Hello! I’m looking to start IF for the first time. When reading about it every site says that you should do 16/8 from 12.00-20.00. I feel like the 16/8 plan would work the best for me but I also feel like it would fit my life better to do breakfast and lunch instead. I don’t want to fast during work as I need steady hands and high concentration. Does it make a difference during which part of the day that you fast? Thank you for your help!
Edit: another reason is that the evenings are when I break and overeat and snack way too much.
It does not make a difference. If breakfast and lunch works best for you, then you should do that schedule!
(12-8 PM is often mentioned because that is likely to be the most convenient schedule for people who often have social/family meals at lunch and dinner. There is nothing special about those hours in terms of how your body works.)
As long as you are keeping the window the meal timing won’t matter. Only if you are running into trouble with training or getting in the macros you’re looking to hit during the day. It’s what works for you that matters most.
For many one of the most significant and immediate benefits of IF is the alertness they feel while in a fasted state. If you’re just getting started, the most important thing is lowering your calorie intake, but you’re trying to adapt your body to relying on stored fat for energy instead of the food you just ate.
There is a study (sorry, I don’t have the link right now) which says that eating lunch as the last meal helps with weight loss more than eating dinner as last meal. I do lunch/dinner or just dinner because I like eating with my wife than eating out during the day. But if your lifestyle allows breakfast/lunch better, more power to you.
I think it’s whatever works for you, as long as your eating within the right window.I personally like to do lunch & dinner because I am always hungriest at the end of the day and can’t sleep if I’m hungry.