Apple1

I think your plan is great, but I have come to believe that we spend way to much time looking at macros. We call food by its macro content now instead of what it is. I hate this part of WLS.

I am still in the learning phase myself and have not tried this yet, but I do plan on incorporating the 16/8 type of fasting. Basically you limit your eating to an 8 hour window of your choosing. For me it will be from 12:00-8:00pm. I will eat my first meal of the day at 12 and finish by 8:00pm. I will still eat my normal healthy diet and the same amount of calories, I will just fast from 8:00pm till 12:00 the next day. I will still consume water, coffee, and tea during the 16 hour fast. I hope this helps. I encourage you to purchase one of Dr. Fungs books on the subject or check out youtube.

I am sorry but everything you have written here is false. We store calories until we need them no matter when we eat. The difference is when we have a regular fast period of say 16 hours daily, our body is better able to use that stored energy. You really need to do some more research into this topic. Our bodies are designed to fast and humans have done this for centuries.

Thanks for posting the link. The book I am listening to has also mentioned an increase in metabolism during fasting, which is the exact opposite of what many people will tell you. We always hear the myth that eating many times a day keeps the metabolism high, but this is just not found to be true at all in research studies.

Dr. Fung has used IF and longer fasting protocols to reverse type 2 diabetes and help patients reach a normal weight. There really isn't any harm that I have read, as long as you are able to consume the normal amount of calories during the eating window. Disclaimer: This is not from personal experience, but research I have done. Check with your doctor before starting anything like this if you have any medical condition that requires you to take medications.

I would really like to try some of the slightly longer fasts of 24-48 hours. I will hold off on those until I am able to consume more calories. I have gotten to the point where I can eat close to 1300 on Sunday's when I run for longer distances 4-5 miles. Most days my calories fall some where in the 1000-1200 range.

Actually whole grains are really a tiny part of the plate. As you said they are very filling and I rarely eat bread of any kind for that reason. My daily carb count usually falls some where around 50-60g, but I am not counting that on purpose. I chose foods for their nutrition value not the macro. I eat a lot of beans and legumes, veggies of all types, tofu, fruit in smaller amounts,nuts seeds, brown rice,quinoa,occasionally whole wheat pasta, and salad with dark leafy greens. Once or twice a month I eat a little salmon or other fish and 1-3 eggs per month from my chickens. My goal right now is 90% whole foods plant based with the other 10% being eggs/dairy and fish/chicken. I purchase locally raised free range chicken when we eat it. The dairy comes from the full fat creme I use in my coffee and my daily protein shake. I eat very little processed foods and stay away from sugar and refined carbs as much as possible. This is what is working for me and is what I believe from my research to be a very healthy diet. You have to figure out what is going to work for you long term.

Sorry you MIL isn't willing to take your advice. All you can do is try. This is why I have been spending so much time researching nutrition and diet. I have listened to 6 books on this subject and still feel like there is more to learn sometimes. You are correct that many of the nutrients that are bodies need are best absorbed from the whole foods. This is why restricting our diets to just meat with a bite or two of veggies is not good long term.

For me the only difference in a days eating would be that all of my meals would be consumed between 12-8pm. Google Dr. Jason Fung for more information or just intermittent fasting. I copied the information below from this article found here: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/what-is-intermittent-fasting#section1 intermittent fasting is currently one of the world's most popular health and fitness trends. It involves alternating cycles of fasting and eating. Many studies show that this can cause weight loss, improve metabolic health, protect against disease and perhaps help you live longer (1, 2). This article explains what intermittent fasting is, and why you should care. What Is Intermittent Fasting? Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern where you cycle between periods of eating and fasting. It does not say anything about which foods to eat, but rather when you should eat them. There are several different intermittent fasting methods, all of which split the day or week into eating periods and fasting periods. Most people already "fast" every day, while they sleep. Intermittent fasting can be as simple as extending that fast a little longer. You can do this by skipping breakfast, eating your first meal at noon and your last meal at 8 pm. Then you're technically fasting for 16 hours every day, and restricting your eating to an 8-hour eating window. This is the most popular form of intermittent fasting, known as the 16/8 method. Despite what you may think, intermittent fasting is actually fairly easy to do. Many people report feeling better and having more energy during a fast. Hunger is usually not that big of an issue, although it can be a problem in the beginning, while your body is getting used to not eating for extended periods of time. No food is allowed during the fasting period, but you can drink water, coffee, tea and other non-caloric beverages. Some forms of intermittent fasting allow small amounts of low-calorie foods during the fasting period. Taking supplements is generally allowed while fasting, as long as there are no calories in them. Why Fast? Humans have actually been fasting for thousands of years. Sometimes it was done out of necessity, when there simply wasn't any food available. In other instances, it was done for religious reasons. Various religions, including Islam, Christianity and Buddhism, mandate some form of fasting. Humans and other animals also often instinctively fast when sick. Clearly, there is nothing "unnatural" about fasting, and our bodies are very well equipped to handle extended periods of not eating. All sorts of processes in the body change when we don't eat for a while, in order to allow our bodies to thrive during a period of famine. It has to do with hormones, genes and important cellular repair processes (3). When fasted, we get significant reductions in blood sugar and insulin levels, as well as a drastic increase in human growth hormone (4, 5). Many people do intermittent fasting in order to lose weight, as it is a very simple and effective way to restrict calories and burn fat (6, 7, 8). Others do it for the metabolic health benefits, as it can improve various different risk factors and health markers (1). There is also some evidence that intermittent fasting can help you live longer. Studies in rodents show that it can extend lifespan as effectively as calorie restriction (9, 10). Some research also suggests that it can help protect against diseases, including heart disease, type 2 diabetes, cancer, Alzheimer's disease and others (11, 12). Other people simply like the convenience of intermittent fasting. It is an effective "life hack" that makes your life simpler, while improving your health at the same time. The fewer meals you need to plan for, the simpler your life will be. Not having to eat 3-4+ times per day (with the preparation and cleaning involved) also saves time. A lot of it. BOTTOM LINE:Humans are well adapted to fasting from time to time. Modern research shows that it has benefits for weight loss, metabolic health, disease prevention and may even help you live longer.

Yes, this is what I mean. The 8/16 fast is simply restricting your eating to a 8 hour window and you fast for the next 16 hours.

Ok for those that have never heard of IF here are some of the health benefits: When you don't eat for a while, several things happen in your body. For example, your body initiates important cellular repair processes and changes hormone levels to make stored body fat more accessible. Here are some of the changes that occur in your body during fasting: Insulin levels: Blood levels of insulin drop significantly, which facilitates fat burning (1). Human growth hormone: The blood levels of growth hormone may increase as much as 5-fold (2, 3). Higher levels of this hormone facilitate fat burning and muscle gain, and have numerous other benefits (4, 5). Cellular repair: The body induces important cellular repair processes, such as removing waste material from cells (6). Gene expression: There are beneficial changes in several genes and molecules related to longevity and protection against disease (7, 8). Many of the benefits of intermittent fasting are related to these changes in hormones, gene expression and function of cells.

Actually after thinking about this more: why should I wait to begin reaping the benefits of IF as long as I am sure to continue consuming the same amount of daily calories during the 8 hour eating window? Really all I would be doing is waiting until 12:00 to break my fast and then eating normally until 8:00pm. Everyday.

Yes I agree with you. I am just in the research phase. I wouldn't start this until I get to my 1 year.

Yes, I agree with everyone on waiting until we are in Maintenance. I am almost there weight wise, so I am just looking at doing this for the health reasons and also to try and direct the fat burn a little more.

Great! I am glad to see that there are several here that do this. I am still learning about the different types and I have heard of the 5:2. I am interested in the 16:8 and also doing a 24 hour fast maybe 1-2 times a month. I am thinking it would be fairly easy to eat dinner on a Friday night and then fast till dinner on Saturday. Then I could fast until 1:00pm on Sunday and get another 16 hr. fast done. I am not a breakfast eater anyway so I think this style of eating would be perfect for me.

I will share more insights from the book I am listening to later. I hope more people that have experience with this will share with all of us on this thread. I have to go to the field today for work - cutting down some trees in the forest. See you all later.

OMG- I love him!! He is definitely ripped...lol

Yes!!! We should definitely get one started. Maybe this can be the new thread. FYI....WLS is a fast. It is a surgically induced fast!!! That was in the book.

I posted my reply before seeing yours..lol... So far what you have said is what I have learned. I am still researching, but this seems like a very good way to help burn off these last few stubborn fat pounds. There are other health benefits especially for people that are prone to insulin resistance. I am probably going to try this at some point soon. I am glad to have your positive input!!

Thus far my research has not shown me that people who use intermittent fasting lose lean muscle mass. What I have learned is that body builders actually use this method to help keep body fat low and gain muscle. Anyway thank you for your reply. I am hoping that others who have done this will reply.

I have been the same weight since Friday. Up and down about .5 everyday lol... no worries though. I am mostly focused on fitness now and trying to lose some of this fat that is still hanging around my belly.

I went for a run this morning with my hubby. I find that when I run with him I go faster and the time passes more effortlessly. I decided to see just how fast I could go for the last .3 mile and I flew past him and ran a 7:16 pace. I actually felt a surge of adrenaline and think this must be that runners high that I hear people talk about. It was a great feeling almost like I was flying...lol.. Congrats on the loss @Newme17. You are rocking it!! So glad you got some good sleep yesterday.

I was nauseous the first 24-48 hours after surgery from the anesthesia. I had a few dry heaves, but that was it. They gave me something for it in my IV and I have been fine since. I haven't ever actually vomited and I am 5 months post op.

I was shocked when I left for work this morning. There were trees and large branches down all over my neighborhood!! I knew it was storming, but I didn't realize it was so bad. It took me an extra 20 minutes on my commute because it started pouring again in route. I feel blessed that none of our trees seemed damaged. I can't believe I slept through all that. Hopefully you can hit the bed early tonight and be back to normal tomorrow!

Oh wow I hate when that happens I slept in this morning because it is storming outside and I knew I wasn't going to run. I hope you have a good day!!