lets use this for just general discussion...also we can use this thread for people who are interested in getting started but have questions.

-whats your window?
-do you have a success story so far?
- what helps you?
-how do you break fast?

Technically not IF, but I am currently 62 hours into a week long fast. No hunger or other side effects to this point. Body is producing water like a Barnett Shale well though.

Null and Void said:

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Technically not IF, but I am currently 62 hours into a week long fast. No hunger or other side effects to this point. Body is producing water like a Barnett Shale well though.

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Can you elaborate? Is this water only for a week? For some sort of cleanse?

What is the goal? Weight loss? Cold-turkey on some bad eating habits?

I'm doing 16/8 daily now for about a week.

Seriously considering upping it up to an 18 or 24 hour fasting window...but kind of skeered.

please share more about why and how you are doing this. very interested. also, are you exercising?

Thanks for starting this thread!

I actually just started this on Monday after reading several articles and posts on here. I'm following the 16:8 rule. I'm skipping breakfast and eating lunch between 11-12 with dinner between 7-8. So far I've found it surprisingly easy to go through the morning without food. But I definitely need to drink more water. I've been trying to tell myself that when I'm hungry during the fasting period, it's likely due to habit and boredom, not because of actual hunger, trying to adopt the "mind over matter" mentality.

do yall drink black coffee on IF?

I have read mixed reviews.


Dr. Rhonda Patrick says it doesnt hurt the weight loss benefits but does hurt the muscle building benefits.

I wonder about the auto****y

small tip : in my Outlook calendar at work, I have a "walk/water" reminder every hour. Just to go fill up my water and walk around for a couple minutes. my goal is to be empty by the time it goes off. it works pretty well.

That's a great idea. Did you set up an appointment with an hourly recurrence or just schedule 7-8 reminders throughout the day?

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Can you elaborate? Is this water only for a week? For some sort of cleanse?

What is the goal? Weight loss? Cold-turkey on some bad eating habits?

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I am doing it for a variety of reasons, including all the above... but mainly for vanity and self-discipline reasons. I am currently sitting around 16% body fat, and I would like to drop a couple of more pct points over the next month. Also want to lose several more pounds prior to next week's MS 150.

I try to eat a clean keto diet on a regular basis, but I do tend to give into cravings way too often. I did a similar fast several years ago and got to the point where just the smell of sugar almost made me ill. Hoping to get back to that feeling now so my normal diet will truly be keto, with an ultimate goal of getting fat adapted.

This week I am drinking a ton of water, with an occasional zero-cal Monster drink or Coke-Zero. Kid you not... I make an average of six trips to the bathroom each night. But I also awake with a very clear head and no bloated stomach.

Other than weekend bike rides, my only workouts are weights... usually six times a week. Haven't seen a significant drop in my energy levels while in the gym yet.

As an aside, I am 58 yo, 6' 8". Started the year at 262 lbs, and have now finally broken into the 230's again.

Null and Void said:

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Can you elaborate? Is this water only for a week? For some sort of cleanse?

What is the goal? Weight loss? Cold-turkey on some bad eating habits?

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I am doing it for a variety of reasons, including all the above... but mainly for vanity and self-discipline reasons. I am currently sitting around 16% body fat, and I would like to drop a couple of more pct points over the next month. Also want to lose several more pounds prior to next week's MS 150.

I try to eat a clean keto diet on a regular basis, but I do tend to give into cravings way too often. I did a similar fast several years ago and got to the point where just the smell of sugar almost made me ill. Hoping to get back to that feeling now so my normal diet will truly be keto, with an ultimate goal of getting fat adapted.

This week I am drinking a ton of water, with an occasional zero-cal Monster drink or Coke-Zero. Kid you not... I make an average of six trips to the bathroom each night. But I also awake with a very clear head and no bloated stomach.

Other than weekend bike rides, my only workouts are weights... usually six times a week. Haven't seen a significant drop in my energy levels while in the gym yet.

As an aside, I am 58 yo, 6' 8". Started the year at 262 lbs, and have now finally broken into the 230's again.

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That's awesome, thanks for sharing. Good luck!

Thanks... and good luck to everyone on their fitness journeys.

gigemJTH12 said:

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please share more about why and how you are doing this. very interested. also, are you exercising?

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I'm doing it to lose weight, "reset" my system, and lower my insulin production. As I understand it, this will also help decrease inflammation in the body. I would do it for that very last reason alone, but I'm 45 years old and I seriously need to drop some pounds (currently 6'0" and 250-255).

My exercise currently is walking the dogs every morning for 20-45 minutes. I need to start on resistance training as well.

I set 8 different reminders because I didnt think of the other way...that sounds better haha

Boats and Hose said:

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Thanks for starting this thread!

I actually just started this on Monday after reading several articles and posts on here. I'm following the 16:8 rule. I'm skipping breakfast and eating lunch between 11-12 with dinner between 7-8. So far I've found it surprisingly easy to go through the morning without food. But I definitely need to drink more water. I've been trying to tell myself that when I'm hungry during the fasting period, it's likely due to habit and boredom, not because of actual hunger, trying to adopt the "mind over matter" mentality.

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Just started yesterday... after reading some articles and posts, decided why the heck not... just had my my first meal at 2pm since 8pm last night. I'm the type of person who never skips breakfast but it wasn't as bad as I thought for day 1. Definitely been drinking a lot of water. I've had 2 cups of black coffee.. with a teething 6 month infant at home, I just couldn't let my coffee go.

I just started this week as well (yesterday to be exact). It's going to take some adjusting to not eating until noon, as I have always eaten breakfast and find myself "starving" so far.

This morning was my first time to workout at 5 am while fasted, and it didn't go near as bad as I thought it would.

I really enjoy the fasted workouts. right now I am working out at 11 fasted. When I get done I know its time to chow down.

its understandably a really gratifying time all the way around

Yeah, I can definitely see that. When I get done working out, it's only 6 hrs until lunch...

another thing the fasted workout has led me to do it get off of pre workouts. I always leaned on them because I thought I needed them. but I stopped so I wouldn't break my fast. turns out I never needed the preworkout (which I am sure are terrible for you anyways)

I'm doing this as well at the same time I am planning on tracking macros with it to make sure I am getting calories and enough protein.

Are you guys making major changes to your diet ? Or are you just consuming what you normally eat daily in a 6-8 hour window ?

My diet was already pretty good, so I'm just fitting it in a 8 hr window. After a few weeks I might re-assess and see how things have changed. I'm not looking to cut any weight, maybe just lean up a little bit and get in on some of the other physiological benefits of IF.

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another thing the fasted workout has led me to do it get off of pre workouts. I always leaned on them because I thought I needed them.

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Pre workouts own me. I've tried many times to kick the habit, but with no success. Kudos to those that have been able to drop them.

jaggiemaggie said:

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Are you guys making major changes to your diet ? Or are you just consuming what you normally eat daily in a 6-8 hour window ?

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I have coupled my IF with switching to a low-carb diet (very low carb, higher fat). In theory, the low carb/high fat diet should actually make the fasting go easier.

I typically did two 24 hour fasts a week last year - all day Tuesday and Thursday. That along iwth keto helped me lose weight.

I've been flat on weight loss the last couple of months - I need to pick it back up.

For water - I fill a gallon jug first thing in the morning and drink it all day long.

I've been doing this for 15+ years. It's not for any health reason - I just don't eat before lunch. I have a small lunch at noon and then dinner around 5:30 most days. That's pretty much it.

What are the results? I don't know since this is how I've always lived. I'm in my mid-30s and pretty lean, so I guess this could be part of it.

The only time that I'm ever hungry in the morning is if I happen to eat a big meal late the night before.

We've always been taught that if you skip breakfast and other small meals throughout the day, you'll end up overeating late in the day and actually be worse off.

I've recently started fasting until about 2 or 3 in the afternoon when I eat a 500-700 calorie meal. At 6 in the evening I eat dinner, usually about 1000 calories.

Despite what the experts have said all these years, I find I'm no more hungrier at dinner doing this, than when I used to eat breakfast, lunch, and a mid morning and mid afternoon small meal. And my overall calorie intake is way lower.

I do this 5 days a week and just eat whenever on the weekends.

As a side note, I've noticed it seems to make my workdays go a lot faster. Not sure if that's just because my body and mind haven't adjusted to lunch being later in the day, or what.

I have had great success with IF and recommend it whole heartedly. My story is documented here:

https://texags.com/forums/48/topics/2943791

I have not had any trouble with workouts while fasting, and agree with what another poster said above about work days going faster. While fasting, my mind is clear and I am more productive. It's been a life changer for me.

I know there are at least a few of you guys that workout fasted and drink BCAA's pre and post-workout. Do you also drink them on non-workout days?

I know drinking them technically breaks your fast, but I've seen lots of commentary that it doesn't seem to hurt if you're doing it around workouts.

Brush Country said:

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We've always been taught that if you skip breakfast and other small meals throughout the day, you'll end up overeating late in the day and actually be worse off.

I've recently started fasting until about 2 or 3 in the afternoon when I eat a 500-700 calorie meal. At 6 in the evening I eat dinner, usually about 1000 calories.

Despite what the experts have said all these years, I find I'm no more hungrier at dinner doing this, than when I used to eat breakfast, lunch, and a mid morning and mid afternoon small meal. And my overall calorie intake is way lower.

I do this 5 days a week and just eat whenever on the weekends.

As a side note, I've noticed it seems to make my workdays go a lot faster. Not sure if that's just because my body and mind haven't adjusted to lunch being later in the day, or what.

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I've read and noticed that it helps me focus more. The insulin spike and subsequent crash after is the biggest reason people have brain fog and lose focus then feel like they have to eat something (typically refined carbs or sugar) to get rid of it.

Fasting helps avoid that for a bigger part of the day.

I work out late and lift pretty heavy. Am I allowed to have a protein shake in the fasted period or does that defeat the purpose? It's my understanding that I need protein after a heavy workout. Is that wrong?

a protein shake would definitely break the fast.

the protein timing thing is a totally different conversation that there are a lot of opinions on.

Junkhead said:

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I work out late and lift pretty heavy. Am I allowed to have a protein shake in the fasted period or does that defeat the purpose? It's my understanding that I need protein after a heavy workout. Is that wrong?

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I used to think that also, but people that seem a lot smarter than me seem to think that nutrient timing is not all that important at all.

Basically, if you consume calories, you are not fasting. People argue about black coffee, but I don't think it counts.

irish pete ag06 said:

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Junkhead said:

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I work out late and lift pretty heavy. Am I allowed to have a protein shake in the fasted period or does that defeat the purpose? It's my understanding that I need protein after a heavy workout. Is that wrong?

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I used to think that also, but people that seem a lot smarter than me seem to think that nutrient timing is not all that important at all.

Basically, if you consume calories, you are not fasting. People argue about black coffee, but I don't think it counts.

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I know they're not good for you but sometimes I drink sugar free zero calorie energy drinks in the morning. Would those then be OK in the fasting period since there are no calories?