(IF) When to start eating?

kbushe3221
kbushe3221 Posts: 176 Member
in Food and Nutrition
So I am interested in incorporating intermediate fasting into my life and wanted to get advice on when I should eat my first meal of the day. I wake up very early in the morning, 5:00 a.m. I usually go to sleep as early as I can and this is 8:30-9 most nights.

Replies

  • snake_man_32
    snake_man_32 Posts: 31 Member
    It depends on factors such as when you work or exercise, etc. When I did IF, I used to fast from 5:30 p.m. to 9:30 a.m.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    I wouldn't worry about a schedule to start. I would start by just trying to decide for yourself how you can stay satisfied and energized eating 2 meals a day instead of 3.

  • WholeFoods4Lyfe
    WholeFoods4Lyfe Posts: 1,518 Member
    It is entirely up to you. The great thing about IF is that you can fit it in to just about any schedule. Some people like to have lunch be their last meal of the day, that way the hardest part of their fast is while they are sleeping. I've never been a morning eater, so I don't eat until after 1pm most days. Play around with it until you find what works best for you.
  • Sm3018
    Sm3018 Posts: 55 Member
    I want to start again too I use to do 7pm 8pm until 10:30am
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    kbushe3221 wrote: »
    So I am interested in incorporating intermediate fasting into my life and wanted to get advice on when I should eat my first meal of the day. I wake up very early in the morning, 5:00 a.m. I usually go to sleep as early as I can and this is 8:30-9 most nights.

    It does not matter. Choose your eating window at a point in the day when you have enough time to each your daily calories.


  • CarleyMarie83
    CarleyMarie83 Posts: 44 Member
    my eating window is 11am - 7pm
  • slbbw
    slbbw Posts: 329 Member
    11am-7pm worked for me when I did it. Workout was at 7am. Now that I work out at 5 or 5:30 I need my first meal by 9:30 or I am starving most days. As it stands I have relaxed my IF back to a 12 hour window. But I am pretty near goal weight and I find it tricky to get maintenance calories while doing IF.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,416 Member
    That is about my sleep/wake hours too. I'm up at 4AM and go to bed at 8PM.

    I eat breakfast around 8-9, then a small snack midday and my last food/meal around 4PM. I've eaten this way nearly all my life. Delay first meal, small midday and then last meal 3-4 yours before bed.

    Just figure out what will work time-wise for you. Intermittent Fasting is just a schedule and it doesn't really do anything else other than limit eating to a set number of hours.

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