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!!!

10 minutes ago, sillykitty said:

Make sense, since I love NYC, lol

When I started with my company I was excited to be assigned the NY territory. Only to find out the office was in some terrible bedroom community in NJ with big houses, wide lawns, and not a damn thing to do after 10 pm

Hahaha you must be in the Paramus, Upple Saddle River area of NJ? ROFLMAO!

3 hours ago, Matt Z said:

Still trucking along this week. No major "violations" or slip ups... it's getting much easier to extend past the 6pm - 8am fasting hours at this point. Stall broke, weight's starting to slide off again. I've got 27 lbs to shed in the next 61 days to meet my dream goal of being the weight I was when I was 20, when I turn 40 (and being the same weight I was when I was married 20 years ago)

Nice! That is an awesome goal!

That's one thing I like about IF, the more I do it, the easier it seems. Which has not been my experience with restrictive diets.

(I also love your new avi!)

9 minutes ago, sillykitty said:

You went to a burger place and ordered chicken and veggies! That is a huge win in my book!

Hahahaha! IKR? LOL. But to put perspective on it, don't give me too much cred--their grilled chicken and veggies is seriously legit delish! Maybe up there with some of the best. And the last time we went, I had a Bill's Burger of which I ate one bite with the bun, then ate the insides out of it without the bun and only was able to eat 1/4 of it cuz of the grease and it being undercooked. (Even though I'm a rare steak girl or Pittsburgh style rather--raw burger at a FF place skeezes me out a little.) Then 30 minutes later, I was nauseated all through the game cuz of the fat in the meal.

I honestly think my gallbladder may be on its last leggies.

1 minute ago, FluffyChix said:

Hahaha you must be in the Paramus, Upple Saddle River area of NJ? ROFLMAO!

I don't even know, I blocked it out! All I remember it was boring af!

The NE and NY office had a lot of overlap, so once I realized I could visit the NE office instead, I never went back!

2 hours ago, GreenTealael said:

So far so good, it does seem to work the longer you do it (for me anyway). Also apparently it has a lot of benefits I was unaware of at the time I began. My weight is the same, my body is different. I think I'm losing fat.

But I really really love the fact that it broke me out of this horrible feeding pattern I created for myself after surgery, now I'm hydrating most of the day.

I love that IF appears to be working to meet each of our needs! WTG on getting the hydration under control and isn't it SUPER to feel the fat leaving your body?

37 minutes ago, GreenTealael said:

We all need to get a room, in Cambodia...

Rooms are CHEAP too!

(and the food is delicious)

39 minutes ago, Matt Z said:

I decided to try the IF because, the stalls were getting longer and longer and harder to break doing my normal routine. And I was convinced to try it by the science, I believe @GreenTealael posted the video, it just made perfect, logical sense. So, since it's free, I gave it a go, and only 3 days in, it does seem to be working.

Matt, congrats on busting your stall and I hope it helps you get to goal like a beast!!!

27 minutes ago, sillykitty said:

Why I do IF

Mostly because it fits in pretty easily with my natural eating habits. I am naturally not hungry in the morning. It isn't usually very hard for me to push my first meal to later in the day.

It helps me hydrate. If I'm not eating it's easier for me to focus on my fluids. Plus drinking can help stave off some hunger.

One thing I have found to be absolutely true for me ... the more I eat, the more hungry I get. So the more I do IF, the easier it gets. It's nice to truly not be hungry until 2pm. That is half the day gone and I have made no bad choices, win! I find it works for both physical hunger and head hunger, IF diminishes both.

So I generally would have a moderate fasting time because I'm not an earlier eater. But attempting IF gives me a reason to skip that late night snack.

I like that I can do it any day I wish. Some days I can't because of hunger or schedule. That's fine, I didn't fall off the wagon, screw anything up, etc.. I just didn't do IF that day, period.

I'm not good with restrictive diets. I'm never going to be able to give up carbs. I eat out frequently. I still crave crap food. So IF gives me something I can do that helps with cravings and hunger, but still doesn't make me a failure if I order chicken fried steak.

I don't know if IF by itself has all of he benefits it claims to have. Like all fad diets, some science turns into a lot of hype. But my biggest challenges post WLS are making poor choics and dealing with hunger (physical and head). So IF helps me with one of those, the hunger, which therefore has me eating less food which therefore is less chance for poor decisions.

OMG I love that you brought this up. This is absolutely my experience too--about the more I eat the more I want!
I think you have SUCH a tough job being in the food industry and still needing to interact heavily with luxe food while losing weight. I'm actually so happy you have a tiny tummy as a tool!!! And oy veh on the poor choices. I know something of those too!!! ((hugs)) WTG!

30 minutes ago, MargoCL said:

For the 4 of you, I really do look to you as my mentors(?)

Oh man, good luck to you then

Did you see the McChicken I posted up last week?

2 minutes ago, sillykitty said:

Oh man, good luck to you then

Did you see the McChicken I posted up last week?

IKR!!!! Bahahahahaha!

Just now, sillykitty said:

Oh man, good luck to you then

Did you see the McChicken I posted up last week?

I did and I giggled a little. It reminded me that although I look to each of you, you are each VERY human. But it also gave me a little hope that one day if the urge so happens, I'll maybe give it a go, but if it's anything like the experience below... I may be good for a while.... LOL

My BF got a Dave's single from Wendy's the other day and it's the first time I've been near FF since long before surgery. It looked amazing, the smell on the other hand nearly made me take it out of his hand and toss it out the window. (I should mention that I was happily drinking my protein shake during this excursion).

31 minutes ago, MargoCL said:

I didn't purposely (well sort of) leave you out - It was the "women's" point of view just because I know women have such hormonal fluctuations (for lack of better wording). Men just naturally built with more muscle seem to "burn fat faster." But thank you for sharing your viewpoint as well because it really did help me better understand.

For the 4 of you, I really do look to you as my mentors(?) in this journey because everything you have said throughout the many posts I've read have taught me so much and continue to. I enjoy reading your IF posts and your before and after food posts along with all your responses to the many people that seek advice (myself included). You've taught me not to get overly obsessed with the scale as it comes to stalls and just so many other little things (too many to list) Please don't stop what you're doing, because I know for one I enjoy them and they really do help me.

I haven't checked the video out yet, but it's on my list of "to do" and I'm not sure if I want to start IF at just 3.5 weeks out, but at least I know it's an option.

Men have hormonal changes as well, it's not anywhere near as researched as women, but we certainly do. And if I got my wife on here, she'll tell you that I am effected by her cycle as well as effected by my own, actually I'm sure she'd say "OMG he's such an emotional b***h when he's having his man period." Not even getting into the issues with weight loss men have because fat stores estrogen and REALLY screws with our systems when the ratio of Testosterone to Estrogen gets all out of wack. I didn't take it personally really, just a lot of being ignored... which sucks.

I get we are different... but I'm a pretty feminine male... and I've got zero issues with that fact. I'm a VERY sensitive, emotional person.

7 minutes ago, FluffyChix said:

I think you have SUCH a tough job being in the food industry and still needing to interact heavily with luxe food while losing weight. I'm actually so happy you have a tiny tummy as a tool!!! And oy veh on the poor choices. I know something of those too!!! ((hugs)) WTG!

Thanks .... I do appreciate that.

You know, I wish I could only blame my job though. But I make poor choices when I'm at home, or out on personal time as well. Like Postmates has free delivery all day today .... sigh ....

1 minute ago, Matt Z said:

Men have hormonal changes as well, it's not anywhere near as researched as women, but we certainly do. And if I got my wife on here, she'll tell you that I am effected by her cycle as well as effected by my own, actually I'm sure she'd say "OMG he's such an emotional b***h when he's having his man period." Not even getting into the issues with weight loss men have because fat stores estrogen and REALLY screws with our systems when the ratio of Testosterone to Estrogen gets all out of wack. I didn't take it personally really, just a lot of being ignored... which sucks.

I get we are different... but I'm a pretty feminine male... and I've got zero issues with that fact. I'm a VERY sensitive, emotional person.

You sound a lot like my "Matt" - he's very similar so it seems. I apologize, I won't leave you out again

4 minutes ago, Matt Z said:

Men have hormonal changes as well, it's not anywhere near as researched as women, but we certainly do. And if I got my wife on here, she'll tell you that I am effected by her cycle as well as effected by my own, actually I'm sure she'd say "OMG he's such an emotional b***h when he's having his man period." Not even getting into the issues with weight loss men have because fat stores estrogen and REALLY screws with our systems when the ratio of Testosterone to Estrogen gets all out of wack. I didn't take it personally really, just a lot of being ignored... which sucks.

I get we are different... but I'm a pretty feminine male... and I've got zero issues with that fact. I'm a VERY sensitive, emotional person.

Matt thank you for speaking up and sharing your feelings/needs with us. IMHO that's a very rare gift. So if I steamroll or ignore, please shout out to me so I can make sure to try to change things!!!

Edited September 12, 20187 yr by FluffyChix

Just now, MargoCL said:

You sound a lot like my "Matt" - he's very similar so it seems. I apologize, I won't leave you out again

LOL thanks.... it's odd that I relate to women much easier than I do men for whatever reason.