IF and consuming enough calories

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kenjhammond65
kenjhammond65 Posts: 8 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi all,
I'm trying to fast with a 16/8 but can't seem to consume enough calories. Specifically protein. Any suggestions?

Replies

  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
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    It takes some trial and error to find out what combinations of food work for you. Adding in some red meat will probably help with both total cals and protein.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    what are your calorie goals? of your 8hrs eating when are you starting
  • ent3rsandman
    ent3rsandman Posts: 170 Member
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    Cottage Cheese
    Canned Chicken
    Canned Tuna
    Egg Whites
    Whole Eggs
    Whey Protein Powder
    Peanut Butter
    Greek Yogurt
    Roasted Edamame
  • T0M_K
    T0M_K Posts: 7,526 Member
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    eat lean meat. :) protein powder. lean chicken. lots of protein bars on the market. protein consumption should only be a challenge if you are vegan. if so i have no clue.
  • deannalfisher
    deannalfisher Posts: 5,600 Member
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    chicken breast, turkey, pork tenderloin and shrimp are my go-to protein bangs for my buck - I do 130g a day and easily hit that (could do within 8hrs if I desired)
  • Daddy78230
    Daddy78230 Posts: 125 Member
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    Personally I have trouble digesting lean meats to meet my protein and calorie minimums, so I stick with fatter cuts of meat and hit my targets very close. Most pork, fatty cuts of beef, eggs, salmon, dark meat from chicken.
  • JJS1979
    JJS1979 Posts: 177 Member
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    I would not do IF just to do it, if you can hit your macros over the course of the day that is more important than using a particular protocol. When calories and protein are the same, IF vs a non-IF protocol will yield the same results. Do what works best for you, not because someone said you will lose a bunch a weight on IF. Keep protein high and stay in a caloric deficit and you will reach your goal.
  • Hermie123451982
    Hermie123451982 Posts: 190 Member
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    Peanut butter for calories and healthy fats and a protein shake if you can't get enough in with whole food. 16/8 is changing my life.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    One of two ways:
    Extend your eating window by an hour at a time until you hit your sweet spot
    Eat more calorie dense foods

    In both both cases, eating things like meat and dairy will help with the protein.
  • kenjhammond65
    kenjhammond65 Posts: 8 Member
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    Most of my protein intake is from red meat and chicken. Some tuna. Protein shakes as well. I'm trying to hit 210g protein and it seems tough to consume during my window which is basically 2am - 10am.
  • notreallychris
    notreallychris Posts: 501 Member
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    I do IF and get most of my protein from eggs and chicken. I also do a protein shake for a shot of 25g.
  • Ironandwine69
    Ironandwine69 Posts: 2,432 Member
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    My feeding window is noon to 6pm and my goal is 160grs right now, if it wasn't for whey shakes, I wouldn't be able to reach it. And 210grs is a lot.
    Sorry not advice here.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    One reason I haven't tried IF is that I don't think I could meet my protein goals eating in a small window (or just 1-2 times). I seem to do better getting about 30 g of protein at each meal, plus a bit extra a dinner. I can't eat enough at a time to get it all at once.
  • kenjhammond65
    kenjhammond65 Posts: 8 Member
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    I did change my protein powder to a zero carb, 50g per serving. It has helped get pretty close. But trying to digest that much protein is difficult in the 8hr window. I like the 16hr fast and it has been slow taking hold but I believe it's starting to help. Has anyone had success with longer fasts? I just read a book advocating 24, 36, 48 and even week long or weeks long fasts. Not sure I'd want to go that route but I'm curious if it has helped anyone.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited May 2017
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    kenjhammond65 wrote: »
    I did change my protein powder to a zero carb, 50g per serving. It has helped get pretty close. But trying to digest that much protein is difficult in the 8hr window. I like the 16hr fast and it has been slow taking hold but I believe it's starting to help. Has anyone had success with longer fasts? I just read a book advocating 24, 36, 48 and even week long or weeks long fasts. Not sure I'd want to go that route but I'm curious if it has helped anyone.

    24, 36, and 48 are fine. Doing a 24 or 36 hour fast once a week could help raise your calorie allotment for the rest of the week, but it might be unnecessarily hard for some people and may not be worth it.

    I would very strongly recommend against doing anything longer than 3 days. Learned it the hard way and landed in the hospital about 16 years ago with bowel obstruction because the digestive system was not capable of properly processing food after a long fast when I was "seeking enlightenment". Theoretically, you are supposed to start introducing foods in liquid form (juices and broths not shakes) and consuming them in very small spread out sips for about a week before moving to blended foods for the second week and soft foods for the 3rd, but you get so damn hungry after a long fast it feels like absolute torture to adhere to that rule that you fail even if you pride yourself with the strongest willpower. It creates an almost compulsive desire to stuff your face whenever you have the opportunity causing you to regain every gram you lost and then some. It's very unhealthy, extremely risky, and unnecessary to go that long without nutrition.

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