I agree, the only negative thing about IF is that the word 'fast' has such negative connotations. It makes it sound like it's some extreme program where you are neglecting basic needs, like an off shoot of anorexia or something.

Actually I look at it as setting myself up with a set of guidelines that I can realistically follow in order to achieve results. IF does NOT make me lose weight. Consuming fewer calories than I am using, and doing that consistently is what makes me lose weight.

IF provides me with a way that I can realistically obtain that goal. Truth is, the 5-6 mini meal thing simply makes my eating window so 'big' that it's harder for me to reign those calories in, and be consistent enough to see a true deficit. It's easier to underestimate (or forget) bites, licks, tastes when there is no clear cut rules about 'not eating that now' Throughout the day, I lose track and keep my mind on food too much.


If I were to name it, I would have probably went with something like 'regulated nutrient window' or something along those lines. But I didn't and truth to say the term IF is accurate, it simply follows a more archaic meaning of the term. Back when breakfast, actually meant to 'break your fast'.

We are on a roll ladies, there is nothing that can stop us now!!

I guess I should have worded my questions better With doing IF I wonder if one should limit their carbs if you have IR or if just counting calories would work since you are only eating in a certain time frame? I know that you shouldn't binge during this time or eat a lot of junk and eat tons of calories I think I will just keep limiting carbs but not as strict as before and see how I do. Eating six times a day is not easy for me. I have more energy when I don't eat as often. I think this will work for me

Wanted to thank everyone for sharing their experiences and info in this thread, I just read all 9 pages of it over my Sunday am coffee

krampus (hi! *waves*) pointed me towards IF in another thread about binges and I am fascinated.

I never considered it before, but I am thinking after reading this that one of my binge triggers is the constant snacking I had been trained to do. Just having to think so much about it!

Ive been inadvertently doing what I guess is IF for the past 3 days without realizing it...by not eating at all between 9pm and noon. May adjust that window some, but Im liking it. My other big binge trigger is just consuming too many carb, so I am playing around with the % of my diet they comprise to see where the sweet spot is.

Thanks again!

Yeah, it will go back to what works for you here. I am in the group that tries to limit my carbs, but ultimately my focus is on overall calorie count than anything. Carbs can work as triggers and you have to watch for that, but at the same time, sometimes you need those nice 'feel good' signals that consuming carbs brings.

Yesterday my SIL wanted to try this Italian restaurant that I had bought a groupon for a couple of months ago. I put off eating and didn't consume a bite until 6:30pm. For dinner we had fresh bread/oil as the app, then I ordered baked penne. It was soooo rich, with real ricotta, that I ate about 8 bites and couldn't eat anymore.

I felt like I totally cheated on my diet, but truth is, I was under calories for the day, and the scale is down this morning to 142.5!!!

That is the lowest number I have seen in ages!! It must be on the girls sending me good vibes that is working!!

Awesome!!!!! well, I am starting today. I'm going to keep my window from 3:00 to 8:00 and see how that goes. I think this is going to work for me

Looks like we are starting this together

Day three and all is well. I'm under calories so far, even with a bring and share after church with amazing food I also had time for a proper Sunday afternoon nap - what a luxury those are! Tomorrow is weigh-in day... Almost too content to really mind what the scale says this week... Almost

Katydid77 - Yay for the loss! You'll be in the 130's in no time. And I just discovered Groupon a few weeks ago. LOVE it.

xty - Welcome! Interesting stuff, huh? Sounds like IF is close to what your body wants naturally. Feels good, yeah?

LeslieLou - You're welcome! Hope your first day or so has gone well

Kaseyy - I'm reading Fast-5 right now, but am doing a 6-8hr window so far. I did 5 yesterday because it's how my schedule worked out, but if I'm losing on 6-8 hours, I'd gladly settle with that. The E-S-E might be a little too much for me, but maybe if I need to shake things up at some point, I'll give it a try.

A note on the weekly 24hr fast (Eat-Stop-Eat)...

I have mentioned that I did this to break me out of a weight loss plateau and used it for the remainder of my loss phase. When I reached maintenance, in addition to having my schedule change so my fasting was no longer convenient, I no longer felt the need to do the 24-hr fasts. I have maintained for several months without it (still doing daily IF). January and the beginning of February was a hard month for me. Lots of life changes and stress, and that unfortunately led to binges. I gained about 5lbs back. Went from hovering between 124-126 to 129-132. Absolutely not a significant gain-back, I know. But the fact that I have to look at those higher numbers on the scale every morning and remind myself that I screwed up just ticks me off. So I've been on a mission to get back down to my comfort zone, but progress has been sloooooow. Right now I'm bouncing around between 127-129, mostly around 128.5. So I've decided to jump back in a very mini weight-loss mode and do weekly 24hr fasts until I get back down to 124-126. Shouldn't take but a month or so if I stay on plan. BUT, here's the kicker, I think once I get back down to my comfort zone, I'm going to continue with weekly 24-hr fasts and raise my daily calories throughout the rest of the week up by a bit.

I'm on my second weekly fast...I fasted last Sunday also. I had a normal dinner last night at around 7pm, and I will eat my dinner tonight at about the same time. A normal dinner, I already have it planned and logged. A small sliced cucumber, a chicken breast, some roasted bell peppers, and a bit of mashed sweet potato. For a snack/dessert, I'll have a small bowl of air-popped popcorn. The total for the day is 535 cal. Tomorrow I'll have a normal on plan eating day within my window.

I have forgotten how easy and wonderful these 24-hr fasts are. I have energy, I went for a long walk, I'm not thinking "is it time to eat yet!?" As I'm typing this, I'm actually asking myself if I'm at all hungry, and I'm just not. I don't even have tummy grumblies. I have some ice tea waiting for me in the fridge, but I'm not in any hurry to drink it just to consume something. I feel completely wonderfully calm. I'll break the fast by eating my sliced cucumber first at 7pm-ish, wait 20 minutes for my stomach to recognize that it has been filled with something, and then eat the rest of my meal. In the morning, I'll wake up refreshed, as I always do after one of these 24-hr fasts.

Anyways, just thought I'd share since I know some of you are considering the eat-stop-eat thing. It does take some getting used to, it's absolutely NOT for everyone, but it can be a surprisingly positive experience and helpful weight loss tool.

hi guys! I just have a few questions if someone would help me out

I'm in maintenance right now(5'0 - 110pds) and have been doing IF(didn't know it had this name though) for a couple of months. My "window" is usually late, 4-9pm because I LOVE to save calories for later at night and I'm not hungry usually during the day.
First of all, I just wanted to ask how many calories people were eating during their window? Is it a full days calorie in those hours?

Also, before I read this thread and saw that other people were doing it, I've always thought of eating this way as being very unhealthy and I've been trying to break the habit and trying to eat more "normally", as in 3 meals spread out. I just really wondered, is IF really a healthy thing and OK for our bodies? I guess I just wanted a little convincing because I was convinced this can't be good for us.
Thing is, I AM happy eating this way and it works great , especially with not binging anymore...I just wanted to make sure it's OK to really continue on this way..

Thanks a lot for reading

On the 24 hour fast . . .

One time when my grandfather was in the hospital and expected to die, my aunt made a vow to God, that if he survived she would fast two days a week.

Well, he recovered, and my aunt started doing two 24 hour fasts a week. Well, as an unexpected side effect she started losing weight hand over fist. It shocked her because she had always had to diet like crazy to lose weight.

She is short (about 4 foot 10 inches) and she got down to like 110 lbs without much effort at all, just the fasting and eating 'okay' the rest of the week.

Naturally, she didn't consider it a 'diet' specifically, but she was always amazed that that was the only time in her life when she lost weight easily.

Now that I am familiar with IF and it's various counterparts, I always think of her kinda coming up with the diet on her own without realizing it.

Yes, you eat your full days calories in your eating window.

There is no research to indicate that eating this way is unhealthy. There is research that indicates it may be more healthy to eat this way. Most of this research has been done in rats but I suspect we'll see more data in the coming years to support intermittent fasting.

It is possible that only eating a single meal a day may not be a great idea but 2-3 meals spread out over 4-8 hours is certainly not going to have any negative impact on your health so long as you're getting get your macro and micronutrient needs met. The timing of when you get these things doesn't matter.

I have a question concerning this... I would love to do this... but mom wouldn't be so keen on it (she's more of the 5-6 meals a day... which doesn't seem to work so well with me... because then I become dependent on eating that... and then overeating).

Would eating from 6-8 in the morning and 6-8 at night and none inbetween produce the same general results?

Thank you JohnP for the reply. I am very very comfortable eating this way, I guess I just feel that it LOOKS unhealthy to eat this way. For example, I could never tell someone that I don't eat until 4pm. They would look at me like I'm crazy. And I've always felt that if it's something I can't tell people happily and openly, then maybe I need to re-evaluate it.

Thanks a lot for taking the time to reply!

You are still creating a fasted state, so I think you are good to go.

Don't over worry about it, just create a plan and stick with it. For me, at least, the most important aspect of IF is creating times when I don't eat. That keeps me from mindlessly or mistakingly going over calories.

You just work with the rules you can have and go with it. Whatever slight variance that eating twice a day brings into the equation will MORE that be balanced by your youth, and your bodies ability to kick of the fat at this early point in your life.

You are going to rock this!!!!

LAKERSKB24 it's regrettable that IF has the word "Fast" in the name. My boyfriend freaked out when I told him I was starting it. It helps to remember that IF does not help you lose weight, it helps the body burn a greater percentage of fat than other stuff in the body. I did a bit of research on the studies JohnP referenced, and none of them indicated there were any negative side effects of IF. All demonstrated within just a few weeks that health indicators had improved... resting heart rate, blood pressure, etc.

For you and Serbrider try to share with those who are concerned that IF does not help you lose weight, that you are utilizing it as a tool to get healthier. Once they start seeing you eat HUGE meals for dinner they may be a bit more comfortable

Serbrider I've read the aim of the fast is that the body is supposed to go 14-16 (or more) hours without food. With your two windows you would only go 10 hours at a time. I don't think I've come across information that suggests this achieves the same goals as the longer window. Not eating for 10 hours at a time is what most of us do anyways from when we go to bed and then wake up in the morning and eat breakfast. However, I'm pretty new to IF so perhaps some of the veterans have additional information.

EDIT: Just saw Katy's response that you're ok so perhaps it will work