IF without tracking

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jelleigh
jelleigh Posts: 743 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Ok I will start off by saying I realize IF isn't a magical program for weight loss - it still functions on CICO. And that the best way to be effective on CICO is to measure , weigh, and track everything.
That being said, for a long list of reasons (foreign country, language barrier, no nutritional info, meals all eaten out etc) I have a hard time weighing and measuring my food. From what I gather about IF, generally people find it easier to eat less calories if they are eating them only within a short period of time .

So my question is, does anyone have any experience or success stories about using IF to lose weight , without exact tracking ?

Replies

  • maggibailey
    maggibailey Posts: 289 Member
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    I still track but I certainly find it easier to stay in my calories with IF. I’m not hungry in the morning though so that is why it works. I would think if I still focused on eating more filling calorie light foods I could do it without tracking.
  • Aint2Proud2Meg
    Aint2Proud2Meg Posts: 193 Member
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    I do IF and some days (today for instance) I'm full on 900 cals. But I have plenty of days where I am voracious enough that it offsets that and more if I'm not careful.
    I don't think I could lose if I did it without tracking, but your situation is unique. You might see what works, and make sure you're tracking your weight and measurements, even if you can't accurately log all your food. At least that will be a way to see if you are able to intuitively eat on IF and meet your goals. I wish you the best of luck and I hope there are some smart people here that can give better advice!
  • chimaerandi
    chimaerandi Posts: 153 Member
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    If I were you, I'd use a combo of IF and picking things you know are less calorie heavy. Like when I went to Mexico, there was no nutritional information but I know that a jalapeno popper and a fish taco aren't on the same level. I use IF all the time because I prefer one large meal a day, but you can still gain weight on it. Just combine what you know about food with it, I think it'd be pretty easy.
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
    edited October 2017
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    I lost 54 lbs doing a 20:4 IF. I did track the first couple of months but I didn't limit my eating based on how many calories I consumed. If I was hungry, I ate and would go over maintenance. Most of the time I didn't go over but if I was hungry, I would go over. I would eat tell full and then I would graze and stay "topped-off" during my eating window. I lost about 45-lbs doing that and the rest without hardly any tracking except maybe once in a while and just some mental guestimates. I've never measured anything because almost all our meals are from scratch and I don't cook most of them and that is a non-starter. When I did track, I was usually eating around 1800-2400 kcals/day which was probably a little short on the estimates. I think the lowest I ever ate was about 1400kcal and that happened very infrequently. I would eat as much as 3000+kcals but that was also done very infrequently. My rules for IF are, eat tell full, stay topped off, if I'm not losing, shorten the eating window tell I am losing. I don't want to count if I don't have to and I definitely don't want to measure. If you're losing, then I don't see the need to count, but if that is what it takes to lose, you should do it. I run about 20-miles/week.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    There is no objctively best method to control calories - what is the best method in any given case, will depend on situation and personality.

    I'm IF'ing and in maintenance, which for me means that I'm actually "micro-dieting" regularly. The method I use, is merely "temporarily cutting out treats". I'm not tracking, just planning/logging what I eat in a spreadsheet. No, it's not magical, but it's so much easier to stick to an appropriate amount of calories when you're not eating all the time. That's how people managed to have normal weight in the past. Not having any boundaries, like eating too large portions and between meals, makes weight gain inevitable.

    Look at how normal weight people around you eat. They know something.

    If you want to "formalize" it, google "the No S diet".
  • tinkerbellang83
    tinkerbellang83 Posts: 9,069 Member
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    What might help if you're not able to track food fully is to use a weight trend app, they can give you a rough idea of what sort of deficit you're in from your weight. I know Libra gives me a fairly good estimate compared to my tracking in MFP.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    I don't track, I follow 16:8 IF, I can manipulate my eating habits to lose, maintain (usually what I'm doing 90%of the time) or even gain. Typically I adjust the level of calorie dense foods and or replace them with things that are less calorie dense.
  • toxikon
    toxikon Posts: 2,384 Member
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    Definitely doable, especially if you have the self-control to add a lot of low-calorie, high-volume foods to your diet.

    For example, if you decided to try one-meal-a-day and had a big bowl of low-calorie veggies with your meal, it would be very difficult to not eat at a deficit.

    I don't always log my dinner because I barely eat anything during the day and I know I'm at a deficit.

    Your results won't be as consistent, but if it helps you keep your sanity, it might be worth a shot!
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited October 2017
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    You'll never know if it works for you until you try. Some people are able to create a calorie deficit without tracking, be it by IF, other methods, or a conjunction of several strategies. Try it and on top of that try to make sensible choices (if something is deep fried, for example, you know better than to eat too much of it regularly). The choices aren't always obvious, especially if food is new to you, but do what you can. If you really like something and plan to eat it regularly, it helps to look up recipes for it or try to decipher the ingredients. Keeping some control over your staples may be enough. After a while you'll be able to evaluate if it's working.

    ETA: you asked for personal anecdotes. 16:8 doesn't work for me without tracking. I'm capable of consuming enormous amounts of food in a short period of time, and 8 hours is not short. Maybe because that's how I've always eaten as an adult even when I was morbidly obese, so putting a name to it does nothing.
  • blambo61
    blambo61 Posts: 4,372 Member
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    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    You'll never know if it works for you until you try. Some people are able to create a calorie deficit without tracking, be it by IF, other methods, or a conjunction of several strategies. Try it and on top of that try to make sensible choices (if something is deep fried, for example, you know better than to eat too much of it regularly). The choices aren't always obvious, especially if food is new to you, but do what you can. If you really like something and plan to eat it regularly, it helps to look up recipes for it or try to decipher the ingredients. Keeping some control over your staples may be enough. After a while you'll be able to evaluate if it's working.

    ETA: you asked for personal anecdotes. 16:8 doesn't work for me without tracking. I'm capable of consuming enormous amounts of food in a short period of time, and 8 hours is not short. Maybe because that's how I've always eaten as an adult even when I was morbidly obese, so putting a name to it does nothing.

    I will gain on 18:6 also unless I eat a low carb lunch (lower calories) like a large salad with some meat in it. I can maintain doing that though. To lose by fasting, I need a longer fast.

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