[16:8] First day of IF in the books, How can I make the experience better?

Male - 5'10" - 275lbs I started IF last night/today. Doing a 16:8 fast and my eating window is 1pm-9pm. Trying to lose weight. Here is my planned schedule: 6am : Wake up and chug a glass of water immediately. 6:15 -6:30 : Drink an ACV drink with Water, ACV, and a squeeze of lemon. then have a cup of tea while getting ready for the gym 7:00-8:00 : Gym. 9:00 - 1:00pm - Work, drinking tea and water 1:00 -Break my fast with some broth and a small meal 2:00 - 6:00 - Work, Drinking coffee with all the creamer just how i love it 6:15-6:45 - 30 minute Peloton ride 7:00 - Cook and eat my main meal which is usually a double serving of a Hello Fresh meal. This takes about 30ish minutes to prepare and cook so im usually eating by 7:45 and done by 8. Im going to reserve that last hour to a snack or a beer or something. Starting my IF on a Sunday made me notice that i get really bad headaches shortly after waking up. this is almost certainly coffee withdrawls. I tried to replace the caffeine with Tea, but as much as i like tea, its just not coffee. I cant drink coffee black either, which is why im going to wait to have it until after my fast is broken. What can i do to resolve the headaches in the mean time? I also have this brain fog that is causing me to be unable to think clearly. I need to be sharp for my job so this is something id like some advice on. Is there anything in my schedule you'd switch up?

Answer

Try caffeine pills in the morning, but if you want to lose the coffee addiction you’ll have to suffer for a couple of days to a week ( it was a week for me) now I have coffee maybe once a week. The mental clarity I get from IF is enough to keep me going. Since you work out a lot you can eat a bit more ( eat until you’re satisfied but don’t overeat) that’s all I have for now. I do 16:8 with alternate day fasting but that because I work out maybe 10 mins every day, still able to lose weight though.

Answer

If you do insist on alcohol, wine is a little better and clear spirits are “best”. But really, ditch the beer. There’s no way to make alcohol a good part of weight loss. Sure, you can still lose weight on it, but it will be like driving your car with the parking break on.

Don’t be afraid of milk in your coffee. I do OMAD and milk in my morning coffee cup is the only thing keeping me sane for thr first few hours of the day. I successfully lost over 30lbs drinking a few cups of coffee with milk daily and just eating one meal. (I gained it all back, which is why I am here).

Answer

Just curious, is there a reason you are having your main meal so late?

I relate to the brain fog and headache issue. That is why I have my eating window earlier in the day (7-3). I am able to have my morning coffee, a light breakfast and a really solid lunch. I just skip dinner and go to bed early-ish.

I find that I need to eat to be able to focus on my work. Otherwise I’m miserable and grumpy and can’t get anything done. Maybe it’s a matter of playing around with your eating window until you find what works for you.