Cheatin on Intermittent Fasting???
jman16165
Posts: 14 Member
Ok so I got hungry and ate outside my 8 hour window but ate inside 12 hours. I'm just wondering will I be ok from this or did this mess me up?
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Replies
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IF isn't magic. It is just a tool to help you stay within a calorie deficit. Did you stay within your calorie deficit? Then you're good.
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Weight loss takes a lot of time. If you are hungry this time can seem to pass much more slowly. Your first priority is to stay inside a calorie deficit most days. Your second is to be as happy as possible doing it. The one thing that is not a priority is your eating window. It is only a tool that you can use to help with the first two priorities. If it gets in the way on some days then ignore it. If it gets in the way too often then discard it entirely.17
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What do you mean, "Mess me up"?
For weight loss it's all about calories. Nothing else matters. So stay in calories, eat for eight hours or sixteen hours, it doesn't matter.10 -
Everyone knows that the most important thing to weight loss is 100% perfection! One single bite of food outside one's eating window or calorie budget will put on SEVEN ZILLION POUNDS and the only way to make up for it is to beat yourself up forever and punish yourself with even more strict restrictions!
...just kidding.
You'll be graaaaaaaand. The most important thing for weight loss is how many calories you're putting into your face and how many you're burning. Everything else is just ways to keep yourself occupied while those ratios do their work (or ways to make it more bearable or keep you feeling healthy while you're doing it). Just log what you ate, keep within your calorie budget for the day and if you wanna do IF, work on keeping within your window tomorrow.
And don't stress. I mean, unless stress causes you to pace around the house. Then maybe you might wanna add stress to your exercises for the day
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I was still in a calorie defecit. Thank you guys for your help.
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Here is a better question for you...does your body know what time it is right now? I mean, let's say Daylight Savings Time went into effect RIGHT NOW and you ate a meal...does your body get screwed up because it thinks it's an hour ago or does it think it's an hour from now and OMG noooooooooooo how can we resolve this? Seriously though. Getting your calorie balance out of whack is the only thing that's gonna mess you up, regardless of if that occurs in an 8 hour window or a 12 hour window or all day or all week or all year.2
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Also, just to clarify, I wanted to make sure I didnt mess up my weight loss goals. I was trying to train my body.0
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LOL I love that chart saying "how it works" finally something to show people what's really going on here2
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Also, just to clarify, I wanted to make sure I didnt mess up my weight loss goals. I was trying to train my body.
Why would it matter if you ate your calories inside or outside your selected window as regards that day's calorie balance? Did the "extra" food eaten take you over your calorie goal?
A sense of perspective regarding just one day out of the rest of your life really helps for what is a long term endeavour.
Not sure in what way you are training your body? To do what?5 -
Are you new to IF?
Cause, okay, IF can totally help maintain a calorie deficit for lots of people.
If you're new to it, though, your body may be having a really difficult time not getting food when it "expects" to.
A lot of people find easing their way into IF is way more sustainable than just jumping in 10, say, 16:8 straight away.
If that's you, then I'd recommend:
Work out your calorie budget and stick to it from the start. Start off with a 12:12 window. Once you feel good on that, go to 11:13. A few days on that and go to 10:14. And so on, giving yourself 2-3 weeks to get to the 8:10 window.
As long as you're keeping in your calorie budget, you'll still be losing weight. And letting your body adjust more gently to the restricted eating window will help you to stick to that.
and also, again, always: never beat yourself up if you go outside your time or over your budget! Just log it and keep on goin'. This is a marathon, not a sprint.3 -
Also, just to clarify, I wanted to make sure I didnt mess up my weight loss goals. I was trying to train my body.
If you are trying to "train" your body to be agreeable to eating during an eating window, consistently eating outside of that window when you get hungry might mess that up. So if it continues to happen, think about these:- Are you eating enough? If your deficit is too aggressive, no eating window or macro balance will fix that. If you find it difficult to eat all your calories within the window, then maybe IF isn't right for you.
- Are you eating enough protein, fat, and fiber? If you are low in any of these, bringing the straggler up to speed might help your appetite.
- Are you really hungry? Or is it boredom or habit making you want to eat? If it's boredom or habit, find something else easy/comforting to do and see if it passes.
- If all these factors are taken care of and you are still getting hungry outside of an IF window, it's possible IF just isn't right for you. Some people do better eating in a more stretched out, traditional schedule. Luckily, IF isn't necessary for weight loss or fitness, so if that's the case, just change your schedule to something that makes it EASIER, not more difficult, to achieve your goals.
Good luck!8 -
Sorry guys what I meant to say was this was my second Time doing IF. I was told IF trains your body to burn the fat you have instead of other fuel. Basically I'm just letting my body burn fat and that is how I train my body. I thought eating outside my window messed it up.14
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Sorry guys what I meant to say was this was my second Time doing IF. I was told IF trains your body to burn the fat you have instead of other fuel. Basically I'm just letting my body burn fat and that is how I train my body. I thought eating outside my window messed it up.
No, it doesn't.
Why is this your second time doing it? Didn't it work the first time?10 -
Sorry guys what I meant to say was this was my second Time doing IF. I was told IF trains your body to burn the fat you have instead of other fuel. Basically I'm just letting my body burn fat and that is how I train my body. I thought eating outside my window messed it up.
I have never seen any scientific proof that short periods of fasting change the way your body uses fuel, though I've seen lots of people insist there is and link to articles that don't prove anything. If you're in a calorie deficit, your body will burn fat to make up the difference.11 -
AoifeFitzy wrote: »Are you new to IF?
Cause, okay, IF can totally help maintain a calorie deficit for lots of people.
If you're new to it, though, your body may be having a really difficult time not getting food when it "expects" to.
A lot of people find easing their way into IF is way more sustainable than just jumping in 10, say, 16:8 straight away.
If that's you, then I'd recommend:
Work out your calorie budget and stick to it from the start. Start off with a 12:12 window. Once you feel good on that, go to 11:13. A few days on that and go to 10:14. And so on, giving yourself 2-3 weeks to get to the 8:10 window.
As long as you're keeping in your calorie budget, you'll still be losing weight. And letting your body adjust more gently to the restricted eating window will help you to stick to that.
and also, again, always: never beat yourself up if you go outside your time or over your budget! Just log it and keep on goin'. This is a marathon, not a sprint.
That is what I did...I eased into it, I started with a 13:10 then did an 16:8 now I tend to do more of an 18:6 most days. The thing is though I still feel hungry leading up to my feeding window I just ignore, push thru it, etc. I tell myself that I will not die if I wait to eat and that usually calms my mind.1 -
If you're in a calorie deficit, regardless of the particular time of day (or night), you will lose weight.
If you're in a calorie surplus, regardless of the particular time of day (or night), you will gain weight.
IF helps SOME PEOPLE control their calorie intake, but THAT IS ALL. It does not magically make your body burn more fat or build muscle or be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. It is literally just changing what time you eat things. There is no magic to it. If you don't actually LIKE intermittent fasting (which apparently you aren't too wild about, whether you'll admit it or not, given that you did it in the past & quit), there is no real reason to pursue it. Find something you like (and can adhere to) better.11 -
Sorry guys what I meant to say was this was my second Time doing IF. I was told IF trains your body to burn the fat you have instead of other fuel. Basically I'm just letting my body burn fat and that is how I train my body. I thought eating outside my window messed it up.
Sounds like thinking you change which account you use - checkings or savings - to influence your banking to end up with a different wealth. In the end, your total deposits versus total withdrawals will matter for what the sum of balances is, not the accounts you draw and deposit against.9 -
How ironic that intermittent fasting is really just about creating a calorie deficit. But book writers have laughed all the way to the bank with the 5:2 diet, the 8 hour diet, the 5 hour diet, the every other day diet, and now the fast 800 diet. smh.3
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Sorry guys what I meant to say was this was my second Time doing IF. I was told IF trains your body to burn the fat you have instead of other fuel. Basically I'm just letting my body burn fat and that is how I train my body. I thought eating outside my window messed it up.
Nope, nope, nope.
You burn fat all day and all night - it's nothing special and doesn't have to be forced.
We wouldn't tuck away our excess energy as fat if it was so difficult to access it.
All you need to have a net loss of fat over time is have a sustained calorie deficit.5 -
The only benefit that Intermittent Fasting may provide for some people is if having a limited feeding window helps them remain in the necessary calorie deficit needed to lose weight.
That's it. That's all.
When you eat is irrelevant. What's important is how much you eat.
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Fatty_Nuff wrote: »How ironic that intermittent fasting is really just about creating a calorie deficit. But book writers have laughed all the way to the bank with the 5:2 diet, the 8 hour diet, the 5 hour diet, the every other day diet, and now the fast 800 diet. smh.
YOu can say that about any other diet just not IF...blood type diet, South beach diet, etc. etc. etc.3 -
Fatty_Nuff wrote: »How ironic that intermittent fasting is really just about creating a calorie deficit. But book writers have laughed all the way to the bank with the 5:2 diet, the 8 hour diet, the 5 hour diet, the every other day diet, and now the fast 800 diet. smh.
They've also laughed all the way to the bank with calorie counting diets.
OP, you are doing fine.5 -
IF is fine. Breaking the eating window is fine. No IF is fine. Doing IF some days (skipping breakfast) is fine. See a pattern here?
When I'm in a disciplined eating phase trying to shed a few pounds, the smaller eating window helps me consume less - unless I overeat - in those times the window doesn't help....
If struggling to the start of my eating window, a cup of black coffee works wonders. And if it doesn't, I open the window early.
It's still all about energy balance. If your body cannot get energy from food intake, it goes to stored energy (fat).6 -
quiksylver296 wrote: »Sorry guys what I meant to say was this was my second Time doing IF. I was told IF trains your body to burn the fat you have instead of other fuel. Basically I'm just letting my body burn fat and that is how I train my body. I thought eating outside my window messed it up.
No, it doesn't.
Why is this your second time doing it? Didn't it work the first time?
I know where you're going with this, but I lost weight in all of the "correct" ways for this forum and I still gained it back eventually. It happens. And there's no need to jump on someone for failing to lose or maintain when they're clearly trying to find their way back.3 -
diannethegeek wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »Sorry guys what I meant to say was this was my second Time doing IF. I was told IF trains your body to burn the fat you have instead of other fuel. Basically I'm just letting my body burn fat and that is how I train my body. I thought eating outside my window messed it up.
No, it doesn't.
Why is this your second time doing it? Didn't it work the first time?
I know where you're going with this, but I lost weight in all of the "correct" ways for this forum and I still gained it back eventually. It happens. And there's no need to jump on someone for failing to lose or maintain when they're clearly trying to find their way back.
I wasn't "jumping on" anyone. I was hoping that maybe a lightbulb would go off, if IF wasn't working for him.2 -
The only reason I stopped doing the IF the first time is because I am a yo yo dieter meaning I try everything to lose weight lol. Honestly, Im going back to IF so I can stay committed and I have done that for a week now.
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Fatty_Nuff wrote: »How ironic that intermittent fasting is really just about creating a calorie deficit. But book writers have laughed all the way to the bank with the 5:2 diet, the 8 hour diet, the 5 hour diet, the every other day diet, and now the fast 800 diet. smh.
They've also laughed all the way to the bank with calorie counting diets.
OP, you are doing fine.
Thank you so much. I appreciate this.0 -
diannethegeek wrote: »quiksylver296 wrote: »Sorry guys what I meant to say was this was my second Time doing IF. I was told IF trains your body to burn the fat you have instead of other fuel. Basically I'm just letting my body burn fat and that is how I train my body. I thought eating outside my window messed it up.
No, it doesn't.
Why is this your second time doing it? Didn't it work the first time?
I know where you're going with this, but I lost weight in all of the "correct" ways for this forum and I still gained it back eventually. It happens. And there's no need to jump on someone for failing to lose or maintain when they're clearly trying to find their way back.
Thank you, I like to try different ways to lose weight as well which is why I mentioned not my first rodeo but I hate messing up on stuff.0 -
your body does not care when you eat.6
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