well so i went ahead and did this yesterday, window was 1-9 which was a little longer than i wanted but i had already ate at 1 before i read this thread!!!! i also started reducing my carbs, so i lost 2.2 pounds this morning...that is all i lost last month total!!!! i will check back in and let you know how the weight is going.

So far, I've noticed: Smaller windows work better for me because my meals seem more quality, I have been drinking way more than usual (good!). I usually struggle to get in 8 glasses of water a day, but now between water (plain, lemon, mint), tea, some coffee - easy easy. For now, I'm going with 5:30p-10:30p as it's easiest. I still haven't felt hungry. In fact, the opposite. I've seen foods I usually crave (scones at mid-morning tea break at work...), they haven't been as tempting as usual. Maybe because I know if I want one in the evening, I could have one? I guess for me, taking away the restriction and rather postponing eating something is helpful. I really am starting to believe hunger is just a feeling, and feelings pass. I've also noticed that if I didn't count calories, I would probably go under my target for the day. That n-e-v-e-r happens with 6-meal days... :)

Maria - I'm in the same boat! I think I'll start looking at the scale next week as TOM is almost here. Isn't is dumb how much seeing the scale affects how you feel about how you've been doing? It's so mental sometimes. I also feel like my stomach is smaller, but am not quite sure it's actually true yet :)

Oh! and :welcome2: to all the new folks! :)

Well, as you all could see in my earlier postings, it was hard but I successfully completed day 1. I stepped on the scale this morning and was down 1.5 - I'm not counting my lbs until next monday's official wi. But it sure was encouraging! Today I brought a sandwich at 320 cal and some trail mix at 440 cal. I'm not planning on eating all the trail mix today, half is for tomorrow, but yesterday I found that some almonds really stopped me from being hungry from 3:30 until supper at 6:00.
Water was so easy - I'm a big h20 fan anyways, but I got away from the pop - I used to drink 2-4 liters a day of diet pop, and yesterday I only had 1/2 liter (2 glasses)
I did some squats yesterday on my non-eating lunch period, they felt good so I'll do them again today.
Thank you all for your support - i'm sure you'll see another posting later whining about how hungry I am, but I'm counting on this being easier as it goes.
Love the thread, love the plan, love you guys for the help!

Not to sound like a broken record, but...

Argh! I'm STARVING!!!!!!!
You say this gets easier?
Come on 3 pm.......
I'm floating - my bladder is touching my eyeballs with all the h20 i've had to stave off hunger pangs

enough whining.
sigh.

Well, I looked at my post yesterday, and it seems like the hunger pangs aren't quite as bad today, and I got them about an hour later than yesterday. I think I'm gonna be able to do this!

I got in my squats on lunch - I did 5 more today than yesterday.

Where is everyone today? I hope you are all doing well and OP!

I am so glad to hear it is a bit easier today Laura. I was pretty hungry from noon to 1 pm today but I kept myself busy and waited until 1 pm.

It is my TOM right now so any weight see on the scale this week is probably not going to be very accurate so I will wait until next Monday for an official weigh in but I am hoping for some encouraging numbers!

Hi everyone. I haven't updated lately. I've been doing IF for 10 days now and I can definitely say it's now just a part of my life. I'm completely happy eating from 2pm/3pm till 8pm. Hope everyone else has a great experience as well. =)

Good job Laura!

You can be the poster child for IF because I am telling you after a month you won't even get hungry till 2:00 PM.

Well, it's official. Add me to the list of IF converts! I, like many of you, have never been a big "eat in the morning" person. I just like to do all my eating in the afternoon/evening. Always have. And I've always been taught that that's bad....that it's so horrible for my metabolism to not eat from 8am to 8pm every 2 hours. Well, thanks to this thread I'm done listening to that mentality! I've been doing IF for the past 5 days and I absolutely love it! It's so much easier to stay within my calorie range doing this. I've been eating between 2 and 10pm, just b/c I'm in college and generally stay up late. There have been days where I've had to stop myself from eating before 2, but mostly it's been smooth sailing! Haven't weighed yet, but I just have so much more energy and feel so much lighter. Can't wait to see what the numbers show!

Thanks for all the info you guys have provided. I feel like a new person with a new outlook!

Shortened up a bit today and was able to keep from 5pm-11pm. Can't wait until I'm a few weeks in to see how the scale responds...

MedChick87 - Glad IF is working so well for you! Isn't the energy great?

TooManyDimples - Woo woo!

Lauralyn - Good luck this week :crossed: Hope Monday shows great numbers for you!

Laura G - It does get better, don't worry :)

Well day 3, so far so good. I had a moment there yesterday, but I managed. I am 3 days into eating during my window, but not quite so hot on calories... (definitely less calories, just not where I want to end up - slow and steady, one new habit at a time!):p

lauralyn - thank you for your support pm - how uplifting to know the buddy system works! :hug:

JohnP - thanks for your comment - I never figured i'd be anybody's poster child - unless it was the before picture! I have something else to aim for now! If this works, I'll write a book..... Thanky ou also for all your research in supporting this way of life

reptogirl and maria rose: check in here often - let these fabulous people help you - hoping you are well and OP!

MedChick - isn't it great! I love this way of eating too - food is much more pleasant when it fits your lifestyle

Katydid - :D

Today is MUCH better than yesterday. I can eat in 15 minutes, and I haven't really even thought about it until now. I had some close calls at noon - but I managed to talk myself into NOT cheating - this is the first time I actually exercised mindful behaviours. It was tough, but it'll get easier with practice. My mantra was "Commit to it!" I read on a thread here somewhere that it doesn't take motivation, it takes committment - no matter what. Who cares if you aren't motivated to diet? Be committed and you will anyways. Seems like it works for
me. I may have it engraved on my forehead! Commit to it!
Cheating - this word has a new meaning - it's not about the food any more, it's about the window. So it's not like I can't ever eat this or that again, I just need to budget it into my window of time and window of calories.

I love it! Committed to it!

Hi, joining this thread and new to 3FC forum. I've read the ebook and read some of the leangains site. I come from a back ground of somewhat disordered eating and I'm actually really looking forward to gaining a better sense of what real hunger feels like (though apparently most don't struggle with intense hunger during fasting periods) while at the same time nourishing myself during my eating windows. I'm talkin' quality protein, real butter, sour cream, eggs, broth, whole grains/oats, veggies, fruits. . and My eating style is pretty clean...emphasis on quality balanced meals (schwarzbein style) on non fasting days. Not exercising yet, but my days are active with 5 kids at home.
But my biggest focus at this time in my life is to NOT SWEAT THE MINUTIAE. Know what I mean? I'm not going to obsess about macro nutrient ratios, or stress about eating convenience foods when needed or any of the other things I've driven my family nuts over in the past. I want freedom from over thinking food

forgot to subscribe...ok, *subscribed* :D

Eat Stop Eat? Was it good? I was turned off by the goofy marketing. (Plus leangains is free:D)

Another good day. Well, actually it was a terrible day personally, but IF wise it was excellent. I was under calories by a significant amount, but I just wasn't hungry. Maybe I'll be extra hungry tomorrow. I weighed in today, a pound down! Woo woo!

Laura - Excellent attitude! Commitment really is the idea, isn't it? Motivation is so dependent on how we're feeling, but once you make a commitment it doesn't matter how you feel - you just do it! :)

Sarah - Welcome!

Hi everyone! I am just checking in.

Wanted to say, I am not here as much because I am on a vacation in NYC :D

I will say that I came with the idea not to follow any IF patterns at all, but its actually hard NOT to. Today I wanted to try a lox and bagel, and so I did around 1pm, and I haven't been able to eat since. LOL

We are staying in NJ and tomorrow we are headed into the city.

Much shopping to be done!:)

Yes, EatStopEat had super goofy marketing

my opinion:
leangain website = good for people who have more time to spend searching for information, and especially for those who want to take their fitness to the next level or are very interested in nutrition. Can't wait for Martin's book to come out...should be great. He is a pleasure to read and has a unique attitude toward fitness and life.

EatStopEat Ebook = I don't think the ebook is anything amazing but it is easy to understand, all of the concepts in one place, good to have if there is a worry wart in the family wanting to understand your "crazy fasts". Some people who don't understand the principles may take their fasting too far so it may be good to have the book. People doing IF wrong or with misinformation give it a bad rep. leangains provides this info too...so if you are comfortable with searching blogs, go to leangains instead of the ebook.

I've been doing intermittent fasting since May of 2010. Combined with low-carb, it's the only thing that has worked for me and my stubborn body.

I eat between around approx 3pm to 9pm every night, that's my 'time window'. It puts me back in ketosis every morning, almost regardless if I had a higher-carb day the previous day.

I have read pretty much all these posts, and I have really decided to try this out. I dont HATE breakfast, but I sleep relatively late (10-11am) and when Im NOT on a diet, I dont eat until around 2 or so, but when I am, I eat at like 11:30, then obsess over my next mini meal at 2. I LOVE large meals, and unless I am full, I never feel satisfied. It just totally makes sense. I am gonna try tomorrow 1-9, and gradually decrease from 2-8. I will certainly keep y'all posted :-)

Question: Do you eat the normal amount of cals? I eat 1800 right now according to my weight. Should I stick to that amount?

Thanks :-)

I woke up this morning still feeling a bit full and all I had for supper last night was one piece of chicken (small) and a big bowl of Cauliflower and Brussel Sprouts that I baked in the oven.

I have lots to do this morning so I can tell that waiting until 1 pm today will be a breeze!

I could not wait to step on the scale until Monday so I jumped on it this am and I weigh 145.5 which is down about 1.5 lbs since I started this. I am in the middle of my TOM so I am thrilled to see any loss!

I can't believe I have stuck with this so easily. :D I feel full after I eat now and I am not eating more than before I started, I am actually eating quite a bit less.

lauralyn - Sounds like you're doing great!

SomethingBeautiful - Welcome! Sounds like IF will fit you well. I (and I think everyone else) eat the same number of calories, it's just the time frame you consume them in is smaller. If 1800 is what you would eat to lose, then it's also what you'll eat on IF.

Kattt - Welcome, great to hear how well IF has been working for you! I'm curious, how low carb do you combine it with?

sarahmac - Have you read Fast-5 ebook? Just curious how it compares to E-S-E information-wise. I do like the leangain website, but find the ebook style easier to follow and more relevant to myself.

Katydid77 - Jealous! Have a LOT of fun shopping in the city :)

Starting day 1 today..go figure for once I woke up hungry haha. But I only have until 1, so Its okay :-) Wish me luck today! I'll be reporting later :-)

5.6 lost in a week of IF lifestyle . . . . I know some of that was a bit of water weight left from TOM, but does that seem high to anyone else?
Not that I'm not thrilled, don't get me wrong but I should expect to slow down right?

Thanks for any insight . . . . still have to say it feels like the most natural way of eating for me, not at all struggling :) :)

Missjessica-

I have not read the ebook for fast-5. From browsing the website it looks like another variation on the theme. I know that Martin from leangains recommends a larger window of time for women to eat because of physiological reasons and diet compliance, but this is probably variable between persons.

I'll have to check out the fast 5 site some more to get a better idea of the differing components. I think people need to find what feels most satisfying to them because then it will work for them over the long haul : fast 5, larger eating windows, 24 hour fasts, your own version? I know that EatStopEat recommends eating around the same time for hormonal cues for hunger...so it seems it's best to just be consistent but not obsessed.

to all - what made IF attractive to you? What style of IF do you feel most satisfied doing? How do you incorporate exercise?

Looking into Fast Five the other day it seems like it would be a waste of money. Granted it is only $10 but there is nothing in the book from what I can tell that would be useful to know.

As someone who has done IF for over a year I assure you that calories matter. I wish there was a lot of magic to IF but if there is any magic it is minor and in health benefits unrelated to weight loss aside from the possibility that it helps retain LBM.

Getting to the point ... yes you should expect weight loss to slow. You were most likely retaining water for whatever reason and your body finally let it go probably because you were more relaxed in your new eating schedule or larger meals brought cortisol levels down or make up something and insert it here. The point is that calories matter.

I am on Day 4 of IF.

I feel energetic in the morning, but after I eat lunch (which is normally 400-600 calories since I eat a big dinner and a decent-sized dessert), I feel fatigued.

Is this normal?

So far the day has been awesome. I Noticed I drink more water now to calm the hunger, which is good, because increasing my water is always an issue. I was in class when my window opened, so I just had a few bites of a fiber one bar, but I really think this is gonna be good. I just ate a burrito bowl from chipotle, and it was healthy, suuuper filling, and I still have 900 cals left until 8 :-)

@Coondocks- CONGRATS on that nice loss!! I hope to have a good loss too!!

Thanks to everyone on this thread, you're all awesome :-)

A little question to all you Ifer's. I do IF off and on(didn't really realize it had a name).

My question is, do people around you - coworkers/family/friends, know the way you eat? and If so, what do they think about it?

I would never tell someone that some days I don't eat a thing until 5/6/7pm. It just SEEMS very unhealthy and just not something I could vocally say outloud to someone if that makes sense? Even though I do like eating that way sometimes and it does help keep me in check.
I'm just wondering if people around you, who don't IF , have a negative view of it, or what they think about you doing it?

Just checking in - today is day 4 for me too!

Doing really good - making it to my window now is hardly a problem - thanks everyone for encouraging me to hang in there!
I'm going to go until day 10 with my focus on making my window. Day 11 I will focus on making my calorie goals. I know it doesn't seem very ambitious, but I want to be cautious and not get discouraged or I'll give up - I know myself well enough to know I need to pace myself.

I've been doing a bad thing these last 3 days, and today it bit me in the butt. I'm an obsessive weigher - I check every day....sometimes 4 times a day. I was doing really well, down 1.5, down .5,, maintained, and now today, up 1.5. So I was very discouraged. I almost went off plan, but I recommitted myself. I told myself I wasn't being fair to me or the plan. I need to give this an HONEST try. So today, I am committing myself to weighing only 1x a week - Monday am. It will be difficult - I hate suspense, but it is the only way I am going to stick to this. Weighing everyday is not healthy and not accurate. Ionly need to look in the mirror to see that my body has changed already - my top fat roll doesn't stick out nearly as much as it did! :D Every time I stand up I'm hiking up my pants! And I know that whatever weight I do lose will be flesh, not water because I am drinking more water then ever!

Thank you everyone. I'm so grateful to you all and to this thread. I can't wait to be posting here in a year and being closer to goal than ever. I can't wait until I can change my siggy for a new mini goal!

I apologize to all for being selfish and self-absorbed, but personals are really hard for me. Just know that I read everyone's comments and am thinking about all of you.

I'm wishing everyone the best OP day so far!

So far I've told no one, but that is for my own sanity - I don't have a great support system here at home. JohnP has posted some great links to articles that support IF and can be used to defend IF if necessary for you.
All the best.

If anyone is concerned about IF affecting your health tell them JohnP says it is perfectly safe unless you're hypoglycemic.

J/K send them this link.

If that doesn't settle it nothing will.

Hi,everybody

I think I'll be hanging out here for a while. I have been in to fasting fasting for years, all kinds ( juice, water, interim,) my longest fast was 14 days long

On the 30th I will start my own interim. Fast as follows- 5 days fasting, 2 days eating , for the next 2 months (until June 1st) I need to loss 32 lbs. And detox because I've been feeling so sluggish

I have not decided what maintenance I will follow after that fasting 5 or eat stop eat. But, fasting 5 worked for me for years, before I even knew it had a name.

LAKERSKB24: I haven't told anyone yet and I don't really plan to. I don't want to unneccesaily worry them as many think that my counting calories is borderline eating disorder as it is. I do have a bunch of acquaintances that keep pushing me to eat lunch at 12.15, perfectly normal I guess but I am running out of excuses, even before IF I have always hated eating too early.

I know what u mean . I usually keep my fast to my self also. Most people think that it is unhealthily, but it is catching on.

Fasting is not the same as intermittent fasting in the context that we are discussing although technically by definition it would be intermittent fasting.

Fast 5 refers to eating during only five hours of the day. Example - fast until 3:00 PM and eat until 8:00 PM. It does not refer to five days of fasting.

Eat stop Eat is a 24 hour fast. Stop eating at 8:00 PM on Monday and don't eat again until 8:00 PM on Tuesday.

Hey everyone. I've declared this "vacation week" since I'm going on a cruise this Sunday. So pretty much all week, I've been 70% doing IF. LOL. I've still been maintaining my weight loss since I started which is great. When I get back from my cruise, I'll get right back into IF because I do love it.

Hope you're all well.

Monique

Assuming your meal has a decent number of carbs than yes - this is referred to as a carb coma. The more insulin sensative you are the less you will be put into a carb coma and the more carbs will energize you and the opposite is true.

You can enjoy the carb coma or reduce carbs. As you get leaner you'll become more insulin sensative.

Not much to report on my IF journey, but I did want to say a special thank you to JohnP. I am *really* enjoying the leangains site. One of the best resources anyone has referred me to! :)

Interesting, I'll have to compare the two. The Fast-5 ebook is free, so that's the one I'm reading first. So far I've found that I like 6-8 hours more, but not starting until later so that I go to sleep before I get hungry again. I exercise most days of the week, usually in the evening for an hour, hour 1/2. It works out perfect to eat a decent sized lunch, mid sized dinner post workout, and snack in the later evening. I need to start tightening up on my food choices though. My calorie numbers are good, but their quality is only so-so... Not awful, just getting a bit high on the carbs for me.