I'm one of those people whom eating breakfast makes me hungry, no matter what I have. I have a motto: the less I eat, the less I eat.

I have more energy from not eating. I fast 23 hours a day. I only get hungry once a day now, if that.

I like the fact that I am losing 3 pounds a week most weeks and am not obsessed with dieting/food.

Regarding energy, I workout almost every day doing HIIT, weight training, etc. I wouldn't have been able to do that in the past on an empty stomach but my body has adjusted.

That's the thing: you can train your body to eat once a day, or in a 5-hour stretch or whatnot.

I'm glad I found this thread! I didn't really have a "name" for what I was doing, but I do know this -- this method is one of the only things that works for me as far as curbing my binge eating (virtually eliminating it) and losing weight. I usually just drink some juice in the a.m., have a substantial lunch (w/o restrictions and pretty much whatever I want) and a very light dinner (if any). I find that keeps my calories around 13-1400 on average and I don't have the bingeing behavior that used to prevent me from losing weight consistantly. I dont know why that is other than I'm not restricting, but I haven't read a lot about this.

I bet your blood sugar is more stable and, hence, no desire to binge. I wouldn't be able to do the juice because I'd have an insulin spike but I don't have to follow low-carb on one meal a day either. So, I'm very happy about that.

That's interesting you say that because I would think it would be the opposite (causing unstable blood sugar), but like I said, I really have not done any research/reading regarding it. I just knew that I had to go back to this because my binge eating was preventing me from getting back to a healthy weight. Plus, I simply feel better when I eat this way. It seems contrary to all of the usual diet advice (which is why I've fought with myself about going back to this method), but ... it works for me, so unless it starts causing adverse effects, I'm sticking with it. Although, there's NO way it can be as unhealthy as the binge eating I was doing, so that alone is a step up.

I should also say, I sip the juice all morning; I'll fill up a glass with ice and cranberry or grape juice and it will last me three hours.

Blood sugar levels can improve with fasting because eating causes the blood sugar to rise and drop again. And if someone eats minimeals, they are likely to produce more insulin, therefore, more hunger due to entrainment.

From Martin Berkhan's website (leangains):


"What about blood sugar and hunger? Blood sugar is one of many short-term feedback mechanisms used to regulate hunger and the notion which exists to say that low blood sugar may cause hunger is correct. Low just means lower range. This is subject to numerous confounders, such as your habitual diet, energy intake and genetics. Most importantly perhaps, it's subject to entrained meal patterns, regulated by ghrelin and other metabolic hormones. In essence, this means that blood sugar follows the meal pattern you are used to. This is relevant for those who fear blood sugar issues and hunger from regular periods of fasting, as it serves to explain why people can easily adapt to regular periods of fasting without negative effects."

I'm not diabetic... nor even pre diabetic for that matter... but I was starting to show the tell tail signs of metabolic syndrome... and my fasting blood sugars were in the 90's which is "normal" but still on the higher side of where I would have liked them, especially since there is some evidence that suggests that fasting blood sugars on the lower side of normal are associated with less risk of developing diabetes and heart disease... and even though I did make some changes to my diet and start to get a little bit more exercise than I had been... I really think IF was a big part of lowering my fasting blood sugar numbers which are now in the high 70's to low 80's... which I'm very happy about since that is associated with lower risk of eventually developing diabetes and heart disease... So I definitely think there is something to it...

Has anyone else tried combining the 8 Hour followed by the Fast 5 on the weekends? I've been thinking about doing that because I don't go to the gym on the weekends and that seems to be when my weight just stays stable. I've had to adjust my 8 hour eating window because I just didn't have the strength needed to go to the gym and I like to do that in the morning. So, now I have a 9-5 window during the week and am going to try for 500 calories/day on the weekends. Of course, this is the first weekend and the grands are coming, so it will be a challenge!

On a happier note, I've found a way to incorporate 3-4 beers per week into my plan. I use them as a hair conditioner as the hops in beer really help to strengthen your hair and make it shiny. So, I keep a case of beer in my bathroom -- it's a real fashion statement -- and have a couple of empty beer cans in the shower (visions of a college frat room!). I know this is going to sound ridiculous, but when I smell that beer being poured over my head, I feel as though I'm getting away with a little cheat -- the sense of smell is pretty powerful!

What a waste of good beer. I am in tears.

I'd rather take the beer internally. I always have a beer or two at night.

So I'm going to try IF again. Calorie counting just isn't cutting it for me, and as a previous poster said, I think IF goes along with my natural eating rhythm anyway. I've never eaten breakfast. I sip hot tea all morning.

Lunch is my biggest problem. Since I've started my new 8-5 job I binge at lunch a lot of the time.

Yes, I enjoy a couple of West Coast IPAs in the evening. I call it my beer diet.

Oh man. If I had a couple of beers a month -- let alone a day -- it would do me in diet wise. Guess I'll just have to settle for the aroma. The beer I'm using on the hair is the cheapest they sell so I don't feel like I'm missing much.

Beer - the reason I will never see a set of well defined abs.

Yes John. And the problem with that is?

I did IF for a long time and it really worked for me, but according to some of the things I've been reading, it may not be such a good idea for women. That's why I stopped.

paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/

A female body works very differently than a male body.

Interesting article, Silver sky. Thanks for sharing that. I unfornately had to stop due to possible gallbladder issues as well as acid reflux, ugh.