20/4 Fasting for Health & Weight Loss

(PJ) #41

Meljoy, In following https://www.facebook.com/groups/impulsiveketo/ it is important to listen to your body. That’s why its called impulsive keto. You eat when your body tells you its hungry. Some days you make eat in 16hr of fasting and others you may eat after 20hrs of fasting. I usually follow a 20/4 but some days I go 24hr or even 26 hr. It makes it easier to follow this way and you don’t feel so bad if you eat earlier. Let us know how you are doing. I am trying to post daily just in case it helps someone else.

(PJ) #42

I did really well yesterday, did a 20/4 hr again and got close to my macros. Meaning I met my protein and stayed below my carbs total. Did wings on the grill and they were great. I recommend them to everyone. I feel lighter today so can’t wait until Thur to see if I have lost any weight.

(charlson.melissa) #43

Thanks for the info. I’ll check it out

(PJ) #44

Tomorrow is the end of my 4th week. Not sure if I will loose anything but will keep on trying. I am still feeling pretty good and can tell a difference in my energy level.

(PJ) #45

Ended my 4th week and down another 2lbs! That’s a total of 8 lbs in 4 weeks! Going to have a big t-bone later today to celebrate Australia Day after we have a nice sail with friends.

(charlson.melissa) #46

Well done!! I weight in on Sat. I’ll keep you posted!

(PJ) #47

Only had 1 meal for Australia Day. Fasted for 23 hrs due to going for a sail. I had food with us just in case but I wasn’t hungry so didn’t eat. I did get my steak and coleslaw which I was craving and it was delicious! I love this feeling of knowing I am loosing and eating what I want. Don’t give us people stay strong!

(PJ) #48

I did well yesterday fasted for about 21hrs. I am only eating 1 meal on most days and staying well below on my macros. (I’m only monitoring my macros just to make sure I don’t go over) I’m beginning to wonder if I should try and eat a bit more on some day??? I also ate an apricot from our tree yesterday and it was yummmmmmm!

(Amy Reynolds) #49

Anybody worried about glucose spikes eating 20/4? my bg was 126, 3 hours after eating a big meal. i overate protein like 70g during the 4 hr window.

(Alex Dipego) #50

I think it comes down to the type of protein and the amount of fat accompanying it to slow digestion. Being adapted to keto and having a small boost in blood glucose after a meal isn’t abnormal but in fact normal. The issue is how long is your glucose up. What that means is its taking longer for your body to start breaking down fat for energy and you will probably need to lower your protein intake.

You know you over ate the protein but you also know that isn’t normal for you either. Come hour 12 your blood glucose should be normalized and your stomach overall should be empty and functions returning back to normal.

I undulate my protein intake based on my activity level so on my lower active days im in the 80-100g range whereas my high active days im in the 125-150 range pending on whats going on.

(Becky Searls) #51

I totally get this fear. I’m a middle school teacher and I feel a huge responsibility to be a sound role model for my tween female students … although I know that IF and keto is healthy…it can definitely LOOK like an eating disorder to the uninformed…and furthermore, I’d never recommend it to a growing child. This gets especially tricky when I serve as a chaperone at overnight camps and such

(Alex Dipego) #52

It really comes down to phrasing and honesty.

As long as you know and treat it as a healthy option and teach that then it should pass on positively. By not using negative terms like “fat, disgusting, can’t” and instead promoting general need for food like, “I’m not hungry because I … ate already, am satisfied from my last meal, am listening to my body.”

And you’re teaching something by having that social meal. Its important to socialize and share food with people. You may not all eat the same things but by providing the example and importance to socialize with your family is great.

I think a set window every single day is unrealistic and defeats the purpose. 20:4 was intended as a snacking fast. Greens or berries nibbled on below a 500cal window throughout the day and then a huge feast at night. That right there could show/teach something poorly as you are engaging in a giant meal for your social gathering. The idea here is to take advantage of HGH on this fast. Realistically though life changes and thus our window should change with it. Someday turn into a 28hr fast others a 16.

As Dr. Fung has said, we live in times of starvation and in times of feasting.

(betsy.rome) #53

I started 16:8 fasting:eating a week ago, and just found this topic.
It’s going well, as long as I can tough it out till my feeding window of 2 pm - 8 pm.

Is there much advantage to shrinking the window to 4 hrs from the 6 hrs? Doing 16:8 has already put me back in control of evening noshing and eating less food daily.

As one of those gotta-have-breakfast types, I am still having one large coffee with 1 T coconut oil, 1 T HWC and 2 tsp Kerrygold butter to get me through the morning, and a small cup of broth around lunch. I break my fast around 2 or 3 pm with egg salad or avocado, and have a normal keto dinner with a small keto dessert (SF jello, piece of stevia dark choc).

I’m salting my food heavier, and so far have not had the nightly leg cramps I used to get when actively losing weight on keto.

(Melvin E Nixon) #54

I’m about to try out the fasting. My macros are 139g fat, 111g protein, and 22g carbs. I never come close to my carbs. Do I need to eat all that in the 4 hour period, or in one meal?

(Bella Tricks) #55

Im the same BillJay, Im cool in the evenings but always really hungry in the morning. I can comfortably do 17 hours (from 4pm til 9am) but im REALLY hungry by 9am.

(Bella Tricks) #56

So SondraRose, First, well done being so close to your goal weight and doing IF as a practice for so long. i am 8 months into keto (without even 1 pound of weight gone) and 1 month into IF (now shed about 7 pounds…yay)
Im curious about your journey with the protein - and your weight. I have been trying to ‘get my protein in’ and you were doing that. Were you shedding weight? Were you adding dietary fat at first? Have you had a dexa scan for your muscle mass?
Please let me know about your experience. :slight_smile: Bel

(Bella Tricks) #57

im the same… love my breakfast. Im really hungry in the mornings, so i fast 3pm til 9am (17 hours).
I sometimes have bpc but ive reduced the fat in it to 1 tblsp mct oil (which is nicer, ive found, than coconut oil) and 1 tblsp butter. If i can I also drop the butter.

Sometimes I can get to 20 hours, once or twice ive done 24 and once 42. ive been going for 6 weeks. those longer fasts seem to trigger fat shedding.
But yeh…17 hours is all i can do comfortably.

(Sondra Rose) #58

Bella,
Congrats on your weight loss!

Suggest you reread all my posts in this thread for my experience. I don’t track protein or fat.

I do shed weight if I eat slowly to satiety, but not overly full during my eating window.

I have never had a DEXA scan.

(David Hahn) #59

Did my first 20/4 yesterday and another today. Very surprised how easy it was.

#60

This is what I do on weekdays. My window is app’x 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. I’ve pretty much lost all the weight I want to lose, so I am doing warrior fasting to maintain at my current weight as a new set point. I feel fantastic. There is a little bit of euphoria in the late afternoon, I imagine I am not the only person that feels this. I do drink coffee from 5:00 a.m. to 7:00 a.m., then I drink water and green tea throughout the day.