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Intermittent Fasting - Time of Day

Posts: 172 Member
edited November 2024 in Food and Nutrition
I'm starting 16:8 intermittent fasting today and I've been looking up tons of threads on the subject but I can't find anyone who is doing something similar to me.
I workout first thing in the morning (around 0330 or 0530 for an hour) and I eat after my workouts. I plan on breaking my fast at this time. That would make my feeding time around 0500-1300.
Anyone else doing IF early in the morning and beginning their fast early afternoon? How is it working for you? Or would most people recommend I break my fast later? 0800-1600?
Thanks for any help/recommendations!

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Replies

  • Posts: 9,562 Member
    There are threads around about this and here is a group:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
    It does not matter where in your day you put the food although most IF-ers seem to eat late in the day,
  • Posts: 1,149 Member
    I'm not formally an IF-er, but I eat breakfast after I workout in the morning (around 8am) and I eat dinner at 5pm and then don't eat again until the next breakfast. so it's technically 15:9 :smile:

    This works well for me. I definitely have to eat after I exercise in the morning, but don't feel hungry after my last meal.

  • Posts: 2,114 Member
    Why can't you work out without eating? I'm doing 16:8. Although, I can't do without my coffee in the am. On the weekends, I will do cardio for an hour (elliptical) or 40 minutes (Stepmaster) or go for a 5 mile walk with no breakfast. I thought I wouldn't have the energy but when I tried it, I didn't feel anything different.

    However, on Weekdays, I don't eat my first meal until 1. If I go to the gym afterwork, I'll have a fruit on the way there and I'm good.

    If your are not doing a heavy lifting program, I don't think a fasted workout will effect you negatively. Although, I read where people to Lift heavy, Fasted.

    Good Luck and join the IF Group. Good information and advice there.
  • Posts: 172 Member
    spicy618 wrote: »
    Why can't you work out without eating? I'm doing 16:8. Although, I can't do without my coffee in the am. On the weekends, I will do cardio for an hour (elliptical) or 40 minutes (Stepmaster) or go for a 5 mile walk with no breakfast. I thought I wouldn't have the energy but when I tried it, I didn't feel anything different.

    However, on Weekdays, I don't eat my first meal until 1. If I go to the gym afterwork, I'll have a fruit on the way there and I'm good.

    If your are not doing a heavy lifting program, I don't think a fasted workout will effect you negatively. Although, I read where people to Lift heavy, Fasted.

    Good Luck and join the IF Group. Good information and advice there.

    I workout fasted (first thing in the morning) but I eat afterwards. I can try working out at the same time and still try waiting until later to eat. I guess it's a trial and error.
    RodaRose wrote: »
    There are threads around about this and here is a group:
    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
    It does not matter where in your day you put the food although most IF-ers seem to eat late in the day,

    I read a bunch of threads (about 30-ish) but most people wait until afternoon to eat and I thought there might be a reason they do that.
    jaga13 wrote: »
    I'm not formally an IF-er, but I eat breakfast after I workout in the morning (around 8am) and I eat dinner at 5pm and then don't eat again until the next breakfast. so it's technically 15:9 :smile:

    This works well for me. I definitely have to eat after I exercise in the morning, but don't feel hungry after my last meal.

    I normally eat right after working out too, that's why I have questions. But maybe my body is just used to eating after and I'm just doing it because of the routine.
  • Posts: 9,562 Member

    I workout fasted (first thing in the morning) but I eat afterwards. I can try working out at the same time and still try waiting until later to eat. I guess it's a trial and error.

    I read a bunch of threads (about 30-ish) but most people wait until afternoon to eat and I thought there might be a reason they do that.


    I normally eat right after working out too, that's why I have questions. But maybe my body is just used to eating after and I'm just doing it because of the routine.

    It is true about most people eating later, but it is not a rule or part of the 18:6 research.
    The amount of time is the point (18), not the time of day when you choose to to do the fast.
  • Posts: 45 Member
    My husband and I work out fasted around 0500 and we don't break our fast until 1100. It works well for us and our schedule... once you get used to a routine, it's not as difficult as it feels in the first couple of days.
    My one piece of advice.... BE CONSISTENT! The only times I feel weak are when I haven't been consistent with my fast and my body is readjusting all over again.
    Hope this helps & good luck! :)
  • Posts: 229 Member
    I did IF for a while with a 6AM workout and held off eating until 12PM-8PM. It worked really well for me - I shifted off of it due to changing jobs and location that made the 12-8 window harder to manage and am looking into starting it again now that I'm in a more stable job.

    I think most people do their window to include the evenings because it's easiest socially - or at least, it was for me. Most of my functions or meet ups with friends/family happen in the evenings. It's easier for me to just skip eating for the rest of the day (or just go for a nice protein shake) and splurge my calories on a nice meal in the evening without having to worry as much. It would be too hard for me, personally, to go to an evening function or dinner out and refuse to order anything. My friends and family are also highly emotional when it comes to things like that and it's easier to just adjust my caloric intake to join in the fun than risk them getting all butthurt if I refuse to eat with them.
  • Posts: 1,149 Member
    I'm seeing two people suggest that you workout fasted....OP, you already said you eat breakfast AFTER you workout, right?? I don't get these comments...
  • Posts: 1,149 Member
    OP, if you sometimes wake up as early as 3:30am, what time do you go to bed? 7pm?? If so, it actually makes sense to have your last meal of the day some time in the afternoon. It might be tough to stick to 8 hours...but you could try eating all your meals over the course of 10 hours or something like that. There's no magic to the 8 hours. It's just that some people find it helpful to not overeat.
  • Posts: 172 Member
    edited June 2015
    jaga13 wrote: »
    I'm seeing two people suggest that you workout fasted....OP, you already said you eat breakfast AFTER you workout, right?? I don't get these comments...

    Maybe I am getting the concept wrong. I work out when I first wake up in the morning and about an hour after I am done working out, I eat breakfast. Today, for example, I got up at 0430, worked out from 0515-0615, then ate at 0700. If "fasted working out" means I don't eat until hours after a workout, then I am not working out fasted. I thought it just meant I didn't eat before a workout.

    jaga13 wrote: »
    OP, if you sometimes wake up as early as 3:30am, what time do you go to bed? 7pm?? If so, it actually makes sense to have your last meal of the day some time in the afternoon. It might be tough to stick to 8 hours...but you could try eating all your meals over the course of 10 hours or something like that. There's no magic to the 8 hours. It's just that some people find it helpful to not overeat.

    I usually go to bed around 8 or 9pm.

    I was just concerned that I was doing it too early and others found it was better do wait until closer to the afternoon to eat for the first time in a day. I do get that it might be easier to be social if I waited until later, however. My birthday dinner with friends is tomorrow night and I wouldn't want to be fasting when that happened.

    Thank you!
  • Posts: 9,562 Member

    Maybe I am getting the concept wrong. I work out when I first wake up in the morning and about an hour after I am done working out, I eat breakfast. Today, for example, I got up at 0430, worked out from 0515-0615, then ate at 0700. If "fasted working out" means I don't eat until hours after a workout, then I am not working out fasted. I thought it just meant I didn't eat before a workout.


    I usually go to bed around 8 or 9pm.

    I was just concerned that I was doing it too early and others found it was better do wait until closer to the afternoon to eat for the first time in a day. I do get that it might be easier to be social if I waited until later, however. My birthday dinner with friends is tomorrow night and I wouldn't want to be fasting when that happened.

    Thank you!

    Enjoy your birthday! :)

  • Posts: 1,149 Member
    edited July 2015
    No, fasted workout simply means you wake up and exercise and don't eat until after you're done. You are already in a fasted state when you wakeup because you haven't eaten all night. Whether you decide to eat right after you exercise or wait a few hours is totally up to you and your preference. I was just pointing out how other people kept suggesting that you wait for breakfast until after your workout...which you already stated you do!

    Really, the timing just doesn't matter. I don't think your early morning schedule is the best for 16:8, and it's really not necessary.
  • Posts: 172 Member
    jaga13 wrote: »
    No, fasted workout simply means you wake up and exercise and don't eat until after you're done. You are already in a fasted state when you wakeup because you haven't eaten all night. Whether you decide to eat right after you exercise or wait a few hours is totally up to you and your preference. I was just pointing out how other people kept suggesting that you wait for breakfast until after your workout...which you already stated you do!

    Really, the timing just doesn't matter. I don't think your early morning schedule is the best for 16:8, and it's really not necessary.

    Thank you! I thought I was just misunderstanding. The past few days, however, I have tried waiting until 12 to eat, and that worked out well yesterday for my dinner because it was later.

    Thank you for the help!
    RodaRose wrote: »

    Enjoy your birthday! :)

    Thank you! The dinner was awesome and we watched Magic Mike XXL. It's not really my thing (I think I'm a prude!) but there were many funny parts!
This discussion has been closed.