One meal a day and fasting for 20 hours

Options
13»

Replies

  • Mary_Anastasia
    Mary_Anastasia Posts: 267 Member
    Options
    rinigirl76 wrote: »
    Is anyone else doing this? I have my coffee with stevia and half and half then drink water ( 64 oz a day) till I want a diet dr. pepper .. and wait for 2:40pm to come around so I can eat my snack.. then eat dinner around 4:30-5:30 pm ish.

    I have more energy and see my stomach shrinking!

    I have done this in the past, unintentionally, and it worked very well to lose weight and I also slept better at night. I had a cup of juice in the morning, then ate around 5pm (a huuuuge meal) then -sometimes- had a snack around 9pm (I usually was up until about 1am, got up at 8am)
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    Options
    I love IF as well, but I do 16/8. I tried Fast 5 (19/5) and that worked well for me for a while. But honestly, after some months of it, I got burned out and stopped. I'm female, and I have read that the longer fasting times can be more difficult for us. Now with 16/8 I feel it's much more sustainable for me. It's hardly any work at all to wait until 1pm to eat. I've been at it for 3.5 months now, along with logging, and losing fairly steadily. I'll likely eat this way forever.

    So anyway, if you continue on 20/4 and start to feel like you can't keep going, don't give up on IF, but try another method. Good luck!!
  • cerise_noir
    cerise_noir Posts: 5,468 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    rinigirl76 wrote: »
    I eat 1-2 snacks (usually pre-workout high fiber muffin and dessert after supper with 1 meal (supper) from 4:30pm -10:30pm, but I do have half-half in my coffee when I wake up so that could be breaking my fast sooner.
    rinigirl76 wrote: »
    I eat between 1000-1200 calories .. have my 4 hour window open at 2:40 pm
    What are your stats (height, current weight, goal weight, age, activity level not counting exercise)? What about exercise? You may be shooting too low calorie wise.

    Why do you stop eating at 6:40? Do you go to bed at 7 or do you have sleep disturbances/reflux if you eat too close to bed time?




    I got to bed around 10 pm ..

    I exercise and walk about 10,000 steps a day.. its just at 1000-1200 calories because.. My fitness pal is saying I need that now to lose weight.. I am 5'4 222lbs.

    no trouble sleeping I wake up around 1 am usually to go tinkle and sleep straight to 6am during the week.. this is the first weekend (sleeping in till 8am hopefully) I am doing the OMAD.. so lord help me ! no breakfast and no panda express for lunch :neutral:

    There is no reason why you shouldn't eat up until 9:30-10pm... The "don't eat after 7pm" thing is just one of those diet myths. Also, at 222lbs with 10000 steps a day, I find it hard to believe that mfp is giving you 1000-1200 calories unless you told mfp you are sedentary, which you aren't.

    I am 5'4" 34 and 170lbs and MFP gives me 1200 calories for 1lb per week loss at sedentary.

    You should be eating 1200 net calories at least.
  • Shana67
    Shana67 Posts: 680 Member
    Options
    This is me. I eat a small lunch around 1, then dinner at 7. No other meals/snacks scheduled other than coffee in the AM. It's working well :)
  • Verity1111
    Verity1111 Posts: 3,309 Member
    Options
    I do this by accident. Is this why I lose weight more easily than some people? lol. I ate a LOT but only once per day pretty much for the last 3-4 days and I'm down 3.4lbs lol let it be noted one day I didnt eat at all and some might be extra water weight I was holding but even if I lost half of that in 3-4 days that's a lot. Maybe this contributes to it?
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    To those of you that do 16/8 do you limit fluids also in the morning, such as milk/cream in your coffee/tea?
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
    Options
    I eat similarly. I have black coffee and water until around 2pm when I have a protein shake or bar, then a large dinner around 6, and usually a snack just before bed. It works for me and I hit my nutritional goals easily eating this way.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    To those of you that do 16/8 do you limit fluids also in the morning, such as milk/cream in your coffee/tea?

    I put heavy cream in my coffee (zero carbs), and I count the calories but don't count it as a true "meal".

    On the other hand, if I put in half and half it messes with my insulin and hunger but not the heavy cream. (I dislike coffee black.) I did attempt to drink it black for a short while but did not enjoy it at all.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
    Options
    My personal issue with that would be protein. Eating 70-120 grams of protein in one meal would be extremely hard for me. It would make me gag. I wonder how those who do it handle that.

    My afternoon shake has 32 grams of protein and I usually have meat and salad for dinner. I haven't struggled to meet calorie or macro goals.

    Personally I was always confused by people who eat several small meals all day. When I tried it I was never satisfied, always hungry, and couldnt stay in goal because I went over trying to feel satisfied.

    To each their own I guess
  • leanjogreen18
    leanjogreen18 Posts: 2,492 Member
    Options
    I put soy milk and agave in my coffee. I'm not doing IF on purpose just normal for me not to want breakfast on some days. It does not make me hungry.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
    Options
    DebSozo wrote: »
    To those of you that do 16/8 do you limit fluids also in the morning, such as milk/cream in your coffee/tea?

    I put heavy cream in my coffee (zero carbs), and I count the calories but don't count it as a true "meal".

    On the other hand, if I put in half and half it messes with my insulin and hunger but not the heavy cream. (I dislike coffee black.) I did attempt to drink it black for a short while but did not enjoy it at all.

    I could easily hold out til 12-1pm before eating anything, but this is only because i drink tea with milk all morning which keeps me full, but the milk totals 270 calories all up. I would love to swap to real cream, but the calories would drown me lol
    Also, i cant just have 1-2 cups of tea or coffee in the a.m like normal people, i have a cup of tea constantly by side all morning, and swap to water once my 'ration' of milk runs out. I wish i could handle tea/coffee black, but blaaahhh can't do it.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    SCoil123 wrote: »
    My personal issue with that would be protein. Eating 70-120 grams of protein in one meal would be extremely hard for me. It would make me gag. I wonder how those who do it handle that.

    My afternoon shake has 32 grams of protein and I usually have meat and salad for dinner. I haven't struggled to meet calorie or macro goals.

    Personally I was always confused by people who eat several small meals all day. When I tried it I was never satisfied, always hungry, and couldnt stay in goal because I went over trying to feel satisfied.

    To each their own I guess

    That sounds more doable. I have days where I skip meals and I often eat within an 8 hour window without trying because I stop usually eating early, I always have. I also sometimes do the single meal a day thing when I have a dinner out or have a fast day, and on those days I don't stress about protein. Generally, I have a varying appetite and just eat when I'm hungry and don't when I'm not, which could mean anywhere between grazing all day and having one meal a day. It's just that all the protein in one meal sounds more intimidating than all the protein within a certain eating window, which is more doable once you spread it out like you do. My question was meant specifically for those who only eat one meal and nothing else. Do you really eat 15 oz of chicken?

    No judgements of course, it just feels unappealing to me because I tend to think of major sources of protein as inferior in taste to other foods, so having a very large portion makes the meal unpleasant. Imagine a thick crust pizza margarita with only a spoonful of cheese, yes it's technically pizza which is supposed to taste technically good, but the ratios are all wrong making it unpleasant and feels like it's not worth the calories if you know what I mean.
  • SCoil123
    SCoil123 Posts: 2,108 Member
    Options
    SCoil123 wrote: »
    My personal issue with that would be protein. Eating 70-120 grams of protein in one meal would be extremely hard for me. It would make me gag. I wonder how those who do it handle that.

    My afternoon shake has 32 grams of protein and I usually have meat and salad for dinner. I haven't struggled to meet calorie or macro goals.

    Personally I was always confused by people who eat several small meals all day. When I tried it I was never satisfied, always hungry, and couldnt stay in goal because I went over trying to feel satisfied.

    To each their own I guess

    That sounds more doable. I have days where I skip meals and I often eat within an 8 hour window without trying because I stop usually eating early, I always have. I also sometimes do the single meal a day thing when I have a dinner out or have a fast day, and on those days I don't stress about protein. Generally, I have a varying appetite and just eat when I'm hungry and don't when I'm not, which could mean anywhere between grazing all day and having one meal a day. It's just that all the protein in one meal sounds more intimidating than all the protein within a certain eating window, which is more doable once you spread it out like you do. My question was meant specifically for those who only eat one meal and nothing else. Do you really eat 20 oz of chicken?

    No judgements of course, it just feels unappealing to me because I tend to think of major sources of protein as inferior in taste to other foods, so having a very large portion makes the meal unpleasant. Imagine a thick crust pizza margarita with only a spoonful of cheese, yes it's technically pizza which is supposed to taste technically good, but the ratios are all wrong making it unpleasant and feels like it's not worth the calories if you know what I mean.

    I'm allergic to wheat and before I found a lot of the alternative foods I got used to eating mostly meat, eggs, yogurt, cheese, and veggie. I eat other stuff now but after years its just habit eating that way most of the time. I usually eat about 8oz of chicken, or other main protein source at dinner. 8oz of chicken breast can have close to 70g protein. I dont need to eat 20oz. Im not sure where that figure came from.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/519259-what-foods-would-give-30-grams-of-protein/
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    DebSozo wrote: »
    To those of you that do 16/8 do you limit fluids also in the morning, such as milk/cream in your coffee/tea?

    I put heavy cream in my coffee (zero carbs), and I count the calories but don't count it as a true "meal".

    On the other hand, if I put in half and half it messes with my insulin and hunger but not the heavy cream. (I dislike coffee black.) I did attempt to drink it black for a short while but did not enjoy it at all.

    I could easily hold out til 12-1pm before eating anything, but this is only because i drink tea with milk all morning which keeps me full, but the milk totals 270 calories all up. I would love to swap to real cream, but the calories would drown me lol
    Also, i cant just have 1-2 cups of tea or coffee in the a.m like normal people, i have a cup of tea constantly by side all morning, and swap to water once my 'ration' of milk runs out. I wish i could handle tea/coffee black, but blaaahhh can't do it.

    I did have to cut back to 2 cups of coffee. But that is okay. I would rather have 1 or 2 quality cups of coffee with cream than none at all. I would quit coffee completely if I had to drink it black. I add cinnamon instead of sugar. Yum
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    Options
    SCoil123 wrote: »
    SCoil123 wrote: »
    My personal issue with that would be protein. Eating 70-120 grams of protein in one meal would be extremely hard for me. It would make me gag. I wonder how those who do it handle that.

    My afternoon shake has 32 grams of protein and I usually have meat and salad for dinner. I haven't struggled to meet calorie or macro goals.

    Personally I was always confused by people who eat several small meals all day. When I tried it I was never satisfied, always hungry, and couldnt stay in goal because I went over trying to feel satisfied.

    To each their own I guess

    That sounds more doable. I have days where I skip meals and I often eat within an 8 hour window without trying because I stop usually eating early, I always have. I also sometimes do the single meal a day thing when I have a dinner out or have a fast day, and on those days I don't stress about protein. Generally, I have a varying appetite and just eat when I'm hungry and don't when I'm not, which could mean anywhere between grazing all day and having one meal a day. It's just that all the protein in one meal sounds more intimidating than all the protein within a certain eating window, which is more doable once you spread it out like you do. My question was meant specifically for those who only eat one meal and nothing else. Do you really eat 20 oz of chicken?

    No judgements of course, it just feels unappealing to me because I tend to think of major sources of protein as inferior in taste to other foods, so having a very large portion makes the meal unpleasant. Imagine a thick crust pizza margarita with only a spoonful of cheese, yes it's technically pizza which is supposed to taste technically good, but the ratios are all wrong making it unpleasant and feels like it's not worth the calories if you know what I mean.

    I'm allergic to wheat and before I found a lot of the alternative foods I got used to eating mostly meat, eggs, yogurt, cheese, and veggie. I eat other stuff now but after years its just habit eating that way most of the time. I usually eat about 8oz of chicken, or other main protein source at dinner. 8oz of chicken breast can have close to 70g protein. I dont need to eat 20oz. Im not sure where that figure came from.

    http://www.livestrong.com/article/519259-what-foods-would-give-30-grams-of-protein/

    Makes sense. I was basing it on the raw weight were 1 lb has 100 or so protein (edited to 15). It doesn't matter though, it's just interesting.
  • elisa123gal
    elisa123gal Posts: 4,290 Member
    Options
    I drink coffee in the morning during my fast.. i read i should keep any cream to under 50 calories of you break the fast.. so that's what I've been doing..using minimal creamer...and keeping it to well under 50 calories.
  • crzycatlady1
    crzycatlady1 Posts: 1,930 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    To those of you that do 16/8 do you limit fluids also in the morning, such as milk/cream in your coffee/tea?

    I'll drink diet soda/water/black tea with 0 calorie sweetener. But that's it before 11am if I'm doing an IF day.
  • DebSozo
    DebSozo Posts: 2,578 Member
    edited November 2016
    Options
    I drink coffee in the morning during my fast..i read i should keep any cream to under 50 calories of you break the fast.. so that's what I've been doing..using minimal creamer...and keeping it to well under 50 calories.

    This is a very good point. I probably should drop the coffee to 1 cup and creamer down to 50 cals. I might be able to drink coffee plain with only cinnamon, or maybe I should just eliminate coffee. I don't want any hindrance.

    I suppose I could simply drink coffee with cream during my 8 hour "window" and simply count the calories as part of my "brunch". The advantage is that I could add more cream. Then I get the coffee and don't break the fast until the 8 hour window arrives. It may take a couple weeks to adjust to the caffeine timing.
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    Options
    I do what has settled into 17/7, your schedule sounds great! I eat a smaller lunch and a larger dinner and some sort of dessert in the evening.

    I find that personally as soon as I start eating, my hunger kicks in for the day. When I began just going with this tendency, staying within my calories has been remarkably easy.