The FastDay Forum

Hi,would love to hear if anyone has tried 16/8
I have been reading up about it and it looks quite doable but am interested to hear if anyone has tried it and had any success
I have been doin 5.2 for a month now and find I have stopped wanting breakfast even on nonfast days .it might be easier to just skip breakfast every day but am not sure if this is enough to loose weight especially as I only have those last few stubborn kilos to get rid of

[Betsysgr8]

There are quite a few doing 16/8 in conjunction with 5:2, I took the liberty of copying our resident "16/8 expert" Ballerina's post from another thread with the titles of other 16/8 discussions.

Wendy darling, you know me just too well,

Hi happyellie,
as predicted, here I am.If you scroll through the 'View Active Topics" there are a few threads that deal with this like,

"8 Hour Diet by Psfasting 04 March 2013"
"Weight loss just doing 16/8 by cgspain 27 May 2013"
"Can I combinne 16/8 and 5:2 to lose weight by jeniben on 23 May 2013"
"Going without breakfast and lunch by Wendy Darling on 25 May 2013"
"Good Grief Hubby Moving onto 8 Hour Diet by Rainbow on 5th May 2013"
"Anyone do 16/8 IF? by Azureblue on 15th April 2013"
"Maintenance by Ballerina (thats me by the way!) on 20th Mar 2013"

Also, as mentioned in my Maintenance post, My odyssey is listed under 'Inspirational stories" so you may be interested in that.

Well, that little lot should keep you out of mischief and the biscuit jar for quite a while. If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask me and good luck, keep us informed of how you do,

Ballerina x

[Betsysgr8]

Or you can just look up Ballerina and search her posts for information and amusement.

Thank you Betsygr8,

I have had an online tutorial from Dominic to make that post easier for folk to access but I've not had a chance to do it yet. Must make time to do my homework or teacher Dom will give me lines,

Also, good luck SarahG, this is exactly how I drifted into 16/8. I was never a breakfast fan and by the time I had almost reached my target weight on 5:2 I realised that I was actually doing 16/8, it just didn't have a name! Let us know how you get on,

Ballerina x

I am now doing 16:8. Have only done two days so far and stuffed my face with food and wine in the 8 hour slots but still managed to lose a pound! It's early days and I know I'll probably have to do some 500 calorie days to boost weight loss occasionally but this suits my lifestyle better.
I have learned a lot from 5:2 and wouldn't have known I could do 16:8 without it. I am a firm convert to fasting as a means to lose weight and become healthier, I think it's a matter of finding which method suits us best.

Me too Catalena, can't find the right time for 5:2 this week so sort of fell into 16:8 on Monday after falling at the family lunchtime hurdle. Did the same on Tuesday and yesterday. Unofficially weighed in yesterday afternoon and 1lb gone and still gone this morning. I like it. Won't tell you what yesterday's treat was but it wasn't low in anything! During the evening I chose to snack on an apple. That is almost unheard of for me. I don't really like the feeling of an apple on my front teeth (weirdo!) but I have one of those corer/slicer gadgets now. Like you I will be mixing up 5:2 with 16:8. It will be really interesting.
Sarahg, go for it, try it out and come back to let us know how it's going.

So pleased to see that Never Never Land is in East Anglia, Wendy Darling! I must be very close! I'm hoping I can mostly get away with 16:8 but at least I can fall back on 5:2 if I have to. Tomorrow evening I'm going out on the town so I'll skip lunch too and keep myself going with a snack around 4. It seems that it's the fast after the feed that needs to be 16 hours, 8 to digest then 8 to use up fat stores etc. Ballerina might be able to shed some light on that.

Hi Catalena,

Goodness me, you are asking a technical question there. Mmmmm.........right, here goes and please don't shoot me down in flames if I am wrong, this just my own personal understanding of how it works.

I believe that you need a minimum of 14 hours to start burning fat, hence the 16 hour fast. Not sure how long you have to fast to get the health benefits but I suspect it is similar. My window is more like 4-6 hours usually, so most days I have a fasting period of 18-20 hours. I rarely 'bust' my window as I never feel the need to but, I do if I want to, and it has never proved fatal or even fattening, yet! If I have had a very large lunch then I am unlikely to want to eat again that day so I will then be having a 24 hour fast. I usually try to break my fast with protein, rather than carbohydrate but other than that, I just do it and don't stress about it. Choosing a new handbag is more stressful, even though I rarely eat them!

Ballerina x

Thanks all
Ballerina ,can you explain a bit more
As I understand it,I would skip breakfast,eat a late light lunch and then dinner.can I have a small snack eg yogurt after dinner,then fast until next day laye lunch
Do u do thi everyday?
So no 500 cal days?
I like the sound of it
Am particularly interested as I only have a few kilos to loose
Thanks

Hi Sarahg,

You can eat your 500 calories as in a normal 5:2 fast day with no time restrictions, eat whenever you like or,
you can eat your 500 fast day calories within an 8 hour, or less, window or,
you can eat unrestricted calories within an 8 hour, or less, window.

For me, they are all interchangeable but you may need to experiment a little to find what works best for you, hope this all clear and good luck,

Ballerina x

I forgot to say that I eat unrestricted calories within a window every day and my weight is stable, you may even lose weight this way but, again, it will take a little bit of trial and error for you.

Ballerina x

I have also found that 16.8 is a great way to eat, but I totally exclude any snacks outwith the time frame. I don't feel deprived at all, but I do eat good, nutritious meals within the 8 hours, at either 2 or 3 sittings and no grazing in between. I do drink tea, coffee and herbal and fruit teas whenever I want one, but no milk or sugar and my one daily coffee, proper espresso,is always a.m. Before I started 5.2 I don't think I ever went without breakfast soon after waking, and grazed throughout the day on top of my usual meals, and a late supper of toast/hot chocolate, Horlicks etc. I have definitely been rewired!!

I seem to have fallen into this way of eating, too, much to my surprise!
Not intentional, but over the time I've been on 5/2, I don't have breakfast on many days. It suits us both over the weekends, too, when we can have a late 'brunch' (hopefully barbecued by hub!!) and a late-ish evening meal.
It's the model I'll follow when on holibobs in France!

I didn't set out to do this, I just fell into it as it seems to be part of my own natural rhythm, so, I was pleasantly surprised to find it had a name and a lot of other happy people doing the same thing. It also fits in beautifully with the 5:2 way of life which, for me, is an added bonus as I can just slip back if needed, so far, I have not needed, yippee!

I know this does not suit a lot of people but, if you can do it, I think it is the easiest and simplest way I have ever managed my weight and I really hope the long term health benefits are proved to exist, this way, we can all live to be at least 150 years old, oh.......maybe not!

I am so pleased to see you, Dhana, back and doing something which has given you back your enthusiasm and zest,

Ballerina x

Ballerina,thanks.do you still do 5.2 and then on the other days skip breakfast and do 16/8
I think I need to research 16/8 a bit more
I am still a bit confused.do people still do the 2days on 500 cals and then on non fast days eat in 8 hour window or can I just do 16/8 every day