Feedback on IF

Has anyone done Intermittent Fasting and if so how did it go? I know you restrict to eat in a certain window. I want to try it but I want to have my eating window between 9am - 4pm. Have you tried this window, if so did it work or did you change to other hours? Any help is appreciated.

Replies

  • DawnOfTheDead_Lift
    DawnOfTheDead_Lift Posts: 753 Member
    It is a tool that can be useful to help hit your calorie goal and feel more satisfied at certain times of the day.

    Many of the purported benefits are overstated or empirically false.

    I typically use it to skip breakfast so I can eat more at night.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    Pros and cons and whether or not it "works" are 99% subjective. IF is simply a schedule for when you eat and when you don't. It says nothing about how much you eat, what you eat, etc... so weight loss will still come down to calorie deficit, and basic health will still come down to a reasonable intake + a reasonably balanced diet.

    If having a tighter schedule for when you eat helps you better control how much you eat, then there are almost no cons to IF. If it doesn't help with that, then there are almost no pros to it.

  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
    Feedback - my weight tracked my calories just as any reasonable person would expect, didn't find it made any difference apart from feeling more restrictive than eating the same calorie allowance in whatever pattern suited me on any particular day.
    No I didn't do 9-4 as that would be in conflict with when I prefer to eat.

    My suggestion would be eat in any pattern that helps you personally adhere to your calorie goal. Experiment if you like but don't expect anything beyond it affecting your adherence.
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,581 Member
    I've been eating withing a window for years, long before it was a thing, simply because it was my natural eating pattern. I ate within an eating window and got to my highest weight ever.

    There's nothing magical about eating windows if you're not controlling your calories.

    ^^This
  • workinonit1956
    workinonit1956 Posts: 1,043 Member
    ...because once I start eating I want to eat all day.....
    Me too:(. I use much the same strategy as you do.
  • Urbancowbarn
    Urbancowbarn Posts: 97 Member
    edited November 2018
    I can't say I strictly do IF but I have noticed if I eat less in the early part of the day I do better overall for my calories taken in. What I mean is I eat a late very light breakfast and a late light lunch then have more calories for the latter part of the day because once I start eating I want to eat all day. I have never been good at stopping my eating late in the day so I save most of my calories for the evening. If you are thinking of IF where you can eat anything you want within a small window of time I doubt that is going to work. Your daily intake is what determines weight loss. The IF is simply a tool to help you restrict calories for the day.

    This is how it works for me. It reduces my appetite and makes it easy to stay in deficit. The earlier I eat the more I eat all day. I try to stay within a 15/8 window. Not always successful, but a noticeable decrease in appetite when I am.
  • pinggolfer96
    pinggolfer96 Posts: 2,248 Member
    amy19355 wrote: »
    I don’t know. I had a registered dietitian tell me to try it because she says there is evidence that it works.

    I like to see the evidence, and I have no hesitation to ask a professional to share their resources.

    They sound like she should be an UNREGISTERED dietician if they think IF “works” lol. Like wtf does “work” mean?😂
  • tcunbeliever
    tcunbeliever Posts: 8,219 Member
    IF definitely helps me keep to my calorie targets because I don't have much of an appetite until I start eating for the day...so if I don't eat until 1pm it's easier to stick to goal since there are fewer hours left before bed to battle the appetite monster.
  • CharlieBeansmomTracey
    CharlieBeansmomTracey Posts: 7,682 Member
    I've been eating withing a window for years, long before it was a thing, simply because it was my natural eating pattern. I ate within an eating window and got to my highest weight ever.

    There's nothing magical about eating windows if you're not controlling your calories.

    same with me. I experienced weight gain as well eating too much while fasting.