Is there anyone on her who currently does IF?
I’ve done it on and off, been more successful when I’m sober, so I’ve been getting back into it these past few weeks. So far I’ve noticed a small drop in weight, but have definitely found myself less bloated and more energy.
Following the thread bcuz I hage been debating IF for awhile now 
Yes I do IF and have done for a while now. I pair it with lowcarb/keto to help with hunger. (I say low carb because sometimes I’ll eat some fruit or eat more sugary veg than what would normally be allowed on keto)
I did it initially to help with weight loss and now I do it for maintenance as it stops mindless snacking.
I usually eat 2 meals a day, at 11am and again at 5pm… I might sometimes have a snack inbetween if I’m really hungry but if I’m doing keto correctly then I wont be hungry inbetween meals as I find that really helps control hunger.
Its interesting but now if I go off plan (and I do sometimes, maybe once or twice a month I’ll have a movie night with my kid and overindulge in too much chocolate…) I will feel TERRIBLE the next day 
really awful, just like a hangover really (without the gnawing anxiety… thank god 
) so it’s way more noticeable for me now the impact that “junk food” has on me… and to think there was a time I’d eat like that daily!
It can be hard at first as theres temptations all around but knowing how good I feel when follow IF and keto, makes it easier to stick to.
Also, for some reason now if I want to be “bad” and press the fuck it button I just eat badly for a day instead of drinking 
it really works too! It gives me the same feeling of indulgence/being “bad” but then the inevitable hangover and guilt the next day… but its chocolate not vodka 
weird I know but it works for me… anyway sorry I’m rambling… if you want to try it I’d definitely do it along with keto/low carb if you’re able to as it will help with the hunger (and sugar sucks! It’s just another addiction really, keto helps with this in my experience). It takes a week or two to get used to but once you’re in the zone it’s so freeing not to be thinking about food all the time and you’ll feel so much better! 
Thank you for your input. I’ll have to look more into keto. I fast from 20:00 - 12:00. And I find I have 2 meals in my eating time but I am consistently hungry! I try healthy snacks, but find mySelf going for the junk food.
Gah! I took the weekend off and had 2 rest days from IF! I didn’t eat any fast food, but I enjoyed my food! And this morning the scales tell me I’ve gained 300gms.
But I won’t let it deflate me. I enjoyed my weekend, it’s Monday, it’s a new week!!!
I’m on annual leave at the moment, it’s my last week. I’ll be interested to see how my fasting goes once I am back at work.
I’ve done Keto with IF in the past and was quite successful on it. However, it was too regimented and restrictive for me to continue long term. If I had a few days of slips I would feel like shit and eventually put a majority of the weight back on. For me I feel much more comfortable with tracking caloric intake and exercise. I’ve been able to lose more weight, while still eating basically what I want when I want. My goal is around 1900 calories a day for maintenance. If I have a particularly high day of exercise I will eat more. At first it took some discipline to kick out of my horrible diet but now it’s second nature. If I don’t meet my goals I generally don’t gain much weight. In 8 months I hit my target weight and over the last 6 months I have maintained it to within 5lbs. I have days where I do better than others but maintenance has been pretty simple.
I’ve heard good and bad regarding IF
Naturally during your fast you will lose weight but the key is to control your diet when not fasting, which can get tricky, in the long run results generally show only short term
Also some long term side effects can linger later such as Acid Reflux or GERD
I tell most people to do a diet plan that works for them regarding their lifestyle, ability to complete physical activity safely. And can be easy to stick to
This could be keto, which is quite popular or older diets like Atkins or similar.
Once you find a good balance, you’ll find yourself less hungry, satiated more often. And avoiding urges to binge after a fast or stress eat. It takes some time, but on the advantages of it, you can reach your goals and maintain them much easier
Calorie counting doesn’t work for me. I simply don’t have time to weigh everything I eat.
IF is about lifestyle changes for me, whilst I’m in my eating phase, I eat what I want, but I’ve cut out the crap I had been eating when I was hungover all the time, ie; fast food.
I don’t weigh anything (don’t even have a food scale) so generally it’s mostly educated guessing. Now I just generally know where I’m at for the day.
Getting away from shitty food has definitely been the most helpful. I still eat some junk food, just in much smaller quantities and almost never fast food.
So I’ve been thinking about IF as well lately. So basically eat 2 meals a day at 11 am and 5pm and try not to make them be yucky food???
True calorie counting is weighing everything, you’d be surprised the amount of calories in foods you wouldn’t even consider hailing a high calorie count. That’s what I don’t have time for. That’s what I meant.
I use the Body Fast app (free version) and currently I am doing 16:8 - 16hrs fasting and 8 hours eating window.
Drink plenty of water to fill your stomach and you can have black coffee! That’s what I do first thing in the morning.
Yes! I had shocking reflux the first few days. This happens because whilst you’re fasting your stomach doesn’t produce any stomach acid. So when you eat after a long period of time, it takes a bit longer for the stomach acid to start breaking down food. What I have found to help me is drinking some probiotic fermented milk (Yakult) or a glass of kombucha. Then let that settle and prepare a low carb high protein meal. It’s stopped the reflux!
If done IF in the past and found it best paired with a keto or lower carb / moderate protein / high fat diet (as others have mentioned). In my research, I read that IF tends to work better when people are not addicted to carbs; so, basically, after going through the carb withdrawal of a low carb change, your body will be better prepped to fast for longer periods because it is getting its energy from fat (which is abundant in those who are overweight.
Also, depending on your food window, if you have a few hours of no food before bed, it will increase your growth hormone spike (which naturally occurs at night in general). This is a good thing.
Since their is no real “wrong” way to IF (we naturally do it when we sleep and depending on our schedule anyway), I think it can be a great addition to one’s eating regimen as long as it doesn’t conflict with any existing health problems.
Seems that it’s working well for you. That’s awesome 
Edit: I used to weigh everything, but I became very adept at eyeing something to get an approximate weight. I learned that it was okay to have an approximate number of calories and my macros if I wasn’t trying to be hella strict for some reason. I still felt good and did well with my weight. I’d say that even if you don’t have time to weigh things, as long as you’re not training for something and really need exacts, you would be fine with approximates as long as you’re still conscientious about what you take in.
I love IF. Been doing it for many years. No other special diet. I try to be done eating food by 7 pm. Breakfast smoothie around 11am lunch 12:30-1:30.
I mostly like the convenience on 2 meals a day. And I’ve never been a cranky person because of lack of food. As long as I got my coffee in the morning I’m good. Love it.
I’ve done it/ do it but not strictly, just when I’m at work really, as part of the work routine.
Not for weight loss (I need to gain weight) but for gut health… so when I do eat, lots of good foods like fermented veg, kefir, sour dough… All that jazz.
I think it does make you feel healthier.
Agreed!! I don’t miss those insulin / glucose spikes. My body just feels so much better without processed carbs.
Black coffee doesn’t break a fast.
