Hey everyone, Been fasting for just over a week 16:8 and lost 7 pounds so far. Just wondering, do people take days off? Or is this a lifestyle change and you eat this way all the time? Thanks.
There are days where I don’t do IF because I don’t feel like it. If I want breakfast sometimes, I’ll get breakfast. If I want to binge on candy after my feed hours while watching movies, I’ll enjoy mu sugary snacks.
I don’t see it as a day off because IF doesn’t control my life. I do IF because I like it. It’s simplified a lot of things with eating and losing weight, but it doesn’t dictate my life. I work IF into my life, but the other way around.
Some people take frequent breaks, some take no breaks. It’s up to you. Just figure out what you’re likely to keep up, as you are trying to transform your life, not just fast for a little period.
The pro: taking a break can sort of relieve the pressure on you, so it’s not like you’re punishing yourself so much.
The con: it obviously disrupts your progress (can take multiple days or a week to get back to where you were depending how much you eat during your break) and it can be a stepping stone back to bad eating habits.
If you’re able to do IF consistently, I’d recommend rare breaks (maybe once every 10 days) that are pretty strict (“I’ll eat lunch today” or “I’m going to allow myself a second dessert after dinner”) until you hit your weight goal. That way you’re not interrupting your progress so much by pigging out.
After that, there’s a whole ‘nother phase where you have to figure out what a sustainable normal is for you - that is, how to maintain weight, not lose it. It could be continuing to skip meals, or going for more meals but each one being modest, etc. IF for weight loss and IF for maintaining weight can be two different things.