Hey everyone

I just decided today that I want to try IF. I have been at a plateau with my weight since the beginning of October. I currently do weight watchers and the scale just has not been moving down.

So I am choosing to have my 5 hour window between 730am and 1230. I love eating early in the day and actually have always naturally never wanted to eat dinner. So this sounds good for me.

I would love to hear what to expect the first few days and any success stories.

Thanks

@Proatthis Good luck and welcome! Some have adjustment problems for the first few days, but I have to say that I did not. I am a night eater and my window is 5-10 PM. I think it is important to set you window for the time you have your appetite spike, which is what you have done. I've been using Fast 5 since February of 2011 to maintain and it works like a charm! I've never found anything easier. I think if you are patient, it will work very well for that last few pounds you want to lose too.

I'm still playing around with my window. My schedule is not very regular. I think my main window will be 2-7 but there are a few days I will have to do something else.

Leangains is a larger window - especially for women and I might just incorporate a main window from 2-7 and a larger buffer window. I am not going to be a stickler to the point of pain. I went to some friends for dinner the other night and it was supposed to be at 6 and by the time we actually sat down to eat it was 6:55. I didnt scarf my food in 5 minutes to make my cutoff, probably went to about 7:40 that night.

Thanks KTucke7

So far for my first day I feel good. I ate between 730am and 1230pm. Although I just finished reading the fast 5 and now I'm concerned about not doing the fasting All day until 5pm. The book says its important to extend the fast from the sleeping period? Any advice on this? Should I fast all day tomorrow until 5pm? or just do what I'm doing?

Pro...I would keep doing what you are doing for now. I think you are unusual in that for most people later in the day is the hungry time. If it isnt working you can always change it up later. But I think fighting both narrowing your window AND changing from your normal eating time would be a challenge.

heh...if I made my window start at 5 pm it would be a 3 hour window max. I rarely stay up past about 9 and usually by 8:30 I am winding down. Of course, I get up at 4:30 or 5.

I agree with ennay. If what you are doing works for you, it's good!

yesterday I broke my fast an hour early with a very large meal but then was barely hungry for dinner. I had a huge deficit the day before...I'm actually settling into a nice pattern of longer and shorter windows on alternating days

I am an IFer but rarely post here... hi everyone! :wave:

I'm really amazed how much IF helps. I fell off the IF bandwagon for a few weeks out of laziness. I started again 100% yesterday with nothing before 1 PM except for coffee with 3 g sugar and a splash of milk.

It's insane how much easier staying on plan is when I IF. Once I take that "first bite" in the morning before I'm supposed to it opens the floodgates. I continue to nibble and graze all day and don't ever seem to get full with meals.

But if I wait and don't eat a single CRUMB until 1, I can have a healthful lunch, a small snack, and a small dinner. Yesterday's dinner was a few fries and onion rings (was out at a happy hour) but then went home and had salad, roasted cauliflower, pomegranates, and brussels sprouts. I was struggling to finish the last few bites!

Such a fan :)

Hello ~

Enjoy reading everyone's posts! I've been doing Fast-5 for 2 weeks now. I did relax a little on the weekend, got right back into Monday. Haven't moved past the 3 lbs. just yet.

Some days I'm counting the seconds until the window opens, then other days I put it off several minutes later just because it's a little challenging. :smug: So far, I haven't panicked when the windows closes whether I've just eaten or not.

The week is extremely easy for me here at work. We've had some customers bring in some Christmas goodies and I just squirrel away a little bit of what I really want and save it until the windows opens. Much better than either drooling over it bemoaning I can't have any OR saying what the frig and diving in vowing to begin again tomorrow.

Love Fast-5 so far!

@indiblue Yes, indeed! Most of my problems with dieting have been that I never get full. My two smaller meals on fast-5 fill me up and I'm actually satisfied. I think that is the key. As you said, once I eat something and open the gate my appetite gets out of hand. Strangely, it isn't like that if I stick with my schedule.

Like LavenderDreams said, if I want goodies, not a problem. I just keep it in my eating window.

I am much less hungry. Even with my more flexible window. I get periods of stomach hunger but it usually goes away quickly.

I am surprised to find that I am having no loss of energy for my workouts. I ALWAYS used to tank for about 3 weeks when cutting down to even 1800 calories and I've been averaging closer to 1300-1400 and no loss of energy. I rocked a hard hard workout this morning even after yesterday


I'm also less susceptible to "I have to eat this kind of food with the proper amount of protein and carbs or I will be ravenous.".. I try to eat what is good, but I can pretty much eat any type of food within reason. (I havent pushed it with junk yet).

Yesterday I didnt get a chance to eat until about 2:30 or 3. And then I had a bowl at Chipotle. Theoretically 600 calories, but lets call it 800 because I am not thinking they measure all that accurately. STUFFED and remained stuffed the rest of the day. Couldnt have forced myself to eat more. Actually as it was I was kind of uncomfortably full for about 2 hours. I try not to do that but it was that kind of day.

I do have a dinner party Saturday that is outside my window...I havent decided how I will handle it, but I think I have much less problem with eating after the window than earlier.

When I have something special, like an office lunch that I must attend or a family thing, I just fast until the event then don't worry about it. One of the benefits to IF is the flexibility. While it wouldn't work if you did it often, that happens with me about once every two weeks and it hasn't hurt me yet. The scales don't budge (which is fine since I'm maintaining).

yeah, I wouldnt make it to fast until the party most likely. 2pm, 3pm is about as late as I have been able to handle. I still have days where noon is tough and 1 is my time. Maybe if I get more sleep saturday morning.

Hey everyone.

Just checking in, I started IF on Monday and as of today I'm down 3 pounds. I started with my feeding being between 7am and 12pm but switched it to 1-6pm (doing a 24 hour fast in the process).

I originally though eating early was better for me because I love breakfast and eating in the morning. But I work long hours and found that I really needed to eat lunch at around 1-2. So far I love IF! it's so easy to follow. I have no problem fasting, I have energy and clarity.

I do find that I only eat once in my 5 hour window. I'm so full I can't eat after and I don't have any desire to eat before my window closes. I just feel satisfied. I'm eating pretty good with the exception of yesterday we went to 5 Guys and I had a cheeseburger and some fries. But other then that I'm eating healthy.

I have a party tomorrow as well and I think I will push my window back so I can enjoy our dinner and some wine a little later in the day.

Sounds like you have it nailed there Proatthis. Good going! :)

How long does the freezing cold part last? The only problem I am really having is that I am freezing. FREEZING all morning. Coffee, tea, I am wearing a sweater, a sweatshirt and a jacket inside my house AND am running the heat more than usual. I am about to try and fold laundry with gloves on.

It is actually hard for me to get my work done because all I want to do is take (another) hot shower or crawl in to bed with my hot bag.

This is DEFINITELY part of an IF reaction for me. I used to be hot all the time.

Ennay I also wonder about body temp. I have been doing the Fast5 for about
4 months and the last 3 months I have tried to do JUDDD also but haven't
been all that good about doing that. But I notice my morning tempiture seems
to be about 97.8 and I feel a little feverish. Is this part of the IF ?

Being cold is. You lose the heat produced by digestion. It IS true that eating raises your metabolism slightly which is where the eat early eat often camp got going. But not enough to compensate for how much MORE I eat. Besides if you are cold like I have been you burn calories trying to get warm. I'm not as cold today because I havent worked out yet. I usually workout at 5 am and then am FREEZING until I break fast.

Originally Posted by ennay:
yeah, I wouldnt make it to fast until the party most likely. 2pm, 3pm is about as late as I have been able to handle. I still have days where noon is tough and 1 is my time. Maybe if I get more sleep saturday morning.

I made it to 4 and was starting to get shaky. Party starts at 5, but who knows if the food will be READY at 5. Broke fast with string cheese and 1/2 apple. Have plenty of party calories left.

Being cold is related to dieting, not IFing specifically.

However, during your fast period, your body will make adjustments and increase blood flow in some areas to help mobilize fat which comes at the expense of blood flow to the extremeties. Thus - it is common during the fast period for your hands and feet to be cold.

This just means IF is working.

:carrot::carrot::carrot::carrot:

On the plus side the last 4 months I have lost a little over 30lbs, my hands
don't hurt near as much ( guess I have RA ) and I have 4 skin cyst that I
have had for over 2 years that are slowely drying up. This is kind of funny
because 3 months ago I was thinking about having a dermitoligest look at
them but the way it's going they will be totaly gone in another month.

My diabetes is under better controle and one thing that I think may be helping
there is the timing of my eating window. I read an article talking about the
carcadian rythem of glucose metabolism. It seems there is a huge difference
between diabetics and non diabetics with regard to insulin sensitivity and the
time of day. In a non diabetic they handel carbs best in the morning and as the day progresses they become a little insulin resistant and by diner time realy don't handel carbs all that well. But diabetics follow the opposit patern
having a very high insulin resistance in the morning and handelng carbs better
later in the day. So for me what works best is an eating window from about
2 to 7 pm where I can handel carbs better and leaving enough time for most
of my digestion to be done before I go to bed. If I go to a later eating window
say 5pm to 10pm my morning blood sugar will be a little higher. The reason I
talked about this is my idea that chosing your best meal timing may also depend on how you handel carbs. But thinking about this sort of has me thinking that for most non diabetics the " breakfast is the most inportant meal
of the day" may realy be true.

Woody, thanks for sharing that info. Certainly makes some sense to me about the circadean rhythms. Where did you find that article. I'd like to read it too.

I am still experimenting with IF in various forms (intermittant fasting patterns are not limited to just Fast Five). I am getting a lot of clarity on how longer periods between eating are benefitting my blood sugar and calorie control, although I am struggling with plateaus. Glad this thread is here because I do read it, although don't post much.

Happy Solstice and Christmas week!

Amarantha,
I've done IF in the past with success, but I'm doing it more purposefully this time, and tracking my results better, as I'm really looking to make it a lifestyle (beyond weight loss). There are so many benefits associated with it, as I'm sure you've been reading.

I've been doing Fast-5 for the past week and am switching over to Eat Stop Eat for Week 2.

I do think there's something to be said for a full 24 hour fast, because of those extra hours of cleansing and healing, on the other hand, a few less hours of the benefit, on a daily basis may have the same long term effect.

I'm looking to see which is better for me as a lifestyle choice and I won't know that until I actually try them both out. It may take a few rounds of each and a couple of months for me to decide, either way, it's forward progress.

I think lengthier fasts on occasion also can have wonderful benefits, but I'm not there yet. One step at a time.

I do feel great, though, and have had close to a 5lb loss.

John - no, I am WAY WAY colder with IF than with normal dieting, and not just my extremities, deep down cold. OTOH I sleep better.

I tried this weekend to shift later....NOT good for me. I dont sleep well if I eat close to bed time because of the heat generated. I'm going to stick to 2-7 as my main window with 11-7 on other days.

My sister has had really good results with the E-S-E method of fasting which is 24 hours M/W/F and normal eating on the remaining days. I really think like so many other things there really isnt "one best way" its what works for you

Okay - I need to put my two cents in:

I'm sort of doing IF, altho my plan is flexible. I start eating between 12-2pm and stop after dinner between 7-8pm. How early I eat depends on how much exercise I have done that morning.

My results thus far:

-I no longer need naps at all. I also need less sleep than I used to at night.
-I may battle some hunger in the morning, but it is not too bad. I can typically ignore it.
-As long as I plan out lunch, I do not overeat.
-My hunger is satiated for hours with lunch. Before I would eat breakfast, lunch, and need another snack in the mid-afternoon. I no longer have that craving.
-I am FREEZING. Yes, it hurts sometimes!
-My general hunger pangs have changed completely in force and in frequency. I used to have to constantly eat little bites or tell myself no. Now I eat during my 2 scheduled meals and I really feel finished. So, it has killed my snacking monster.
-I have more mental clarity.
-My mood has been generally happy, not lethargic.


I loosely started IF because I realized I was never a breakfast person. I think breakfast, in many ways, was actually making me eat unneeded calories during the day and making me feel lethargic.

I haven't got on the scale yet since starting. I'll let you know my findings later.

The only thing is that I cannot give up my coffee in the morning - which produces unnecessary insulin spikes! EEk! I'm an addict, what can I say?

Interesting about the cold. Haven't heard of this before outside of the extremities.

Not sure what is going on there...

Italianne, I am tracking results on IF more purposefully also. I have had a major weight loss in the distant past and since then I track nutrition and activity religiously. I was opposed to the idea of going more than a few hours without food for a long, long time because I had indeed lost weight by eating every few hours and always eating breakfast because the establishment told me to lol.

I have never gone 24 hours but am maybe working up to it. Am still very "iffy" no IF pun intended.

Re cold, I used to be much heavier and I also lived in a colder climate (I am in central AZ). Since moving here and losing weight, both of which happened more than a decade and a half ago, I find I gradually felt colder and colder at higher and higher temps, but that is common for people who move to AZ and live here through the double digit summers and winters both. Having less bodyfat also contributed to that.

Not eating for longer periods as I have been doing seems to have the effect of making me feel warmer.

I saw a little study where the subjects reduced there calories 25%. One
group ate 75% of there normal calories 7 days a week. The other group
ate there regular calories 5 days a week but only 35% of normal calories
2 days a week. Both groups lost weigth but those using the 2 DD's per week
lost more weight. It wasn't as fast as realy sticking to the JUDDD alternet
day plan but at least it pointed out that if you miss a couple of DD's you
realy haven't blown the diet you just won't lose as much that week. I would
have posted the link but am to new here to do that.

So, I'm starting NROLW today. I already lift moderately heavy for a female, looking forward to kicking it up a notch.

I'm conflicted because the diet plan proscribed says one of the inviolable rules is MUST EAT BREAKFAST. And, that we must eat 4-5x a day.

I'm probably going to opt-out of this requirement.... at least on non-WO days. On WO days I'll at the very least do a protein shake after the morning lift. Thoughts?

Originally Posted by indiblue:
I'm probably going to opt-out of this requirement.... at least on non-WO days. On WO days I'll at the very least do a protein shake after the morning lift. Thoughts?

I think if IF is working for you then experiment first with NOT changing your window. Then you will have good data on how you feel you are recovering between workouts. I workout often and I workout hard and I am finding the timing of food really doesnt affect it that much. Maybe my protein synthesis is a little suboptimal. It still seems to be getting there.

If after a few weeks you want to make a change then try and see if you think it helps.

Originally Posted by indiblue:
So, I'm starting NROLW today. I already lift moderately heavy for a female, looking forward to kicking it up a notch.

I'm conflicted because the diet plan proscribed says one of the inviolable rules is MUST EAT BREAKFAST. And, that we must eat 4-5x a day.

I'm probably going to opt-out of this requirement.... at least on non-WO days. On WO days I'll at the very least do a protein shake after the morning lift. Thoughts?

I have some thoughts. :D

You don't need to eat 4-5 times a day.

NROL workouts are not bad but they don't nearly live up to the self hype. Depending on your goals there might be better workout plans.

After heavy lifting you should eat 1-2 hours after working out unless you're only trying to maintain the muscle you have in which case it probably doesn't matter.

YAY, JohnP! I was hoping you would have some thoughts!! :D

I'm looking to build muscle. I'm pretty much at maintenance, though hoping some fat loss will happen.

I may time my workouts at around 1 PM- eat on an empty stomach, then follow with a protein shake. Like ennay said, will play around and see what happens.

What are your reservations about NROL? I'm using it to provide structure and ramped up intensity to my present routine, which already includes most of the lifts in NR, at least the ones in the beginning stages. Hopefully a gateway to more advanced programs.

@ennay I've experienced the cold thing too, and a lot of people on leangains.com remark on it too. I've been doing Fast-5 for almost a year now and I have to say either I've adjusted to the new temp or my body adjusted to the woe. I don't notice it anymore.

Originally Posted by indiblue:
YAY, JohnP! I was hoping you would have some thoughts!! :D

I'm looking to build muscle. I'm pretty much at maintenance, though hoping some fat loss will happen.

I may time my workouts at around 1 PM- eat on an empty stomach, then follow with a protein shake. Like ennay said, will play around and see what happens.

What are your reservations about NROL? I'm using it to provide structure and ramped up intensity to my present routine, which already includes most of the lifts in NR, at least the ones in the beginning stages. Hopefully a gateway to more advanced programs.

I don't have any reservations about NROL. As far as a general weight lifting program it's pretty good. The only "problem" if you will is because it is well rounded it doesn't excell in any one specific area.

For your goals, you can't build muscle and lose fat with NROL unless you're a beginner and overweight. The only programs I am aware of that accomplish the holy grail of drug free fat loss and muscle gain are UD2.0 and the "Leangains" method.

If you want to do NROL you can cycle calories a bit around workouts and maybe see a little bit of body recomposition.

Bottom line though if you want to put on muscle you should eat after you workout and furthermore if you're lifting fasted you should consume 10g of BCAAs before you lift.

I was on a low-carb, very low calorie plan and I had great success for several months. But then I hit a wall!

I have since added JUDDD to my Atkins pre-maintenance plan. JUDDD is similar to IF in that it is a calorie cycling program which includes alternate days of near-fasting. I have to say that after a long time on very-low-calorie and low-carb, plus a plateau, JUDDD was a breath of fresh air.

I have been able to increase my overall calories and carbs, add more physical activity to my life (since I am now actually eating enough to support an exercise program), and I have started losing weight again. I am almost at goal and I am considering making a moderately low-carb JUDDD plan my permanent way of eating for maintenance. It has certainly reactivated my metabolism.

I got a really cool phone call today.

An older gentlemen I had spoken to about a month ago about intermittent fasting decided to give it a try. A month into it his blood sugar has become much more regular and he is down 7 lbs.

He says it is the easiest diet he has ever followed. Took him about 2 weeks to adjust and since then never gets hungry before noon. He is following a 16/8 fasting/eating period.

Yeah -I'm not an old hat yet, but I'm very happy with my version of IF (eat 12-8pm, usually ends up being 2 meals, no snacks). I feel like my hormones have stabilized, making calorie restriction not a problem.

When I was doing breakfast, lunch, and dinner, I felt like I could barely make 1700-1800 a day because hormones would cue me to eat late afternoon and in the evening after dinner.

I agree, waiting until 12pm to eat has become much easier.

It just makes my day of eating less-stressful = in general I have less worries about staying within my calorie range.

I restarted with IF last week. Started with Fast - 5 and lost 4.3lbs (not bad considering it is the holidays). This week I wanted to try Eat Stop Eat, so I started yesterday. ESE will give me the flexibility I'll need this week. I will use my fasting days as bookends to the holiday weekend.

I did find Fast -5 worked great for me, I'm never hungry before 1pm anyway, so it's just stretching a bit until my eating window opens. Helps me to acknowledge real hunger and also helps to recognize which foods don't make me feel very well.

I did promise myself that I would try at least these two types of IF to see what would be best for me long term. May take a couple of rounds or I may always combine them. Who knows. Great to be in control of what I do.
Have a great day, everyone.

Hi all, just checking in. And feeling much colder after reading some of the threads! :dizzy:

Today marks 3 weeks on Fast-5. When I weighed on Saturday, I'd lost another pound making 4 lbs. gone. So far, I am still really pleased with this WOE. No guilt trips, no point allowances, etc.

Window is still typically 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. If I find I'm a little hungrier than usual, I'll open it a little earlier. No ill effects from working out, although I do work out when the window is open. Any hunger isn't bad at all and seems to dissipate after a few minutes.

So far, so good!!