So i just found this sub and the results i see posted from so many different people, from all walks of life has really inspired me to try this myself.
Im thinking of doing the OMAD or the 20/4. I want to know should i be counting calories or not? I know what does and doesn’t break a fast, but i hear yes and no about the counting of calories. If so how many should i be taking in during my eating window.
My second is how do you all stay motivated in those times when you feel that you are about to break your fast to early or feel like giving up?
>Im thinking of doing the OMAD or the 20/4. I want to know should i be counting calories or not? I know what does and doesn’t break a fast, but i hear yes and no about the counting of calories. If so how many should i be taking in during my eating window.
Some people do some people don’t. It really depends on what your goals are, how quickly you want to achieve them, how good you are at eating intuitively, etc. For instance, I have not counted any calories during my 7 months of IF, but I’m also a big and now much more active guy.
But that doesn’t mean I’m completely unrestricted in my eating either. There’s a spectrum between weighing every calorie out and eating whatever you want in your window. Find something that works for you and your goals.
>My second is how do you all stay motivated in those times when you feel that you are about to break your fast to early or feel like giving up?
For me, it was about creating positive goals for myself that were not just the outcome, ie losing weight. That motivation was always very fleeting and it was easy to want old habits more than wanting to change. But finding things that made me want to engage with the whole process, and at times want to re-engage when I messed up, was key to overcoming previous times I had failed to lose weight.
Start slower at 16:8, then 18:6, and 20:4 gets really easy to move in to. As so many say here, it needs to be sustainable and doable for your life to stick to it and succeed! Give yourself and your body the time to adjust and change and you will never look back!
When I am tempted to break my fast early, it has been very helpful to tell myself just one more hour and to name that specific time. More often than not, I get busy and forget to eat when the hour is up and manage to complete my fast. A hot or cold drink (no calorie) helps me stay on point. Also I do chew sugar-free gum, though some fasters won’t.
Calculate your tdee
Eat at that in a 16/8 for a week or so…once you can do it with no major problems…go 18/6…then drop more until omad.
Drop calories as you do drops..but in the back half. So let’s say you eat 2000 cals….do 16/8 for a couple days, then drop to say 1900. Then do 18/6 at 1900 for a few days…then drop to 1800. And so on.
Results generally motivate.
Never be afraid to shift your pattern. I do a lot of omad…but if I’m going out one day…zero concerns of doing an 18/6 or something. For me…the thing one must be conscious of is if you eat your one meal at 2 pm and buddy invites you for a beer…your cals are gone. Not a big deal going over now and then…but gotta be aware of things like this. Sometimes when that happens, I’ll do a 36 hour fast shortly after or something. Most of my friends are aware if how I eat though and will text me at like noon and say…maybe a beer tonight…then I push my window