Hi everyone!
I get a lot of inspiration from this group, and have been intermittent fasting for the past month. I started using the Zero app last week and find that most of my fasts are around 17 hours.
That got me wondering…is there any reason (medical, health, etc.) why people jump from 16:8 to 18:6 instead of to 17:7 first? Like is there something beneficial in the body that happens only between the 17th and 18th hours of fasting? Or is it just arbitrary since it’s easier to remember even numbers?
Thanks!
I don’t think there’s much of difference except maybe how it works best for you results wise or schedule wise. I started at 16-8 but wasn’t seeing much progress so switched to 18-6. I had good progress at 18-6 but then sort of slipped to 17-7 because it worked well with my schedule. Now it varies by day but generally falls somewhere between all those numbers. I think everyone plays with it a little til they find their own sweet spot. I have read that 16-8 is the minimum though so maybe start there and adjust as needed.
I always end up doing the odd numbers like 17:7 and 19:5. I initially started with 16:8. Yeah, I think it’s easier to remember the even numbers lol. I think as long as you fast for a minimum of 16 hours then you’re doing good. People fast longer when in plateaue, but no particular reason to have it be in odd or even numbers
I do something similar quite often, with only a small tweak. I’ll go 17 hours and break, with the meal I eat sometimes being the only “food” I eat. The rest of the time is drinking beverages that would be considered fast breaking so I don’t restart until the window is actually closed.