To be on a strict intermittent fast and doing things correctly is it okay to eat in the morning like at 5am?
I definitely recommend eating later most of the time.
I’ve done Omad dinner most every day for more than 3.5 years.
The following helps explain.
While I usually eat dinner, occasionally I switch up and do breakfast Sunday morning. (Friday dinner -> Sunday breakfast -> Monday dinner). I love to hike and once a weekend I usually grab my pup and we go. Started 2-3 miles but worked up to 10+. Anyway this Sunday afternoon several hours after breakfast we set out. Remember feeling an extra skip in my step. Beautiful day. But about 1-1.5 hours I started to drag. Super weird. But pushed through it. But it didn’t go away. Shoes felt like lead. Sat down (which I never do - I walk continuously). Took some water. Felt ok and kept going. But few minutes later I was wiped again. Getting sick? (I’m never sick anymore) Well short of half way I turned around. Pup didn’t understand - we’d done this for couple months and always do a loop.
On long slog back to the car I remembered I’d eaten breakfast hours ago. I was not in ketosis. My body had burned through the food energy and I wasn’t able to burn my body fat easily. In a Eureka moment I realized I needed a snack! Which of course I didn’t have because I never have a snack. It was still a long walk but understanding made it easier. I now NEVER go hiking unless I’m fasted. And I’ve never had a repeat. I can hike forever fasted.
So I think most people do better living 3-4 hours after eating, or after being fasted for 12 hours. That’s exactly what eating dinner causes. In evenings you’re fed (actually a good time for intense weight training exercise), and all day you’re in ketosis and never bonk or run out of energy.
Do what you feel works best for you. I prefer my meal at 3-4 pm because it fits my schedule and I have a really hard time falling asleep when fasted.
For others it’s better to eat in the morning because they have a more strenuous work
It’s been easier for me to eat earlier in the day. That way I’m sleeping through the end of the fast when I’m the most hungry, and then I can wake up, drink some coffee and eat breakfast. I’ve only been doing 16 hr fasts, so my eating window would start sometime between 7am and 9am, and then end between 3pm and 5pm depending on how I timed it. I’m going to try to stick to 8:30-4:30 and be more consistent for a while.