Not at all. I was a binge eater before starting IF. I’ve only been doing it for 2 weeks but it really makes me look at what I’m eating. While I’m fasting I find myself fixating on what my next meal will be and I try to plan it with as much nutrients as I can. Before I ate with emotions (usually boredom) with no impulse control. I eat a lot less now and I feel good about what I’ve eaten.
I don’t actively count calories but going by the fact that I tend eat smaller portions now + have stopped snacking entirely, I would say no and that I’m eating less while doing IF. What’s interesting is that this isn’t something I’m actively doing, it just sort of came naturally.
I also noticed that I tend to make better food choices while on IF. More veggies, opting for a home-cooked meal rather than getting delivery, stuff like that. I’d imagine it’s because I want my experience to be more satisfying now that I have a shorter eating window.
Far from it. Just the one liter of fruit juice that I would sip daily was worth around 200 kcal and thus theoretically responsible for half of all my weight loss (for reference, my TDEE declined by 400 kcal from SW to CW). Add the one or other mindless trip to the kitchen for “just a few” nuts, dried fruits or a slice of cheese; add the bowl of chips and alcoholic beverage that I’d relax over most evenings; add my weekly Sunday ritual of devouring a family-sized pizza; add treats outside the house and social gatherings, all on top of regular lunch; sometimes I wonder how I was just borderline and not morbidly obese.
So, undoubtedly, effortless intake reduction facilitated by IF has been a crucial piece of the puzzle for me. On top of that, improving insulin sensitivity, eating more whole foods (greater TEF, potentially lesser absorption), and a bit of nondeliberate calorie-cycling (I naturally overeat at restaurants a few times each month, but remain relatively strict the rest of the time) may have played a role as well.
I’m starting 18:6 this week eating from 12:30-6:30
Gonna have my lunch, a protein bar after work, gym, eat dinner, then finish the night with a shake. I’m kinda worried about not getting enough protein in during the 6 hours I have. I’m also very busy so it’s gonna be tough to squeeze in more protein as a 5th meal or snack.
Maybe I can add two scoops of protein to my shake and also have a couple hard boiled eggs with my dinner to add some protein