What Weight Loss Programs Is Everyone Doing?

[SunsetRunner]

An instructor at the gym i frequent has suggested the 8 hour window approach for weight loss which involves eating only in an eight hour period of each day. I am trying from 7 am to 3 pm. Does anyone have any ideas about this?

[A_Lurker]

This is basically intermitant fasting.  I calorie count and that works for me.  I think of calories as a budget.  I have a certain amount to spend, and this helps me make better choices.  On the weekends I probably do IF without thinking.  My first meal isn't usually until sometimes 2pm and I've stopped eating by 10pm.  The catch is I used to do the same thing 100 pound ago, just higher calorie meals.  You can easily overeat just eating 8 hours a day. 

[SunsetRunner]

I have tried the 5-2 plan which I did not find that onerous. I agree with your last point about still overeating during the 8 hour window. Thanks!

[USAF-Larry]

I have been in the weight maintenance mode for many years, seldom varying more than 5 pounds plus or minus at various times. But, when I was in the weight loss mode I learned that diets didn't work for long.  I just eat balanced meals with portion control, and do regular exercise. It helped me lose weight, and it has helped me maintain my weight.  And, it is something I can do forever.

[Dominique · Accepted solution]

For your weight loss to be successful, you need to find a way of eating that puts you in a caloric deficit and that is sustainable. Intermittent fasting can work for some people, but there’s nothing magical about it: it will only work for weight loss if it creates the required caloric deficit. If you are prone to snacking all the time and that causes you to overeat, and you’re able to suppress that with IF, then IF may suit you well. I personally prefer to spread my eating accross the day, but nutrient timing is largely a question of personal preferences. In the end, it’s total calories that matter most (for weight loss).

[CorgiOnslaught]

I made up my own/don't have one, I watch my calorie intake and document everything (beer/alcohol especially!) while I train for my upcoming 1/2 marathons and other races.

I have 2 goals for those races and to reach them I need to lose body fat (so it's easier to run) and increase my speed/endurance. What I've done to keep myself honest about my running and other workouts is to put them in a Google Calendar I share with my girlfriend. I mark them complete as I go through the week and if they aren't done she calls me out on it and vice versa.

It's nice because at the end of the week I can look back and evaluate how I did for the week. If I did poorly I can try to fix that by rescheduling runs/workouts.

[Glenda]

                                   Intermittent Fasting seems to mean different things to different people on here.  There IS something magical to it if you are doing it the 5 - 2 way.  They call it fasting even though the people eat 500 or 600 calories sometine during the day maybe  But only doing that 2 times a week keeps your body metobilism from adjusting to a reduced calorie intake, Dominique.  That is the Magic.   If you eat a low level of calories every day your metabolism slows and you get along fine on less and gain if you suddenly swithch back to more. 

[Dominique]

@Glenda: the 5:2 diet is simply about creating a caloric deficit at the weekly level rather than having the same deficit everyday. If you have the same weekly deficit with a 5:2 diet and with a diet that creates the same deficit everyday, you will observe the same weight loss and the same metabolic adaptation.

I created my own version of the 5:2 diet in my rapid fat loss experiment: it’s a 3:4 diet (4 days eating a very low – though higher than on the 2 low-calorie days of the 5:2 diet – amount of calories, 3 days of eating "normally"). After one month, it has worked more or less as expected: I achieved the same loss I would have had with an equal deficit everyday. Note I only view this approach as a temporary/short-term solution (I intend to use it for two months max.).

Since the 5:2 diet originated from the UK, you may want to read what the NHS has to say about it.

[CSZ]

I have been doing Trim Healthy Mama for the last 2 years and have lost 45 lbs. There is no calorie counting but calorie consciousness.  Each  meal is either a higher fat/lower carb or higher carb/lower fat. No whole foods are off the table just processed foods, white flour, and sugar.  The focus is on controlling your sugar/insulin levels and not to spike them too much with any given meal.  Also your macros will change from day to day to keep your body from getting used to one type of meal.  It is important to eat a variety of foods to receive the nutrition your body needs naturally.