tyla Halfway through the day yesterday I got so worried about my calories that I started counting them. Ended up at 700 cals- only 500 left for late afternoon and dinner. I DEFINITELY would have eaten more for dinner if I hadn't have counted my cals.
So.... I decided I'm going to stick to the Eat to Live guidelines but also calorie count. I think it's wayyyy too easy to overeat otherwise.
miatutu I LOVE IF. Basically yes, you eat all of your normal calories during a shorter window of time. So you can IF and not diet or IF and diet (restrict calories). Since I"m trying to lose a few more pounds I IF + calorie count. Since it's just about meal timing it can be combined with any other plan.
You are right that it's really common among lifters (heavy lifters, which I am not) because part of its benefits are theoretically mobilizing that last bit of stubborn fat. But it has wider health benefits that benefit anyone.
The idea is that eating consistently throughout the day, whether that's 3 meals from 7 AM- 7 PM, or 6 "mini meals" during the same range, etc- keeps the blood sugar high, 'fat-burning' hormones suppressed, and stokes hunger. Eating fewer, larger meals during a more restricted time period helps to manage blood sugar (good for diabetics and nondiabetics alike), hunger, etc.
I drink water and coffee during my fasted state and then start eating anywhere from 12 PM- 2 PM. I usually eat a pretty large lunch (40% of my calories) and get really really full! I have a few snacks over the next few hours (30%), and a very small dinner (30% usually).
For me, there are two major benefits to IF: 1) I find it MUCH easier to eat REAL meals rather than 6 200 calorie minimeals which do not satisfy at all and just make me think about my next mini meal. 2) It is SO much easier to know you CAN'T eat until 2 PM than to have to make lots of GOOD decisions about WHAT to eat. I don't know if that makes sense, but for me I just know that eating is not an option until the afternoon so I don't think about it. I love food and if I was "allowed" eat all day it would be a constant battle inside my head to eat the "right" thing. Tons of studies show that the more tough decisions we have to make during the day the worse our decision-making skills are by the end of the day... this is so true for me and eating right. If I just don't even have the option of making the decision for 50% of the day it makes the rest of the day so much easier.
I am focusing more on the psychology behind IF and not the physiology, of which there are many studies promoting IF's benefits. Good NYT article here:
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2011/0...-heart-health/
Anyway, I'm a fan. Let me know if you have more questions. Also, there is an IF support group in the Support Groups forum on 3FC- go check it out for some FAQ
Day 38
IF: started eating at 12 PM
Exercise: 30 minutes lifting
sauteed spinach
sauteed okra
18 almonds
1/2 banana
1 apple
Dinner: family style dinner out with friends, I think I did ok.... a few bites of mashed potatoes, 1 small spring roll, 1 small jalapeno popper, about 1.5 oz of fish, a few garlic shrimp. Couple bite of a shared dessert.
No more dinners out for a while, thankfully... can work on eating more on an Eat to Live plan at home
