I have done a little research online and am intrigued by IF. I haven't commited to doing it yet, but have a few questions.
I have gone long times (15-20 hours) without eating in the past and I usually end up eating a really large portion when I do eat. Is this something that any of you struggled with when you first started a IF type of lifestyle.
Also I run and sometimes have long runs between 9-14 miles that I run. Do you have to plan vigourous excercise during the eating window?
I have gone long times (15-20 hours) without eating in the past and I usually end up eating a really large portion when I do eat. Is this something that any of you struggled with when you first started a IF type of lifestyle.
Also I run and sometimes have long runs between 9-14 miles that I run. Do you have to plan vigourous excercise during the eating window?
Calories matter. So when someone says "portion" I say ?????
Of course if you haven't eaten in 24 hours you're going to be pretty hungry but if you normally eat a 500kcal dinner and you double it because you're so hungry you've still only consumed 1,000 calories that given day and most assuredly are at a deficit.
As for running - you'll most likely need to build up to such a distance depending on pace if you're not used to running fasted as the body will be running almost entirely on fat and you'll probably feel more tired. Other than that - go for it.
wannaB - I am a distance runner and havent had any problem running during the fasting window. For me I find it is actually much easier to run fasted. Trying to run long during the eating window is more problematic because you DO tend to eat larger meals so a lot of energy goes for digestion.
Play around with the time you run long if you have the flexibility. I usually run first thing in the morning. Sometimes on a really long run day I do have to break fast after the run earlier than I normally would, sometimes not. Ideal for me fasting wise is to time my run near the end of my fasting window so that I can eat shortly after finishing my run.
As far as energy, if you are USED to running "fully fueled" it will knock your pace down probably 30-45 seconds per mile at first, usually you will adapt in 2-3 weeks and be back to where you were. I dont see the same knock down on higher intensity stuff (intervals, etc) partly because of duration, partly because once you kick it in you overcome the sluggish feeling.
One thing you can do is try your long runs fasted but carry gu or something on an emergency basis so you dont fear the crash until you feel adapted and confident that yes, you CAN run 14 miles without fuel.
Also, you run that long, what - once a week? IF is flexible. you can build the long run day however you need. I've been fine with running 11 miles at 5:30 am and still holding off until late to eat, but once I get to >16 miles I will probably break fast shortly after the run and have a longer eating window on that day.
MTA: Oh yeah, my own stuff. I've been really struggling with sleep and food and stomach issues this week. Time to clean up the diet a bit and reset. Lack of sleep drives hunger drives poor food drives poor sleep.
KTucke7 - I'd love to one day be able to say I'm no longer a constant dieter - bring it on!
My Fast-5 eating hasn't been perfect over the last few days, but I am leaving longer and longer periods between meals, and always skipping breakfast. I feel good - it's a relief not to have to think so much about what to eat. I have big plans for next week - no eating until 4, stop eating by 9.
wannabefit- I have not been able to do any heavy exercise (more than a fast walk) in a fasted state. The reason for that is that I feel way too tired, sick to my stomach, etc, which usually results in a crappy work-out. That being said, I have read up on it and many people do great in a fasted state and would never go back to anything else. Try it and see. Maybe you shouldn't plan to set any personal goals the first few times...
I like a longer window of eating due to being so hungry and overeating later. You will need to try some different ways before you find what is right for you. Good luck!
The scale was down for me yesterday!! I have 5-6 lbs more to go... Yippie!
Hello everyone- another (longtime) lurker wanting to join the IF bandwagon!
I have been intrigued by this for a longggggg while ever since John P first posted about it back then. I figured this is something I can do easily because I normally skip breakfast, sometimes lunch due to not being hungry until later on. Today is the first day of the fast, so far so good! I think this WOE will help with the late night hunger that has been happening for the last month or so. I'm actually excited about this, lol.
Starting my Calorie Counting today and trying to eat just 2 meals a day skipping breakfast which is easy for me to skip. I've shared before that eating this way is the way I ate most of my life until I was duped into believing I had to eat 3 meals especially breakfast and then later smaller meals. Although it may take a little time, I am hoping that my body will recognize and adjust to the old way of eating with no real problem. After reading the article that KTucke7 shared, I decided to divide my daily calories between the 2 meals. Hopefully by eating enough food in each meal, I won't be hungry between the 2 meals or during my 19 hr fast each day.
I made it to 15 hours for the first fast today (11pm-2pm), not bad. Ideally I'd like my eating window to be 4pm to 10pm so gonna work on that.
ETA- I read that article KTucke posted, I thought it was helpful and interesting. Thanks for sharing! My calorie intake is about the same if I calculate the formula using my goal weight of 150, not 185, though I do eat a bit more if I work out.
Whoo boy am I surprised! I weighed in a little early this week, thinking I've gained weight. My TOM is almost here and I usually bloat up before it starts. Well, it turns out I've lost another 2 lbs! I'm down to 185.5 lbs! This was right after I downed a liter and a half of water, too! At this rate I'll definitely meet my mini goal of 172 at the end of July!
In other news, my local grocery store has started to carry whole grain pasta. Of course, its a little more expensive then regular old pasta but even thats not cheap! It does suck having only one grocery store within 40 miles, but I figure I'd end paying for the price difference in gas if I drove that far to get groceries.
Day 1 of back on mod carb done. I've really let things escalate a bit
The calorie count for the article (x11) is very very close to what i consider my non exercising maintenance level. I usually eat a bit more than that as I exercise a lot. Lately I've been eating WAY WAY over that.
KTucke7 - I finally got around to reading the article you posted. Being in business, I haven't even had time to keep up with the boards regularly lately, so when I saw it was an article regarding entrepreneurs, I had to smile.
Fit me to a T!
So, the take away - for busy people with a life who don't want to spend tons of time micromanaging their diet, and obsessing about this stuff - IF is IT - whether you're an entrepreneur or not.
I keep trying to talk my friend into IF. Her big complaint about food is that its just too time consuming to deal with. She would totally be in for a pill that replaced food.
I really really love to cook, but not all the time. I like that I pretty much focus on dinners and then eat leftovers for lunch the rest of the week. Although I do have to deal with kids breakfast and lunches. dh made bacon this morning. I could have done without the aroma permeating the house all day.
