The Again Return of Little John

I've decided that one 24-hr period of fasting felt pretty good. I've decided that I will try a daily 16-hr fast during the week, with one of those fasts going to 24-hrs (OK, probably more like 22, but you get the idea).

Why? Well, it seems like I can't control my snacking self in the evenings, but if I can cut out that ~500 calories in the morning (breakfast and AM snack), and stick to a reasonable lunch, I'll accomplish a couple things:
1 - Cut out the calories
2 - Teach myself the difference between "wanting to eat" and "being hungry"

I read up a lot on the IF thing over the weekend, and I couldn't see any physical cons - only cons were related to people binging at the end of the fast and whether or not someone has a blood sugar issue (diabetes, hypoglycemia, etc). I'm OK on the second front, and I need to work on the first. We shall see.
 
I've decided that one 24-hr period of fasting felt pretty good. I've decided that I will try a daily 16-hr fast during the week, with one of those fasts going to 24-hrs (OK, probably more like 22, but you get the idea).

Why? Well, it seems like I can't control my snacking self in the evenings, but if I can cut out that ~500 calories in the morning (breakfast and AM snack), and stick to a reasonable lunch, I'll accomplish a couple things:
1 - Cut out the calories
2 - Teach myself the difference between "wanting to eat" and "being hungry"

I read up a lot on the IF thing over the weekend, and I couldn't see any physical cons - only cons were related to people binging at the end of the fast and whether or not someone has a blood sugar issue (diabetes, hypoglycemia, etc). I'm OK on the second front, and I need to work on the first. We shall see.
 
Day 1 went so-so. Came in under calories, barely. Mainly due to a post-dinner binge :banghead:

A little dispiriting, but life goes on, and I'm going to keep at it. On the plus side, I got 100 lbs worth of 25# barbell plates yesterday, I'm fairly syked about firing them up tonight, since I'm almost past what my current weight selection allows.

So here we go, day 2 of 16/8 IF. A lot of the criticisms I've read about it are that it bucks convention (oh no!), people tend to binge during the feeding period (guilty), and women shouldn't do it (no worries there).
 
Why shouldn't women do it? Seems odd...but I haven't really looked into that.

You may have binged, but you still came in under calories so that's still good right? And you are aware of what you did which is half the battle. Now you need to become aware of it before you binge and you can work towards stopping before you start.

Weights are great. I will be starting to lift some weights too, mostly just the little dumbbells for now. When I was going to the gym with a PT I liked how the weights started toning my arms and back and it felt great!
 
Icy, I guess a variety of studies found that women just react differently to IF then men, I think the fasts have to be shorter. If you do a Google search for "fitness nerd intermittent fasting", the first thing that comes up has a good write-up and a couple more links about halfway down.

Just got back from a pre-lunch walk, and I'm sitting down to enjoy a homemade frozen meal of rice, black beans, veggies and salsa - and a little cheddar. Total cals ~ 400.
 
Yesterday went much better, in spite of my son's best efforts to derail me - lots n' lots of crying to cause anxiety and drive up my want of garbage. But I sucked it up, did an (interrupted) lift, and went to bed 500 calories under the daily goal. Once again, late night snack attack got me, but not as badly as before.

Today is an all-day fast, so nothing until dinner. And no dinner until I do a row, and I believe it's going to be a heavy-duty one. Gotta say the hunger isn't nearly as bad if you know you're not going to eat.
 
Hey little John....Great job on the workouts....I need to do more of it myself!!! I tried the skipping breakfast and find that when I do I binge in the evening, but it I eat something like a boiled egg in the morning I find it easier not to binge at night doesn't have to be a huge breakfast but it has to be full of protein.....I wanted to try the fast thing but if I skip two meals in one day the migrain kicks in so that ain't something I can do .....Good job of staying on track never easy with a crying baby of kids having tantrums I know I speak from experience Keep it up!!!!
 
I won't lie - I'm hungry! But it's not a compulsive thing, it's not like I'm going to drop everything to go find something to eat. I'm just not eating. It's fairly easy at work, though, I keep myself busy enough, use my lunch time to go for a walk - it's about a 3/4 mile walk to the end of the local airport's runway so I get to watch planes up close. I didn't have time to do a longer walk, but I still go outside.

I've never had migraines, but I've heard such good things! Seriously, though, I think I'll pass. Ironically enough, we found out the reason my son is having his meltdowns is because we're overfeeding him! Just can't win in my house.
 
He'll grow out of that. I'm quite docile when overfed.:drooling:

Good work going on in here. I will try an occasional fast agin once I can do more than sit and bellyache.
 
Got home to an empty house again yesterday. Hurray! No fresh-baked cookies waiting to ambush me after a day-long fast, either. Also hurray! I did my row of about 580 calories, and while I was doing it, I got a text informing me I'm on my own for dinner, which really worked out well since I've had a sushi itch for the last couple weeks.

All told for the day, I came in 1300 calories under target (1500 calories eaten, 690 calories exercised (exorcised?)). Feeling good this morning, I was down a couple pounds from Monday, though I should check my fat percentage, too.

Self-monitoring my energy levels, I feel a little more peppy this week, I will admit that the morning pangs suck, but water/coffee/tea fills in what the will-power doesn't.

So we'll see how I do this weekend, Dad's 70th birthday will include beer, BBQ, unhealthy snacks... I reckon I'll fast in the morning, as well as row, and I know I'll be bad on Saturday afternoon. And, let's face it, a good chunk of Sunday. Need to figure Sunday out, since Mom's making breakfast that will likely be everything tasty and horrible, and Sunday PM is our usual pizza night.

I shall ponder this conundrum.
 
Hey LJ why not bring some heathy snacks of your own and a 24 of water....to replace the beer....parties and BBQ are never easy but I always bring fresh raw veggies and hummus to dip them in....the hummus is full of fiber and protein so if you fill up on that and veggies you will have way less room for and the bad snack.....especially if you fasted in the morning!!!!! Good job on the exercise!
 
Yup, there will be veggies there, good call on the hummus, I can bring some of that. And if I alternate beer and water, that will be beneficial for a few reasons! Is it the perfect solution? No. But it helps!

Good 2.5 mile walk around the campus today, weather's perfect for it. Had another Chez Little John Frozen Entree of pork tenderloin and mango salsa, followed by a pear Greek yogurt. I feel stuffed, yet I want junk food. It's weird... I'll just keep sipping my tea.

Tonight = chicken gyros
 
Alternating with water is a great idea! Try drinking the lower cal beers too. And lots of veggies :)

And great job with the food and exercise :) Water/tea I have found helps curb my hunger, which to me means I was never really hungry.
 
Little John said:
..
So here we go, day 2 of 16/8 IF. A lot of the criticisms I've read about it are that it bucks convention (oh no!), people tend to binge during the feeding period (guilty), and women shouldn't do it (no worries there).
Click to expand...

icychic said:
Why shouldn't women do it? Seems odd...but I haven't really looked into that.
...
Click to expand...

I'm a woman and I fast...my test results (cholestorol, blood pressure/sugar etc) are always better when I'm cycling/fasting. Icychic, I believe the concerns are very very simply related to starving leads to stress leads to hormonal imbalance leads to fertility issues.

I don't "intermittent fast", which I believe is 16-24 hours and a newish approach to weight loss (much like eating 6x a day was touted). I fast for ketosis & cleansing which requires a minimum of 48 hours. My doctor says I'm perfectly healthy and my hormones are a-okay. That's going on 3 years of cycling/fasting.

If you're interested in either one, do your research, consult your physician. But, I gotta disagree on the blanket statement that women shouldn't IF. Just in case any women are interested, I don't want to put them off.

I love the fitness nerd site, incidentally.

Little John, when I first started fasting I also binged afterwards and felt like I ruined the entire fast. This was especially harsh b/c my digestive track had been dormant for 3 or more days. Now I can fast without freaking out and feeling deprived. I ease back into eating with fruits/veggies, then introduce proteins (mostly egg whites) the next day. Of course, you can be less careful on reintroduction of foods with a shorter fast. Takes time to adjust is all. Good you're mindful of it.
 
So I finished my lift last night, but I barely had the energy. I think it was a lack of sleep. Hoping it's not the IF, cuz it's really working on the weight-loss front, and other than last night, I haven't seen a drop in energy.

Icy, I'd rather have one good beer than three lyte beers - sometimes it's tough being a beer snob! Luckily i drink rarely enough that it's not a key contributor to my weight.
 
You're right, Belly, I shouldn't make the blanket statement, and everyone should read up on both the pros and cons, as well as see how they react to it. It seems to be working for me, so far, though any drastic change in routine is going to do that.

The binging hasn't been absolute, I can say. It still happens, but on a more "reasonable" level.
 
I agree with you little John....about the quality over quantity.....Anything diet or light is to me has less quality so I avoid it and stick to portion controle instead.....worked for me in the past.
 
Yeah, the weekend was kind of a bust. We got a date night on Friday night, and I overdid it. And I didn't let up until I went to bed on Sunday night. So I start the week off with a 22-hr fast.

This week could be slightly challenging, since my routine is getting challenged on Thursday with a minor, yet life-changing, medical procedure. It will require that I be low activity through the weekend, which is double-bad - 1) I can't workout (I'll ask about going for a walk) and 2) I'll be looking to fill my time with other things, hopefully not food.
 
Hey LJ.....Don't let the weekend off the wagon discourage you....just jump right back up on that wagon and let go of the past it can't be change...Weekends are challenging cause the routine we set up weekly is kind of missing.....I have a hard time with it too.....Ever tought of doing a juice fast? I am sorta thinking about it myself!!!! Hope your medical procedure goes well.....take care!
 
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