Hi All,
I read and lurk here a lot but don’t usually post. I’m not overweight but a little big for my comfort, and while fasting has helped me in the past, it’s very hard for me to wait until mid day to eat. Firstly because I am up some days at 4:45 am to get to the gym, and I tend to want to eat after, and secondly because I don’t have a set time to eat at my job, it fluctuates based on what I may have going on, (but I can’t go before 12.)
Do any of you work out early? Is your fasting window early, too? Like, say, 7-3? That sounds like torture to me since I’m usually awake until 10pm. Maybe I’m being a wimp? I hate feeling hungry, but I’d really like to figure this out.
Also, I wonder if alternate day 16:8 would still give me results? If I don’t fast on gym days, fast on rest days, or would I just be constantly “resetting” my body? If that makes sense?
I run 4-10 miles 5x a week fasted. I usually wake at 6am but my run doesn’t start until 7:10am and includes a mile walk to warm up. When I get home I drink lots of water but I don’t usually break my fast until noon or one. I then eat until 4 or 6 depending on my hunger and then close my window. I go to bed 10-11pm.
It took me a while to get used to not eating at proper dinner time, and I still have to break it sometimes for social reasons, but mostly I’ve come to enjoy going to bed without feeling full and prefer it. I’m generally not hungry before my run and just get busy in the morning afterwards until my lunch. Excited and hungry by lunch! Yay!
I drop to my low weight eating this way and then my body goes into maintenance. Haven’t lost or gained in a long time!
My only complaint, is that if I want to work on performance- like racing or speed goals, I may need to adjust my nutrition plan - I’m not sure fasted miles are going to be my fastest, but they are great for fat burning!
Once you’re used to it you won’t be that hungry in the evening. Maybe slightly peckish which is easily ignored. Morning feeding windows are the best in my opinion. It allows you to get nutrients in after the gym, not have to worry about cooking or eating after work (free up so much spare time), and you’ll sleep a lot better too with no digestion happening.
It also allows you to train as fasted as you can be which is good.
I work out at 4:45 and I prefer breakfast and lunch as my main meals. So I break my fast at 6:30 and eat a very filling lunch at 2 and I’m never hungry again and if I am I just drink a bunch of water. This works for me because I love breakfast it’s hard when I feed my kids dinner I love. But I usually box up the leftovers and then have them for lunch the next day. It took me a while to get use to working out fasted but you adjust and usually if I’m not feeling well it’s usually an electrolyte imbalance.