Intermittent Fasting Lifestyle & Tracking

foodmom

I am new to the lifestyle of intermittent fasting - currently fasting between 14 and 16 hours. Experts say not to track calories, points, etc. but to rely on intuition and listening to one's body to know when to eat and when to stop. I am curious how many people on here who following IF still track calories and macros?

wilson10102018

Hahaha! That's the strategy that got most of us here. If we had good intuition and stopped when we had enough to eat no one would need any diet approach. Jesse Ventura said it best: "just push back from the table." Easy, right?

L1zardQueen

I still track the calories consumed. Even if you don’t count those pesky calories, your body still does.

janejellyroll

Several years ago, I tried IF without any sort of calorie tracking. It turns out that my "intuition" is to eat more than my body needs (which is why I had excess weight in the first place). My personal experience is that it is really hard to "intuit" your way into a deficit. Think about it: if we intuitively ate less than we need, historically we would have been at a huge evolutionary disadvantage. The people who ate well when they could were those who were more successful at passing on their genes. Now that we're in a situation where most of us are lucky to have more food than we need, we've sometimes got to use techniques to moderate our intake to an appropriate level.

Thoin

foodmom wrote: »

I am new to the lifestyle of intermittent fasting - currently fasting between 14 and 16 hours. Experts say not to track calories, points, etc. but to rely on intuition and listening to one's body to know when to eat and when to stop. I am curious how many people on here who following IF still track calories and macros?

I hope to one day be at this point that I know when to stop eating. That being said, I do know that eating slowly helps with feeling full. It was a game changer for me but not a magic wand.

bombshell1229

I don't count calories doing IF but I keep food diary to be mindful of what I'm eating. Also just common sense. 2 cooked meals with lean protein, whole grains, plenty veg, and some fats. Then snack on fruit and some tasty treats.

Pupowl

Intuition wouldn't work for me. I count my calories every day. IF helps me a lot with eating less in general though. I used to just graze all day, now I have 3 set points/times when I eat and I am very rarely hungry.

andielyn

I'm a little late to reply. I log my food because I am interested in seeing what I'm eating but I am not calorie-restricting. I find I am having a lot of appetite correction, and not overeating. This was not true when I first started, but I wasn't doing it correctly (for me) and allowed myself to get too hungry and I'd overeat. It takes a little time to figure out what works best for you, so tinker with both when your eating window is and for how long. Also focusing on "clean" fasting helps.

Safari_Gal_

foodmom wrote: »

I am new to the lifestyle of intermittent fasting - currently fasting between 14 and 16 hours. Experts say not to track calories, points, etc. but to rely on intuition and listening to one's body to know when to eat and when to stop. I am curious how many people on here who following IF still track calories and macros?

Whenever I’ve done IF — I’ve still tracked all calories.

Ramadan is coming up — fasting between sunrise and sundown is observed — many observers I know still track. Just a different eating window.

lemurcat2

I am eating in an IF schedule now, and I still track.

Generally when tracking I eat within my cals without thinking about it -- this is true when I eat in an IF schedule like now or when I lost most of my weight in 2014 and ate 3 meals and sometimes dessert. IMO, this is common when one tracks and not really about IF vs not.

trinati2001

I also track with IF. I use a 16:8 schedule and drink lots of water in the morning. I started with IF because I need to feel really full after a meal. If I have 3 small means and two snacks I’m never really “full” so then I will binge (I fall off the diet wagon hard and it takes months to get back on). IF with a lot of water has really helped me get over the binge cravings.

I have a hard time skipping breakfast on the weekends when I need to cook for the kids/husband. Does anyone have any suggestions on how to skip a meal when everyone else is eating?

LtHammerhead

I don’t see why you would track? 8 hours is plenty of time to eat a lot of food.

I find my first meal after fasting tends to be large then the rest of my time eating is very light

trinati2001

I'm so thankful that I'm able to fast. The last couple of days have been rough when I feel like I'm craving something but can't forget it what I'm craving so I just keep eating. Since I'm not able to stay eating until 11 it had really helped me limit the number of calories that I could consume in a day

joyanna2016

Yes I definitely track my numbers while doing IF. I still want that reassurance of knowing my totals and assurance of weight loss that only comes with counting calories. Doing IF just makes it easier (for me) to stay in my deficit. Also, I like to know my protein intake. One final point - I think with IF one is just as likely to undereat as overeat, because for many of us our appetite decreases significantly so we have to be careful about that too. I say all these things, but you do you! If you despise counting, then don't and see how it goes for you. It may work just fine.

heybales

I've ended up with many 2-4 hr windows - sometimes just 1 hr if I really wanted to stop at midnight.

I could easily overeat if I didn't track. Actually, plan and track.

If you speak the foreign language your body speaks because you are knowledgeable AND experienced - perhaps you could listen to it.

But as many have said - you and they are here losing weight because they don't know that language.

Many others I haven't seen comment yet will point out they were doing IF long before it was a stupid craze with it as being the magic diet - and they gained weight eating that way as just a normal part of their schedule in life.

MariadfdCruz

I started 2 weeks ago IF and I don't see any loosing of my weight. Years ago, I lost weight (pregnancy kgs 10 or 15) by MFP. Though, recent years I gained all this back and some more, due to an health issue and I stopped PT and gym. I still can't exercise like before, or move my body. So, here I am back with IF and MFP. Do both.

kmbishop

I recently started the 14:10 IF. That fits best with my lifestyle. No food/drink other than water, tea or bone broth after 8:00 PM, and until 10:00 AM the next morning. And I stick to my calories and macros during my eating hours. Seems to be working and I do feel better, sleep better, and far less gastric upset, and I seem less hungry, which is an interesting side effect. I am a "woman of a certain age" and 18 days ago began following Pahla B on YouTube, she's a fitness instructor and weight loss coach for women over 50. It makes so much more sense to me now, and since following her, I am definitely noticing a difference in strength, balance, agility, and a better awareness of why it's harder for women over 50. It all makes sense now. Good luck with your IF!

MsCzar

My 'intuition' tells me I NEED a half package of Double-Stuff Oreos with my morning coffee. 😁

I remember way back when intermittent fasting was simply called, 'No snacking.' Starting most days with a glass of water, I take my two main meals between 10am and 6pm with occasional fruit or 40g of popcorn in the early afternoon. I measure and weigh my food and log every calorie... most days planning and pre-logging the next meal.

The benefits of doing this:

I sleep better

No more acid reflux/GERD and taking meds to control it

More consistent morning weigh-ins

Very regular morning bathroom habits

Since I don't want to make frequent overnight bathroom visits, I drink most of the day's water between meals and thus never feel hungry during the day.

Scrupulously logging calories and weighing every morsel lets me accurately plan and adjust meals throughout the day, so I am more likely to achieve my calorie - and ultimately weight loss goals.

ccrdragon

MariadfdCruz wrote: »

I started 2 weeks ago IF and I don't see any loosing of my weight. Years ago, I lost weight (pregnancy kgs 10 or 15) by MFP. Though, recent years I gained all this back and some more, due to an health issue and I stopped PT and gym. I still can't exercise like before, or move my body. So, here I am back with IF and MFP. Do both.

IF in-and-of-itself will not cause weight loss - you still need to track calories to ensure that you are eating in a deficit. I regularly do IF (breakfast is great when it happens after noon...) and I have gained/maintained/lost weight while only eating 1 or 2 meals a day.

JCT1000

I’ve been doing IF the last three months. No breakfast except coffee and some oat milk. Skip lunch Monday and Friday. I still track but am successful if weekly average calories come in close to goal. My daily calories are all over the map.

lmf1012

I am practicing 16:8 IF and my window of eating is 10am to 6pm. I very thoroughly weigh, measure and track everything I eat/drink and do watch my calories and macros as I am on a journey to lose about 40-45 lbs. IF is just another tool in my tool belt to help me lose the fat.