I’m a 6 foot male around 300lbs and would love to get to/under 200. I’m considering trying intermittent fasting because the 16:8 would (mostly) fit my schedule really well.
My main hold up is that every Saturday I take my two year old son out to breakfast and I love doing that. We share some pancakes and have a great time. Would it be a huge problem to do 16:8 and have 1 breakfast a week, or would that really screw up the whole point of fasting and the work the other 6 days?
IF is flexible and it’s just a tool not a diet, still got to watch how much you eat within your window for weight loss, you can eat whatever but still got to be in a deticit to lose weight, IF just makes that part easier condensing the eating window where you don’t snack as often.
I assume you mean that you would achieve 16/8 by skipping breakfast six days per week?
IF is wonderfully flexible, as long as you don’t take liberties with it. You can probably get away with not fasting on Saturday (it is only once a week after all), but for the sake of maintaining the habit, I would suggest closing your eating window a bit earlier on Friday and starting it late on Sunday, perhaps doing OMAD (One Meal Per Day) on those days. That way you can have your fun breakfast and still fit some fasts of good length either side of it.
You can have your (pan)cake and eat it!
You can essentially do what fits you, it’s flexible.
I always! hold onto the 16 hours but not always on the 8 hours.
so: my mother makes legendary brunch on a sunday, lets say 10AM -> I just stop eating at 6PM on saturday.
you brunch and with your 8 hour window you can again eat dinner at 6pm Sunday. Then on Monday I fast for maybe 18 hours, because I want to get back to my normal schedule (start eating at lunch and until 8pm).
I started only eating in a 6 hour window each day from last Wednesday. I still plan to have my usual pizza night on Tuesday but as usual, I never eat anything before it during that day anyway.
I did change my diet a bit, like eating salad and veggies a lot more, and I ‘feel’ better already. I’m not overweight or anything, I just wanted to get a bit healthier. Hard work at first not snacking all the time, and I’ve not being doing this long of course, but surely you have to balance the hard work with a little pleasure? If it becomes a chore, you’ll be less likely to stick at it surely?
Suppose it would depend on your goal.
How many bad days a week do you have now? Do you think only 1 bad day a week (Saturday breakfasts) would be better than what you’re doing today?
I’m going out on a limb here and saying that’d be a great improvement.
I don’t worry about fasting hard-core on the weekends. I’m down 50 pounds since August 1st. So while 1 ‘bad’ day may slow things down, it’s not going to stop the benefits you’ll see if you follow IF the other 6 days…
Mate go hard for 6 days a week and enjoy your breakfast with your kid. Still gotta live life, it’s worth living.
To answer your question no: one ‘naughty’ breakfast a week doesn’t screw up the point of IF… so long as you’re disciplined enough to get ‘back on the horse’ each week.
It does mean that your results will be 1/7th (ie approx 14% but some people might argue more) slower than if you didn’t go out.
Go out. Enjoy. Get back on the horse for 6 days. Repeat.
I’ve found that it’s better, and easier, to develop habits that are sustainable long-term. Once you begin to deprive yourself of things you truly enjoy, it makes sticking with the initial plan so much harder. Wtbs, your feeding window does not have to be at the same time everyday. Yes, sticking to a set schedule helps a great deal. But, you always have the option to move your feeding window, to accommodate what you have going on. On Saturdays, you can have your usual breakfast and a lighter lunch. You’ll have to sacrifice dinner…
You don’t have to stop doing what you enjoy. One meal, isn’t going to undue all of your effort throughout the week. But, I will say, you may want to go heavy on eggs and lighter on pancakes. Carbs make you hungry and create cravings. Eggs will fill you up for a while. Just go into it mindful. Enjoy!