Not sure if this article by Mission Health on IF will be legible:
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That was expressed during the segment on the morning show I was watching. I kind of found it interesting because the most recent dietary advice was to eat 6 small meals a day to feed your metabolism as a “healthy” diet. This seems to fly directly in the face of that, not saying one is better or worse than the other, I just observing the changes.
I have heard that dietary advice in the past as well. It is better to eat 6 small meals to feed your metabolism, then 3 big meals, which would take longer to digest.
There is a lot of confusing advice about the “optimal” meal frequency. According to many experts, eating breakfast jump starts fat burning and 5– 6 small meals per day prevent your metabolism from slowing down. But studies actually show mixed results and it is not clear that more frequent meals help you lose weight.Apr 18, 2018, Physicians Quarterly
Let’s say, doing what’s best for each indiv is probably smarter.
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I started IF - my own version of it - the first week of August, and I’m down 7.5 lbs. I get that this is probably a lot of water weight, but it had been at least a year since I’d been able to lose more than 2-3 lbs., and then always gained it back. Just kept yo-yo-ing.
I’m fasting from about midnight (usually have a nightcap before we go to bed) until dinner at about 6:30 p.m. or so Mon-Fri. Saturdays and Sundays I eat normally, but I find I’m eating less.
I also find it a great relief; I no longer constantly think about my next meal: “what am i going to have? If I eat this for bfast, should i skip lunch? If I eat this should I not eat that? If i eat this much of this, should i not eat that much of that later?” On and on and on. The answer now is, “You’ll eat nothing until dinner! 5 days a week.”
I find it completely freeing. I don’t know how long I can sustain it, but I feel great. The first day I had a headache, but not since. I get hungry but usually drink enough water to get through that. I’m trying very hard to not overdo it at night (not make up all the calories) and I think I’ve been successful. There was one day where I had to have lunch with a friend, and I felt completely bloated and uncomfortable afterwards.
So this is working for me for now. I also did start walking to work (3.1 miles, takes about an hour) in the last couple of weeks. So, yes, introducing some mild excercise, I am sure, is helping.
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That’s often referred to as OMAD (one meal a day,) or 20:4 IF (20 hours of not eating and a 4 hour eating window.)
I agree, totally freeing.
I’m kinda split between 16:8 and OMAD at this point. If I’m hungry I have lunch but I’m often not so I don’t.
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I tried a 12-14h fast at the beginning of the summer for several weeks.
It was working well for me once I stopped second-guessing myself with all the conflicting theories I had previously incorporated.
My appetite shrunk noticeably after a week. I was in tune with my hunger signals again. But I had a lingering headache - a friend told me I needed to hydrate more deliberately.
Then food-loving guests descended and travel commenced, and that was the end of that.
This weekend, I fit into a dress that hasn’t fit me in a couple of years… I’m shocked. My only explanation is the IF kickoff to the summer.
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NPR - Eat For 10 Hours. Fast For 14. This Daily Habit Prompts Weight Loss, Study Finds
Cell Metabolism: CLINICAL AND TRANSLATIONAL REPORT |ONLINE NOW
Ten-Hour Time-Restricted Eating Reduces Weight, Blood Pressure, and Atherogenic Lipids in Patients with Metabolic Syndrome
https://www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/fulltext/S1550-4131(19)30611-4#%20
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I’ve been doing IR my entire life without even knowing it and my sons are the same. We are naturally just not hungry until around 2-3pm and then eat until about 6-8pm - so it is 19-20 hours fasting and 4-5 hours of eating. I’ve never done it for weight loss, and never really did it for any reason other than I am just not hungry until around 2-3pm, but there are so many benefits (# How Intermittent Fasting Boosts Brain Power | Mark Mattson)
By the way, coffee does not break the fast, especially if it is black (but even with a bit of almond milk - it does nothing), and I drink coffee all through the morning.
“I no longer constantly think about my next meal”
But I think about your next meal because they are always amazing
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Does it still count as fasting if you just sleep all day, or do you have to be awake and burning calories?
(looking for excuses to sleep 'til noon 
)
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UPDATE ON MY DIET:
I was hesitant to write anything about dieting as I’ve suffered from Eating Disorders all my life and when I wrote this post I was spiraling towards a mentally unhealthy place and my extreme dieting wasn’t helping. I should be the last person anyone asks about dieting. I no longer promote fasting of any kind because it can lead to anorexia and/or binge eating disorder. So, if I could delete my previous comments, I would.
That being said, I find what works for me is carb management. I tried to be vegan for religious reasons early 2019 and I found I could no longer control my appetite and without meat,carbs were going to happen. Woo-hoo, did they ever. I’ve gained 15 lbs in a few weeks and my eating habits vastly changed. I was the queen of self-control, but with carbs, I was downing entire bags of corn chips and then was famished for dinner.
So I’m back on strict portion control with protein-heavy meals and I’m trying to lose the 15 lbs that I gained. I’m eating a lot of legumes and vegetable, but little starch, sugar and processed carbs. I no longer fast because it triggers me and it’s too easy to slip into bad habits. But that’s me, I know how valuable it is to some people, so I’d never say not to do it, I’m just saying to be weary of your psychological well-being too.
I rarely eat more than 1500 calories a day, female, 5’4", 150 lbs (yeah, I know), protein-heavy, limited carbs, almost no simple sugars. I’m going to try to get down to 135lbs again (I am heavy-framed, btw, 135 for me is pretty thin) but do so in a healthy way, eating everyday and exercising. I don’t think I want to be lighter than 135.
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