Hi everyone!
I’m interested in starting IF (mainly for weight loss) for the first time and had a few questions I was hoping to get your help / opinion with! I’m used to doing CICO and have lost a bit of weight like that, but feel that I get a bit too obsessed with minimising daily calories.
My questions are:
I would like to do the 16:8 method - do you think it’s a good balance to start with, or what do you recommend in terms of fasting duration?
Regarding the 16:8 method, do I have to set up a schedule and keep it constant, e.g., only eat between 10am and 6pm? Or can it vary, so one day I eat between 10am-6pm but the next I eat between 1pm and 9pm? Does changing the schedule mess with your hunger queues?
Any advice on how to deal with the hunger in the beginning? And how long does it take (approximately) to stop feeling hungry during the fasting part?
Does everyone skip breakfast and do lunch + dinner, or do some of you have breakfast and lunch and skip dinner? And if so, do you go to bed hungry?
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Any insights are greatly appreciated :)
Unless you’re feeling particularly strong willed, I would suggest easing into 16:8. I started with 12:12 and over eat course of three weeks I made it to 16:8. I felt that reading a lot about IF was helpful, it allayed a lot of my concerns about not eating. The more I realized that I would be fine, the easier it went. I read ‘life in the fasting lane’ by Jason Fung. He has potions written by patients, and some were very compelling. Hunger is more of a mind game than a reality in most cases. The average American has enough stored calories to walk from New York to Florida without eating!!
I think it is OK to experiment and see what schedule works the best for your lifestyle. I would avoid eating too late, it is advised to have a 2 hour buffer between you last meal and bed time. I think it might be best to eventually settle to a schedule and try to stick with it, otherwise your fasting window may be too short.
I like to drink tea (no sweeteners or added calories like sugar, honey, milk, etc), so I drink a lot to help me feel full. As it has no (or significantly not enough) calories, your stomach doesn’t get activated by drinking it. Plus, many teas have beneficial qualities in themselves.
I have a ‘breakfast’ at 12 noon, usually a small snack at around 3, dinner at 6 and then maybe a snack before eight which usually tries to cover any missing nutrition (maybe I didn’t have enough protein, etc). I think at first I felt like I was going to be hungry, but I don’t feel that way anymore. Hunger us usually more a state of mind, we are programmed to feel hungrier than we usually are. Have some chamomile tea; it is sweet and seems like a treat, it will help you feel full and it helps you sleep. ;)
First I would say take 2-4 weeks and play around. Try a duration and time period and see how you feel for 4-8 days then switch it up a few time. Skip breakfast, skip dinner. Do a late breakfast and late lunch. It’s about what your body likes best. 16-8 is fine but if you find it hard go to 6-18 and work up. I personally do omad or like a 2-22 but it really varies on what I feel and did that day. Try to keep it the same or your durations will get messed up. 12-8 one day and 11-7 the next won’t screw you up but 9am-5 pm then 12-8 will give you a long fasting in between. I honestly wasn’t terribly hungry. But my advice is to plan your meals when your not and to break the fast slow. You want to work up your eating so you don’t over eat and eating heavy foods last will hold you through the fast. I alway try to work out before I break my fast or before my eating period ends. Working out makes me hungry so I don’t want to spend 18+ hours thinking about it. I prefer to eat a d have time before I sleep so 7:30 is usually the latest I eat but I don’t like to start my fast before 5 or I will get hungry as I’m trying to sleep.