Hey y'all! Anyone and everyone is welcome to jump in and join us.

This is the Intermittent Fasting DAily Menu/Results/Accountability Thread. It's where a few of us (or many) are going to log in and encourage each other while we experiment with our own IF plans. You can list or talk about anything--not just your food. I look forward to adding in HIIT (High Intensity Interval Training) and core exercises to my walking plan while practicing IF. So expect to hear about that too. hehe I expect some of us will talk about the known IF side-effects like insomnia, circadian rhythm disturbance, etc. It's all good! Let's hack this IF mofo! mkay?

There is not any 1 specific IF plan--there are so many to choose from, so this is a BYOIFP (bring-your-own-IF-plan) and join the fun! This is the thread where we'll post our daily menus and maybe some piccys at times! We can discuss progress, issues we might notice, look at how we may want to refine our own personal plans. I do think you should be healed from surgery and have your doctor's and RD's blessings to try something like this and you should do a ton of research and reading about Intermittent Fasting.

IF isn't only about weight loss, it's about taking specific measures to limit either quantities, calories, macros, or sometimes only consciously altering eating windows/schedules in order to effect metabolic change and reduce inflammation and improve health markers.

Ok, let's do this thang!!!

The 16/8 window is the only one really doable (longterm) for me as going to lunch with my colleagues is important for me and I want to eat in the evening as well after exercising.

My fasting/eating windows are not constant though.

Sometimes the fasting window is longer when I'm on the late shift and start working at noon because I don't go to lunch then. That's about one time a week on average.

When I'm on 24 h shift (about 3-4 times a month) I don't really have a fasting window or fix meals.

14 minutes ago, summerset said:

The 16/8 window is the only one really doable (longterm) for me as going to lunch with my colleagues is important for me and I want to eat in the evening as well after exercising.

My fasting/eating windows are not constant though.

Sometimes the fasting window is longer when I'm on the late shift and start working at noon because I don't go to lunch then. That's about one time a week on average.

When I'm on 24 h shift (about 3-4 times a month) I don't really have a fasting window or fix meals.

When i was doing 16/8 i was either eating too early or too late and i notice it messes with my digestion negatively. But i also noticed i generally vfeel better when empty for longer. Its the weirdest thing.

25 minutes ago, GreenTealael said:

When i was doing 16/8 i was either eating too early or too late and i notice it messes with my digestion negatively.

What definitely messed up my digestion system was the catering and restaurant food I ate during the last three days. ?

Ok, starting a new experiment today. It's the DIY version of Dr. Valter Longo's FMD (fasting mimicking diet). I came across some sites where people are making up their own. Dr. Longo expressly warns not to do this. Cuz so many things can go wrong. But I've a hard time seeing the harm in this--except it is extremely low protein. But I'm doing EF (extended water only fasts), so this should theoretically be "better" for me rather than water only. And it is supposed to still build stem cells and allow for autophagy.

His real plan is called Prolon and comes as a meal kit. But it's $250.00!!! And it's all highly processed stuff! ? So I need cheap and fresh! Here's his site to buy it. And here is his book where he talks about the FMD and longevity. Longevity Diet. And here's the site to the girl who did her own FMD plan. I downloaded her spread sheet and made my own.

It's a giant PIA honestly. You have to have very specific measurements of macros and sub macros. LOL. And honestly, my diet today calls for about 848cals and I've no idea if I can get them all in! I'm only working on the first meal now (18:6 today), and I'm already full. Which means the rest of lunch (let's just call it 2nd lunch) has to be eaten as a snack and pushes the snack back. So have to go figure it all out! But lunch was absolutely gorgeous and all for 330cals (8g prot, 21g fat, 28g carbs, 8g fiber, 12g sugar--only naturally occurring sugars in veg/fruits).

I think the volume is just too huge to eat raw. So I will need to think up some cooked meals instead so that I can reduce the volume of the veg.Here's the site for the DIY: GenX Life Is Good .

She's also on YouTube with it -- you can google her.

Here's lunch. I was able to eat the soup (total slider) and 1/2 the salad (salads are pretty sliderish for me, but this has a lot of dense fiber veg). The rest of the salad will be afternoon snack with more added fat.

And here's the after:

Ha. I've no idea if this will work. It was fun "cooking" it. Super easy soup throw down. I just poured everything into a pan.

Here's the Butternut Squash Soup recipe ingredients. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and garnish with cilantro if you want.

Edited April 8, 20197 yr by FluffyChix

6 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

Ok, starting a new experiment today. It's the DIY version of Dr. Valter Longo's FMD (fasting mimicking diet). I came across some sites where people are making up their own. Dr. Longo expressly warns not to do this. Cuz so many things can go wrong. But I've a hard time seeing the harm in this--except it is extremely low Protein. But I'm doing EF (extended Water only fasts), so this should theoretically be "better" for me rather than water only. And it is supposed to still build stem cells and allow for autophagy.

His real plan is called Prolon and comes as a meal kit. But it's $250.00!!! And it's all highly processed stuff! ? So I need cheap and fresh! Here's his site to buy it. And here is his book where he talks about the FMD and longevity. Longevity Diet. And here's the site to the girl who did her own FMD plan. I downloaded her spread sheet and made my own.

It's a giant PIA honestly. You have to have very specific measurements of macros and sub macros. LOL. And honestly, my diet today calls for about 848cals and I've no idea if I can get them all in! I'm only working on the first meal now (18:6 today), and I'm already full. Which means lunch has to be eaten as a snack and pushes the snack back. So have to go figure it all out! But lunch was absolutely gorgeous and all for 330cals (8g prot, 21g fat, 28g carbs, 8g Fiber, 12g sugar--only naturally occurring sugars in veg/fruits).

I think the volume is just too huge to eat raw. So I will need to think up some cooked meals instead so that I can reduce the volume of the veg.Here's the site for the DIY: GenX Life Is Good .

She's also on YouTube with it -- you can google her.

Here's lunch. I was able to eat the Soup (total slider) and 1/2 the salad (salads are pretty sliderish for me, but this has a lot of dense fiber veg). The rest of the salad will be afternoon snack with more added fat.

And here's the after:

Ha. I've no idea if this will work. It was fun "cooking" it. Super easy soup throw down. I just poured everything into a pan.

Here's the Butternut Squash Soup recipe ingredients. Simmer for 5-10 minutes and garnish with cilantro if you want.

Interesting I'm going to take a look

But i concur I'm not buying $250 worth of anything ?

36 minutes ago, GreenTealael said:

Interesting I'm going to take a look

But i concur I'm not buying $250 worth of anything ?

OMG! IKR? No way! But I think with a little modification, I will be able to arrive at pretty nutrient dense version of his plan using his macros and calories and do almost as well as the prolon kit. And it's not gonna be anywhere near as processed. I will do this for 5 days and then see how I feel to see if I can do a refeed day on Saturday and then maybe go into a more low carb Mediterranean plan. I'm mostly eating fish/seafood and veg anyways. I just won't add the beans and legumes until I have the oncology RD blessing.

Edited April 8, 20197 yr by FluffyChix

Ha! Ok, so back Day1 Snack. I ate the rest of the salad and then threw this together, but it was only supposed to be blueberries -- only I didn't have enough for my qty so I made up the qty with blackberries. My bg was back to 85 at 2 hours after lunch--so I went ahead with the next meal to make it all fit in. The goo went down fine as did the rest of the salad.

Snack Day 1 FMD - I call this Blueberry Almond Butter Cacao Nib Goo!

OK, so Day1 Dinner. I'm stuffed. I felt like I had been eating all the live long day! Mainly cuz every 2-3 hours there it was. Boomshakalaka. I'm not used to that! I think I'm gonna have to be more crafty in designing today's food so that there is a bit more caloric density and less volume! I honestly couldn't even think of eating the bran cracker and almond butter bedtime snack last night. So I didn't end up having all 848 cals. But that's ok with me! LOL. Gah!

This is the end of Day 1 FMD Dinner - Vegetable Curry Soup. It was so dang delish! It took me two meals to finish it.

Issa back! Green juice mornings

Spinach water Valencia orange stevia pineapple lemon crystals

1 minute ago, GreenTealael said:

Issa back! Green juice mornings

Spinach Water Valencia orange stevia pineapple lemon crystals

Dang! You are quite the calorie economist too! Tip of the hat to ya 'mam! Looks D-Lish!!

Now get out of my head. That's not yours! I'm having a green smoothie for lunch with an 18:6, only mine isn't looking as beautiful as your's looks. Mine is more like Veggie Boy from Cheers. I have to think of it as green gazpacho or I'll gag from the fiber. LOL.

2 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

Dang! You are quite the calorie economist too! Tip of the hat to ya 'mam! Looks D-Lish!!

Now get out of my head. That's not yours! I'm having a green smoothie for lunch with an 18:6, only mine isn't looking as beautiful as your's looks. Mine is more like Veggie Boy from Cheers. I have to think of it as green gazpacho or I'll gag from the Fiber. LOL.

It tastes sooooo good I converted my bf who does not like green drinks... I think because its so basic

Im going to try the curry soup later ?

Edited April 9, 20197 yr by GreenTealael

1 minute ago, GreenTealael said:

It tastes sooooo good I converted my bf who does not like green drinks... I think because its so basic

Im going to try the curry Soup later ?

Wooohooo on conversions!! Maybe he thinks he's Popeye now--and needs to carry you around?

Hope you like the curry soup. Disclaimer: eyeball the spices. I never measure that stuff. Add your curry to taste.

(psssst, so far today? I have more true belly hunger this morning going into FMD. I'm drinking water and green tea like a beast to satiate. But my bg was a tiny bit lower this morning at 81 from 83 (not truly significant).

5 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

Wooohooo on conversions!! Maybe he thinks he's Popeye now--and needs to carry you around?

Hope you like the curry Soup. Disclaimer: eyeball the spices. I never measure that stuff. Add your curry to taste.

(psssst, so far today? I have more true belly hunger this morning going into FMD. I'm drinking Water and green tea like a beast to satiate. But my bg was a tiny bit lower this morning at 81 from 83 (not truly significant).

Ahahahahahahahaha

Uh oh. You know what time it is? That's right! It's Thomas Time!!! Wha-what???

Ok, what a difference a day makes! I think I figured some of the massive food volume out! And I opted on FMD Day 2 Lunch (fasting 18:6) to go with a green drink that I blend/pulverize rather than juice--so it has all the fiber + some more. TY psyllium husks. It was very tart and savory. I even added a splash of ACV to it along with a shake of garlic, pepper, and cayenne. Dang. Gonna maybe have the same thing on Thursday--it was that good!

I also made a side dish cuz I needed more protein. Just quick broccoli tossed with sesame dressing and some walnuts. I'm full y'all! But feel very energetic and ready to run!

I did have some leg/ankle swelling last night and weight was up this morning along with BP, so that tells me that the boxed broth is not my friend. I did it so I would know quantities, but clearly I can't handle a 500mg hit of sodium per cup. It'll come back off, but I was hoping to drop overnight with a water drop...not. (My Veggie Boy is ugly as baby poop!)

Here's the yummy broccoli:

And here are the ingredients/quantities. The broccoli and walnuts are the last 3 items on the list.