I think how it matters is that if you eat early, there is more time to eat late also. I've tried eating early and it doesn't work for me. It does work for some but once I start eating, I tend to keep eating so the-later the-better for me!

evening , end of the day for me, that's the way our hunter gatherer ancestors ate the bulk of their calories, they sat around a fire with a nice cooked meal, that's the way humanity came to be around 1 million years back haha so there's prbly something to it

Evening is very easy for me, I look forward to my meal all day.

Late for me as well. I set a target time of 9pm, but by the time I get my dinner ready and I'm ready to eat it's nearly 10pm. I allow myself a 2-3 hour eating window, in which I eat and drink what I want and as much as I want.

Yesterday I had a cornetto at 11am because it was a hot sunny day (a rarity in Manchester, England)
BIG MISTAKE!
After that I just could not stop eating. I continued eating all day. I added up all my calories today and it was over 3000 cals! Despite eating so many calories, it once did I feel I'd ate enough and was satisfied.

Zara_Pi wrote: »

Late for me as well. I set a target time of 9pm, but by the time I get my dinner ready and I'm ready to eat it's nearly 10pm. I allow myself a 2-3 hour eating window, in which I eat and drink what I want and as much as I want.

Yesterday I had a cornetto at 11am because it was a hot sunny day (a rarity in Manchester, England)
BIG MISTAKE!
After that I just could not stop eating. I continued eating all day. I added up all my calories today and it was over 3000 cals! Despite eating so many calories, it once did I feel I'd ate enough and was satisfied.

That would be my experience also. Once I awaken "The Beast" (my stomach) I usually don't fare too well. Better to let him sleep!

I ate at 10-11am and it was fine for the entire day, except I was really sleepy right after and I had to take a nap. (I think it's from all the carbs I overate). When I ate at 6pm, I was so full that it was uncomfortable trying to fall asleep at 10-11. I think I will try it in the middle of those hours, maybe 2-3pm?

In another thread, you wrote,"This is so interesting. The whole calorie intake question and internal battle. I wish I had some definite personal proof as to what works for me. I guess if we keep going we will figure it out!"

I really think that any weight loss program should 1st be based on the simple CI - CO = Fat Loss/Gain. If we take in less than we burn, we are GUARANTEED to lose weight (the energy has to come from somewhere or we are a perpetual motion machine getting energy from nothing). The only problem with that is that for some with very low BMR for whatever reason (thyroid problems, lack of exercise, driving it down to too low of calorie consumption) they will have problems getting the deficit.

Fasting helps in a couple of ways, it helps us have a calorie deficit, which probably is the biggest thing it does for us weight loss-wise. It also forces gluconeogenisis where the food we eat is stored as fat then it has to be broken back down into keytones and glucose for us to use. Each of those processes takes up energy that the body can't use so there are calorie losses incurred which helps in driving a deficit even bigger than what the CICO model predicts. There are other health benefits due to fasting also and I think it is the easiest way to eat to eat at a deficit due to it keeps our insulin levels low while fasting so we don't get very hungry. It also shrinks our stomach which helps us control quantity eaten.

What we eat can make some differences too. Eating fat or eating carbs or eating proteins all take different amounts of energy and also the storage and re-use of these calories by the body are different. Low carb helps (as long as it doesn't drive you crazy and cause binging).

I don't think fasting or anything else is magic and that the above principles are what makes things work. If we eat too much while fasting, we will still gain weight even though we gain some benefits above the CICO equation. There is only so much we can eat with any protocol (including low carb) for it to work.

Things I've read/experience that seem to help:
1. Get good sleep - lack of sleep causes cortisol which inhibits fat loss and also makes people insulin resistant
2. Reduce stress - same reasons
3. Fast
4. Lower carb (If I eat lunch, it is usually very low carb although I allow carbs in the evening)
5. Lower calories (this is what you will have to experiment with to see what works or just measure and count cals)
6. Exercise to increase calorie burn (can fix a low BMR so you can get a deficit. If nothing else, you get to eat more - don't go overboard and cause too much stress though).
7. Fiber is supposed to keep the body from responding to carbs as much as it would without
8. ACV is supposed to help, why I'm not sure
9. I think getting enough protein helps reduce cravings and allows us to continue fasting the next day.
10. Occasional splurges are sometimes necessary for our sanity and the long-term sustainability of keeping on the diet.

Sorry for the long ramble/rant. Those are kind of the things that guide me. Hope some of it was helpful.

blambo61 wrote: »

In another thread, you wrote,"This is so interesting. The whole calorie intake question and internal battle. I wish I had some definite personal proof as to what works for me. I guess if we keep going we will figure it out!"

I really think that any weight loss program should 1st be based on the simple CI - CO = Fat Loss/Gain. If we take in less than we burn, we are GUARANTEED to lose weight (the energy has to come from somewhere or we are a perpetual motion machine getting energy from nothing). The only problem with that is that for some with very low BMR for whatever reason (thyroid problems, lack of exercise, driving it down to too low of calorie consumption) they will have problems getting the deficit.

Fasting helps in a couple of ways, it helps us have a calorie deficit, which probably is the biggest thing it does for us weight loss-wise. It also forces gluconeogenisis where the food we eat is stored as fat then it has to be broken back down into keytones and glucose for us to use. Each of those processes takes up energy that the body can't use so there are calorie losses incurred which helps in driving a deficit even bigger than what the CICO model predicts. There are other health benefits due to fasting also and I think it is the easiest way to eat to eat at a deficit due to it keeps our insulin levels low while fasting so we don't get very hungry. It also shrinks our stomach which helps us control quantity eaten.

What we eat can make some differences too. Eating fat or eating carbs or eating proteins all take different amounts of energy and also the storage and re-use of these calories by the body are different. Low carb helps (as long as it doesn't drive you crazy and cause binging).

I don't think fasting or anything else is magic and that the above principles are what makes things work. If we eat too much while fasting, we will still gain weight even though we gain some benefits above the CICO equation. There is only so much we can eat with any protocol (including low carb) for it to work.

Things I've read/experience that seem to help:
1. Get good sleep - lack of sleep causes cortisol which inhibits fat loss and also makes people insulin resistant
2. Reduce stress - same reasons
3. Fast
4. Lower carb (If I eat lunch, it is usually very low carb although I allow carbs in the evening)
5. Lower calories (this is what you will have to experiment with to see what works or just measure and count cals)
6. Exercise to increase calorie burn (can fix a low BMR so you can get a deficit. If nothing else, you get to eat more - don't go overboard and cause too much stress though).
7. Fiber is supposed to keep the body from responding to carbs as much as it would without
8. ACV is supposed to help, why I'm not sure
9. I think getting enough protein helps reduce cravings and allows us to continue fasting the next day.
10. Occasional splurges are sometimes necessary for our sanity and the long-term sustainability of keeping on the diet.

Sorry for the long ramble/rant. Those are kind of the things that guide me. Hope some of it was helpful.

Don't be sorry, it's what people want to know

I eat between 4 and 7... just depends on the day.