I’m IF because I snack a lot, so it’s more giving me discipline on when to eat and when not to. That said, I’m not changing up what I eat during the open window - just eating less of it.
Despite probably cutting some calories, I’m wondering if IF is actually going to do anything for me with losing weight. Surely someone else has tried this, so asking the internet for opinions!
It does for me, but it has to be a really tight window. I do mostly OMAD, some ADF, and occasionally longer fasts up to 48 hours. Maybe one or two 16/8, depending on the week (when I have two meals a day, I make sure to make healthier options). Last night I had a grilled chicken salad, some chips and salsa (not many), sweet tea, and four Valentines chocolates. Today was my weigh-in day and I lost 1.6 this week. Some days I have chicken, brown rice, quinoa, and veggies, some days I have spaghetti and garlic bread. It’s about balance and pushing my window. I’m down 20 pounds since December.
I OMAD daily and have for a very long time now. I do not restrict what I eat or follow and special diet. I eat at dinner time whatever it is my wife is making for everyone else. I just eat more of it. Last night was Yankee Pot Roast with yeast rolls for example. Night before that was BBQ beef brisket sandwiches (leftover brisket from the Super Bowl) and tater tots.
This is the same regimen I followed to lose the weight and it remains unchanged to this day. Your mileage is naturally going to vary, but I do know that with only eating one meal it is extremely difficult to pound away enough in one sitting to gain weight. In fact, nowadays I have to be mindful to make sure I eat enough or I will continue to lose. I should probably switch to 2MAD honestly, but I am a creature of habit and I am stubborn
I haven’t cut anything out on purpose. Low carb has never worked for me because I truly love breads and pastas, and always wind up binging on them if I force myself to abstain from them for a longish period of time. I also have found that even if I have lost weight going low carb, it all comes flooding back and then some when I eventually ease up a bit. That being said, for me personally, I have cut down on a lot of snacking in general (I was a late night snacker, and now that is my fasting window, so no more snacks), and in specific sweet things. I just don’t crave them since a few days after I started fasting. So, I’m not purposefully avoiding sweets, I just genuinely don’t really want them anymore…which to me is the best case scenario because it doesn’t feel like I’m restricting myself but am just naturally gravitating towards less sugary things. I’ve also been doing 20:4 or 22:2 the last week plus and there honestly just isn’t enough time or stomach room to fit in things I shouldn’t be eating anyway. When I do 16:8 on the weekend I am a little more snacky and a little more carb/sugar heavy. I’m sure I will have to fine tune and adjust my diet as I get closer to my goal weight, but for now reduced portions and eating times are working fine for me.
I mean I don’t drink sodas or fast food chains anymore but I make the same types of dishes at home.
I kinda can’t believe that two months ago I used to eat “a dessert burger” after a super sized Big Mac meal with a Dr Pepper. Yeah, you can’t do that and think Intermittent Fasting is gonna work for you.
Edit: that being said, here’s what IF will do for you and how it works…
I think that you can. I do and still follow the “flexible dieting” “IIFYM”(if it fits your macros) style of dieting so long as I consume adequate protein.
Also still eating sensibly meaning, no entire half gallon of ice cream or an entire family size bag of chips for snacking regularly, besides it would more than likely smoke all your carb or fat macros for the day by a mile.
Id say to start, try tracking your calories to at lesat not consume too much in a day.
Aside from that, while fasting do drink plenty of water because it helps keep you regular when it comes to going to the bathroom and it fights brain fog which can happen when dehydrated, and dehydration and hunger often times get confused.
Hope you find your way and stick with it. Im on day 16 of IF and am doing my second 20 hour fast from 8pm tonight till 4pm tomorrow. It happened again today at work where I ended up fasting for 19 and a half hours because the food I thought was leftover in the fridge from an office party got tossed so I missed out on some eggplant rollatini and had to wait until a little bit ago to eat food at home.