"IF" and little sleep.

taubrey9175

Hey guys, i need some advice.

I started 16/8 fasting 2 days ago and have kept up with it. However, I have an 18 month old daughter who doesn't sleep well, and I've received 3.5 hours of sleep tonight. It's 5:30am and I'm soooooo hungry, I don't know how I'm going to make it until noon.

If you were in a situation like this, would you break your fast for the day? Or push through?

TavistockToad

IF is just an earing style. If it helps you maintain your calorie deficit then great. If not then you don't have to do it.

I would say look at your weekly goal, not just daily, you can eat a little more today if you need to.

kommodevaran

Are you eating enough, or have you reduced total daily calories? Healthy adults can "fast" for 16 hours with no ill effect. But there is no ill effect in eating whenever you want, either, so eat now if you want to.

taubrey9175

I eat 2200 between 12-8 pm. I'm 245 lbs. I want to push through so I get maximum fat burn when I do my cardio here in an hour, but man it's miserable. Tough night

kommodevaran

I think you just have to get used to eating less (2200 would be "less" = calorie deficit - at your current weight, and you should be fine on that if you eat a balanced diet). You don't have to worry about timing of meals and exercise, eat and workout when you want to - you burn stored fat when you're in a consistent calorie deficit, not at specific times. But you should try to get more sleep - when you're tired, you'll be more hungry and less disciplined, that's a real issue.

AnvilHead

Fasting doesn't cause "maximum fat burn" - not in any sense that equates to fat loss, anyway.

Intermittent fasting is nothing more than an eating schedule, there's nothing magical about it for weight loss. Some people find it helps control their calorie intake and makes it easier to stick to their goals, that's the only true benefit to doing IF.

I more or less do 16:8, just because it fits how I like to eat. But if I'm hungry outside that 8 hour window for whatever reason, I eat. Weight loss comes down to how many calories you eat, not what time you eat them.

Great read on the truth of fasted cardio: https://weightology.net/fasted-cardio-an-undeserved-good-reputation/

Emw148

I'm new to this, but green tea with a little cinnamon has been helpful for me

lcarrollccc1

I've been doing IF for 3 weeks now and green tea and bone broth help me get over that hunger quite nicely! I have to get up at 4:00 AM for work (business trips) at times and get a few hours of sleep because I can never sleep well before those trips. The tea and broth, in addition to lemon in my water, satisfies me and pulls me through. Good luck!

braves3134

Just starting up again but when I eat “clean” and count calories (as I am again now) i do IF during the week because it fits with my overnight work schedule but eat a “normal” schedule on the weekends. As long as it fits in your calories, it shouldn’t hurt you to break your IF for the day or even a couple of days if need be. Just don’t let it be an excuse to go over your calorie allotment. Good luck!