I’m playing around with consistency vs. a varied IF schedule (goal of weight loss), averaging a 16hr fast but varying my eating window. I would like to be somewhere between OMAD and 20:4. Right now, I’m having a super hard time getting past the 16hr mark. My preferred eating window is in the morning, but I would like to shift it to dinner for social reasons. Can anyone offer any advice for pushing past my current ~16hr situation? I’m curious to try the odd 24-72hr fast here and there too.
I’m not strict with IF but my eating habits usually fall in line with a 19:5 schedule (6-11 pm). Make sure you’re drinking plenty of water throughout the day and I also recommend keeping your mind occupied so that you’re not fixated on food. The easiest it was for me was when I was still working in the office and just needed to skip the temptation of going out for lunch, but I’m making it work in my current WFH setup too.
I don’t know if this is just my preference talking as someone who never really cared much for breakfast, but I think having your eating window later in the day is much easier than the reverse.
Is the problem that you’re feeling hungry?
Are you doing calorie restriction at the moment? It might help you to up the calories a bit for now. Focus on getting your body used to the new fasting window, but eat enough that you can make it to the 18 or 20 hour mark.
Then once you have your ideal window going, try to focus again on calories. (I don’t focus on calories at all).
I also take a capsule of the supplement Berberine about 20 to 30 minutes before any meals, and that really seems to suppress my appetite as well as completely removing any hunger pangs after the meal. Berberine doesn’t agree with everyone though and can cause some GI issues, so maybe read up on it a bit first.