fasting blood test and couldnt eat after - horror of horrors- 9pm and mustnt have brekkie!
That was me, too, a few months back! Tho i must admit,if i was sitting an exam,i would be inclined to have something even just a small banana,just in case..coz my brain needs all the help it can get!

Regarding eating on exam days. I think it depends on the person, but one of my favorite days to fast is exam days . I'm all stressed so wouldn't have had a big breakfast anyway, then I take my exam and go shopping or relax until 4pm-5pm when I can eat. It works for me and is definitely better than fasting the day before an exam.

Hi I agree with carorees, unless you are very disciplined with portion sizes 16/8 is rather a generous time during which to eat. I do Fast-5 (19/5) and eat as much of what I like during this window and am losing very slowly with plateaus, which is fine as I have little left to go (or not). Fast-5 suits people like me who can manage to fast for the earlier part of the day. There is a free ebook, but as you are already a faster all you need to know is eat nothing for 19 hours then eat at will during the next 5