jade electro ink's Journal, 12 Feb 21

Hi ❤️ Definitely not my experience. I usually fast for about 18 hours and I find that it works brilliantly at keeping me on track. It might be the way you’re breaking your fast? Or maybe you’re counting the minutes until you can eat? Certain factors have the potential to make IF either rewarding or excruciating. 

Hi. no IF is so far the thing that works best for me. anything else makes me hit plateau within the first week. I do 16/8.  

get a nice hobby to fill you fasting hours. something that you like to do and takes alot of concentration. it will keep your mind busy and before you know it your body is used to the routine  

On the contrary, IF has been the game changer for me. I even do longer fasts between 24 and 36 hours long and I have so much energy during my fasting window. Minimal hunger too, I think it's a mind battle. Relook how you are approaching it and read up on it. listen to some podcasts too and see what you can work on. Good luck! 

It doesn't work for me, I can do it for a few weeks to a month and then definitely see a major reduction in my metabolism. And weight loss stalls. Although many people swear by it, if you look into the science a lot of research done on it was focused on men's bodies. PS I don't struggle to fast, I can comfortably do a 1-2 day fast but it is more than there are not good results for me 

I became consumed by it mentally i actually made myself sick i really dont think its for me this is why i asked i fasted lost 14kgs a year ago i tried inbetween to pick it up again every time id get worse i then lost my drive because it felt like punishment just to lose weight im now up almost 24kgs. So im doing the right thing again. Not fasting butbim eating healthy and gyming daily also want to add i got stomach isues from low carb diet and also fasting i would spend days bloated and in pain sluggish and sore i had to start laxatives and and im ok now i just wanted to understand this what happend to me. I know its possible without the fasting  

That's really hard!! So for me one thing I do, because I know that some period of fasting is good, but it doesn't have to be 16,18,20 hours etc, is I enjoy my supper by 6/6.30pm and I usually eat breakfast at 8/8.30pm or so, giving me 13-14 hours a day of 'fasting' and there is some body of research showing that 14 hours is enough to get some of the positive side effects. But certainly for me it exacerbated the feeling of 'I don't deserve to eat' because I'm overweight, and not eating ia punishment for being fat, eating food is weakness etc - a lot of the major disordered though patterns I've always had, just got significantly worse. The other thing I do which I think is helpful for me is I don't snack, I enjoy three meals a day and have a 4-5 hours in between.  

The first few weeks is hard - you need to adjust to it. The mental element of getting over the “I need three meals a day” is tough. Then it’s a case of pushing through the last hour when you do really start feeling hungry. The best advice I can give you is to plan your meal ahead and know what you will eat once your fast is over 

Jespes it sounds like you are talking about my strughle i hear you and i have also started havingvthe same thought not eating at night with my 3 meals works wonders thank you so so so much for your imput. I fasted for over a year i take my hag off to everyone doingvit i cant my mental state and tummy dont agree my metabolism is so much slower and its now a struggle to geg it faster again but jespes im taking the advice to heart it hits home  

I'm so glad! Also helpful for me not to feel alone - it's hard to read that fasting is for everybody/ it's a magical weight loss tool etc, when the reality is that every person's body is unique. Regarding metabolism obviously that's a big issue and I've done lots of reading and for me for now I'm focusing on increasing my protein consumption because protein takes more energy to digest, and also doing some stregnth training- a kilo of muscle takes an extra 80 calories a day to maintain compared to a kilo of fat (12 calories) so I'm trying to not just think about fat loss but gaining muscle. I did a detailed online calculator for body fat percentage, where you input all your cms and it came back with my body fat % at 46. So If I can get that down but also gain a fee kgs of muscle, it will definitely help from a metabolic perspective too :)  

Jespes i agree really helps to not feel alone yes ive also done allot of research i also tattoo tones of body builders,fighters and my hubby was a personal trainer i have asked them all about this and the answer is always the same. There are no long term short cuts if u want to lose, and fasting is a life style. If u start its gotto become the norm for me it messed me up big time.i literally gained a extra 10kgs from my bodys normal weight. I was given the same advice build mussels eat healthy YOU will lose it slow but you will reach your goal and maintain it in the end as yo where the fasting will only work whilst you do it my bmi is 38 i have to come down and im adiment i train daily strength training cardio and eat right but i dont believe in starving to be thin i want to be healthy thats my main vision. good luck and thanks so so much for your kind input  

Fasting is a lifestyle and a practice. I find... much like yoga and meditation is to some. it's a way of being mindful about yourself... learning that hungry is not a bad feeling, it is just a feeling was a really important lesson for me. I've been practicing fasting daily since 2018. some days I do longer and other days I give my body a break. the thing is that it shouldn't consume your every thought. it's one of the most flexible and natural ways to eat. Thomas DeLauer on YouTube has some really insightful videos on the subject, especially in relation to the female body, what to eat to break a fast, how insulin works - all that stuff. there is no single right solution that would suit everyone. fasting until you feel like you want to faint is not healthy for your mindspace. eating too few calories can lead to epic binging. eating too many calories can be part of food addiction, but a body builder or mountain climber needs to eat thousands a day to maintain their physical activity. you have to find what works for you... from a weight loss POV right through to your mental well-being. and that magical combination is different for everyone on this platform. I do fasting 16:8/18:6 mostly with calories between 1300-1700... loads of flexibility for me to continue living my life. but then I am consistent. I log the good food, and the bad food. I'm honest to myself when I'm off plan. if I drink or eat bread... no matter that I've been fasting or calorie restricting... I'll retain water. every body is different. I hope you find what works for you, because I've been a cheerleader of yours for some time now 😘 there are a lot of people who do long water fasts on this app. UnicornsExist I know has had good success with this, but then she is super consistent in all other areas of her weight loss. then there are some who've done the same, extreme fasts, or OMAD, I think out of sheer desperation to lose the weight... and unfortunately they have struggled to maintain that regime because it's an intense way to live. key for me was to let go of saying - by xxxdate I'm going to lose xxxkg. no. lead to major disappointment because I lose slowly (even on fasting and low Cal) so I gave myself a few years. to do it right. to learn about myself and to give my body time to adapt at each different goal so as to not gain it rapidly back.  

I am so used to OMAD....and to be honest the results for me have been so amazing..down to 59 kg from 73kg. Never felt better..so that drives me to stick with it. 

Shereen thank you i so appreciate your words what a awesome way to put it i loved fasting i did but i really hurt myself thus ive decided to take it slow on my new journey mentally i was suffering and i think it goes allot deeper into childhood abuse for me. So i have decided to do a calorie deficit im at a good 1800 a day i really want to loose the weight but not loose it but keep it off you should know the last year has been emotionally draining for me and im finding my feet i am though eating dinner around 7 at night and dont eat again till around 9 the next day no tracking just listening to my body. Im doing the fun workouts the last 2 weeks my weight moved up and now going down slowly witch i know is mussel gain as im doing allot of weight training thanks again so much for you comment you are so awesome  

Lee i dont know what omad is lol im glad it works for u 

OMAD = One Meal A Day (basically you consume your calorie allowance in one big meal or in a vastly reduced eating window (like an hour or 2)  

That sounds hectic ive heard of people doing that for religious purposes never thought people use it as a diet lol well im just doing what i need to im in no rush i just want tto sustain the loss 

I am doing 18:6 or 18:7 depending on the day and quite like it and I am never starving. I eat for the first time at 11 or 12 and don't eat after either 6 or 7. I was never a breakfast eater and I like having supper early so it works nicely. 

Sorry I meant to say 18:6 (eat between 11am and 5pm or 12pm to 6pm) and sometimes I do 18:7 depending on the day and how I feel