Hi guys!
I’m a big guy, 5ft10 131kg. I’ve just began my IF journey and wanted to ask a few questions if I may?
Firstly - what kind of results can I hope to see on 16:8? I work in an office but walk around 30-40 minutes a day. I’ve also dropped my calorie intake to 1000-1200 a day. I was easily consuming double that, sometimes triple. (I know, I know) - how big are the diffences with 18-6 and 20-4? Should I be aiming for this immediately?
Secondly - I don’t mind black coffee at all! But I just wondered, is there any unsweetened milk substitute that I can have a small quantity of, that won’t break my fast?
So far I feel really motivated, I’m a person who has struggled with mental health issues for years… weirdly, I’m not sure if it’s just having something to focus on… or if its my body reacting already after 3 days - but I feel somewhat better already. I can’t wait to see some physical results too!
Thank you so much for any help, have a wonderful day!
>Firstly - what kind of results can I hope to see on 16:8? I work in an office but walk around 30-40 minutes a day. I’ve also dropped my calorie intake to 1000-1200 a day. I was easily consuming double that, sometimes triple. (I know, I know) - how big are the diffences with 18-6 and 20-4? Should I be aiming for this immediately?
What ultimately matters is the calorie deficit. So whatever method helps you sustainably and consistently eat less.
Speaking of sustainability, 1,000-1,200 a day is too few calories for your size. You’re going to have trouble sustaining that long term and potentially risking malnutrition issues and increasing loss of lean body mass instead of body fat. The loss of muscle mass is just throwing away metabolism and will only hurt you in the long run. Focus on good lasting changes that promote about .5-1% body weight loss a week.
Some say you can have up to 50 calories in the morning and maintain your fast. As far as results you should start dropping weight real quick. I know from my experience once I hit days 7-10 it was a rocket boost of energy for me. Felt better and lighter and not hungry at all.
1000 calories for your weight is too low and not sustainable long term and can cause various health problems. If I recall correctly, prisoners in Nazi death camps were fed about 1300 calories per day.
You need to be in deficit but stay in about 15-20% deficit. I recommend any free app ( I use Lose It!) to track your calories. You can set goal and timeline and it will calculate your daily calorie intake, and keep lowering as you drop pounds.
I was doing IF for several years and even gained weight at first. I’ve only started to lose weight after tracking calories every day, stopping any for of snacking between lunch and dinner, and also switching to 99% whole plant diet. I know that keto folks will disagree but plant based did the trick for me. Even with calorie tracking I’ve often went over budget when I was eating meat and dairy.
Good luck!
I just wanted to say you can ease into IF if you want. So if you’re used to breakfast, start with cream in your coffee and have a lower calorie snack if needed. Eventually you will be skipping that altogether but it’s a tool, not a dogma.