Click on link in my signature. I started a discussion group for Keto and Fasting. Be sure to read all the discussions.

I hope this helps,
Dan the Man from Michigan
Keto / The Recipe Water Fasting / E.A.S.Y. Exercise Program
Current weight: 194.9, 119 pounds down, 16 to go. 14 months on diet

bluefish86 wrote: »

I also like that IF allows me to be more flexible and spontaneous. Like, if my husband suggests we go out to dinner, I don't stress it... I just fast beforehand, order whatever I want, and then make up the difference later if necessary. Easy peasy.

I like fasting before a buffet.

I found for myself that maintaining my sodium levels throughout the day were very important when I fasted.

I eat once a day and love it. I do one fast day one the weekend, as well. Keto is amazing with fasting, since you don't feel hungry and you don't crash.

I dropped down to eating twice a day and a morning bulletproof coffee pretty quickly after starting keto (maybe 2 weeks or so), then dropped lunch, then dropped the coffee and stuck with only dinner. I've been doing that at least 3.5 months now, but only added in the weekend fast probably just shy of 2 months now

I naturally IF whether I'm keto or not, the thought of eating anything in the morning (unless I'm hungover is nauseating. I just drink my fatty coffee until about 3-4pm and then eat but sometimes I won't eat anything until 6-7. Technically I guess it wouldn't be fasting since I have a few Tbsp of cream and 1-1.5 Tbsp of coconut oil over the course of a few hours but it's pretty close.

Maybe you could try an egg fast to get over your plateau. I think it's just 6 eggs/day and lots of water over the course of 1-4 days.

I accidently tried IF on Saturday (woke up late and we had to run to a class so I missed breakfast). I had no energy to make lunch and I ended up being a blob on the couch the rest of the day. I gave myself the excuse that I was keeping my sick kiddo company, but really I didn't even have motivation to think of getting food. I am now sure that I need at least 2 meals per day. Sunday, I had my usual egg breakfast and had tons of energy- and got tons done.

I am so glad others do this. In college (first time on my own) I found that I liked eating one meal a day. I would eat a good dinner around 5 or 6 PM and if I wanted anything else, it was usually a light snack in the evening. Most of the people I have known think this is crazy, but it is what makes me most comfortable.

>I have read that IF is not as effective for women due to hormones

Usually that's because a calorie deficit often accompanies IF, and having too steep of a deficit can screw you up. Running a sustainable deficit within an IF system shouldn't pose any issues.

Some of it depends on how much you have to lose ... those with more fat stores can afford a heavy deficit since they've got more to burn off. But "in general" I think for sustainability you're going to want to stay under a 2lb/wk deficit, and probably keeping it closer to 1.5lb/wk max is better. To support this, think about 2 of the most popular IF protocols: ESE and 5:2 ... even at the top end of both of those methods, a person with a 2000 TDEE is only going to be running a deficit of 1-1.5lb/wk.

>I've been experimenting with IF and find those days very difficult to eat enough

You either need to lengthen your feeding window while you adapt, eat more calorically-dense foods, or just get used to eating bigger meals and feeling fuller. That last point is actually why a lot of people enjoy IF: they get to feel that fullness/satiety even under a caloric deficit.

That being said, IF isn't necessarily for everybody. Give it an honest go (i.e. run a given protocol for long enough to adapt, *while* keeping a responsible deficit) but if it never quite clicks, that's okay too.

wishfullthinking79 wrote: »

I am really curious about this fasting. I do not think I really understand what it is your doing. So i typically do not eat anything until like 530-630 unless I force myself to do so. I just do not get hungry throughtout most of the day. So if I I do that then I need to eat a 1000 calories in that one meal? That is like impossible for me right now. I have been only averaging like 600-800 calories since I started the low carb diet. But I only get to that amount if I force myself to eat something before I eat my dinner. Can someone tell me the steps I would take to do this intermediate fasting the right way? Thanks

If it is only the calorie deficit that concerns you, look at adding a nutritional punch to that meal. A pat of butter is 100 calories. A handful of nuts is typically several hundred. Add a smaller snack a few hours AFTER dinner... I don't believe you should force yourself to eat unless your body's hunger signals are totally broken (this does happen in some folks).

But if you do well with just water up until that point, you're probably a shoe-in for this process.

There is no one way to intermittent fast. There are a lot of factors you can change up. Try one thing for a week. Have a contingency plan if it really makes you sick. Otherwise, follow that for a week, see how you like it. If you don't like that, try something else.

The main focus is and always should be on nutrition. You need enough protein to save your muscles - you need to limit carbs in general, and fats only fill in to satiety... Getting the vitamins and minerals you need from food is important.