Thinking of trying IF

[aesir22]

Hi all,

I have been reading quite a lot of stuff about IF and thought I might try and give it a go. My primary goal is fat loss. Lots of fat loss lol. Down from 21st to 15st 7lbs, but want to cut another 35lbs or so. Just have a few questions.

1) Would 16 hours fast followed by 8 hours feed be ok for a beginner?
2) Would having a couple of coffees with skimmed milk during fasting be an issue? Should I just drink water while fasting?
3) Should I follow the same pattern every day, or should there be a regular day of eating in there somewhere?

Thanks for any help! Would love to hear from anyone who has had success with IF!

[dmacdonal9]

Hi all,

I have been reading quite a lot of stuff about IF and thought I might try and give it a go. My primary goal is fat loss. Lots of fat loss lol. Down from 21st to 15st 7lbs, but want to cut another 35lbs or so. Just have a few questions.

1) Would 16 hours fast followed by 8 hours feed be ok for a beginner?
2) Would having a couple of coffees with skimmed milk during fasting be an issue? Should I just drink water while fasting?
3) Should I follow the same pattern every day, or should there be a regular day of eating in there somewhere?

Thanks for any help! Would love to hear from anyone who has had success with IF!

1) yep.
2) Sure, milk in coffee is still pretty much fasting, but I've always felt that there's some benefit to following it more strictly. Just because one thing easily leads to another. Keep it black and white and it's much simpler.
3) Your body becomes accustomed to eatign at certain times. There is some benefit to establishing a routine pattern just for that reason.

You still need a calorie deficit with adequate macros within your eating window. It's not a substitute for a deficit.

[aesir22]

Cheers mate thats a great help. Will start friday when I get back from London. Will trial it for a few weeks and see if it fits

[Crooktele79]

I eat in a six hour window now everyday. Two large meals with a small snack midway through. It's not really any more effective than the standard bro schedule(6-7 small meals), but I find that it's loads more satisfying to 1. Be able to eat larger quantities of food in a sitting, and 2. Not have to always be thinking about food the entire day. Just an easier protocol to adhere to in my opinion.

[aesir22]

I eat in a six hour window now everyday. Two large meals with a small snack midway through. It's not really any more effective than the standard bro schedule(6-7 small meals), but I find that it's loads more satisfying to 1. Be able to eat larger quantities of food in a sitting, and 2. Not have to always be thinking about food the entire day. Just an easier protocol to adhere to in my opinion.

Yeah thats what I'm hoping for. The meals I have currently seldom make me feel full! And i always have food on the brain lol, will be good to forget about it til 2.30pm! Thanks for your help! Did you achieve your epic loss with IF?

[Crooktele79]

Yeah thats what I'm hoping for. The meals I have currently seldom make me feel full! And i always have food on the brain lol, will be good to forget about it til 2.30pm! Thanks for your help! Did you achieve your epic loss with IF?

Not entirely...I started out eating 3 meals a day with a snack. Switched over to IF for the last 75lbs. I much prefer eating this way to any other I have ever tried.

[smtuner]

I'm going to sound pretty stupid here.. but what is IF? I am new to this whole thing, I have lost about 50lbs on my own (just cutting out soda and fast food) but I am starting to take this seriously, so I am trying to learn all of these terms.

[Crooktele79]

I'm going to sound pretty stupid here.. but what is IF? I am new to this whole thing, I have lost about 50lbs on my own (just cutting out soda and fast food) but I am starting to take this seriously, so I am trying to learn all of these terms.

Stands for Intermittent fasting...there are a few different versions of it but basically you have a specified eating window during which you eat all you calories for the day.

For example I consume 2000 calories everyday between 12pm and 6pm. The rest of the time I am fasting...so I am doing a 18/6 intermittent fasting protocol.

You can structure it any way you want. 16/8 and 20/4 seem to be the most popular. There's no magic to it as far as I'm concerned...I just like eating larger meals and this allows me to do that.

[Allocatee]

2) Would having a couple of coffees with skimmed milk during fasting be an issue? Should I just drink water while fasting?

To put in my .02 for number 2, I read either on Martin's website or in the IF thread that it's recommended to only consume 35 calories in your fasting window. If you have one cup of coffee, and put a tablespoon of milk in it, you're good, but if you have 5 cups throughout the fast and put 2 tablespoons of milk in each is where it gets to be too much.

Personally on IF I only eat in a 4 hour window, from 2 until 6. On workout days I take DS Craze in the morning (I train fasted), I don't like putting anything else besides water or 0 calorie drinks (Coke Zero, Absolute Zero Monster) in my body while in the fasting period.

[KwayZee]

I've been doing IF for around 2 months now and really, really enjoy it. The 16 hour fast/8 hour feed window is the same one I follow and is definitely the most popular. It'll take a few days for your body to get used to IF, but after that you'll start to feel a lot better

[zma_21]

I have always had a hard time losing weight utilizing simply a deficit. It almost seems like my body goes into starvation mode once I dip below 2500 cals and holds on as tight as it can, and I'm always lethargic and hungry.

In the past I've used keto successfully, but it never lasted more than a month or two at a time. IF sounds interesting, and I certainly almost never feel full unless I consume a bulky meal.

One thing that concerns me about diet at this point is how it affects your mental state. I'm currently studying intensely for my MCAT in may, and it demands anywhere from 4-7 hours of focus every day. I could never get away with this on keto...any body care to comment on their mental efficiency during IF?

[cmrock207]

Been doing IF for over a year now. Lost 60 lbs since Feb of last year. I don't attribute all of that to IF. Most of it was just eating at a deficit and cutting out a lot of unhealthy habits. That said, the convenience of IF for my schedule is pretty awesome. That said, I think it's pretty much like any eating schedule and/or meal timing thing. It's really going to boil down to what works best for you.

[AllApologies]

I have always had a hard time losing weight utilizing simply a deficit. It almost seems like my body goes into starvation mode once I dip below 2500 cals and holds on as tight as it can, and I'm always lethargic and hungry.

In the past I've used keto successfully, but it never lasted more than a month or two at a time. IF sounds interesting, and I certainly almost never feel full unless I consume a bulky meal.

One thing that concerns me about diet at this point is how it affects your mental state. I'm currently studying intensely for my MCAT in may, and it demands anywhere from 4-7 hours of focus every day. I could never get away with this on keto...any body care to comment on their mental efficiency during IF?

Personally, once adapted to IF: my mental state is much more clear. I am not sure if this is because of the eating window or the deficit, but I am able to think at a better level.

[Derrickduu]

I have always had a hard time losing weight utilizing simply a deficit. It almost seems like my body goes into starvation mode once I dip below 2500 cals and holds on as tight as it can, and I'm always lethargic and hungry.

In the past I've used keto successfully, but it never lasted more than a month or two at a time. IF sounds interesting, and I certainly almost never feel full unless I consume a bulky meal.

One thing that concerns me about diet at this point is how it affects your mental state. I'm currently studying intensely for my MCAT in may, and it demands anywhere from 4-7 hours of focus every day. I could never get away with this on keto...any body care to comment on their mental efficiency during IF?

Honestly it depends on the individual. I've always fasted, even while in school. I just never ate until after school for some reason. Always felt fine. Certain people I know can't do anything without first having breakfast. I'd try it out, and if you feel foggy just ditch it. Can't hurt.

[Askie]

Always try something before you decide not to do it.

Just doing IF will not make you lose weight. IF you eat crap for 1, 5, 10 or 15 hours you are certainly going to gain weight.

IF and caloric deficit will make weight loss optimal.

You can try eating the same calories, in deficit, throughout the day and see how the weight loss goes. But personally IF has worked wonders.

My personal plan;

Fast from 8pm to 2pm sometimes stretch it to 10pm.

Eat 2000 to 2250 calories a day. Clean food no junk.

Resistance training 3-4 times a week full body workout.

Can't train fasted so will have some fruit and a expresso at 2pm then go gym.

During the day drink water and to curb appetite have a coke zero.

1 cheat meal a week and then do 24 hour fast straight after.

3-4 teas a day with some semi skimmed milk with sweet and low.

Result is 3-4 lbs lost a week.

Started Dec 2012 @ 310lbs now at 292lbs. Had 2 week holiday so no IF and training.

Bottom line go for it.

[matman1813]

It wont do you any harm. Just make sure you have your calories and macros in check and don't forget to eat dirty.

[Askie]

It wont do you any harm. Just make sure you have your calories and macros in check and don't forget to eat dirty.

Ha ha ha ha ha ha its the confused IF hater again. You are so funny. D.U.E.L

[sonti]

I really enjoy it too. It saves me stress of trying to throw my own meals together with the kids, and I get to enjoy a larger satisfying meal at night (I'm not hungry in mornings anyways and found myself forcing to eat breakfast).

35-50 (depending on who you asked) is a max calorie limit for fasting window (so, coffee cream)

[matman1813]

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U w0t m8?

[Vivarant]

I would like to try this too. I could easily have my last meal at 7pm. I am typically up very late sometimes til 4 am. and i like to workout anytime between midnight and 3am.
Can i still keep my workout schedule the same, or should it be moved so that i can consume my meal post workout?

[dmacdonal9]

I would like to try this too. I could easily have my last meal at 7pm. I am typically up very late sometimes til 4 am. and i like to workout anytime between midnight and 3am.
Can i still keep my workout schedule the same, or should it be moved so that i can consume my meal post workout?

There's nothing special about noon to 8PM or 11 to 7, or whatever. Eat in any window you want.

[costahobo]

I'm on day 3 of IF, and I completely love it so far. I have so much energy in the morning and my mind is so clear. I've never been one for breakfast, as I'm simply not hungry for it. I've known about IF for quite some time, but I only recently started paying attention when I noticed that my 2 year old son barely eats breakfast either - he's just simply not hungry.

I start getting hungry about 10am, but it's easily manageable. By noon, I'm definitely hungry (stomach growling a lot). I'm still learning, but I've realized that I have to make my 12pm meal a smaller one, since I've noticed that I get very sleepy when I eat a huge meal (today's 12pm meal was right at 1000 calories).

I'll eat again when I truly get hungry, but I keep it to 8 hours total, so 12pm-8pm. I'm only on day 3, and I weigh myself every Friday morning, so I don't know yet about weight loss, but I do love the feelings I have in the morning. And of course, I love being able to eat huge meals twice a day that completely fill me up. My daily calories are around 2,400 to lose weight, so I am curious if this week's weight loss will be the same as previous week's weight loss (about 2 lbs a week).

I found that when I ate breakfast, I would end up grazing more throughout the day, and having to not eat my nightly junk food (usually a few oreo cookies with a glass of milk). With IF, I get to stuff myself to complete satiety, and still be within my daily calories.

I did my first fasted workout this morning, and I didn't notice any declines in energy or strength. I took 10mg of bcaa's at 8am, then hit the gym for about an hour, then took the 2nd dose of 10mg at 10am. So far, I love IF.

[aesir22]

Well I kinda started IF early lol. The way things went today with travelling to London and stuff I didnt eat til half two anyway. Just closed the eating window now. Been a bit of a hectic day so ate at maintenance rather than deficit but will start at defecit tomorrow!

[jessielifts]

Hi all,

I have been reading quite a lot of stuff about IF and thought I might try and give it a go. My primary goal is fat loss. Lots of fat loss lol. Down from 21st to 15st 7lbs, but want to cut another 35lbs or so. Just have a few questions.

1) Would 16 hours fast followed by 8 hours feed be ok for a beginner?
2) Would having a couple of coffees with skimmed milk during fasting be an issue? Should I just drink water while fasting?
3) Should I follow the same pattern every day, or should there be a regular day of eating in there somewhere?

Thanks for any help! Would love to hear from anyone who has had success with IF!

I have had amazing success with IF. Ive lost a total of 50lbs so far with IF. I've also put on some muscle during my cut which is a plus. Remember to eat complex carbs for the bulk of your meals, rather than simple sugars, this is key especially towards the end of your eating window. Over time cut your window to a 6 hours and then rotate between 4 and 5 hours depending on how you can get a meal in.
I attribute the majority of my success to:
1. Not snacking (this means picking on food passing by the kitchen and munching on chips or candy- it goes a long way).
2. DRINKING WATER- this causes the fat to melt like butter, aim for over a gallon of water a day.

Bonus tip: get fiber in your diet, because you'll have less frequent visits sitting down in the restroom, you'll thank me later

Let me know if you have any questions about IF and good luck!

[dmacdonal9]

Remember to eat complex carbs for the bulk of your meals, rather than simple sugars, this is key especially towards the end of your eating window. Over time cut your window to a 6 hours and then rotate between 4 and 5 hours depending on how you can get a meal in.

Why?

[csb5731]

Is this 4 realz?

Cause if so, I am embarrassed to be IF'n right now.

[Crooktele79]

Honestly some people aren't happy unless they can find a way to complicate something...

[jessielifts]

Why?

Complex carbs help keep your body running smoothly, and simple sugars, basically, disturb the peace in your body by telling the pancreas to release insulin and store the simple sugars as fat (as a result of the pancreas creating insulin to lower blood sugar, and not glucagon to allow you to use the calories more effectively). Simple sugars, when not limited, contribute to the love handles on the back.
A shorter eating window will ensure that your body is spending more time burning fat rather than digesting food (that was a bit of broscience but its worked well for me so far).

[RohanFLB]

IF can work quite well regardless of whether you want lean gains or pure fat loss... I've done it for 3 months and tested different approaches using DEXA scans. In the best month I went for leangains and gained 1.2 kg of muscle and lost 300g of fat - but my diet was on point every step of the way.

Here's some answers:

1) yes – if you can handle the hunger for the first few days while your body adjusts and you 'get used to it';
2) no – I had one or two coffees each day between 8am and noon and sometimes put a splash of milk in;
3) there's no right answer here – IMO you're better off creating a habit and sticking to it every day instead of potentially derailing yourself by mixing things up too much.

Also, if you're going for fat loss, you may want to consume some protein or BCAAs in the morning because I'm yet to see any solid evidence that being in negative protein balance is a good thing and you're probably gong to want preserve your muscle

Hi all,

I have been reading quite a lot of stuff about IF and thought I might try and give it a go. My primary goal is fat loss. Lots of fat loss lol. Down from 21st to 15st 7lbs, but want to cut another 35lbs or so. Just have a few questions.

1) Would 16 hours fast followed by 8 hours feed be ok for a beginner?
2) Would having a couple of coffees with skimmed milk during fasting be an issue? Should I just drink water while fasting?
3) Should I follow the same pattern every day, or should there be a regular day of eating in there somewhere?

Thanks for any help! Would love to hear from anyone who has had success with IF!

[Mrricco]

I've been doing IF for a few months. People tend to take IF to serious, they think its a miracle weightloss. Its more of appetite and time pro's. I like to train fasted, usually eat around 2-3pm my time frame where I quit eating is usually around 8 or 9. Like I said some people take IF to serious, someday I'll break the fast early and not care.