I am in a good position to succeed with IF, at least 5 days a week. I don’t typically eat breakfast as it is, and I can curb my appetite easily with black coffee, which I love. So in the early going, I have been able to pull off some long fasts without too much problem. I am not trying to make a major change in my life, I am 233lbs and aiming for 210 later this year.
When I read about the benefits of fasting, it feels like there’s always a reason to go 1-2 more hours, or push to the next phase. Why stop at 16 when things really ramp up at 18? Why stop at 18 when there’s so many benefits at 20, or 22, or 24, etc.
How did you decide which schedule worked best? Is there a really big jump in efficacy at any certain point? I think 18:6 is doable for me but once I hit the end of my fast I feel like I should just keep going, but I don’t wanna be extreme or do something unhealthy either.
I started on 16:8 to see how I managed. I quickly went to 18:6. Then did a 20:4 by accident so tried a couple more. Today I have gone 23 hours just to see if I could.
From what I understand the longer you can fast the more of your fat stores will be used as energy, but like anything sometimes you need to build up to longer fasts and for some that might not be advisable with other health conditions. Start easy on yourself and go for slow and steady consistency.
My minimum now is 18:6 and anything over that is a bonus plus I have 16:8 for fall back on if I fancy a treat day.
I started at 16:8 then found myself normally going to 18:6 within a week. Now I have 18:6 set up in my timer but generally go about 20:4 on a normal day depending on circumstances.
Once every other week I do a 48 hour fast just to change it up but I don’t want to take it further than that even though I feel great and not really hungry when the 46 hour mark hits.
But I think of my feeding window as just my eating lifestyle. The foods I eat during that period is the diet - for me that means making my own meals and avoiding pre-made processed foods as much as possible.
I did 18:6 the whole time (lost 60lbs in about 6 months, then have maintained about 2.5 years now) and still do. Works well with my schedule, OMAD made me bingey which was counter productive, and I’m able to still get 18hrs in on weekends if we go out Fri/Sat night. Works well with my body (more energy, better sleep, hair & skin look fab), but most importantly, its something I can do as a lifestyle change and keep up long term
My goal is always 16:8 some days I go longer based on my life and what’s happening. So some days it’s 18 hrs once in a while 20 but that’s not my goal. For me 16 hrs is enough. I tend to eat first meal between noon and 2 for the most part.
I say start slow don’t overwhelm yourself. I think I started at a 14 hr fast then worked my way up. Now I’m just used to it.
As a counterpoint I keep my goal as 14:10. Minimum. Most days it’s 15:9. Occasionally 16:8. But usually in the middle of 15 to 16. Once I’ve hit 14 I consider it a success- any more is gravy, so to speak. Have slowly and consistently lost weight. It doesn’t have to be so drastic. Listen to your body and what works for you.