Just another item to mull over: I tried IF, and while I really like the concept, I found that it just didn't fit in well with my social eating schedule (i.e., a couple of times a week my husband and I go out for breakfast and we eat dinner together every night). However, what I have been successful with at times is eating just two meals a day. Sometimes, I'll have a nice breakfast (e.g., 1/2 a bagel, smoked salmon, cream cheese, side salad---I have this at one of our favorite breakfast places). Then I don't eat anything until dinner. If I get hungry during the day, I'll drink some ice water or I may even have a cup of coffee w/ just 1 tbsp. of half and half (20 calories). I find that once the initial strong hunger passes (and it does pass), I'm fine until dinner time. Then, I really have a good appetite for dinner, enjoy what I'm eating more, and tend to get full more quickly. Also, I don't have to obsess over calories as much. I eat about 600 - 700 calories per meal (I'm in losing mode), or more since I cycle my calories (so it averages out to be about 1400 per day). I've known my husband for 22 years, and this is the way he typically eats, and he has never had a weight problem.

Whether you try IF or not, one thing that has been helpful to me is to realize that the feeling of hunger is natural and that I won't die if I don't eat something immediately when I'm hungry. I just think to myself, "So, I'm hungry? So what? I'll just ride it out." The other great thing about being hungry before eating is that I can usually pinpoint exactly what I want to eat, and when I get it, it tastes fabulous. When I'm in a constantly "fed" state, sometimes it's difficult for me to tell what I really want to eat.

Ok, so I failed miserable...alright I didn't fail I should never say that, but I cracked at around 8pm. It was going pretty well the hunger wasn't really a problem, but I was really struggling with the emotions of it which was actually a good thing because I really discovered a lot about why I eat, a lot of it was already known, but I learned a few new things.

So I'm not totally giving up yet. I'm going to give it one more try, but I think dinner was the wrong meal for me. Next Friday I'm going to try breakfast with the option of ditching lunch too. I think this will work better for me in the end. I'm not sure what to do about my daily caffine habit, but I think I can get by with some unsweatened tea and advil to get past the withdrawl.

I think the most startling thing I learned was how much I rely on eating to occupy my time on Fridays and how much it comforts me in the evenings. I really need to deal with this I think.

So I'm continually tweaking and persisting, I know I will figure out a system that works for me in maintenance land...I am SO close. M-Th are flawless, Saturdays and Sundays are really close and I'm at a point where I think I can accept the way I eat on those days, now I just need to get a something together for Fridays. If IF proves to be a complete failure I have a couple ideas, so there is still hope.

i dont calorie count but ive been doing IF daily for about a month. im losing weight ALOT faster than i was before. the hardest part was my body adjusting to the no food before 12pm or after 7 pm. i used to have terrible hunger pangs, but now i dont notice them. i weirdly kinda like to feel it (if that doesnt sound weird ) the only thing i have to be careful with is when i exercise. if its too late into the night or too early, i get sick to my stomach. i dont eat whatever i want but i make a mental note of all the things ive had in the day and i couldnt EVEN tell you what calories i consume but im sure its normal. i have breakfast when i enter my window then halfway thru i have a snack then near the end i eat dinner =)