Badges to encourage Fasting, what would you the members like please?

Good morning everyone,

As this is a new group I wondered what badges you would like as an incentive and to help log your fasting progress, for instance 2Kg 5kg to show your weight loss since starting IF.

The same goes for Topics, I've added a few and I think it would be great if members logged their progress on 'My fasting diary' Topic.

What is most important for all members to realise is that you the members are the group in my world and there are no self imposed rules only HU guidelines in a friendly manner as fasting is a positive subject.

Thank you,

Jerry 😊

[S11m Volunteer 70lb IF20]

Hi, Hidden

Fasting is not all about weight loss (there is also autophagy etc.) but I expect most of us IF or NEAD (Not Eating All Day) to lose weight. ¿Do some of us only IF to get off a weight-loss plateau?

We could have the same range of weight loss badges as on the NHS Weight loss forum - I am about a pound short of 3½ Stone.

The success of the forum might be seen as the number of posts and replies - but I think we need to be wary of awarding badges purely for number of replies (as per the Super supportive weigh-in days on the NHS weight-loss site) per the number of "likes" would be a better parameter.

[Hidden in reply to S11m]

Hi S11m, you're absolutely right there are many positive aspects to IF and to me one very important one is it can help us be much more mindful of what we eat and when.

I'm happy with the categories that you've suggested, I shall do a poll on why members fast as well.

So thanks for the input,

Jerry.

[Stoozie Administrator]

Great idea. Like S11m i like the idea of acknowledging both weight loss and other reasons for IF.

Thinking aloud, do others like the idea of badges celebrating having tried another fast type successfully? Like a week of 16:8, or a longer fast, or somesuch?......

[Hidden in reply to Stoozie]

I think having a 14/10 16/8 etc badge is a great idea and we can have whatever we choose.

Badges are for achievement or a commitment to a fasting choice but are not given purely on quantity of posts. In answer to S11m point on this.

Thanks for this idea I like it.

[S11m Volunteer 70lb IF20 in reply to Stoozie]

Hi, Stoozie

If we want to award badges "for the other benefits of IF" we would need to define or quantify them - or just give badges to anyone who thought they qualified?

I think that, even if we do not admit to being "Furious", we should advise on all types of fasting (even if, for 21-day water-fasts, we advise not to try it without medical supervision).

We could contemplate awarding a badge for people with a lot of experience of many techniques: e.g.

[bin there dun that]

What is the maximum length for badge text?

The function of badges should, I think, be to give information to readers, so they have some indication of the poster's knowledge, experience or problems, e.g.:

Coeliac

Gluten Free

runner

reformed or struggling alcoholic

pre-diabetic

diabetic 1/2

vegetarian

vegan

or anything else diet relevant.

Could we also include symbols, e.g. for gluten-free or any other diet?

🏃🏻🍞🐄🐈🐐🍄🐟🧀🌽🍏🌭🍺🍷🍽🐑

[S11m Volunteer 70lb IF20 in reply to S11m]

I believe that Health Unlocked can only show one badge at a time, so it would be logical for members to build up their own header bar:

⌄3½St ⌄🍞 0🍺 ❤️🐈 20:4 🍽 ♂🚶

Would indicate lost 3½ Stone, low gluten, tea-totaller, cat lover, 20:4 NEAD (Not Eating All Day) IF, male, walker.

[Hidden in reply to S11m]

I've created an IF16 badge as a test and members could progress with with weight ones that marked their progression.

I thought your emoji's meant you had 1/2 loaf loved taking the dog for a walk and having a pint on the way...It is very Imaginative we'd have to have a table of what the emoji's represented. I use GF to denote gluten free.

I think emoji's are fun and use them a lot, 👍 😊

[S11m Volunteer 70lb IF20]

IF is not all about weight - it is about fat reduction without loss of lean mass... plus autophagy ¿anything else?

Weight and height are widely used because they are easy to measure... but the WHO/NHS BMI weight range guidelines do not even take into account age (as does the Smart BMI system). BMI is also not a good indication of optimal weight range for tall or muscular people. I am 6' 3", 69 years old and I have a lean body mass of about 85kg. (When I was fit I had a lean body mass of 95kg.)

There are methods of estimating body-fat, so I suggest that we could or should award badges for optimal body-fat percentage - which we could abbreviate this to [Lean].

[Hidden in reply to S11m]

Hi S11m, I've been thinking about this and I have Fit-bit scales that measure body fat and I think that we could have a Topic "My stats" where members who want to can log their stats and update them regularly rather than displaying them with their name. This would log their progression and incentivise them that they are achieving their goals.

At the end of the day I want to help support members in achieving their goals regardless of their starting point.

So thanks for the suggestion. 😊

[S11m Volunteer 70lb IF20 in reply to Hidden]

There are other ways of estimating body fat: e.g. fat calliper or U S Navy method (tape measure)

[Hidden in reply to S11m]

Hi, I think if we have a topic members who use it can say how their body fat was measured or what method to calculate it.

[Stoozie Administrator]

Does anyone like the idea of badges acknowledging the length of time members have spent following their preferred type of IF?

Say: 3m, 6m (so newbies don't get discouraged) then 1yr and 3yr?

Perhaps a newbie might also look at the advice of a 5yr member with the respect it deserves

Just thinking aloud again

[Stoozie Administrator]

Jerry, sorry, just spotted you've finalised some categories already, they sound great. Ignore further ramblings if they confuse the situation

[Hidden in reply to Stoozie]

Hey please don't apologies I love your enthusiasm. we have to use at least 2 letters so are restricted to IF16 instead of 16/8.

Badges are so easy to create so nothings finalised I had to make sure of the limitations as they are designed for text. And I just try to keep everything simple and clear.

So thanks for your ideas. 😊

[S11m Volunteer 70lb IF20 in reply to Hidden]

IF16:8 and 20:4 might be more meaningful.

(IF 16:8 is fasting 16/24, sixteen hours out of 24, so 16/8 is incorrect.)