Fun with time-restricted feeding (TRF)

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  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    It’s getting easier to delay eating until noon. This weekend will be a challenge as I’m traveling with others. I can’t imagine going out to breakfast and just having tea. I’d spend the meal ogling other people’s food!
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    More updates that nobody cares about: I tried jogging yesterday morning and still fasted until noon. Despite the additional calorie burn, it didn't seem to change my level of hunger at noon: I've been plenty hungry every time, and this was no different!
  • MacLowCarbing
    MacLowCarbing Posts: 350 Member
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    Hello; I care. Doing the same thing basically, my eating window is usually about 2pm - 10pm (I'm a night owl), but sometimes I go 4pm-10pm.

    I don't get hungry anymore in the day so usually I just have my coffee/egg/butter whisked up to break my fast, and that's good for me for a couple more hours. I think that has more to do with low carb/high fat than the IF though.

    I've also found I enjoy doing my exercise before breaking fast. Granted, I still have mobility issues and my exercise is light (slow walking for 30-60 minutes) but I have way more energy in the day time now before eating than I used to.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    @MacLowCarbing : you are too kind!

    I think delaying the first meal is helpful. I actually have more energy in the morning.

    I think I need to track, though. Or at least adopt some rules about what I can eat. E.g, No sweets! People have been bringing them to work lately.
  • MacLowCarbing
    MacLowCarbing Posts: 350 Member
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    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    @MacLowCarbing : you are too kind!

    I think delaying the first meal is helpful. I actually have more energy in the morning.

    I think I need to track, though. Or at least adopt some rules about what I can eat. E.g, No sweets! People have been bringing them to work lately.

    I try to track to 1) make sure I am keeping my macros balanced (mainly my carbs) and 2) to make sure I'm not going over/under my daily calories as I tend to still do when not paying attention.

    I'm not quite there yet where I can keep track of it all in my head as the day goes on.

    Oct-Dec. seems people are always doling out the sweets for Halloween, Thanksgiving & Christmas seasons lol. I remember getting through the office I used to work at while on a diet was like walking thru a mine field.

  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
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    I’ve experimented with various versions of IF over the last decade or more. What has worked the best for me is pretty much the 16:8 version (8 hr eating window), although I’m not super strict about the times. What I changed recently that has really helped, was to be sure to end my window right after dinner/dessert. I used to eat dinner, then kick back on the couch later with beer, wine, etc, which inevitably turned into more than one drink, plus the food that I wanted after the alcohol. I’d be eating frozen waffles slathered in butter at midnight. Now, I’ve only had a single drink in over a month, and no food after dinner, and I’ve lost 12 lbs in that same month. I’m hoping this will continue to feel as easy as it does. currently.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    @lightenup2016 : I think you’re right about ending your eating with dinner. Those snacks in the evening are a killer. With alcohol, even worse. If I eat a “sensible dinner” (TM WeightWatchers) and leave it there, I’m usually OK.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    Another "who cares?" update: I'm finding that fasting until noon isn't that difficult, but I won't automatically limit my intake during 12-8p to my daily weight-loss plan and thus I'm not consistently losing weight. I'm still going without tracking (since that was the point), but I'm trying to impose ad hoc restrictions about what I eat. We'll see if I do any better this week.

    Well, there has been one other payoff, which is that I tend to want to get going in the morning to distract from the fact that I'm not eating breakfast. That sentiment seems to carry on until lunch. So, not eating breakfast has been an early morning motivator. That's an unexpected benefit! And, the dog has been consistently waking me up around 7 for his morning walk. That's been a great way to get up.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,145 Member
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    "Who cares?" Wait, what?!?

    You've been around MFP for a good while now, @Jthanmyfitnesspal, and you've gotten comments on this thread from various other old timers (plus some newer folks). That suggests that people do care, or at least are interested.

    I know you've been trying various things to try to find your right personal formula. That persistence and experimentation are traits I respect. They seem like good bits of paving on a path to eventual success.

    I'm sorry that so far you haven't found IF alone to be the key that opens the door for you, but clearly you've already refining your plan. Good show! You're going to find your solution, if you keep experimenting and adjusting.

    I'm (still) cheering for you to succeed!

  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 2,920 Member
    edited October 2023
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    Just one person.
    I gained 60 pounds eating about 5-6 hours a day, fasting 18-19. Lost 60 eating 12, fasting 12.
    Clearly a personal thing.

    Come back with your results. I'm curious.
  • Jthanmyfitnesspal
    Jthanmyfitnesspal Posts: 3,521 Member
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    @corina1143 : That is so interesting! I've lost weight many times from calorie counting with no time restrictions. So, you might have called that 12/12, so something.

    @AnnPT77 : You spread positivity all over these pages, thanks!
  • JoLightensUp
    JoLightensUp Posts: 140 Member
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    I'm interested. :) I've been reading along to see how you're going.

    I don't think TRF/IF would benefit me, but I appreciate that it has helped others.

    I do find it useful to think "eating time is over - kitchen's closed" after dinner. Brushing my teeth after dinner helps reinforce that. So I guess I am trying for a tiny time restriction!

    Wishing you all the best as you try out different strategies and I'll be interested to see what you find helps.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,916 Member
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    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32480126/

    Eating out of phase with daily circadian rhythms induces metabolic desynchrony in peripheral metabolic organs and may increase chronic disease risk. Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a dietary approach that consolidates all calorie intake to 6- to 10-h periods during the active phase of the day, without necessarily altering diet quality and quantity. TRE reduces body weight, improves glucose tolerance, protects from hepatosteatosis, increases metabolic flexibility, reduces atherogenic lipids and blood pressure, and improves gut function and cardiometabolic health in preclinical studies. This review discusses the importance of meal timing on the circadian system, the metabolic health benefits of TRE in preclinical models and humans, the possible mechanisms of action, the challenges we face in implementing TRE in humans, and the possible consequences of delaying initiation of TRE.
  • KerryBSoCal
    KerryBSoCal Posts: 289 Member
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    I have been doing 16:8 for six months. I’ve found that I have a difficult time eating all my calories because I’m not as hungry when I eat a later breakfast.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,626 Member
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    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    Another "who cares?" update: the dog has been consistently waking me up around 7 for his morning walk.

    It's true that reality bites; but I DO care about the puppy!
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 32,145 Member
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    PAV8888 wrote: »
    Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »
    Another "who cares?" update: the dog has been consistently waking me up around 7 for his morning walk.

    It's true that reality bites; but I DO care about the puppy!

    I also care that there has only been one puppy picture. For clarity, I will say that I care about @Jthanmyfitnesspal finding a successful path more, but I care about cute puppy photos, too. ;)
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 13,626 Member
    edited October 2023
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    Nope, nope.
    I mean it's perfectly OK and fine by me if @Jthanmyfitnesspal does good and develops (and subsequently) offers insights re what worked (or didn't work) for him because, hey, by sharing a whole bunch of n=1's sometimes we get to achieve n=2's :wink: But, and that's why reality bites: IT'S ALL ABOUT THE PUPPY! :love: <7am pictures expected>
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,900 Member
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    I expect more puppy pictures!

    Happy that he's old enough for walks now :smiley:
  • kshama2001
    kshama2001 Posts: 27,900 Member
    edited October 2023
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    neanderthin wrote: »
    https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32480126/

    Eating out of phase with daily circadian rhythms induces metabolic desynchrony in peripheral metabolic organs and may increase chronic disease risk. Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a dietary approach that consolidates all calorie intake to 6- to 10-h periods during the active phase of the day, without necessarily altering diet quality and quantity. TRE reduces body weight, improves glucose tolerance, protects from hepatosteatosis, increases metabolic flexibility, reduces atherogenic lipids and blood pressure, and improves gut function and cardiometabolic health in preclinical studies. This review discusses the importance of meal timing on the circadian system, the metabolic health benefits of TRE in preclinical models and humans, the possible mechanisms of action, the challenges we face in implementing TRE in humans, and the possible consequences of delaying initiation of TRE.

    @neanderthin to me "Eating out of phase with daily circadian rhythms" suggests that eating in phase would only be done during daylight hours, but I could not find a definition in the abstract or elsewhere. Thoughts?

    This article alludes to circadian rhythm fasting being "earlier" in the day, but does not specifically mention daylight.

    https://www.sleepfoundation.org/nutrition/circadian-rhythm-fasting

    ...Circadian rhythm fasting is a form of time-restricted eating (TRE), another sub-type of intermittent fasting. In this type of fasting, a person eats only during specific hours of the day, such as between 8 a.m. and 6 p.m. Unlike other types of intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating does not involve intentionally restricting the amount of calories a person consumes, only the hours during which they consume them. Time-restricted eating is consistent every day, so people practicing it do not go full days without eating.

    Although circadian rhythm fasting overlaps with the time-restricted eating sub-type of intermittent fasting, it has the more specific purpose of aligning a person’s eating schedule with their natural circadian rhythm. As a result, circadian rhythm fasting is a form of time-restricted eating that begins earlier in the day. There are also time-restricting eating plans that involve eating later in the day. These two types of fasting are called early and late time-restricted eating, and only the early type aligns eating with the circadian rhythm.

    *********************

    When I was in Costa Rica, I mostly ate during the daylight, as we had no electricity. I did drop a size without trying, but I do attribute that to lack of refrigeration and calorie dense foods like cheese, pizza, ice cream, etc., and a plethora of low calorie fruit and veggies, and filling rice & beans.
  • MacLowCarbing
    MacLowCarbing Posts: 350 Member
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    I had an interesting experience this week.

    I injured my shoulder (again... old injury keeps acting up, I've torn the rotator cuff twice, I've sprained lord knows how many times, it was frozen for almost 2 yrs till this past spring it finally loosened up but now it has arthritis-- anyway, I moved wrong and it's acting up again, I'm in a sling/immobilizer and have to go back to the orthopedic).

    For the last 3 days or so since it happened I've been getting very hungry compared to usual. Usually I have 1500 cal per day limit but usually have a couple hundred calories left over because I get full before I reach my limit.

    Well, since the injury I have been craving protein like mad, eating 1500-1700 calories per day and a lot of it protein. I've still been doing my walks so I had the extra calories to spare. But even eating outside of my TRE 've gotten hungry earlier/later.

    It's been an unusual kind of hunger, not the snicky-snacky "I'm bored, I wanna pick" type hunger, or cravings for like cookies or even fruit or dairy or anything; it's the stomach-growling kind of hunger, and when I think of something like a chicken leg or a burger patty or a boiled egg it makes my mouth water.

    So I felt I should just listen to my body at this point, I'm eating slightly more than I have been but not junk food so I don't expect it to trip me up and I'll give it a few days.

    I guess I've been trying to figure out what's behind this hunger, is the body do this because of the fresh injury and it's healing again? Maybe that's why it's specifically protein I'm craving?

    Or is the timing a coincidence? I've been on TRE and sticking to pretty low cal for a few months now, is the body just going thru a hunger cycle?

    Or maybe it's time to up my protein in general (from 25% to 30% or even 35%?).


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