My GP has recommended intermittent fasting (16/8) to help me lose weight. But I have one question I forgot to ask him.
I also take medication twice a day that should be taken with a meal. I normally take it morning and night. But if I’m fasting do I still take it in the morning or wait until the fast is over at 1pm?
Check with your doctor if taking your morning dose at 1pm is okay. Or, you could move your eating window. I don’t eat after 6pm so 16 hours of fasting would be 10am for breakfast (I always go longer but…).
If you are fasting to take in less calories and lose weight (as opposed to some of the other benefits), you could theoretically eat something small to take your medication with. Again, check with your doctor. Usually, it just needs to be a little something so the stomach is not completely empty, doesn’t always have to be an actual “meal”. Sometimes, even just milk works (which, yes, technically breaks the fast).
Never let IF interfere with medication. It’s possible that you’re able to take it without a meal - that’s something you’ll have to test out for yourself if you are so inclined.
Another option is that as you are slowly adjusting your meal times to start and end your fast window, move your pill times too. If you’re doing 16:8 that means you’ll take the doses 8 hours apart and then go 16 without, which is not good for keeping an even dose in your system. I’m by no means a medical person, far from an expert or professional, so really you should talk with your doc about this for good advice.
A final note: IF is great for managing how much you eat and there are some other benefits to the fasting itself. But none of it will do a damn thing for weight loss unless you also watch your calories. Calories in/calories out (CICO) is the only way to lose weight. There are many approaches to getting the CICO balance you need for results, and IF can be part of that plan, but it’s not effective on its own.
Good luck with your efforts!