2x 12hrs vs 16:8 or 20:4

(Christine) #1

So when I first found IF it was via Dr. Terry Wahls Protocol to heal my MS. She recommended doing breakfast and then skipping lunch til dinner. Essentially two 12hr fasts. I really enjoy this pattern but stopped it bc I hadn’t seen it discussed. I thought 16:8 would be better. But I am struggling to keep in that window. Anyone else use this pattern?

(Todd Allen) #2

I’ve also experimented with the Wahls protocol and many variations to good effect for my neuromuscular disease, SBMA, very different from MS and yet it seems all neurodegenerative and neuromuscular diseases share things in common and what works for one often works for others too.

As for IF I’ve also done many permutations and several have worked well for me for a while. Typically it takes me a few days to adjust to a new pattern and then I tend to do really well for a week to even a month or two and then I plateau or backslide. I’m currently in the sweet spot eating an early breakfast and a late lunch. Perhaps this will be my magic long term solution. But I doubt it. I’m starting to think what I’ve been doing, adjusting my patterns every few weeks to few months is the magic.

(Christine) #3

I just keep wanting to eat in the evening even after dinner. So I keep struggling to stay in the 8hr block. So today I tried early breakfast and I’ll skip lunch. Which I use the time to sit and meditate some times which helps too.

(Christine) #4

I’m kinda in a restart moment. I was messing with supposedly safe sweetners, but they aren’t safe and they made me want actual sugar and I was binging. So cut those and cut the nut flours unless it’s actually a special occasion. Tuesday is not a special occasion.

#5

Hi Christine.

I’ve been doing Keto for a year. It has done wonders for my quality of life. I got into it to correct pre-diabetes; which it did.

I’ve been doing two meals a day about 12 hours apart the whole time. I love it and it worked well for me. I’m fairly lean- i thought i might try one meal a day or fasting; but I’m usually hungry enough or looking forward to eating at 12 hr- just haven’t been able to do it.

Good luck! :grinning:

(Jeb Bower) #6

I’ve decided to give IF a shot, simply because I discovered that I was already doing it most weekends without realizing it. I just started keto a few weeks ago and had been hearing about IF and when I Googled it, read about 16.8 and watched a couple of Dr. Berry’s videos on YouTube. Even before keto, I would usually end up skipping breakfast on weekends. Since starting keto, I decided to try extending that practice over the rest of the week…first food of the day is at 12:00 and dinner at ~6:30 and nothing after 8:00. Haven’t been doing it very long, but don’t feel like I’m “fasting” and, if the scale is any indication, it’s working there too.

(CharleyD) #7

The best IF is the one you can stick with!

There’s nothing wrong with 12:12 especially since it was for a purpose!

The 16:8, 18:6, OMAD, are pretty arbitrary, there’s nothing special that happens, we’re all just trying to limit bolus insulin to distinct, easy bite-sized chunks.

(Christine) #8

I guess when I heard Megan Ramos talk about mixing it up that’s why I was trying to change it. I am always fine tuning things.

(CharleyD) #9

Oh sure. I do OMAD often but I don’t do it more than 3 days in a row.

I just hope you don’t get the impression that 12:12 is bad.

(Christine) #10

I never thought it was bad but it was so comfortable to me I questioned if it wasn’t exactly the best or as supported as the smaller time windows.

(back and doublin' down) #11

Do you! If it works, that’s perfect. I’m also a ‘fine tuner’ and tend to tune from day to day. Pretty sure since starting in April, there’s been no two weeks the same. Totally a fan of switching things up. It keeps my brain active and planning. I’ve never done the 20:4 but it’s on my plan for next week. Wondering if I will really eat twice though, as I am seldom hungry within 3 hours of a meal. Might just have to plan a full meal and then eat 1/2 at beginning and end of those 4 hours.

(Christine) #12

I just started playing around with smaller protein amount too. I think I had it set too high. Would love to get a dexa scan at some point.

(Christine) #13

I was having trouble sticking to 16:8. Like I was still wanting food and not in a cravings way.

(Jackie Hutchison) #14

Hi! I find that having bright line goals is essential with IF. I don’t eat before noon, drinking plenty of water and coffee/tea as needed. I don’t eat after 7pm, I drink herbal tea. And I find it helpful to break my fast essentially the same way each day. It’s easy and I don’t have to put mental energy into figuring it out. My evening meal is where the spectacular variety of keto shines. And it’s with family, so that’s great too.

(Christine) #15

I have a rebellious streak, so when I set hard lines I tell them to “fuck off”
Even if I’m the one that set them. I’m working on it lol.

I have to talk myself into things gradually or make sure I don’t feel deprived. But skipping lunch at work makes it seem like I get more time for myself not just, “you have 20min yo shovel food in my face”.

(Central Florida Bob ) #16

I just want to say that’s a fantastic line.

(Bacon is a many-splendoured thing) #17

Now wait just a minute, here! Keto is unsustainable, because the diet is so restrictive and boring! You aren’t allowed to be enjoying yourself! :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

(That’s a lovely phrase, by the way, and I have a great mental image of your glowing dining table! :grinning:)

(Christine) #18

Lol. Thanks it’s been helping a lot.

(Jackie Hutchison) #19

Thanks Paul :slight_smile:

#20

Thank you for the question Christine. I am wondering the same thing. I’ve been doing 16:8 (skip breakfast, eat lunch at 1pm and make sure to have dinner done by 9pm), but last week was my family vacation and, socially speaking, breakfast was more important than lunch so I skipped it instead of breakfast.

So just so I’m clear, for the weightloss benefits of IF (not talking autophagy or any other fasting benefit) there is no distinct difference between having lunch & supper (16:8) versus breakfast & supper (12:12) assuming all other factors, like macros, are held constant?