Intermittent Fasting?

[FLBiker]

I've been doing intermittent fasting for several years now, and I'm curious if other folks do it and how they do it.

Some context: I'm 45 (probably started IF around 40).  I'm a 6'1 male, probably weigh around 185 lbs.  For better or worse, I seem to be the type of person whose body shape is what it is, rather than someone that changes dramatically (for good or bad) based on diet and exercise.  I exercise about 4 times a week, either running, spinning or TRX, with occasional yoga.  I'm also a vegetarian.  I'm not someone who is particularly interested in (or knowledgeable about) fitness as a whole.  I just know a few things that seem to work for me, and I'm good about doing them regularly.

The version of IF that I do is fasting one day a week, until dinner.  So I'll eat dinner the night before, skip breakfast and lunch, and then eat dinner the following night.  In other words, I'll fast for like 22-23 hours, once a week.  I always try to work out on the days I fast, around hour 16 or so.  I've never tried the "eat within an eight hour window everyday" version, and I'm kind of curious about it.  My motivation isn't really to do with weight loss / control.  Instead, I do it for "health" in the sense that I think it's good for my body to be hungry sometimes.  I know only very generally about ketosis.  I also like it from a spiritual POV -- I'm Buddhist, and I find it interesting to practice with hunger as a mindfulness reminder.  Mostly, it was just something that I tried and found I felt better (both during and afterwards) -- "cleaner" in terms of both mood and body.

On fasting days, I'll drink coffee, water and tea.  About a year ago, I started adding in bone broth.  The first couple of times I used fancy bone broth, but it was pretty expensive, so now I just regular chicken bone broth.  I don't have a strong reason for this, though.  (And, of course, I realize that bone broth isn't vegetarian -- I'm not technically vegetarian, but I find it a useful approximation.)

Personally, I don't find fasting like this to be challenging -- I enjoy it.  When I first started, though, I found that I'd be quite tired in the evening, after eating dinner.  I don't find that to be the case anymore though.

So for other folks that do this -- what method do you do?  What has worked / hasn't worked for you?  As I said above, I'm kind of interested in the "daily" IF approach -- 16 hours of fasting, 8 of eating, but I've never done that.  I'm also toying with the idea of fasting for two days per week (the rationale being if 1 is good, 2 is better, a rationale that has definitely gotten me in trouble in other areas).  Thanks!

[Dave1442397]

I find the 8/16 method extremely easy to follow. I eat breakfast at 7am, lunch around 11:30, then a light meal (400-600 calories) at around 2:30pm.

I was doing that plus two 40-hour fasts a week for a while, and lost an average of 2lbs per week. I would eat on Sunday before 3pm, then fast until 7am Tuesday, then stop eating on Thursday at 3pm until I had breakfast on Saturday at 7am. I do find that harder, especially in the winter months, when I just feel cold.

I was surprised at how it had no effect on my ability to exercise, at least after the first couple of weeks. I would go out and ride 56 miles on Saturday after fasting for 40 hours, and it was no problem, even with group ride average speed of 22mph or so.

As for exercise (besides cycling), I recently read Weight lifting is a waste of time, by Dr. John Jaquish, and ended up buying his X3 system. This is not the first time I've heard that ten minutes worth of the right exercise can do everything your body needs, so I figured I'd give it a shot. I'm only on my second week, so nothing to report yet except that doing one set to exhaustion is something I definitely feel the next day!

[boarder42]

i do 8 on 16 off i dont eat til 11am or noon and i quit eating by 7pm or 8.  I have a cup of black coffee mid morning to tide me over.  Most of the time i'm done with dinner at 6pm at the latest and eat nothing else so my fast maybe longer than 16 most of the time. 

[FLBiker]

OK, I'm going to have to give the 8/16 thing a try.  I must admit, the extremist in me really likes the idea of combining that with a day or two of fasting.  Thanks @Dave1442397 for sharing how you did that!

[tygertygertyger]

I started trying it about a week ago, so not much to add. I am aiming for the 8/16 and so far it's pretty easy (10 am to 6 pm) unless I have evening plans out with friends. Mostly posting to follow and hear about other's experiences.

[HPstache]

I have fallen in love with the simplicity of the 8/16 fasting schedule and love that I can turn it on/off for months at a time to dial in where I want to be weight wise.  I generally have dinner at 5:30, a small snack / adult beverage / whatever at around 8:00 at night and only have water & coffee until lunch at noon the next day.

[DeniseNJ]

I eat breakfast at 9 and dinner at around 5. I never considered it fasting. That's just about when I run out of calories and have to wait until morning. I've been limiting to 1200. I wanted to do three meals per day, but I admit I've been snacking in between.

[FIPurpose]

I also did IF for a long time. Usually 8/16 or 6/18. However, like OP mentioned, my body never actually changed shapes.

I've recently started doing Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) where you do 5 days of reduced calories (~800/day) at specific macros in a row once a month. I'm currently on round 4, and it seems that my body is finally starting to reduce the amount of fluff around my mid-section. Part of that is because I went to the doctor and found out that my insulin levels are just way too high. And FMD has been clinically proven to be more effective than regular fasting for healing the gut and body.

I haven't done any followup blood work yet to know exactly how well FMD works for myself. But I can say that even after multiple years of serious IF and extended fasting (I've done many +3 day fasts and at least one +10 day), my insulin levels were still through the roof. (measured at 26 when it should be <16). I think my body is getting better, but I still have my fingers crossed for January when I get my followup.

[FLBiker]

Thanks for sharing all this experience!

For folks doing 8/16 - do you do three meals?  Two meals?  Snacks?  I'm trying to envision how I would do it.  Working backwards from dinner with the family ending at, say, 6, I'm thinking I'd have lunch at like 12 and maybe a piece of fruit / some nuts at like 10 AM.  It seems a little tight to fit in three full meals, but maybe if I pushed lunch to 1.  Another reason I wouldn't want to do three full meals is I'd be doing two of them during the work day, and I like to work out at lunch, so I don't want to also take time off for breakfast.

And @FIPurpose - if you don't mind, I'd be curious to learn more about the longer fasts (you mentioned both 3 and 10 day fasts).  I love the idea of trying this, but DW isn't a fan.  What plan did you follow?

[trollwithamustache]

I'm a weak-sauce IFer. Most Sundays, after a very light breakfast I will skip any lunch/snacks. It seems to help with weight control and I tend to sleep really well that night. If I hadn't eaten well, (back in the days of work travel), this fasting day would end any indigestion/GI unhappiness.

[FIPurpose]

Thanks for sharing all this experience!

For folks doing 8/16 - do you do three meals?  Two meals?  Snacks?  I'm trying to envision how I would do it.  Working backwards from dinner with the family ending at, say, 6, I'm thinking I'd have lunch at like 12 and maybe a piece of fruit / some nuts at like 10 AM.  It seems a little tight to fit in three full meals, but maybe if I pushed lunch to 1.  Another reason I wouldn't want to do three full meals is I'd be doing two of them during the work day, and I like to work out at lunch, so I don't want to also take time off for breakfast.

And @FIPurpose - if you don't mind, I'd be curious to learn more about the longer fasts (you mentioned both 3 and 10 day fasts).  I love the idea of trying this, but DW isn't a fan.  What plan did you follow?

If you're going to do longer fasts I recommend 2 things:

1. build slowly. Do not immediately go to doing 10 day fasts. Try 1 day a week for a month or so, then build up to 2-3 days for a couple months. After that, you should be able to go 5-10.

2. Snake juice. Google around for a snake juice recipe, you'll need it to keep your electrolytes up.

It's fasting, so there's not much of a plan. You don't eat. No calories. Water/coffee/tea only. (And salts) If you feel bad, stop. Eat a small something and slowly work back into eating. over the course of a day. Do not eat a bunch after a long fast.

Dr. Jason Fung has the best material on extended fasting imo. if you want to read something.

[FLBiker]

Thanks for sharing all this experience!

For folks doing 8/16 - do you do three meals?  Two meals?  Snacks?  I'm trying to envision how I would do it.  Working backwards from dinner with the family ending at, say, 6, I'm thinking I'd have lunch at like 12 and maybe a piece of fruit / some nuts at like 10 AM.  It seems a little tight to fit in three full meals, but maybe if I pushed lunch to 1.  Another reason I wouldn't want to do three full meals is I'd be doing two of them during the work day, and I like to work out at lunch, so I don't want to also take time off for breakfast.

And @FIPurpose - if you don't mind, I'd be curious to learn more about the longer fasts (you mentioned both 3 and 10 day fasts).  I love the idea of trying this, but DW isn't a fan.  What plan did you follow?

If you're going to do longer fasts I recommend 2 things:

1. build slowly. Do not immediately go to doing 10 day fasts. Try 1 day a week for a month or so, then build up to 2-3 days for a couple months. After that, you should be able to go 5-10.

2. Snake juice. Google around for a snake juice recipe, you'll need it to keep your electrolytes up.

It's fasting, so there's not much of a plan. You don't eat. No calories. Water/coffee/tea only. (And salts) If you feel bad, stop. Eat a small something and slowly work back into eating. over the course of a day. Do not eat a bunch after a long fast.

Dr. Jason Fung has the best material on extended fasting imo. if you want to read something.

Ha, excellent, thanks!  In terms of a plan, I was basically looking for an idea for what I should drink to avoid health issues during a longer fast, and it sounds like snake juice is what I'm looking for.

[jeninco]

Thanks for sharing all this experience!

For folks doing 8/16 - do you do three meals?  Two meals?  Snacks?  I'm trying to envision how I would do it.  Working backwards from dinner with the family ending at, say, 6, I'm thinking I'd have lunch at like 12 and maybe a piece of fruit / some nuts at like 10 AM.  It seems a little tight to fit in three full meals, but maybe if I pushed lunch to 1.  Another reason I wouldn't want to do three full meals is I'd be doing two of them during the work day, and I like to work out at lunch, so I don't want to also take time off for breakfast.

And @FIPurpose - if you don't mind, I'd be curious to learn more about the longer fasts (you mentioned both 3 and 10 day fasts).  I love the idea of trying this, but DW isn't a fan.  What plan did you follow?

I usually kind of accidentally do 8/16 (more like 9/15, really): I'm not usually hungry in the mornings. So I get up, have a couple cups of coffee and drink some water, go to the gym, come home, do a bit of work, and then have an early lunch at, say, 11. Probably snack in the afternoon if I'm hungry, then dinner around 6:30.

("usually" because I'm recovering from overstress/overtraining right now, so I'm eating whenever I damn well feel like it, and taking lots of walks. And lifting light.)

[boarder42]

I do 2 meals lunch and dinner. Maybe a piece of chocolate or glass of wine to end the night

[jamesbond007]

I've been IF'ing 16/8 for my entire adult life without realizing it has a fancy name. I never ate breakfast. Just a cup of black coffee in the morning. However, I got into formal IFing about 2 years ago and worked up to 3 days fast. I did those once a month for 5 months. Now I just eat OMAD. OMAD works best for me. I eat all my daily caloric intake during lunch. Then, I go for a run in the morning at around 11:30 (10ish miles), come back home, shower, eat. Repeat 7 days a week. If I am biking, then I bike in the morning. The point is I get my exercise in a fasted state. Of course, if I am going on a long ride (40+ miles), I take food with me (Bars, gels etc.) that would break my fast. I don't sweat eating more on occasion anymore. I dropped 20+ lbs. since the beginning of the pandemic and my blood work is phenomenal. YMMV.

[G-dog]

I have been doing 8/16 IF since  April, using the free level of the Fastic app to help with tracking and record keeping.  Part of the reason I started was to put some structure around not eating too late in the day / evening since that started triggering some acid stomach symptoms around bedtime.  I typically do slightly longer fasts (17-20 hours) at least one day per week.

I have lost about 30 lbs, and have stalled for now. I have much more to lose.  But I am okay with just building healthier eating habits, and let weight be a secondary metric.  Losing the weight slowly is fine, with several plateaus as needed.

One issue I have is that IF can almost encourage overeating or eating when I am not hungry while my eating window is still open.  Overeating isn’t as much of a problem now, but eating even when I am not currently hungry is still happening since I am still working out timing and composition of meals - especially my last meal of the day.

Good things are that this has helped me reduce snacking, lowered my intake of junk foods, and lowered. My cravings for sweets.  I typically eat twice per day, and stop eating by about 4pm each day.  But there really are days that I should just not eat that last meal if I am not hungry, and accept that I will just be hungry later.

It has really helped me to take the time to try to figure out what works better for me - and that is still in progress.

[Metalcat]

I'm currently doing alternate day fasting, so I only eat every second day. So I fast for 36-40 hrs and then eat 8-12hrs and then fast 36-40 hrs and so on and so forth.

I was doing 18:6.

I find both quite easy after adjusting to them.

[Pigeon]

I have my first meal of the day around 1pm, and it’s small. I have dinner at 6pm and don’t eat after that. I have lost 40 lbs since I began in April. I don’t think there’s anything magic about it. It’s just a relatively easy way for me to eat fewer calories overall.

[Metalcat]

I have my first meal of the day around 1pm, and it’s small. I have dinner at 6pm and don’t eat after that. I have lost 40 lbs since I began in April. I don’t think there’s anything magic about it. It’s just a relatively easy way for me to eat fewer calories overall.

I disagree. My metabolism was shot and IF basically fixed it. I've finally started being able to lose weight again while eating significantly more than I have been able to for the past two years, while also having a lot more energy. That's pretty magic to me.

[PDXTabs]

I have my first meal of the day around 1pm, and it’s small. I have dinner at 6pm and don’t eat after that. I have lost 40 lbs since I began in April. I don’t think there’s anything magic about it. It’s just a relatively easy way for me to eat fewer calories overall.

I disagree. My metabolism was shot and IF basically fixed it. I've finally started being able to lose weight again while eating significantly more than I have been able to for the past two years, while also having a lot more energy. That's pretty magic to me.

I'm a huge IF fan. The standard Reddit response for not losing weight is to increase your fasting window. When I'm not making progress it's usually because I'm cheating with white rice or wine. But even if you aren't losing a single pound there is evidence that it is good for you:

Based on this, researchers from the University of Alabama conducted a study with a small group of obese men with prediabetes. They compared a form of intermittent fasting called "early time-restricted feeding," where all meals were fit into an early eight-hour period of the day (7 am to 3 pm), or spread out over 12 hours (between 7 am and 7 pm). Both groups maintained their weight (did not gain or lose) but after five weeks, the eight-hours group had dramatically lower insulin levels and significantly improved insulin sensitivity, as well as significantly lower blood pressure. The best part? The eight-hours group also had significantly decreased appetite. They weren’t starving.

Just changing the timing of meals, by eating earlier in the day and extending the overnight fast, significantly benefited metabolism even in people who didn’t lose a single pound. - https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156

[oldladystache]

I've been fasting one day a week for a couple years, from Sunday about 11PM to Tuesday around 9AM I was fasting longer than that for a while but I kept losing weight, so when I got my weight where I wanted it I changed to 1 day.

I've also started a low carb diet recently, and it seems to make me less hungry.

[C-note]

I've been an IFer for about 4 years.  I started with 8/16, moved to 6/18, and now I'm 1/23 Monday through Friday and 6/18 on Saturday and Sunday.  I started for weight (70 lbs lost) but now keep the lifestyle because it just seems to fit.  My days are very busy and many times my lunch was at 3-4-or 5 and then I'd go home and think I needed to eat supper only to feel miserable.

My 1/23 is a bit of a dirty fast as I have a splash of heavy cream in my green tea every morning.  I also do an extended fast (3 to 4 days) about once a quarter.

More than anything, IF has really taught me to listen to my body.  Mindless eating was a problem.  Now, I value the food I eat (quality, taste, style, etc) and enjoy the meal rather than just shovel, chew, swallow, repeat.

[jiimmy]

Wow, seems like a popular activity around here! I’ve been a breakfast skipper for a long time, so usually am 6/18.

My two favorite benefits:
consciously enjoying meals because I’m hungry
no heartburn/acid from late night meals

[Michael in ABQ]

I started 8/16 last week. I usually eat around 10:30-11:00 and stop eating after dinner around 6:00-6:30. Usually I start with a light snack like a yogurt or banana then have a regular lunch and regular dinner. I didn't maintain it over the weekend as Saturday morning we usually make a nice breakfast of waffles or pancakes and bacon.

[seemsright]

I really like 18/6. One big meal mid day and a lighter dinner. That big meal is amazing. I really like it.

But I find when life throws curve balls I suck at following my eating pattern. I am trying to learn how to do adjust to all of it to eat the way I feel best.

Trying to make lifestyle fit what I want my lifestyle to be.

I am sure I am over thinking this. But how do you all handle wanting to eat mid day, and the one appt you could get is at the time you like to eat? Or the kid needs something, or the hubby needs something. I am just struggling to make it all work. And if I just wait...I am STARVING.

[FLBiker]

I'm currently doing alternate day fasting, so I only eat every second day. So I fast for 36-40 hrs and then eat 8-12hrs and then fast 36-40 hrs and so on and so forth.

Interesting -- this appeals to me.  I definitely have some experimentation to do!

[boarder42]

anyone have resources on the metabolic stimulation you can get from this.  and the time of day you eat as it relates to that?  I've been doing it but didnt realize this was a feature.  My wife is half on board maybe some information will help

[Dave1442397]

I am sure I am over thinking this. But how do you all handle wanting to eat mid day, and the one appt you could get is at the time you like to eat? Or the kid needs something, or the hubby needs something. I am just struggling to make it all work. And if I just wait...I am STARVING.

Start with fitting all your eating into an eight-hour period every day. Don't worry so much about the amount of food you're eating at first, just try to control your eating window. Once you eat on an 8/16 schedule for a couple of weeks, you'll probably find that you're not craving food outside those hours, and you may even have to remind yourself to eat before the end of the eight-hour period.

When you have that down, then try to eat three meals in that eight hours. If you know there's a time of day that's going to be hectic, try to come up with something that's easy to prepare in advance and eat on the run. Again, once your body adapts to that, you won't be as likely to feel hungry all the time. I only feel hungry in the morning, after fasting for 16 hours. I try to eat lunch around 11:30am (breakfast is at 7:00), but some days I may be stuck in a meeting and not eat until 1pm. I really don't even notice that anymore, and I used to be one of those people who followed the old advice of snacking every two hours to fend off hunger pangs :)

There are plenty of good books (and web articles) explaining IF and how to approach it. I like Jason Fung's books, and also Dr. Michael Mosley's books, which happen to be the ones I read first. I'm sure there are plenty of others that are just as good.

Also, don't quit because you fall off the wagon for a day or two! Just start again and shoot for more days in a row next time. I like to keep an excel spreadsheet exercise/diet log to stay on track.

[boarder42]

I started 8/16 last week. I usually eat around 10:30-11:00 and stop eating after dinner around 6:00-6:30. Usually I start with a light snack like a yogurt or banana then have a regular lunch and regular dinner. I didn't maintain it over the weekend as Saturday morning we usually make a nice breakfast of waffles or pancakes and bacon.

cutting out breakfast gets easier over time.  More of our extended family now skips breakfast so for big get togethers we do brunch and dinner - there was always way too much food w/ 3 meals anyways.  I still cook food for the kids and just dont eat it.  Its just become the way i live my life now.  And every now and then i'll decide to have some breakfast.  my bigger slip ups on weekends are the days i choose to drink booze.  If i over indulge it leads to feeling hung over which leads to more bad food decisions the next day.

[Metalcat]

I really like 18/6. One big meal mid day and a lighter dinner. That big meal is amazing. I really like it.

But I find when life throws curve balls I suck at following my eating pattern. I am trying to learn how to do adjust to all of it to eat the way I feel best.

Trying to make lifestyle fit what I want my lifestyle to be.

I am sure I am over thinking this. But how do you all handle wanting to eat mid day, and the one appt you could get is at the time you like to eat? Or the kid needs something, or the hubby needs something. I am just struggling to make it all work. And if I just wait...I am STARVING.

You're starving because your body is accustomed to eating at a certain time. If you start moving around your eating times, your stomach won't have that anticipatory churning for food it knows is coming.

It can be a challenging adjustment, but it's great once you get your body out of routine, because then you can be super flexible.

[LateStarter]

Mostly IF / OMAD & low carb / keto for 4 years now. Male / older / always slim - I didn't 'need' to do anything - just got curious about it.

IF / OMAD (early evening) is no problem at all for me. I feel more energetic and clearer-headed without the frequent eating.

Low-carb / keto is tougher - I love carbs. It gets easier once I'm in the groove but I do fall off the wagon quite frequently and have been off for most of the 2nd half of this year. When on it, it supercharges the above effects. I'm committed to doing better at this in 2022.

I've also completed several 5-day fasts and plan to do that more regularly, maybe once a quarter. A Stoic 'voluntary discomfort' approach makes it surprisingly easy. It's a bit of a ctrl-alt-del reset - a fresh start.

Overall, I'm a bit leaner, clearer-headed and more consistently energetic - it works for me. Having to eat every few hours seems crazy now - I don't have time for that !!

+1 for the Jason Fung recommendations.

[Metalcat]

anyone have resources on the metabolic stimulation you can get from this.  and the time of day you eat as it relates to that?  I've been doing it but didnt realize this was a feature.  My wife is half on board maybe some information will help

There is no current research on anything to do with time of day.

The metabolic boost, as I understand it, comes a lot more for people who had a sluggish metabolism from long term caloric restriction. So people like who lost a lot of weight over a long time can have systems that downregulate.

I was at a point that I had to eat under 1200 calories average per day just to lose 0.5lbs a month. I noticed that weight wasn't coming off me like it used to and I tracked meticulously for months and it was horrifying how little I could eat and gain weight. I was also very sluggish.

IF jolted my energy pretty much immediately because I go into ketosis incredibly easily, and right away it was drinking a bunch of coffee, for the first week that it hit, I was talking a mile a minute and unable to fall asleep. Ketones can be *highly* energizing. I didn't know this, so I was totally caught off guard.

For me it was a HUGE change because I was coming from such a sluggish state, I would guess that for someone with normal energy levels, it might not give much of a boost.

The second mechanism is that I'm doing alternate day fasting so every second day I eat a lot, all day. So my body is relearning how to metabolize a lot more food in a given day than it used to. So that prevents the downregulation from my body getting used to very low calories every day. So on fasting days I'm burning ketones and on eating days I'm burning a pile of calories.

I did 18:6 for awhile and started being able to lose weight more normally for how many calories I was eating, and then when I switched to alternate day fasting, I started losing weight faster, but while eating more calories on average.

[FLBiker]

This is all very helpful.  I totally agree with the energy / clear-headedness.  That's really the draw for me as well.  And I'm definitely interested in longer fasts as well.  I'll check out the books recommended, too.  Thanks!

[des999]

This is all very helpful.  I totally agree with the energy / clear-headedness.  That's really the draw for me as well.  And I'm definitely interested in longer fasts as well.  I'll check out the books recommended, too.  Thanks!

I highly recommend longer fasts.  While they are not easy, the things you talk about 'clear-headedness', feelings of craving only health foods, spiritual aspects, those are all things I experienced during various longer fasts.

I recommend starting with a juicer and doing a juice fast for 3 days or so.  I did water only the first few times, and that was difficult.  As you know, caffeine may be the hardest part, but I refrained.  My man reason was to get my metabolism to stop/slow way down.  This is when you really start to notice the toxins leaving your body and then you crave more of a healthy lifestyle (like the sound of a cheeseburger sounded awful).

Play around with it, but I highly recommend trying a longer fast, they are hard for sure, but the reward is higher.  My longest was 8 days with water only.  By day 4 I was not even hungry (to be fair, I was tired).  On day 8 I had a banana that tasted better than anything I have ever eaten.

good luck and keep us posted. 

[Metalcat]

I've had all of the above benefits just from doing 18:6 IF, I only do alternate day fasting to get my body more accustomed to eating larger amounts because of my bombed out metabolism.

Every body is different. I personally would never do longer fasts as they have been shown in many studies to lower metabolism for a period afterwards, and I don't need that.

It all depends on your goals.

[des999]

I've had all of the above benefits just from doing 18:6 IF, I only do alternate day fasting to get my body more accustomed to eating larger amounts because of my bombed out metabolism.

Every body is different. I personally would never do longer fasts as they have been shown in many studies to lower metabolism for a period afterwards, and I don't need that.

It all depends on your goals.

I do agree that every body is different, and I have always had a very fast metabolism.  I was younger when I did my long fasts, not sure how my body would react now.  I will say, I now tend to get up and eat a small amount of protein as soon as I get up (before my coffee).  I think that sets the tone for my body for the day.  But, to your point, everyone is going to be different.

Maybe I am due for another fast, hmm

[onward19]

I did 16:8 for 5 months and lost 50 pounds. It took about 2 weeks for my body to get used to it and not be hungry in the evenings. And after a while I wouldn't even be hungry in the mornings. I often ended up eating between 12-6. The only reason I stopped is I got pregnant!
  Will absolutely be going back to it when possible. It's effortless, doesn't hurt, you don't have to cut out entire food groups, and it saves money on food! What is not to like?

[fraylock]

I'm currently doing alternate day fasting, so I only eat every second day. So I fast for 36-40 hrs and then eat 8-12hrs and then fast 36-40 hrs and so on and so forth.

I was doing 18:6.

I find both quite easy after adjusting to them.

Ditto.  I first came across IF about 3 years ago when a new study came across my desk about it.  Alternate day fasting would seem to be the most evidence-based approach and seems to work best for me.  I've been doing it 3 years.

[Dicey]

Glad this thread exists. I've been doing IF for about three months and have lost ten pounds. Since I'm older, I want to lose the weight slowly, as I don't want to trade pounds for wrinkles. Well, more wrinkles, lol. I have about ten more pounds to go, but I'm okay if it takes a while. As a kid, I was never a breakfast eater, but gradually trained myself into it, because I thought I "should". Now I can skip it, guilt-free.

[Dave1442397]

As a kid, I was never a breakfast eater, but gradually trained myself into it, because I thought I "should". Now I can skip it, guilt-free.

I have to have breakfast or I just can't concentrate on anything! I get up at 5:45 and eat at 7:00. Once i have lunch, though, I could forget to eat the rest of the day and not notice.

[jeninco]

As a kid, I was never a breakfast eater, but gradually trained myself into it, because I thought I "should". Now I can skip it, guilt-free.

I have to have breakfast or I just can't concentrate on anything! I get up at 5:45 and eat at 7:00. Once i have lunch, though, I could forget to eat the rest of the day and not notice.

It's pretty fascinating how different human bodies are!

I'm with Dicey -- I eat dinner by, I guess 7 or 7:30 or so, and then I'm happy to not eat until 10 or 11 the next day. I'm also older, though, and until I was in my 40s I sometimes woke up hungry. Now I'm really not interested until later, even though I mostly head to the gym by 7:30 or so. (I make hot cocoa sometime after I get back, especially if it was a cold bike ride back from the gym.)

[Healthie]

I recently tried IF 8/16; eating from 9-5pm. I work evenings and was finding I would eat 4x/day. I've also put on 15 pounds the last couple months and that sucks. It was okay for a bit but I found I lost it on weekends and would bake and eat way more and not do 8/16. Any advice for this?

[Metalcat]

I recently tried IF 8/16; eating from 9-5pm. I work evenings and was finding I would eat 4x/day. I've also put on 15 pounds the last couple months and that sucks. It was okay for a bit but I found I lost it on weekends and would bake and eat way more and not do 8/16. Any advice for this?

Binging with IF is usually a sign that you've done too much, too fast, or that you're not eating enough in your eating window.

The transition period of the first month or so can be difficult, so try to make the first 4-6 weeks easy on yourself if you feel any bingeing urges.

Eat more, make your window a little longer, etc. I had two normal eating days a week during my adjustment period.

[Malossi792]

I did warriors diet (4/20) for a while when I was single and I liked it.
I like to feast however, for someone who doesn't, the 4 hour window might be too short for maintaining weight (still ok for losing it though).
Nowadays I do something like 9/15 or 8/16, still like it for the simplicity. Goal is mainly maintaining my weight these days but the health aspect is something I like about it too. Method is eating a big lunch at around noon and having a not-too-late dinner. Not the best but easily accomplished while working.
I drink 2-3 cups of coffee in the morning which is around a 100 calories altogether for me, some would consider that cheating but who cares. Also weekends I'm not that consistent.
This method would not work for weight loss without calorie counting, for me at least (as I said I like to, and do, feast).

[Freedomin5]

I just binge-read Dr. Jason Fung’s The Obesity Code. I’m not an expert in the field, but his claims seemed to make logical sense. I also really liked the concrete tips he gave at the end of the book on IF. He also had several YouTube videos, some of which speak specifically on the topic of binging on non-fasting days. @Healthie

[Metalcat]

I just binge-read Dr. Jason Fung’s The Obesity Code. I’m not an expert in the field, but his claims seemed to make logical sense. I also really liked the concrete tips he gave at the end of the book on IF. He also had several YouTube videos, some of which speak specifically on the topic of binging on non-fasting days. @Healthie

Diet book claims always make logical sense. That's why they sell.
His books get about a 31% on evaluation for scientific accuracy.

Nobody really understands the science of IF, so be wary of anyone who claims to. Actually, no one really understands the science of weight loss, so be wary of ANY overly scientific explanations from anyone trying to sell you something.

The diet industry is the most scientized industry in the world.

Fung knows A LOT about the clinical and practical application of IF, and if he wanted to be respected by fellow doctors and scientists, he should really stick to that lane. But no, he wants to sell books and fasting products, so he scientizes his approach up the wazoo.

Any time a pop science source says anything that sounds like it makes "a lot of sense" and they seem to have a full, fleshed out explanation for anything, they're probably full of shit, and the first thing you should do is research the scientific criticisms of their work.

Once a year, my mom calls me all excited about a health book she's read, and then I go through, do all of the research as to how the writer (usually a doctor, doctors are usually not scientists) has exaggerated and abused the science they're explaining to fit their agenda. Then I have to rephrase the actual scientific research into scientist-speak for her, which is heavy in hedging language like "suggests, may influence, requires more study, the limitations of this study were, etc, etc"

In short. Jason Fung knows A LOT about IF in clinical practice, because he's a doctor who actually uses it, boots on the ground, in clinical practice, which is great. But he purposefully over scientizes what he does know by claiming a bunch of shit he can't possibly know, because it's a REALLY good sales pitch.

[Freedomin5]

I just binge-read Dr. Jason Fung’s The Obesity Code. I’m not an expert in the field, but his claims seemed to make logical sense. I also really liked the concrete tips he gave at the end of the book on IF. He also had several YouTube videos, some of which speak specifically on the topic of binging on non-fasting days. @Healthie

Diet book claims always make logical sense. That's why they sell.
His books get about a 31% on evaluation for scientific accuracy.

Nobody really understands the science of IF, so be wary of anyone who claims to. Actually, no one really understands the science of weight loss, so be wary of ANY overly scientific explanations from anyone trying to sell you something.

The diet industry is the most scientized industry in the world.

Fung knows A LOT about the clinical and practical application of IF, and if he wanted to be respected by fellow doctors and scientists, he should really stick to that lane. But no, he wants to sell books and fasting products, so he scientizes his approach up the wazoo.

Yes, he says that in his book, and in a few sections he clearly states that there is still a lot about the factors that cause/reduce obesity that we don’t know much about. In any case, the recommendations he makes in his book (which I borrowed from the library) don’t cost any money and don’t require purchasing fasting products. It just lays out a clear way to do IF as well as things to consider before/during/after the fasting period, which I suppose comes from his years of clinical experience.

[Metalcat]

I just binge-read Dr. Jason Fung’s The Obesity Code. I’m not an expert in the field, but his claims seemed to make logical sense. I also really liked the concrete tips he gave at the end of the book on IF. He also had several YouTube videos, some of which speak specifically on the topic of binging on non-fasting days. @Healthie

Diet book claims always make logical sense. That's why they sell.
His books get about a 31% on evaluation for scientific accuracy.

Nobody really understands the science of IF, so be wary of anyone who claims to. Actually, no one really understands the science of weight loss, so be wary of ANY overly scientific explanations from anyone trying to sell you something.

The diet industry is the most scientized industry in the world.

Fung knows A LOT about the clinical and practical application of IF, and if he wanted to be respected by fellow doctors and scientists, he should really stick to that lane. But no, he wants to sell books and fasting products, so he scientizes his approach up the wazoo.

Yes, he says that in his book, and in a few sections he clearly states that there is still a lot about the factors that cause/reduce obesity that we don’t know much about. In any case, the recommendations he makes in his book (which I borrowed from the library) don’t cost any money and don’t require purchasing fasting products. It just lays out a clear way to do IF as well as things to consider before/during/after the fasting period, which I suppose comes from his years of clinical experience.

He is currently hawking fasting tea. He is also famous for absolutely refusing to engage or debate with any of his critics.

I agree that his advice is good, and I literally said that he has excellent clinical knowledge and experience and that scientists and the medical community wouldn't have a problem with him if he stayed in that lane.

I'm not at all against people following Dr. Fung's advice, but A LOT of scientist take serious issue with his claims as to the basis of his approach.