Intermittent fasting

I've been researching this for a little while -- well, reading others' research because I believe that "true research" is something that is done by scientists, but I digress -- and have found a lot of studies from various sites that support IF as a better way to lose not only weight but body fat. Of course, there is a calorie deficit, but doing it via IF makes it simpler and less stressful. The beauty is that you truly don't have to count calories, which makes it much less stressful. There's no guilt because nothing is off limits. It's about training yourself to listen to your body and your hunger signals. I've only been doing it a short time, but it's so freeing in so many ways. Here's a link to an independent review of this lifestyle: https://www.dietvsdisease.org/intermittent-fasting-is-powerful-for-weight-loss/. There are many others out there from independent reviewers who have no financial gain in this. No programs, no special food to buy, just using common sense and eating within a window while learning to listen to your body's signals.

MommaRou56 wrote: »

I've been researching this for a little while -- well, reading others' research because I believe that "true research" is something that is done by scientists, but I digress -- and have found a lot of studies from various sites that support IF as a better way to lose not only weight but body fat. Of course, there is a calorie deficit, but doing it via IF makes it simpler and less stressful. The beauty is that you truly don't have to count calories, which makes it much less stressful. There's no guilt because nothing is off limits. It's about training yourself to listen to your body and your hunger signals. I've only been doing it a short time, but it's so freeing in so many ways. Here's a link to an independent review of this lifestyle: <snip>. There are many others out there from independent reviewers who have no financial gain in this. No programs, no special food to buy, just using common sense and eating within a window while learning to listen to your body's signals.

There are many people who have just naturally eaten within an 8 hour or less window their whole lives, and have been overweight at times because they ate too much. If the shorter eating window naturally keeps you at a calorie deficit, then you may not need to count calories, but it's still the calorie deficit that makes you lose weight.

There are also many people who eat without guilt and don't count calories and lose weight while eating throughout the day by controlling portion sizes and eating mindfully.

My own research has led me to conclude that the additional benefits of IF are still very theoretical and not proven, but there is certainly no harm in doing IF in the hopes there are additional benefits, assuming the eating schedule agrees with you of course!

I used to do IF when I wasn't hungry in the morning, but after a couple of years my appetite changed and I'm back to a slightly more traditional schedule. I didn't notice any difference from one schedule to the other, other than appetite changes, and counted calories throughout as that's just how I roll

Good luck OP, I hope IF continues to make sticking to the plan and your calorie goal easy!