IX/EF Fast Feb 24

(Robin) #1

February is upon us! Time to take stock. Share your goals, results, questions, and quandaries here

#2

Okay. So January was mixed after the usually somewhat wild December… But I am serious now, again :slight_smile:
I go for carnivore, again - and a tiny eating window if possible. I really think skipping lunch is my way, things just get messed up if I eat as early as 3pm (our usual lunchtime) and I don’t really need it on most days, I just eat because I have food, I love food and my SO came home. And yes, I am usually not fully satiated either but proper hunger? I often don’t have that yet. And I I do, it’s still not annyoing and I can wait a bit. So I will do that.

Not today, I got properly hungry very early and anyway I had coffees with some calories even in the morning. But I had 2 close proper sized meals containing almost all of my calories. Good enough for the 1st of February. I will do better later! Just water and maybe tea until 4-5pm, that’s the plan!

I go for a stricter, better month not only regarding my diet and timing. I want to do everything a bit better (and a few things MUCH better). It’s easier for me to improve multiple things at once, they help each other somehow…

(KCKO, KCFO) #3

I’m cruising along with 2MAD. Staying pretty much the same which is fine, it is at my goal weight level.
I have started back to 5 days of fitness classes, along with at least two of my DH’s walks daily. I’m so ready for summer again.

Hope everyone has recovered from the big year end/beginning festivities.

#4

My scale showed like 6 kg more yesterday (or rather 4? I had very much thick clothes on… whatever, still a very drastic change, the biggest ever, by far, extreme even for a year. but I got older and it seems things change a bit. I still can’t gain easily but massive overeating with lots of carbs yield more than 1 kg per year. not a big deal as I don’t do that often) and it’s interesting as I never ever could gain anything in a mere month, no matter the severity of my overeating… I moved the scale but it works well for my SO.
Oh and my pants are the same. Weird things can happen to people - but I always had a VERY stubborn weight, it changed sometimes but it’s normal for me to have the same weight every morning for years, no matter what I do (as I can’t do the things that could change it. eating little always works for fat-loss but I can’t eat little. gaining is even harder or it used to be). In 2023, I was 75kg. (Yes, maybe 76 if I ate a TON of carbs but that’s it.)
OK, I weighed myself again, About 78 (I have drank a lot today already and wear clothes. No way I ever remember weighing in the morning and why would I undress? That’s not much weight and I can take a guess, good enough.
I expect it to go back to 76 soon (as it shifted there from 75 in the last, wilder months).

I started keto with 69kg. I wonder if I ever go back to that. Let alone the 62kg I reached after fat adaptation (and going back to my previous diet) for a little while. I just hope I have a tiny bit of more muscle now :slight_smile: I surely use a bit bigger weights… But my stamina is almost non-existent.

I am too close to my heaviest weight ever (no idea, I had no scales and my relative’s one wasn’t reliable, maybe 84kg) now. It should change.

But I want to talk about IF here :smiley: The “I am not satiated and it mildly bothers me” feeling came last night too (it usually arrives around midnight. I have a theory that my body counts macros at that time, it totally acts like that. I feel I missed out on protein at that point or meat or eggs even if I already had 150g protein) - but it was subtle and I was determined and lazy enough not to eat. Yay! Super tiny win but I was worse than ever to resist during January. it still was better than December, that is the worst, wildest month, I never even tried to do keto then… I mean, for the whole month, I need my very low-carb days (and they taste the best anyway).

Maybe I can skip lunch today? :slight_smile: But it’s not a clean fast again, I woke up late and miserable (stupid carby nightmare. at least it could have been something tasty! not like I ever tasted things in my dreams and only dreamed with food a few times. I suppose I get enough food joy and food whatever when awake :wink: ), a mild headache… I could have said no but I still ended up drinking some coffee. I don’t even like it anymore, I have this since some months but it’s still tempting for some reason. That’s why I must quit, I hate being a slave. But it’s not THAT bad anymore and it really feels nice here and there even if I don’t enjoy it (but sometimes I do), at least nicer than resisting, that is energy consuming and stressful. I don’t like resisting and almost never do that. It’s a very important part of my personality and views (as I agree with that too. I can’t even TRY to resist in most cases). I surely do some micro-resisting for good reason but there is no real temptation there. Just a thought, maybe knowledge about something feeling nice…

Stupid tiny headache. Coffee doesn’t even help, most of the time (well it’s similar to the painkiller I use… that is a bit more effective though) but it still feels nicer that way. But coffee probably triggers earlier eating, well it’s just a weak hypothesis, maybe it doesn’t… I can’t drink it black so it makes sense as I consume sugars in it (some kind of dairy). Not much so it can’t make me hungry right away and anyway, it’s morning, it’s not easy to take away my full morning satiation but it may bring my hunger earlier. Maybe I need to take notes… It’s not like I truly will quit coffee, after all… I do wish not to consume it at least 4-5pm, at least… But my coffee wishes rarely get fulfilled.

(Bob M) #5

WARNING: The Super Bowl is this weekend! Always a splurge-fest in the US.

Well, since I’ve been exercising 5 days a week (3 days on, 1 day off, 2 days on, 1 day off, start over), the best I’ve been able to do is OMAD. And it’s not really OMAD, it’s more like a shorter window.

#6

I skipped lunch yesterday and today as well. WOW. I am mildly impressed and aim to continue!
I know since long I can’t really afford eating as early as 3pm (the typical time of my first meal since ages) as I just get a way too big eating window therefore too much food. (On some days it doesn’t happens but the average isn’t so great. I could change my diet but that would be even harder and never happened when that was my goal. I did what I could but it wasn’t enough. Anyway, it’s so much more convenient to eat once!)
But I was really attached to my lunch and it makes sense, I had reasons… But it couldn’t work so I need to change now that I finally am not hungry around 3pm. I am not fully satiated but not hungry and can wait.

I like to eat with my SO so we have dinner together now. I am in the kitchen at lunchtime too but that’s not the same, I wonder why. I can still sit and talk and sip tea or something…

It’s not true OMAD yet. I do have a few bites before and after if I just can’t be without. I plan to clear it up but I am still pleased as the number one goal, reducing my food intake happens :slight_smile: Even my protein intake dropped quite a lot! :smiley: I needed it.

I am curious what happens in the near future…

(B Creighton) #7

Hello all. Any who have been following me know my weight is up. In fact I am up 12 lbs from my Nov low of 173 lb. My scale currently says that about half that is “muscle mass,” and has my body fat now slightly above 20% when I had gotten it down to 18%. So, as an experiment I am going to stop making my protein smoothies with coconut milk… after all I am having one of these smoothies every day. I have also started cutting back on the amount of coconut oil I am using in my pre-workout fat bomb, which is 3 x/wk. My substitute in my smoothies is now almond milk. I don’t like the idea of that so much, but I am using orgain protein powder with some carbs, in an effort to push insulin up some for muscle growth, and then also having a JoJo bar as dessert, which has a few grams of sugar. I am thinking that is the cause of some of my fat gain, so am cutting the coconut milk for now. Anyway, I am reasonably pleased with 6 pounds of muscle mass gain in 3 months. I just want to stop gaining fat as well. My 3 day/wk OMAD fasting is going well, and I generally don’t feel hungry until my workout.

I have used some hemp milk I got on sale in my smoothie, and it did make it taste really good, but it was also sweetened with sugar, and I believe was the reason for my initial fat jump back in Jan. Does anyone know of a convenient unsweetened source of hemp milk? Or have another substitute suggestion?

(Robin) #8

I have no answers/suggestions for you, as I have never used drinks/smoothies etc to supplement my diet. But you will hopefully get some good suggestions here.

#9

That’s quite good! Grats!

I can’t help with your smoothie problem as I just eat normal food (okay, smoothies must be very normal for people, to me it’s meat, eggs, dairy :wink: ) and really try to minimize my protein and fat intake alike (I don’t really care about carbs on/near carnivore, if it goes high, I still feel great so it doesn’t matter, apparently. and it never can go super high as that would give me too much fat as well. 40g is about the highest I go, I had at least that much on my original keto while it’s an exceptional day on carnivore-ish). That gives me pretty good macros when I am successful…
I tried hemp and hemp milk before, wasn’t impressed. I am curious so I try out various items :slight_smile:

Now on close to OMAD days, I finally don’t overeat anymore, yay!

And about OMAD… It fell apart on Saturday. No problem, I just hope it comes back on Monday. The usual tinier meal happened very quickly this time, my meat intake dropped drastically, it happens sometimes and that didn’t help… Yesterday I needed 3 meals to get enough nutrients and my needs aren’t even high! And today I just joined my SO at his lunch (it was a tiny meal for me, just trying out things I just made)… It was 10am or something… When he started, I lasted for a while more but eventually got curious about my new food. I always was wilder in weekends, it’s hit and hiss now but it’s a rainy day and I have my usual morning zombieness, don’t even stop to think… It’s fine, main thing I do things right on most days, not on each and every one! :wink: Yesterday I got hungry after 2pm and ate then. Very early, yes but I needed multiple meals anyway. Yesterday was IF. Today is anyone’s guess but I will try.

I should go back to my old (and maybe never realized) idea that on Mondays, I will fast until I somewhat comfortably can. Not until hunger, that is potentially way too strict and wrong for me. Just until I don’t suffer in any way. That’s typically skipping lunch (the 3-4pm one we have on workdays. usually 3pm but sometimes there is shopping or something and it gets delayed), it’s a little push but usually not much. It’s mostly mental, I like eating and I am so very used to lunch… I hope the 2 skipped lunch still have some effect and it will be easier next time… It’s a biggish mental barrier I need to break - when I am not satiated anymore! Doable and even easy but takes a little effort. I am not used to that regarding lunch skipping…

(B Creighton) #10

Thank you for replying. Do you remember a brand or where you got it? Yeah, its taste unsweetened is not impressive, but it has a desirable protein profile and some ALA omega 3, while little of the undesirable stuff. I got what I had simply because it was on sale, but I have to say in the sweetened form, it was quite good, and made a good tasting smoothie.

#11

I don’t remember the brand but it was probably a local one anyway, the webshops I use tend to have their own name put on everything. It wasn’t bad, per se but wasn’t good enough for its price. It was before I added back meat but I still had all the ovo-lacto vegetarian animal products.

(B Creighton) #12

I have found a way I can get it, but I have to order it.


and it is not cheap…of course

(KM) #13

EF started 6 pm Sunday. I’m not really feeling it but the timing is right. We shall see. Starting weight 121.6 lbs.

#14

New week, I am ready to go back to OMAD! Except my very last coffee, hopefully for a looooooooooong time. It had cream in it.
I overate in the weekend (3 meals do that to me especially without enough meat. it felt little food but it was way too much, I have that often) but I ate good food and I am very satiated now. Great day to have a longer than usual fast (if we forget my little coffee. it really was little)!

I really liked my OMAD days last week (and the seriously dropped macros I got through them) so I have a great motivation to do them again :slight_smile: I don’t know what to do with the inevitable undereating problem but we will see. It would be nice to have the occasional TMAD but it doesn’t always happen. It’s not like I can decide my IF, it’s up to my body. I merely push on my mental barrier regarding lunch and provide nice meals for me to have a chance to be able to eat enough. But OMAD always diminishes my mealsize. It was pretty annoying in the past: I could eat 1600-2000 kcal meals just fine! But not on most OMAD days. So I underate on OMAD and overate on TMAD and 3MAD. I had a time when I was unable to eat TMAD, I ate once or 3-5 times. Too bad I lost my fasting days when I dropped my carbs really low :frowning:

I am still hopeful :slight_smile:

(KM) #15

Short one this time, ended 48 hrs at 6 pm with broth, pork and some cheese.

#16

Monday: 130 minutes eating window, overeating quite seriously in my current world… Yep, pork shoulder apparently makes me hungry, I had this before. (But that was on a full carnivore TMAD day so I went over twice of my caloric need… Even I rarely do that. Because I usually have some restraint and am used to being very careful with fattier items. So it doesn’t feel too restrictive most of the time.)

Yesterday I ate twice (2.5 hour eating window) and half of the calories of the previous day (according guesstimation, I don’t know how much fat I eat when I have fatty meat… I may be off significantly then)… Not surprising from me though it made a very low-cal day as Monday wasn’t THAT bad :). I am not fully satiated now, the next day at 10:30am but not hungry yet and waiting until 2-3pm should be easy. But we will see.

It would be nice if I could skip a day or two… But I get too serious physical and mental challenges when I tentatively try. Being adamant about it helps but how could I get that determination? Fat-loss never was super important for me and my other goals can be achieved without EF. Except the vague mild goal of doing it one day again. I don’t give up this plan but pushing myself too much? Nope. I love eating every day. Sadly, it doesn’t help if I find other enjoyment, to my hedonistic self adding more and an easy one at that is always a good idea. Not like fasting couldn’t be totally blissful… Until I get hungry, at least… Or deconcentrated… Is that the right word here?
It definitely won’t happen today, I am glad to last until 3pm and I nearly always do that and I like that so it’s usually hard not to do it, even with a small hunger. On workdays, at least.

So, my plan is having a 1-3 hour eating window for now if I can’t do EF. Lunch skipping is still something I still don’t like to do. I just can on some days. I try to nurture my budding abilities regarding that.

Maybe I should write more about fasting and less about eating but my fasting is that, eating right to last long. The fasting is just lack of eating, not much to talk about it. And no one can expect me to write tiny comments (I do try sometimes). I rarely wait to the point when fasting gets uncomfortable or hard - and then I just watch or read something that keeps my attention. I can’t really do much in that unfocused state. I wonder why I am like that. I am supposed to be fine without food for several weeks. And then survive for several months… Why I can’t last for a day then? Maybe I can last a day but that’s it and not always. I kind of know my body and mind probably will shut up and accept it if I ignored them for a little while but only big determination or outside force (I had no food or money once so I starved. it was very easy but short too, only 11 days. I lost 4kg I think, it’s actually a bit less than expected but old scales and human bodies aren’t so reliable) could push me through it.

But maybe one day I get super stubborn. I try to be ready when that day comes. As I have multiple reasons and urges to eat and sometimes it would be easy to skip a meal but I don’t wanna… That could be a problem.

(B Creighton) #17

So, I did cut my coconut milk from my smoothies, and my weight immediately dropped a pound and has since rebounded. Nevertheless, this seems to be working to stop the fat gain. I have gained another 1/2 Lb of muscle along with the rebound fat, but my overall fat gain seems to have platued since Feb 9. In other words I have gained another 1/2 of muscle since then, without more fat overall.

It looks like in a week or so, I will stop my IF days, and probably go to keto briefly.

(KCKO, KCFO) #18

Welcome to March, new thread at :slight_smile: