Tomorrow is my first day of IF....HELP!!!

Hallieberrie

I’m starting intermittent fasting tomorrow. 2 of my coworkers have done it successfully. I’m going to try and fast from 8pm to 12pm. Any advice starting out is appreciated. I’ve read so much, but it’s really overwhelming.

Nony_Mouse

What is it that you're hoping to achieve with IF? It can be a helpful way for some people to stick to their calorie deficit (fewer hours in which to eat), but beyond that, it doesn't do anything for weight loss in and of itself. That still comes down to being at a calorie deficit.

If you're used to eating breakfast, you may find it difficult at first to adjust (and honestly, if you find it too difficult, I would suggest that it may not be for you). You may want to start with a shorter 'fast' period, and slowly push your breakfast out further.

And btw, most of what you've read probably isn't true, sorry

BarbaraHelen2013

I’m a bit concerned that you feel overwhelmed with the thought of Intermittent Fasting.

I would have said it’s probably the simplest, most straightforward tool to aid with maintaining a calorie deficit. Maybe just think of it as ‘The Skipping Breakfast Plan’.

I wonder what you’ve read that’s made it seem more confusing and complicated than that?

chinooken

Check out Dr Dan Maggs on YouTube. He has some great videos on IF. In fact his last one was about how to avoid the 5 most common side effects. This one goes through the pros and cons... https://youtu.be/HgB2ogpC6gI

lemurcat2

BarbaraHelen2013 wrote: »

I’m a bit concerned that you feel overwhelmed with the thought of Intermittent Fasting.

I would have said it’s probably the simplest, most straightforward tool to aid with maintaining a calorie deficit. Maybe just think of it as ‘The Skipping Breakfast Plan’.

I wonder what you’ve read that’s made it seem more confusing and complicated than that?

This. Fasting from 8 pm to noon is basically just skipping breakfast, right? Some people naturally prefer to skip breakfast -- I did for years -- and some enjoy breakfast and find it difficult not to have it. I'd give it time as habits matter, drink some black coffee or tea if that's something you enjoy and its acceptable on your particular IF plan, and see if you can adjust to skipping breakfast if that's not been a habit of yours.

Is there something else that you think it involves that seems hard?

NovusDies

Hallieberrie wrote: »

I’m starting intermittent fasting tomorrow. 2 of my coworkers have done it successfully. I’m going to try and fast from 8pm to 12pm. Any advice starting out is appreciated. I’ve read so much, but it’s really overwhelming.

My advice is to forget everything you have read and any youtube video you have seen. Most of the information online about IF is either baseless or based on rat studies. There is no proof that IF does anything for anyone except help pre-diabetic people with insulin resistance.

It is a tool that helps some people maintain a calorie deficit. It is also a tool that makes it much harder for other people to sustain a calorie deficit. If you wish to conduct an experiment to see which camp you fall into that is a good idea. Just be prepared to dump it if it makes you miserable. The goal is to choose methods/tools that make things as easy as possible for yourself.

nighthawk584

I do 12-13 hour IF because that just happens to be mainly when I sleep. I also eat every couple hours when I am awake....much more satisfying than waiting till I am falling over starving and shaky! Why make things difficult when you don't need too?