I have been eating low carb for awhile. I have fasted in the past. Very interested in intermittent fasting. So it is eating one day and fasting the next?
I would really like some information on this.
New here to this forum.
Thanks,
Honey
You eat every day.
But you have a "window" for eating. For example, my window is 10am-6pm: I do not eat before 10 and I do not eat after 6. Ever.
5am: wakeup
10am: pre-workout snack (some meat + a fruit) (250 calories)
10-noon: train (sometime in there)
Noon: feast (1200 calorie meal - majority of my carbs and 50-60% daily calories in ONE meal)
5pm: dinner meal (550 calories)
Total: 2000 calories
How many of you IFers have found that your body adapts to your schedule of eating, so that eventually you're never hungry until it's time for a meal? I'm not exactly doing IF, but i have been eating breakfast later and eating my meals at the same time every day. The first couple of weeks, i was ravenous after working out in the morning and having to wait an hour before breakfast (only because i was showering/dressing/driving to work), but now i no longer am at all. Same thing with dinnertime.
Your body adapts. But your biggest meal (fest) generally comes right after your workout - IF is meant for those with 'regular' schedules, technically. People who do IF in general also choose meals with higher protien and fat (and lower carb), such as "Paleo" style eating which helps with satiety (some don't, but in general most do).
IF is sort of based on life in primal times. You wake up, maybe forage for some berries in the morning, have your big feast with everyone later on. It is designed to follow how humans generally ate before we all had mini-fridges!
Surfergirl I find that I too have less hunger if I eat my meals at the same time everyday. Once I have a day of snacking/grazing tho it seems to take FOREVER for my appetite to settle down
Well... my body has definitely adapted to IF pretty well, actually much better than I would have ever thought since I hardly every went without eating for more than 10 or 12 hours and honestly didn't think that I could... But I still get hungry during my "fasting"... especially, in the evening which is understandable since I always used to eat something after dinner... and I also find that about an hour or two before I open up my eating "window" my hunger can be off the charts sometimes and really distracting... but considering how long I'm going without food and how much I'm working out that's pretty understandable too... I have found that since I've included some 24 hour "fasts" in my plan it has made my 16/8 routine much more "doable" though...
Right now my main focus is on managing my weight, reducing my body fat, and getting really fit again... and IF seems to be helping with all of that... although I do have some concerns that once I start to really ramp my running back up to over 70miles a week I might have to rethink the whole IF approach... but like they say... We'll cross that bridge when we come to it...
I'm new here!
I started IF this week, doing one day of 2000cals and the next day 500cals. Today is my third fast day and I'm feeling quite tired but that's probably down to not getting enough sleep last night! I'm feeling ready for a meal now but going to hang on a bit so that I don't get tempted into eating more later on.
I've never been big on breakfast but always made to feel bad about not eating 'the most important meal of the day'!!
Anyway, I'm so pleased to have found out about IF and this thread!!
Just a quick check in... I've been maintaining quite nicely with my 16/8 routine and I threw in a 24hr fast last week as well, because it just happened to fit into my schedule... And I've also seemed to have found my "happy" place when it comes to running in the morning while still fasting, which is about 6 miles or less... 8 miles was too much, it just left me feeling not so hot to say the least... But I'm perfectly OK with that...
Here's what happened... I've been wanting to start doing more of my training (in my case running) in the morning while I'm still fasting from the night before. But instead of just going out for a short run... I wound up staying out and putting in 8 miles, well needless to say I really paid for that serious lack of judgement on my part.
So my question is.... For those that workout while IF'ing what do you do? Do you just keep it short? Do you avoid cardio? Or do you just avoid working out all together while still fasting from the night before? I'm definitely curious to hear how people here fit their workouts in with IF... What works... What doesn't...
I'm following the 8 Hour Diet which says that if you do as little as 8 minutes of exercise before breaking the fast that it gets the metabolism going. I end up doing more before eating, but if you're pressed for time in the morning, sacrificing 8 minutes if probably doable. These are not exercises that one would have to get dressed in gym clothes to do. Lots of info on the Internet about this diet plan.
I actually think I might have "over did it" with the training last week and I'm feeling it this week... So I'm trying to be smart about things this week... I've cut my training in half the last 2 days and I decided to back my IF down to 14/10 for today and depending how I feel I might keep it there for a little while... We'll see...
Happy to report that I'm back to 16/8 with no problems... and after taking it easy this week I'm finally looking forward to some really long traing sessions this weekend... Now all I need to do is get my nutrition "dialed in" with the program and I'll be all set...
I keep telling people who are noticing that at least my face looks thinner (I'll have to lose a small person before my butt and thighs look closer to "normal") about IF. Of course, they immediately tell me everything that is wrong with it based on the current best dieting advice. My goal is 10 pounds per month and my "reality" goal is 8 lbs/month. So far -- and I haven't hit a plateau yet -- it's been a snap to meet the 10/month goal.
It's taken me a long time to just accept that I need to find what works for my body and just ignore all of the other diet plans/advice that's out there. I think that is true of everyone. Doesn't mean IF is for everyone, but for those of us for whom it works, it's turning out to be pretty close to a wish come true.
I am an IF newbie! I stumbled across the idea while browsing some internet forums. I've been on WW on and off for about 3 years. The first time I lost 40 lbs and made goal for about 30 sec before school stress caught up with me. I regained about 20 lbs. Now that I've graduated, I've been trying to focus on achieving my best body ever. The trouble is that I hate feeling like I'm living on alfalfa sprouts 24/7...
Probably the biggest eye-opener for me is that IF challenges everything I thought I knew about optimal nutrition. Which then made me question why I didn't question it before. I am even a research nurse - cited sources and reliable data matter to me in my work life, but for whatever reason I haven't held my sacred nutrition "knowledge" to the same rigorous standard.
I got a copy of Eat Stop Eat and am currently browsing some of the linked research. I have been all over the internet in the last couple of days and am very pleased to see how much IF is based on SCIENCE. I also heard the term 'broscience' for the first time. lol
I did my first 24h fast yesterday without really preparing for it. I woke up and decided I would try it, fears of evaporating from hunger be damned!
Well I've never been so surprised in my life to find that those horrible hunger pangs only last 2-3 minutes and then go away for a few hours. I felt GREAT. It was no problem to make it until supper. Then I ate a decent meal, and went for a run, and I set PRs for both pace and distance. Not to mention, it was SO FREEING to not worry about packing 10 tupperware containers around with me. I felt like a million bucks this morning.
I will be trying the ESE method for the month of March. I look forward to updating with my results!
This is so working for me because it is unbelievably simple. And, yes, my body has adjusted. Much less hunger. And I am sleeping better than ever before. Skin looks great too. This week I have started to max it out by eating healthier when I do eat. Salads. Yum. No sugar in coffee. Revolutionary for me.
To critics I will say that I was 281lbs so will do what the heck it takes! It's this or a heart attack. My doctor got the message.
Hello everyone,
I have been trying everything to lose about 10lbs to no avail. I stumbled across IF and have been reading but still don't quite get it. Perhaps if I tell you a little about me those using it can chime in and tell me what might work best for me and how I can get started.
I am 42 5'2" and weigh 137lbs. I'd like to get under 130 preferably 125lbs. I go to the gym 4-5X week alternating a 1hr spinning class and a 1 hr body pump class. Never the same time every day as it varies with my work schedule. Somedays I work out in the morning and others its 6pm. I could definitely eat between say 12-8pm no problem but how many calories should I be eating in this window??? And so many IF's to choose from. Do you have to incorporate a weekly 24hr fast???
Any help would be greatly appreciated!!!
Sue
