Thinking I should give this a try to jump start my weightloss, along with working out and a generally healthier diet. If I am able to commit to a 16-8 fast 5 days a week, and 2 days of a more “standard” eating window, can I expect to see results? Or will my two days of an open window negate the benefits? Thank you!
For weight loss it’s your calories, sleep, and stress management that are important. So if all those are good, and with your exercise, you’ll be fine. And a lot of people take weekends off of IF and do just fine.
Just don’t go overboard on those 2 days if you can.
The 2 days of open window eating alone will not negate the weight loss benefits.
The calories may though.
Let’s say you eat a -250 deficit M-F, that’s a 1250 deficit total. If you “treat” yourself for 2 days, Sa and Su, you can see how you could eliminate the deficit you earned M-F.
This is what I do. I keep my weekends as optional non-fasting days - if I have social events, I don’t fast, but I don’t overindulge either. I can also do my usual 16:8 if I’m just relaxing at home.
The results are slower than conventional fasting. It took a year for 63kg to go down to 54/55kg. Of course, along with the 5 day fasts, I also changed my diet to be a bit healthier, and I try to do workouts at least 2-3 times a week. I just don’t count calories and macros because it triggers my anxiety.
It really takes time, but this is what’s fun with IF - you can adjust how you can make it sustainable in your schedule. And I’ve read that if you combine IF with other types of diet (keto, paleo, etc) the results will be even better.
Good luck and have fun!
This is the schedule I keep and I’ve lost almost 80 lbs this year with not really any exercise routine. I have more social obligations on the weekends so not having to worry about fasting during them has made it less disruptive to integrate it into my life.
I started calorie counting when I started fasting, but I’ve had to stop with the counting because it was going a bad way. It’s still gave me a better idea of portions, so I try to stick with those kind of portions when I’m eating even on non fast days.