I’m new to 16:8 fasting. If I go over my 8 hour eating window is that ok as long as I do. 16 hour fast after I’m done eating?
Is the emphasis really just on making sure we don’t eat for 16 hours, not so much on the eating hours?
My eating frame has been short so far- usually im done in 7 hours but weekends are a different story if I go out
I do this on Friday, and sometimes Saturday. Personally, i feel that as long as you get the 16 in, and it’s still working, why not allow a little bit of flexibility? Part of this is because i know that if im too restrictive/strict, I’ll give up entirely 😅
Everyone has different opinions but basically I think about it this way. Even if I break my fast early/ extend my eating window, as long as I am in a deficit, I am going lose weight. To me IF is not so much as the benefits you get while being fasted as to IF just really helps me control my hunger and it puts me in a deficit. All the other stuff is second.
Between work, friends and civic duties, it’s just not possible for me to have a consistent eating window, so I shift mine all over the place dependent on when I actually get around to eating dinner. But I keep the 16-hour fast and I’ve still been seeing results.
The two go hand in hand. A little variance is not a big deal (15 hour fast and 9 hour window, etc).
However, if you eat for 12 hour and then do a 16 hour fast… well, not only did you probably have more food than you wanted to, your window times are going to be messed up all the time.
What I do is if I go out with people and know I might have a drink or a snack later than I normally would, I just do it and my fasting time is shorter that 24 hours. I try to compensate by not eating to much earlier in the day.
Consistency is far more important. Try to make your exceptions once or twice a month and you are all good, don’t worry or feel guilty at all.
Edit: remember, weight loss is all about calorie deficit. So the ultimate point is to eat less. Intermittent fasting is one way to do it. (There are other health benefits but weight loss is mostly what people are doing).