Low-carb healthy fat living. Intermittent fasting. What’s your why?

I have considered LCHF to get rid of stubborn belly/ back/ and upper arm fat and a few extra pounds. My body mass index is at the high end of normal and sometime a little over. How do you make sure you get enough fiber in your diet, so you don't have GI issues?

Hi Beth @elizabethbartholomew, I've had a long running battle with constipation this past year and I think it has been fiber related but I'm not sure. About a month or so I started taking 2 tsps of Optifiber (Costco's version of Benefiber) with a 8 oz glass of water 2 to 3 times daily when I take my other supplements and medications. This has really helped with my constipation problem. I also try to eat more high fiber foods which I have not been very good at in the past.

Good morning @johnbishop, I am impressed with your efforts and the results, John. As we get older those mid night snacks and the “just one more” monkey chatter we give ourselves, makes it quite difficult to commit to and stay on an embrasive program. At the same time, our body may no longer support 5 mile roller blade runs or a 9 mile walk in sand at the beach.

Here is the question.....how do we control the necessary medications/supplements/additives, etc. during the fasting periods..e.g. high calcium foods 3 times a day for those of us who cannot handle the supplements? Don’t do this or that on an empty tummy? Make sure you take this with that....etc.etc.

Thanks for helping us explore this option.
May you be healthy and whole.
Chris

Good morning @johnbishop, I am impressed with your efforts and the results, John. As we get older those mid night snacks and the “just one more” monkey chatter we give ourselves, makes it quite difficult to commit to and stay on an embrasive program. At the same time, our body may no longer support 5 mile roller blade runs or a 9 mile walk in sand at the beach.

Here is the question.....how do we control the necessary medications/supplements/additives, etc. during the fasting periods..e.g. high calcium foods 3 times a day for those of us who cannot handle the supplements? Don’t do this or that on an empty tummy? Make sure you take this with that....etc.etc.

Thanks for helping us explore this option.
May you be healthy and whole.
Chris

Hi Chris @artscaping, I can tell you how I do the intermittent fasting which is probably not the letter of the law. I take my neuropathy supplements which include 1-1/5 oz hemp oil in the morning along with 5 capsules, 2 of which are omega fish oils. I also take 2 capsules that have to be taken apart from the morning and evening capsules for max bioavailability. Then I take the evening 5 capsules which includes the omega fish oil. I just figure what ever calories are in them are not that big of deal to interfere with my fasting window. So far, the intermittent fasting has worked well even though I take supplements. I have been doing mostly the 20 hour fast with a 4 hour eating window and I have a 2 meals during my eating window and always feel I've ate as much as I want or need to eat.

I've been told to take my stuff with a meal also but so far I've just taken them with water mixed with 2 tsps of Optifiber (Costco's Benefiber). Not sure if that counts as food although it does have a few calories and it also helps with my daily regularity issues 🙂

Sorry for the ramble. It's what I do.

I've been overweight all my life. I am 58 years old. I have tried diets before, many successful in the short term. Most of the time they were basically calorie-limiting diets. About 12 years ago, I had topped 290lbs, and began taking one of the "fen" drugs for a while. That and a 1500 calorie per day diet triggered a 6 month loss of 70 lbs. I stopped taking the drug midway, and began walking a mile or two most days. Towards the end, I was using a treadmill while playing video games (guitar hero) to pass the time. It was very easy to walk several hours at a time as the time just flew. One day I went to work, and the receptionist told me "you can stop now" referring to my insane weight loss. About the same time, we had a foreign exchange student move in, and I was uncomfortable exercising around her. All of which, were just excuses. But I began, slowly at first, then ultimately worked my way back up to 275 within a year or two.

Then in late 2018 I talked to an old friend, who also battles weight, and we sort of talked about "competing" to lose weight. Well three months later, I was up to 285. Apparently just weighing yourself each day isn't enough.

In early 2019, I started 16/8 fasting. Initially that was the only change I made. I had a physical about a week after I started, and told my doctor I was doing that. She expressed concern that I might be starving myself of nutrients in the morning. But I persisted.

I quickly began shedding weight, and within about 6 months was at 245, 30 lbs dropped. At that time, my progress slowed, and between 8/19 and 8/20 I only dropped 10 more pounds. At that time, my wife learned of a heart condition, and committed to a healthier diet. We started by removing much of the Beef from our diet, and added more poultry, plant-based protein, and fish. Also started cooking more of it at home rather than ordering delivery. Because of this, my weight started to drop again, and between 9/20 and 3/21, I have shed another 25 lbs.

The reasons I went with intermittent fasting.
1. I have always had this habit of eating something every 4-5 hours while awake, and I would stay awake very late at night, so 4 or more meals per day.
2. I wanted to be able to eat "practically anything" without breaking a diet rule. Having been in weight watchers it makes it tough to eat with family and others.
3. I suspected that I didn't feel full until I ate a large amount because my stomach was overstreched.
4. I felt I was being controlled by a body clock and not a true hunger trigger.

Rules I follow and how I deal with diet conflicts
1. If I'm out with friends, and I drink beer past 10pm, I make sure to eat as well, and then I don't have my next meal for 16 hours after that. That way, I'm not starving by the time I do eat.
2. Naturally, I skip breakfast nearly every day, and only have water or a cup or two of coffee until lunch. If I want to eat breakfast, as my wife and I do love traditional breakfast, the day before I'll have my last meal by 6pm so I can eat breakfast at 10am.

What I notice about myself now
1. I am satisfied after a plate of food.
2. If I order restaurant portions, I often have leftovers.
3. I don't wake up with abdominal pain anymore ostensibly from overnight gut activity.
4. My body clock is very used to the 16 hour gap, and I typically don't get any hunger sensations until about 15 hours have passed.
5. I no longer need to use a CPAP for sleep apnea.
6. My cholesteral counts are all in GREEN, and were all marginally in RED prior to starting.

Negatives
1. I have to tell people "go ahead and eat without me, I'm not hungry", but they don't always believe me. but I'm being honest when I say it.

Useful tools
1. Don't weigh every day. Use an app such as Happy Scale to track moving average and set short achievable goals. Frankly, I also skip posting weights that are higher than a previous weight. I wait till I feel I've dropped a pound, then post.
2. I weigh myself between my morning constitution and my first meal, but not if I'm feeling "fat". 🙂
3. I walk several times per week, and it keeps getting easier.
4. I use Virtual Reality a lot, and play Beat Saber for fun and exercise. I can burn several hundred calories per day, and my upper body is pretty strong now. Never had an issue with lower body as it has to haul me around. But I play heavily for a few days, and take a few days off to avoid fatigue.

Looking ahead
1. I would like to add in some VR biking/rowing etc. Just waiting for my next plateau, and I'll add that in. Maybe at 200 lbs (only 17 to go).
2. Now I feel in control of my body, it is doing what I tell it to do, and it likes that, and it is cooperating. I can keep doing this forever.

I have reversed my type 2 diabetes. No longer on meds and no complications. My bloodwork is all in the normal range. I would like ideas on prepared foods. If I want to eat, I have to cook.

Hey there @johnbishop ,,,, that is what I do already. Cannabis with meds and throughout the day as needed. @LeeAase, ohh...how tempting...coffee with heavy cream. No caffeine for me anymore.....do you have an alternative? Thanks you two.
Chris

Hey there @johnbishop ,,,, that is what I do already. Cannabis with meds and throughout the day as needed. @LeeAase, ohh...how tempting...coffee with heavy cream. No caffeine for me anymore.....do you have an alternative? Thanks you two.
Chris

@artscaping you could try a London Fog! It is Earl Grey tea w/ steamed milk but guessing you could try heavy cream. I just recently learned of it from someone who doesn't drink coffee but wanted some caffeine.