Day 3 for me. So far I feel great. In addition to the 16/8 and 5/2, I decided to go cold turkey off of ALL artificial sweeteners. Which means water and club soda, and black coffee for the first time in my life.

Tuesday - 5/2
Wednesday 16/8
Today - 5/2

Surprisingly easy to make it through the morning without eating.

One additional benefit I did not even realize at the time I started doing this.

My food bill went WAY down. I haven't crunched the numbers but if I did not cut at least 30% overall, I would be shocked. And probably closer to 50%.

Tailgate - this has been eye opening for me and I'm interested in your PDF, also! I have two babies, work full time, and IMF seems like something I can incorporate into my busy schedule. Congratulations on your success and thank you for sharing it with us!

Absolutely!

Not buying $10+ lunches and the food bill at the grocery store are definitely adding savings to the budget.

Some minor investment in meal prep containers have made it very easy.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01M06BTV3/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00J5LSD7C/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The wife said I will need to buy new clothes soon, So some of those savings will be out the window as I update my wardrobe.

~G

I"ve spent a small fortune buying new clothes - and the new pants I've bought don't fit anymore.

Got back from a cruise on Sunday and glad to be back on the eating plan. Cruises are the devil.

AggieMeg and BCSGrubber, email sent - take down your email addresses.

Gig 'em!

AgFB said:

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Got back from a cruise on Sunday and glad to be back on the eating plan. Cruises are the devil.

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I got back from ten days in Hawaii and had put on a few pounds, but they dropped right back off after my first week back on the program. It's funny now, when I eat breakfast (special occasions only, like vacation) I just don't feel that great all day - my body is so much happier not having to spend all day digesting.

Neck down 3/4"
Chest down 2.5"
Waist down 2"

Weight down another 1.2 lbs

The weight is coming off slow, but the inches are shrinking away/

~G

Anyone experience change (either way) in libido or other similar areas?

Can still hammer a 16 penny nail through a railroad tie...

~G

Went to the doctor today and was able to get both my BP and Cholesterol meds cut in half. In six months if all is still going well I can get off of them completely. Now just waiting patiently for the blood test results to come back to see how IF impacted those.

On the weight, I am now down to 211, which I have not been since my Sr year in High School. Also kicking the idea around to move from 18:6 to 19:5 next week to give that a try. No real reason other than trying to get that extra hour in. I have added protein shakes and cashews into my diet so I am not too concerned about the overall caloric deficit at the moment.

I did an experiment - fasted like normal but ate whatever I want and got a workout in over a few days. Stayed exactly the same weight. So there's that. So food still matters haha

Does bulletproof/butter coffee interfere with IF in the mornings?

BeadTheAggie said:

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Does bulletproof/butter coffee interfere with IF in the mornings?

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Yes. Any calories cancels fast. Black coffee okay, cream and butter not okay

Aggierific said:

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BeadTheAggie said:

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Does bulletproof/butter coffee interfere with IF in the mornings?

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Yes. Any calories cancels fast. Black coffee okay, cream and butter not okay

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Any suggestions to help overcome my hunger in the mornings? Essential aminos?

Just wait for your body to acclimate. Reduction in overall carbs will assist.

Went on a 7 day mission trip. The heat and work was brutally hot, but we ate well.

Been back 6 days and still recovering. It's amazing how long it takes now.

Put on almost 3 pounds, but my waist is smaller.

Back to HEB on Sunday and back on track.

Ok, maybe one of y'all can help me.

Pickles.

It has to have calories. But the little gherkins I love all say zero calories on the nutrition facts. Google is pretty heavily divided on the matter. Still triggers a body response though. Right?!

This makes me feel dumb because I am questioning it.

I will reply before tailgate88 does.

if you can taste it, chew it or it makes you feel better it's not fasting...

Ok, I will give a quick write up on where I sit on this now.

Started my first fast May 30th. In the nearly two months since, I have derailed pretty damn hard. In the dog days of summer (current student) and boredom and life and family events have done much to distract me. My healthy eating went to straight garbage. I can think of two nights in the last month I have devoured an entire large pizza by myself in one sitting. Thin crust perhaps but still. I also have not stepped into my gym in about three weeks. I have collectively faithfully stuck to fasted days maybe 60% of the time. In short, I went to hell.

But I am still down 10#. And I still feel better on a day to day basis than when I was not doing this. This is literally with zero trying and little to no real effort or structure. All over the place with this IMF stuff.

Bottom line: I do think there is something to this. If you read my earlier posts you know I was not a convert and blindly following a fad. If there is a scale of complete skeptic and crazy MLM fanaticism level, I was definitely WAY towards the skeptic side. I came into this with maybe not eyes wide open sort of openness, but not naysaying either. I got results. That is fact. Not great results obviously, but counting the amount of discipline and effort I put into it, it is actually quite astonishing to me.

So with that, I have finally decided that this needs to become a thing for me for the near future. As in doing it right. I would still like to lose about 10-15 ideally. I actually may be able to get back into my summer body, albeit at the end of summer. But just in time for when school starts back up.

I am currently at the 20-4 "tier" of fasting. That used to sound crazy to me. I even scoffed at its lunacy. Nope. Not anymore. It wasn't a single day transition but it is far easier than I thought possible. It truly is.

So that is my story to date. Not picture perfect. Damn near trainwreck to be honest. But I am convinced now. And the only sales pitch I have is that if yall are on the fence about this like I was for years, just try it for a week. It literally cannot hurt you and the results may surprise.

Eliminatus,

Do you have an accountability partner? I think I read you have a 65% greater chance of success when not alone.

If you have a My Fitness Pal account send me a friend request. Gilligan67

The same if you have a Garmin...

That invitation is for anyone. Going it alone is a lot harder.

~G

Gilligan said:

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I will reply before tailgate88 does.

if you can taste it, chew it or it makes you feel better it's not fasting...

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Yes, pretty much if you eat it, it is probably going to break your fast. I've read a few places people hypothesizing that "as long as it's under 50 calories it won't break your fast" but most of the actual medical professionals I have read disagree. Same with artificial sweeteners - if it tastes sweet, it will trigger an insulin response.

Every day is different. Just try to extend your fasting window as long as you can. If you're miserable, then go ahead and eat the pickles, and just try to push that first bite back a little later. It's not a diet - it's a fundamental change in your relationship with food.

I'm also doing a 19/5 or 20/4 on most weekdays now. Once my body adjusted, I just wasn't hungry until later in the afternoon.

On a side note, book went off to the editor today so hopefully will be ready in a few weeks. FYI writing a book takes longer than you think...

Eliminatus said:

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Ok, I will give a quick write up on where I sit on this now.

Started my first fast May 30th. In the nearly two months since, I have derailed pretty damn hard. In the dog days of summer (current student) and boredom and life and family events have done much to distract me. My healthy eating went to straight garbage. I can think of two nights in the last month I have devoured an entire large pizza by myself in one sitting. Thin crust perhaps but still. I also have not stepped into my gym in about three weeks. I have collectively faithfully stuck to fasted days maybe 60% of the time. In short, I went to hell.

But I am still down 10#. And I still feel better on a day to day basis than when I was not doing this. This is literally with zero trying and little to no real effort or structure. All over the place with this IMF stuff.

Bottom line: I do think there is something to this. If you read my earlier posts you know I was not a convert and blindly following a fad. If there is a scale of complete skeptic and crazy MLM fanaticism level, I was definitely WAY towards the skeptic side. I came into this with maybe not eyes wide open sort of openness, but not naysaying either. I got results. That is fact. Not great results obviously, but counting the amount of discipline and effort I put into it, it is actually quite astonishing to me.

So with that, I have finally decided that this needs to become a thing for me for the near future. As in doing it right. I would still like to lose about 10-15 ideally. I actually may be able to get back into my summer body, albeit at the end of summer. But just in time for when school starts back up.

I am currently at the 20-4 "tier" of fasting. That used to sound crazy to me. I even scoffed at its lunacy. Nope. Not anymore. It wasn't a single day transition but it is far easier than I thought possible. It truly is.

So that is my story to date. Not picture perfect. Damn near trainwreck to be honest. But I am convinced now. And the only sales pitch I have is that if yall are on the fence about this like I was for years, just try it for a week. It literally cannot hurt you and the results may surprise.

---

Gilligan is right about the accountability partners. I'll have the new Facebook group up (free) soon and we'll all jump in there and be accountable to each other.

That said - dude you are doing fine! It's not a trainwreck. You didn't gain your weight overnight, it took months or years, right? Well if you are going to lose it the healthy, sustainable way it's going to take a similar amount of time to get back down to your ideal weight. If you are 100% hardcore and get frustrated and stop doing IMF then you will be back in the same boat. If you want a damn large pizza, eat it. Just get back on the program the next day and make sure you're not eating pizza every other night. It has to be sustainable, meaning it has to fit in your lifestyle.

Summer and the holidays are hard - during the school year (my kids are in school) it seems much easier to be a lot more disciplined.

Congrats on your new commitment. Keep it up!

Lost 25 lbs so far. Feel'n good!

Went to a wedding yesterday and put on a suit.

I felt like a balloon that just got poked with a needle and went flying around the room making fart noises.

My wife said use is as motivation and I will.

But man that stung...

Still doing this since the first of April. I went from 185 to currently 163 to which I've been hovering the last month. I've only been doing 16:8 this whole time though. I really want to get down to about 155 or so though so I think I'm getting ready to start the two 500 calorie days a week to break through the plateau I'm on.

I've also been doing stronglifts for the past couple of months because I want some muscle tone as I lose the fat.

I've been doing a 20/4 or 22/2 for...I don't remember now, almost a year at least. The first couple weeks were difficult, but its really easy for me to eat once per day now. Fasted workouts were the "hook" for me to keep doing the IMF, nothing else like it.

Here is my situation/problem/question: I initially dropped around 40 lbs, from ~230 to ~190 (I'm 41, 6'1"). Since March/April I have stayed around 190-195. I've done a couple 48 hour fasts, rarely (less than 2x month) overeat on weekends, and have low alcohol consumption (2-3 drinks per week).

I have myfitness and religiously log my food/exercise/water since i got it, with a daily goal of 1,500 calories, which I typically come within 10-20%. (Logged over 200 days straight at this point). I don't do keto, but I eat pretty well, mostly at home and mostly "whole" foods I make myself. Only black coffee and then water all day. I can see my macros, but don't pay much attention to them.

I do Orange Theory 1-2x/week, I ride my Peloton bike, some weeks more often than others, and this is when I'm not working out at the gym 2-3x/week, with my workouts roughly 50/50 Cardio and Strength for 50-60 minutes.

My problem is this weight plateau is a bit disappointing, as I was hoping to drop another 10 lbs to around 180. Try as I might, I'm not getting any downward traction. I don't think its a muscle vs. fat thing as my scale indicates I am still roughly 20% body fat throughout this whole time on the plateau. I feel like I should be down at 175-180 and around 16-17% body fat with all the work I'm putting in.

My question is this: Has anyone else experienced a similar hard plateau when you were trying to lose weight? And if so, what, if anything, worked to bust through it? I am afraid my body has adjusted to my new normal and for some reason is not burning fat and calories like it initially did.

rebag00 said:

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I've been doing a 20/4 or 22/2 for...I don't remember now, almost a year at least. The first couple weeks were difficult, but its really easy for me to eat once per day now. Fasted workouts were the "hook" for me to keep doing the IMF, nothing else like it.

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I can't really help you with your questions since I'm a newbie to fasting and am still trying to read up and learn about it. I have a question about your post, though. Whether I choose to give IMF a shot or not, I will never stop lifting and doing cardio. What do you mean by the comment (in bold) above?

My first (and probably foremost) concern with IMF (or any sort of fasting, really) is that I will not have the energy necessary to lift / push weight when doing strength training, which I usually strive to do three times per week minimum. It sounds like you had no trouble with this. Can you please describe or explain how workouts go while on IMF. And do you eat immediately after working out, I assume, if you're doing workouts in a fasted state?

Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences you can share.

EDIT: Also, 20/4 or 22/2 is bascially equivalent to OMAD, correct?

Good discussions. I'm doing 16/8 now and have questioned the timing of my workouts. I'm a Peloton guy too and I usually wake up around 6 and ride then eat at 11.

Ag12thman said:

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rebag00 said:

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I've been doing a 20/4 or 22/2 for...I don't remember now, almost a year at least. The first couple weeks were difficult, but its really easy for me to eat once per day now. Fasted workouts were the "hook" for me to keep doing the IMF, nothing else like it.

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I can't really help you with your questions since I'm a newbie to fasting and am still trying to read up and learn about it. I have a question about your post, though. Whether I choose to give IMF a shot or not, I will never stop lifting and doing cardio. What do you mean by the comment (in bold) above?

My first (and probably foremost) concern with IMF (or any sort of fasting, really) is that I will not have the energy necessary to lift / push weight when doing strength training, which I usually strive to do three times per week minimum. It sounds like you had no trouble with this. Can you please describe or explain how workouts go while on IMF. And do you eat immediately after working out, I assume, if you're doing workouts in a fasted state?

Thanks in advance for any advice or experiences you can share.

EDIT: Also, 20/4 or 22/2 is bascially equivalent to OMAD, correct?

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My Experience - During a fasted workout I feel like I have way more energy, specifically for cardio, but also during my strength training, too. During my cardio work I feel like I could run 7-8 mph for 10 miles without much effort. I feel really light and the effort comes easily. I was surprised how easily my body adapted to the fasted workout. Periodically I workout after eating (late evenings or weekend afternoon after I had breakfast with my family) and its nowhere near the same feeling.

I typically eat within 1-2 hours after the workout, as I get home and mostly make my own meals, which can take time. Sometimes I will break my fast right after with a piece of fruit or an electrolyte drink if I was cramping a bit or really feel like it. If I do more lifting in a workout, I will get some protein pretty quick afterwards too, like Greek yogurt when I get home from the gym.

During an extended fast I don't eat after workouts, which is tough. Working out is the main reason I don't do more extended fasts, because I do need the food afterwards.

20/4 and 22/2 is basically OMAD. 20/4 allows a bit more flexibility, like a later dessert or fruit, or happy hour after work. I try to do 22/2 as it creates more discipline to only eat one good meal that provides what I need. I should probably pay more attention to my macros to get more protein and less carbs. I feel like that would help.

Thanks very much for sharing your experiences and other information on IMF! This is all helpful, especially since we are very close in age and height (I'm slightly older and taller). I lift and do cardio (treadmill or outdoor running), too, so we also share those things.

I am definitely going to have to give fasting before I workout a try. When I workout I am dragging to start half the time. If going into them fasted helps with energy, that would be a big help. There are some days that I just do not have the energy to workout at all and wind up just heading straight for the house instead of to the gym first. I always just thought/figured I would not have energy to workout if I didn't eat plenty for breakfast and lunch. Obviously, I have not tried otherwise. So this is great to know and, on this point alone, I am going to have to get started and see how it goes soon.

My family and I usually always cook and eat at home as well. I've lately been trying to prepare and pack extra meals to eat (small ones) throughout the work day and for immediately after working out. I always heard (and maybe it was just "bro science") it was best to eat more frequent, small meals, so that has been what I have been doing for most of this year. It doesn't always work because I sometimes am too busy at the office to stop and eat or I just fail to prepare meals in advance due to family going-ons. Going to more of what you and the rest of this thread discusses with IMF will be a big time-saver

A couple of more questions, if you don't mind:

1. Have you primarily lose body-fat using the approach you described and, if so, have you been able to maintain a good amount of muscle as well? Just curious.

2. When you do 20/4 and 22/2, how large is that one meal (and later snack, if you have one) usually? How many calories and do you try to get a certain amount of protein when you eat it?

Thanks again for sharing all of this!

Can I do IMF at the same time that I am doing a keto diet or keto paleo diet? I was thinking of combining the two to lose weight.