Anyone doing fasting?

I’ve done it since the start of January and the weight has fallen off. I’m down 11kg from 99.6 to 88.3 but I’d add that’s been with no alcohol or bread and I’ve been training fasted four to five times a week. I was only eating starchy carbs twice a day but loads of fruit etc.

Needless to say I need to take a break from it or maybe stop for good and switch to something more sustainable.

I’d aimed to get 20kg off for the summer which looks achievable now. It’s all weight I’d piled on since I stopped cycling seriously so it should be achievable but hopefully without 10-12 hours a week on the bike.

I’m having a drink this weekend and I can’t wait.

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gwyneth is fasting

Well done, that’s a great achievement.

What isn’t sustainable about your approach? Is it just that you feel you’re depriving yourself of the fun stuff? My energy feels on a more even keel and by telling myself I can’t eat after 6pm I’ve found a surprising level of willpower in the face of my wife scoffing all the peanut M&Ms.

I think fasting as a concept is very sustainable but I’ve been restrictive in a way that isn’t.

It’s great to have got the process off to a flyer but I don’t think losing over a kilo a week is particularly healthy over more than 6-8 weeks.

Mashallah

Still at it. Not super strict with timings apart from no breakfast until 10am as family timings sometimes means dinner at 7ish instead of 5-6ish. I'm keeping off alcohol Monday - Wednesday and the other days a pint or two is all I have. Same with sugars and crisps etc, feels like I need 1/3 to 1/2 of what I had before to feel the same satisfaction from eating and drinking.

I don't weigh myself but feels like I'm lighter but more importantly I feel much better. Higher energy levels, less sugar level drops, same or better feeling during morning runs.

Feels like the body is now running two separate systems - one for getting energy in and one for using it. Before I needed to time a run or ride with a meal, now the energy seems to come from deposits rather than the food itself (if that makes sense?) which makes for a handy disconnect between the two

I think it’s definitely sustainable .
I think you will find it difficult to drop so much per week after that much of aN initial loss.
I lost 15kg doing a lot of fasted rides , managing long fasts became easy , even if a bit antisocial .
But the initial weight loss hit a plateau , and I think my body got used to it .
I’ve tried a bit of running , a lot of walking and even at home I’m doing weights ( I’m older , so weights are crucial)again .So Im burning calories.Important not to reward a workout with treats .
Still fasting, probably 2 years now .I won’t go back now .. it would cost too much to swop my wardrobe back .Plus ,I’m a bit heart conscious and an extra 12kg of fat wasn’t doing me any good .
Can’t wait for the gym to reopen , but meanwhile making do with kettle bells

This is a great result .. similar to mine .
Tbh it’s THE only thing that ever worked for me .

Anyone done 16/8 for more than a few months?

I'm finding it tough. Started at new year, so only a month in, but my rides and runs are noticeably slower/harder (in the morning before eating 12-8) and I'm not feeling or seeing any physical improvements off the bike yet.

Wondering how long until you felt/saw the benefits? I like the simplicity of 16/8 mainly because I can't be arsed to count calories but it's frustrating to lose what little form I had ... Will it improve?

I’m still doing it though not to the hour anymore. We have dinner at 5-6 and that’s usually my last food for the day. Then coffee and water in the morning at 7 then breakfast at 10. Usually getting an hour exercise in before breakfast 3 times per week, trying to do walks on all other days.

Been doing this since I started the thread so it’s my new normal. Really struggle to have breakfast before 10, sometimes I’m not hungry until 11ish. Have the odd day when I wake up starving and then I just eat as my body seems to need it.

Dunno about increased stamina or strength but I sure feel a lot better. Not as bloated as before and it seems like my body is better balanced. Also cut out a breakfast without noticing any difference in energy levels. Used to have one at 7 and then a second at 10, now just the second one but same amount of food as before.

I’m not clued up enough to give a recommendation but maybe it’s just not for you? Or try changing the hours a bit? Maybe 9/15 is better for you? Or 10/14? 🤷‍♂️

Thanks, a lot of food for thought - exactly what I've been missing :-D

Sounds like having a sociable routine and not being super strict about it helps it become more sustainable.

Think I'll keep at 16/8 but allow myself to eat outside the window when I really need it. And lower my expectations of being able to reach higher speeds running/riding while in a fasted state for now.

Tricky to tell how much is psychological, ie not feeling as strong/fast, as I'm not weighing myself and try not to be dictated to by my Garmin, so i don't have the objective stats. Still, I'm doing it to feel better and lose some fat, so going on feeling is probably a good enough indicator.

Anyway, appreciate it, really useful. I'll try to give it another month and reassess.

For me, being super strict is counterproductive as it's too boring. If I want a beer in the evening I'll have one, same with food etc, but just having the fasting mindset stops me most of the time without it being any kind of sacrifice.

Been thinking about it since my last post and the main benefit for me has been that my body seems to get 'done' with the food I eat. Hard to explain but before I usually felt bloated while still hungry which made me eat more. Now I feel my body can work through the food I eat, and then be done and just function for a few hours rather than playing catchup with my last meal. I also feel lighter, esp in the morning when I do my exercise. Done a few evening runs after dinner and the feeling is quite different.

I'm sure there's a better way to explain it though!

How's it coming along? Any improvement?

Hey, thanks for asking ... it's kind of settled into a groove now.

For the first few weeks I was watching the clock until the moment I could break my fast at midday, but I'm no longer hungry in the mornings now and often feel comfortable not eating till 1 or 2. Maybe that signals some kind of fat-burning hybrid-fuel capability, maybe it's also to do with the vast amount of water I'm downing... Either way, i don't feel I'm missing a vital energy source (breakfast) any more.

I've managed to let go of the strictness I felt I needed to get me started eating 16/8. As a slow learner, my body took around a month to get used to only eating between 12 and 8pm. Now I find i don't really want to eat outside of those hours. So I don't feel any fear of 'falling off the wagon'. If my stomach is growling at 11, I'll just give it a snack. I'm eating 16/8 95% of the time so the odd mid-morning peanut butter on toast isn't going to derail the long-term pattern.

Six weeks in, I've also figured out to fuel myself properly with carbs the day before if I'm planning a big ride or run the following morning. Mainly so I don't have the fear of running on empty. Long slow steady pace still seems to be easier than before, and strong sprints and climbs still feel slightly out of reach. Maybe it's just in my head, a fear that will pass with more positive fasted performances, but it definitely feels as if I'm struggling more to find that explosive speed.

How much this matters to my overall fitness and health is now more debatable though. I'm averaging a morning run or ride 3 days a week and I feel a lot lighter on the pedals (and on my feet), and a lot less bloated and gross in daily existence. That perhaps counts for more on average ... I've lost a bit of belly weight too, so there's less to lug around. I haven't been keeping proper statistical tabs cos life's too short, but this is my subjective opinion fwiw

The feeling you mentioned about your body having used up everything you gave it before feeding it more definitely rings true. It feels more measured somehow. In a simple way, it also feels good just to be in control of my eating without having to feel unhelpfully 'prohibited' from any food groups. Feels like a 'diet' I can stick to because nothing is truly off the menu :-)

Essay, sorry!

TL;DR - good thanks! Feel healthier and less bothered about not being Mark Cavendish.

I just did 2.5 days for shits and giggles. Pretty easy actually. Just black coffee, water and a couple of cups of tea.

Lost about 5kg in what I presume is mostly glycogen and water weight.

Couldn't even get through the first VO2 interval yesterday so it fucks training up (I do have a broken rib at the moment so that isn't helping but it wasn't the main issue) but I could do endurance work.

Now that little experiment/challenge is over... what should I have for brekkie? :D

pancakes!

Would. But I'm not cooking them.

Chug that raw batter! Down in one! Down in one!

DIPA.

Currently on day 3 of 7 day fast, off work and family on holiday makes it super easy. Feeling great so far, so much focus, finally getting all the annoying things done around the house that I have been putting off forever, even defrosted the freezer...

What works well for me is black coffee and sparkling water with lemon, plus some electrolytes for the headaches.

I had a PB bagel, 2 coffees and a mint tea. Meh.

We have a winner!

pancakes

Ash Weds you heathen.

I always fast on a Monday that means no breakfast no lunch then have something to break it at about 3pm I love it it's a good counter balance after a weekend and while others might be moaning about how terrible it is being back at work etc I also follow the fasts of the Ethiopian orthodox church so this is week 1 of 8 in the run up to easter
For me it's not just about the food you need to fast with your mind -the thoughts you have refraining from swearing etc etc
I also appear to be fasting from punctuation
Hope everyone is doing well