Where are all the I.F.ers at?

KKishaA

Hello community,

I recently started practicing I.F. and I am enjoying the process of figuring it out, not to mention finally being able to stick with my deficit. I have started with the aim of a 12pm-8pm eating window and would eventually like to shorten the window to 2pm-8pm or so.

Today is my 4th day. I have been able to make it until 12-1pm no problem the last 3 days but for whatever reason, I felt like I was going to chew my arm off today by 11:30am. I let myself eat early. I really want to change my set point for eating times and am concerned that giving in to my hunger prolongs the process. Around when does your body's reset take over and change your default hunger settings? I think I asked that correctly....

cariduttry

i have been doing the 16:8 IF now for about 2 weeks. same schedule as you, i eat noon-8. i really like it because it helps me stay within my calorie deficit and i am generally less hungry. the only time i really struggle with the fast is on the weekends. i want to eat earlier, but i think it's more routine than an actual hunger situation. i do drink a lot of water and some black coffee, so i'm sure that helps with the hunger pangs. good luck to you!

caradack1985

I was doing IF, now doing OMAD so even more self control needed. I drink plenty of water and black coffee and generally keep myself busy until it's food time. I find its never real hunger as it passes.

vismal

KKishaA wrote: »

Hello community,

I recently started practicing I.F. and I am enjoying the process of figuring it out, not to mention finally being able to stick with my deficit. I have started with the aim of a 12pm-8pm eating window and would eventually like to shorten the window to 2pm-8pm or so.

Today is my 4th day. I have been able to make it until 12-1pm no problem the last 3 days but for whatever reason, I felt like I was going to chew my arm off today by 11:30am. I let myself eat early. I really want to change my set point for eating times and am concerned that giving in to my hunger prolongs the process. Around when does your body's reset take over and change your default hunger settings? I think I asked that correctly....

I did IF for about 3 years consistently and still use it when in a weight loss phase. I find it's somewhat counterproductive for me during weight gain phases so that is why I don't do it year round anymore. To address your question, it is true that you tend to get hungry when you are used to eating. It will take longer than a few days for you to adjust. I'd give it a full 3 weeks. Even then not everyone is going to find that they are never hungry during the fasted portion of the day. Hunger is a very individualized thing and while IF works well to control hunger for many people, others simply never adjust to the schedule and find that it's more work than it's worth to do IF. Again, you have only done it a few days so I wouldn't draw any conclusions for at least a few weeks.

KKishaA

Cariduttry - I find that a lot of my hunger is conditional/situational too. My time of struggle is at night after dinner. I am a book nerd and read late into the night. The longer I stay awake reading, the more likely it is that I get hungry again. I find it hard to sleep on a hollow feeling belly. Maybe I just need to get used to it. Or go to bed!

KKishaA

Caradack, what is OMAD? I drink coffee too, cold brew Do you put anything in it to sweeten in up?

MelaniaTrump

Morning coffee can break your fast if it contains any milk, cream, sweeteners, or even nut waters.
May contain protein and/or fat that can keep you full.

akoivisto

I dove into IF after a bit of looking at it and talking with some folks. 2 weeks in myself with fasting from morning until approximately 6PM. I drink coffee and lots of water during the day. The first week was, for myself, strangely harder than the second week. I'm now going on the third week and it seems to get a little better each day, but does feel like it is very dependent on what I ate the night prior.

I give myself a 6PM-9PM window to eat; and it isn't a free window either, I stay within my calorie goals set by MFP, while trying to hammer down on protein too.

I'd agree with vismal, first two weeks seemed to be the hardest, but going on the 18th day? Could I eat? Oh yeah, but it doesn't feel like I have a hollow pit in my stomach at the moment. It has helped me a lot with overeating as I just need log once.

OMAD (One Meal A Day)

Rock on.

charlenekapf

I did it for years when I was really into fitness and obsessed with eating clean and staying lean. I developed BED after suffering with insomnia for years due to probably overdone the deficit when I was really lean already. anyway that is beside the point. IF pretty much ruined my "fullness" signals but I loved that I would be able to at least go to bed not starving and could lose weight doing it. I mostly fasted until 4 or 5 daily and stayed under 2000 calories, running about 35 mpw, lifting 3-4x. Maybe a few higher calorie days thrown in around 2200 but nothing crazy like I have been since I've gotten so much bigger.

I loved IF because it helped me think more clearly when fasted, workouts fasted felt good unless my carbs dropped dramatically the day before. I liked not being gassy or bloated during the day. It can make being in a relationship a little weird as I did get bloated from having 1-2 large meals of 1500-2000 kcal...I wasn't dating anyone so it was fine for me. What helps the most is not breaking the fast early no matter what (i'm talking like more than 10-15 minutes before no need to freak over that amount of time). You get used to eating at those times and while there may be hunger pangs, they subside if you wait them out. Stay hydrated, use electrolytes if you workout intensely, BCAA's are sometimes recommended if you are doing a lot of weight training. Coffee is a godsend. I am slowly getting back into it as it is the only thing that is helping me consume less calories. Eating breakfast has NEVER helped me. Ultimately, find what works for you. I would definitely suggest trying it for 30 days and re-evaluate. Not sure if it was due to dieting for a long time or the stress on my hormones of fasting but I had my period all through losing weight until I got down to 115-120 lbs and started IF. Just know the risks....I've read this happens to a lot of women. I never consumed any calories besides Coffee + stevia when fasting. Do I wish my hormones were functional? Sure. Did they come back with me trying to eat regularly and get fat again? No. Back to IF!

KKishaA

vismal wrote: »

KKishaA wrote: »

Hello community,

I recently started practicing I.F. and I am enjoying the process of figuring it out, not to mention finally being able to stick with my deficit. I have started with the aim of a 12pm-8pm eating window and would eventually like to shorten the window to 2pm-8pm or so.

Today is my 4th day. I have been able to make it until 12-1pm no problem the last 3 days but for whatever reason, I felt like I was going to chew my arm off today by 11:30am. I let myself eat early. I really want to change my set point for eating times and am concerned that giving in to my hunger prolongs the process. Around when does your body's reset take over and change your default hunger settings? I think I asked that correctly....

I did IF for about 3 years consistently and still use it when in a weight loss phase. I find it's somewhat counterproductive for me during weight gain phases so that is why I don't do it year round anymore. To address your question, it is true that you tend to get hungry when you are used to eating. It will take longer than a few days for you to adjust. I'd give it a full 3 weeks. Even then not everyone is going to find that they are never hungry during the fasted portion of the day. Hunger is a very individualized thing and while IF works well to control hunger for many people, others simply never adjust to the schedule and find that it's more work than it's worth to do IF. Again, you have only done it a few days so I wouldn't draw any conclusions for at least a few weeks.

I appreciate my feelings of hunger, for the most part. I.F. is giving me the opportunity to practice NOT responding to every cue to eat that I get. Chronic grazing has been the downfall of my deficit for a looooong time. I am finally overcoming it. I am stoked!

I'm happy to hear you use it for weightloss. That's my game plan!

Bxqtie116

I've been doing IF about 6 weeks now and it is an adjustment. Most days I'm ok but then I have some days when after I eat, I feel more hungry. I've been really working on getting those proteins numbers up and carbs down.

KKishaA

akoivisto wrote: »

I dove into IF after a bit of looking at it and talking with some folks. 2 weeks in myself with fasting from morning until approximately 6PM. I drink coffee and lots of water during the day. The first week was, for myself, strangely harder than the second week. I'm now going on the third week and it seems to get a little better each day, but does feel like it is very dependent on what I ate the night prior.

I give myself a 6PM-9PM window to eat; and it isn't a free window either, I stay within my calorie goals set by MFP, while trying to hammer down on protein too.

I'd agree with vismal, first two weeks seemed to be the hardest, but going on the 18th day? Could I eat? Oh yeah, but it doesn't feel like I have a hollow pit in my stomach at the moment. It has helped me a lot with overeating as I just need log once.

OMAD (One Meal A Day)

Rock on.

Thank you for this. I am doing I.F. for the same reasons. I love the idea of OMAD. I am keeping my fat high and my carbs low. I feel really good. For what ever reason, I am laughing a lot more Definitely improved mood benefits.

RodaRose

Two groups that will be helpful:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/20634-omad-revolution

KKishaA

RodaRose wrote: »

Two groups that will be helpful:
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/20634-omad-revolution

Thank you!