I'm about 67 days into a 90 day, time restricted eating window IRB study via The Salk Institute (La Jolla). You can read more about the study here on the web site.
You can read more about the program from my previous 2 blog posts. There are links for you to check out 2 youtube videos on the researchers involved in the study.
Time restricted eating windows from Ruth Patterson, PhD
http://gardengirlkp.blogspot.com/2016/07/additional-resources-on-time-restricted.html
And the last one puts virtual frosting on the LCHF/Paleo/Keto cupcake I'll never eat (because frosting is binge trigger....)
Moral of my story, tell no one what you are doing, provide info if they ask, and onward.
DR. PANDA!!! A big shout out to the research team at the Salk Institute and Dr. Patterson at UCSD for making the research, teaching, and tools available to us.
Time restricted eating windows from the researcher who is running the study Statchin Panda, PhD
http://gardengirlkp.blogspot.com/2016/07/a-new-study-with-app-from-salk.html
I found a lot of value in the My Circadian Clock app. It's free, except for the time investment of recording my food & sleep & exercise. I'll get to use the app all I want or don't want after the 14 weeks is completed. The app also works with any food template that works for you.
Free tools, YES!
The primary researcher is Satchin Panda, PhD. Panda! Panda! Panda! I'm sure he's tired of the panda references, especially in San Diego County. I have empathy since my last name is a much loved animal name, too!!! LOL.
I don't mind the jokes. Hopefully he doesn't either. But I'm telling you, his name is magic for me. See item #5 below.Dr. Panda's name is my ticket to happy interactions to talk about what I do and why I do it.
I'll take any help I can get. It's a cranky pants, food addicted, processed junk food world out there in the US. It's a sad state of affairs.
Here's what's working:
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| Panda, San Diego Zoo, July 2016 |
Free tools, YES!
The primary researcher is Satchin Panda, PhD. Panda! Panda! Panda! I'm sure he's tired of the panda references, especially in San Diego County. I have empathy since my last name is a much loved animal name, too!!! LOL.
I don't mind the jokes. Hopefully he doesn't either. But I'm telling you, his name is magic for me. See item #5 below.Dr. Panda's name is my ticket to happy interactions to talk about what I do and why I do it.
I'll take any help I can get. It's a cranky pants, food addicted, processed junk food world out there in the US. It's a sad state of affairs.
Here's what's working:
1. I like time restricted eating windows and can make them fit into my life.
2. I've navigated the habit change to make favorable outcomes in sleep.
3. I've seen some health blood bio marker changes for the better- glucose and Ha1C
4. I have seen a small reduction in subcutaneous fat (AKA- clothes fit better)
5. I have seen that people get upset when I tell them the full truth of what's working for me.
Here's what's working now. The long story.......
5. I have seen that people get upset when I tell them the full truth of what's working for me.
Here's what's working now. The long story.......
1. Fitting eating into 6am to 1pm time window, fasting with only water between 1pm the current day and 6 am the next morning. So, about 16-18 hours fasting each day, with a good portion of the time being overnight.
a. Time: Yeah! My baseline was a feeding window of 12 hours and went from 10 hrs, to 9 hours, to 8 hours and now I'm averaging 7.5 hrs or so during the week. About 6 hr feeding window during the weekend.
b. Food Template: LCHF/ Keto/ Paleo for my WIN I'm eating the exact same foods, in the exact same quantity, except I did add some raspberries into my food template with great glucose results. (see below). Blackberries, raspberries, and even blueberries seem to work well for me.
c. Fitting the eating in with my family. Works just fine. My teen is essentially on a swing shift, sleeping late, staying up late. I'm on an early shift- getting up early and going to bed early. I still sit down to meals with her, just with water. It's no big deal.
We were not hungry at the same time. The days forcing a teen to sit and eat if they are not hungry should be long gone. Now, sitting together for 5-10 mins is still a thing while one of us is eating. A lot of our most meaningful conversations are in the car anyway, but we both respect family eating times.
d. Fitting in eating with my work. No problem. I traded my lunch time for walking anyway. It's a good trade since I need to get away from my desk and I have to deal with a 2+ plus commute. I just have to navigate meetings, so if anything drinking water only past 1pm is a benefit.
e. Errands and the gym and not eating at night: I no longer have to hurry home, so I can stop by the gym or concentrate errands into good, time effective blocks of time. So nice.
2. Sleep
a. My sleeping has gone from 6 hrs 45 min ave to 7 hrs 15 mins and I'm shooting for 7 hrs 30 mins.
b. I sleep better - falling asleep, not waking up stressed out, and getting back to sleep quick if a cat or road noise wakes me up.
c. fewer middle of the night bathroom runs.
3. I got a company offered blood work for $10 - truck loads of expensive tests (99% discount-yeah!). Now I can make some small changes before my insurance discount
a. Ha1C went from 5.2 & 5.4 to 5.0
b. Fasting glucose has been around in the 70's
c. Glucose post eating berries is around the mid 70's
d. I've lost 2-3 pounds and some inches, too.
4. Reduction in sub-cutaneous fat
a. Yeah, my clothes are fitting better, size 6 at 5'1" and 121-122 feels better than 124-125.
Over 125 and I need to start considering size 8. It's not a bad thing, but with a small frame, middle to lower on the BMI scale feels better.
Over 125 and I need to start considering size 8. It's not a bad thing, but with a small frame, middle to lower on the BMI scale feels better.
b. Less knee pain with just a few pounds less. I notice this when I carry heavy items or while working out at the gym.
And the last one puts virtual frosting on the LCHF/Paleo/Keto cupcake I'll never eat (because frosting is binge trigger....)
5. I have people who are very pleasant to me when they ask what is working as compared to saying I eat LCHF or Keto or Paleo (because IRB study!!) LOL . IRB study = okay. Researchers name = Panda= Okay, Eating Low Carb = Not okay to many Mmmmkay. Whatevs.
If you tell everyone you are only drinking water past 1pm and are enrolled in an IRB approved study out of The Salk Institute , Dr Panda, they will
If you tell everyone you are only drinking water past 1pm and are enrolled in an IRB approved study out of The Salk Institute , Dr Panda, they will
- Treat you like a princess, oh, GREAT! they say. SOUNDS INTERESTING! Did you say Panda? Why, yes, I did.....
- Roll out the red carpet, smiles, sugar coating and head pats doled out freely. Awwww.
- Compare you to Monks in China who stop eating at 12 noon each day!!! Awesome!
If I tell people the truth- that what really, really works for me : I'm Paleo, LCHF, or in Ketosis some of the time people will:
- Frown
- tell me moderation and counting points , Calories in Calories out, EAT all the FOODS.
- I need try harder.
- tell me about vegan or vegetarian diets
- tell me I'm going to die, clogged arteries, heart attack,and other things that are NOT true, so says my doc
- tell me I need a statin-Wait, my doc says NO!!!! WHUT?, good cholesterol =/= needing drugs.
- tell me whole grains are good for low blood sugar and quinoa, too. WHUT??!! NO!
It's tough to overcome old thinking. Thinking for myself and my own N= MANY!!!! are great tools. Now I can say "Science" "IRB study" "Time restricted eating window" "The Salk Institute"
Moral of my story, tell no one what you are doing, provide info if they ask, and onward.
DR. PANDA!!! A big shout out to the research team at the Salk Institute and Dr. Patterson at UCSD for making the research, teaching, and tools available to us.
Glad that I can add this :
"A Time Restricted eating window, Sleep Circadian clock IRB study, that lends itself to leaner body mass, lower scale weights, and good sleep" to my weight maintenance plan.
More zip, zip hooray my pants fit and my insurance discount is sweet. Who would have guessed the value of a little bit of data and photo taking and watching the clock for my meals. ??????
Only time will tell if I'll have sustained weight maintenance eating this way.
So far so good. I started the study July 4, 2016. As of Sept 10,2016, I can say I've had positive outcomes. Time will tell if I sustain the good changes.
What didn't work in the past
1. Eating with an 18 hour feeing window- so only fasting when I slept
2. Slept 4-6 hours
3. Watched my glucose, HA1c, blood pressure climb to near type 2 diabetes.
4. Had so much visceral fat AND subcuateous fat. My body had no other choice.
5. I probably joined WW 12-15 times thinking I had to points harder. Once there, one leader bullied me because I said I couldn't moderate and stay in Lifetime. Other leaders did hint at abstaining from "red light food".
Any of my readers have success with time eating window or IF? What's your window and how long have you been practicing? Do you practice every day?
PANDA! Awwwwww, so cute!
More zip, zip hooray my pants fit and my insurance discount is sweet. Who would have guessed the value of a little bit of data and photo taking and watching the clock for my meals. ??????
Only time will tell if I'll have sustained weight maintenance eating this way.
So far so good. I started the study July 4, 2016. As of Sept 10,2016, I can say I've had positive outcomes. Time will tell if I sustain the good changes.
What didn't work in the past
1. Eating with an 18 hour feeing window- so only fasting when I slept
2. Slept 4-6 hours
3. Watched my glucose, HA1c, blood pressure climb to near type 2 diabetes.
4. Had so much visceral fat AND subcuateous fat. My body had no other choice.
5. I probably joined WW 12-15 times thinking I had to points harder. Once there, one leader bullied me because I said I couldn't moderate and stay in Lifetime. Other leaders did hint at abstaining from "red light food".
Any of my readers have success with time eating window or IF? What's your window and how long have you been practicing? Do you practice every day?
PANDA! Awwwwww, so cute!
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| Panda peeking at San Diego Zoo Visitors |
I really enjoyed this post, Karen. I do much better limiting my food in the morning and allowing more calories later in the day. During the work week, I drink bullet proof coffee and eat lunch at noon. I stop eating around nine with a snack. On the weekends, I do eat three meals. I prefer to exercise in the morning (before work during the week and after breakfast on the weekends). If I stopped eating around one, I think I wouldn't have enough energy for exercise, and I would be too hungry. But I have no problem drinking water or eating minimal food around others who are enjoying large meals. I had to get over my fear/discomfort with doing that.
ReplyDeleteI'm heavier than you (I weigh about 142 pounds at almost 5'1"). I'm hoping to be a size 6 if I can lose another seven or eight pounds. For me, the change in food has been huge but lifting heavy also helps.
Thanks again for a great post.
Thanks, Ali. I really like that I can eat the foods that help me feel well (AKA not going back to binge urges and eating frosting out of the trash can) and still maintain my loss.
DeleteSo many say all about weight maintenance. Then once you get there, near zero support, most don't want to hear much less DO what long term maintainers have to do. Ugh.
I'd be happier to be higher in BMI if I had more muscle and I had a bigger frame. But I do not. Good job on your lifting. That extra muscle will take you far.
I was putting my carbs at night (popular Paleo strategy) but I think I have better glucose outcomes in the morning with the PM fasting. I'm excited to see where I stop losing weight and where I'll wind up for the next phase of weight maintenance. :)
Thanks for stopping by the blog.
Hi Karen,
ReplyDeleteIf I remember correctly, you have tried intermittent fasting in the past, but found it to do more harm than good. I'm guessing your current strategy is different somehow.
Are you able to pinpoint why it's working now compared to your previous attempt? (I have my own hypotheses, but I'd like to hear yours.)
Thanks for sharing,
Valerie
Valerie, Thanks for stopping by the blog. Great question. If I had to guess- based on my own data, I had a 5-10 gram in glucose drop across all time points when I shifted from 9 hrs to 8 hrs.
DeleteI might be guessing here, but I think that because I've put my carbs earlier in the day - 6am and 10:30 am or so, that I might be more insulin sensitive than eating the bulk of my carbs at 5:30 pm. I baselined at a 12 hour eating window.
Plus, I no longer sip on decaf coffee in the evening. According the FAQ's on the app- coffee, even black coffee can change up the metabolism.
I would further guess that I'm using my subcutaneous fat storage as fuel in the evening, then refuleling the next AM.
One other thing is that I may be a tiny bit calorie restricted by eating LCHF within a window.
Finally- it was the 2 meals a day, late in the day that just caused some sort of terrible IF funk. I reproduced it 3 times and it was terrible. Now, if I only had 2 meals in the AM who knows.
One interesting thing- I can eat 2 meals and make my 3rd meal only coffee or water and 1 other item- as long as natural carbs are involved. Travel last year in St. Louis one time- at the St. Louis bread company, nobody could tell me if there was fennel as a spice in the prepped salad ( on the chicken). So I had coffee and a packet of raw coconut butter. At home, I might have water and a tin of smoked oysters, in a pinch. Or airline travel, half an avocado.
Let me know what your thoughts are. I'll do some sort of restricted window eating from here on out. I do feel well. Calorie restriction, calorie addition, carb restriction, alternating high fat with higher protein days- I tried everything.
Could be a menopausal thing. I need 30-40 grams of carbs a day from veggies/berries to feel well, most days. Higher and that = fat pants!!!
Thanks Karen for the detailed answer. Your data is so interesting!
DeleteMy initial thought was that the main difference between your current pattern and your previous pattern was which meal gets skipped. I thought you used to skip breakfast and you now skipped dinner. I hadn't realized you had also changed the number of meals you typically have in a day.
At some point, I used to skip breakfast, have a very small lunch, and a long, big dinner. I was also overall calorie-restricted. I think it messed up my sleep. But it didn't happen overnight, so I am not sure. I would have a very hard time getting up in the morning, be tired all day, but get wide awake in the evening (and late into the night). I'm thinking that my body somehow decided that meal time was the most important time of the day, so I needed to be alert at that time. Or something. :)
Very interesting. Soaked up every word.
ReplyDeleteThanks Vickie. I love how it's a relatively free tool, that even if you were not in the IRB study, you could self experiment. I started getting my weight baseline in 2011. So 5 years now. If people had to "make weight" for their health insurance discount, more might HAVE to experiment.
DeleteI still have my finance post to do. Free or low cost tools- some evidence that paying for a coach (eating, gym, habit change) is motivating is valuable.
So many blog posts in my brain. Everyone wants weight maintenance, but tell them what you do and they become the 5 year old versions of emotional intelligence of not wanting to set down a cookie. I know, I used to be the same way, for years. It's hard to step away from moderation thinking.
Off to declutter and drink water and coffee like a boss. LOL. Edited for spelling. :)
Thanks Vickie. I love how it's a relatively free tool, that even if you were not in the IRB study, you could self experiment. I started getting my weight baseline in 2011. So 5 years now. If people had to "make weight" for their health insurance discount, more might HAVE to experiment.
DeleteI still have my finance post to do. Free or low cost tools- some evidence that paying for a coach (eating, gym, habit change) is motivating is valuable.
So many blog posts in my brain. Everyone wants weight maintenance, but tell them what you do and they become the 5 year old versions of emotional intelligence of not wanting to set down a cookie. I know, I used to be the same way, for years. It's hard to step away from moderation thinking.
Off to declutter and drink water and coffee like a boss. LOL. Edited for spelling. :)
Great post, I am doing a similar type eating profile. I stumbled onto the pattern because of indigestion. I can no longer eat a meal at night due to reflux. I found I was sleeping a lot better and had better morning energy levels. I have been LCHF/keto for a few years but never lost any weight/fat. I'm post-menopausal and on HRT.
ReplyDeleteI haven't checked my A1c because I'm not diabetic but it would probably be a good data point. Love to read about your success and I give your blog page out to my patients. I think it helps to see someone doing this WOE and having a regular life.
Thanks,
Lauren Romeo, MD
Dr. Romeo, thank you sooooooo much. I used to have GERD (grain induced) and I truly thought I was having a heart attack. So painful! And so sleep disruptive. Glad not eating at night is working for you.
DeleteYeah, A1c and glucoses are part of my company's wellness check- AKA excuse to charge us for high insurance premiums. Once I got my 23nMe in 2014, I realized I was at super high risk for type 2 diabetes, even though it does not run in my family. Sure enough, certain foods (fruit that is not a berry) was causing glucose levels that would start to head me in the direction of not getting my discount for my A1c. Ugh!!!!! All that work to say at a normal weight and still my genetics want to come out to play... LOL.
I'm honored that you give my page out to your patients. I'm glad you advocate LCHF/Keto. I do think it's under used in diabetes management and prevention. Also it's underused in long term weight maintenance. I met so many people at Low Carb USA who had reversed type 2.
Onward and thank you again for stopping by and sharing good resources. A gold star in your cap!