Finishing IF... or not

fasting
#1

So I have a question that’s more of a hypothetical, but I figured i’d ask.

In 2 weeks I’ll have been on Keto for 3 months. I’ll have been doing IF every day for 2 months (started at the end of month 1 after a friend who does Keto recommended starting out with 1-2 months of IF and then just go to most days but not necessarily every day).

So assuming I go back to a more normalized schedule but keeping the Keto diet, I’m worried that if I actually eat breakfast, I’ll still find myself eating roughly the same amount around lunch time and the same amount around dinner time… That I won’t be any less hungry from having eaten breakfast. Which will up my calories and potential carbs (although based on my choices, probably just mainly calories/fat/etc).

So I guess my question is if I’m feeling fine with IF, which I am, is there any reason to really stop it? If I find that waking up, doing my ACV, gym, black coffee and water till noon, then eat from noon-8pm and that’s it is fine for me, is there any reason to not just do it all the time except on days that socially breakfast happens (example: girlfriend really wants to go out to breakfast on a weekend or something)?

Thanks

(mole person) #2

The idea is that you want to switch it up so that your body doesn’t expect the same low level of calories every day and slow down your metabolism to compensate. It sounds counterintuitive but increasing calories significantly a couple of times a week can actually increase the rate of fat losses. If this really worries you then compensate by stretching your fasting muscle with a 36 hour fast from time to time as well. My guess is you won’t find it very difficult.

#3

Thanks for the input. Both tips make a lot of sense, and yeah, it certainly won’t be too difficult to force myself to eat breakfast a couple times a week haha. 36 hour fast perhaps but I could probably do it :slight_smile:

(Allie) #4

What works for me personally is to aim for 16/8 Mon-Fri, although normally ends up with a 4 or 5 hour eating window in the mornings, but ease up on weekends with a looser 12/12 which normally ends up as 2MAD with 8 or 9 hours between. Occasionally I’ll throw in a longer fast of 24, 36 or even 72 hours.

I feel this gives enough variance to prevent my body adapting while holding onto the benefits of IF.

(Cindy) #5

Upping your intake doesn’t necessarily mean you have to eat breakfast. :wink: It could be as simple as eating more at a meal (or two) if you feel particularly hungry, or indulging in a keto snack in the evening, etc.

(Carl Keller) #6

I am also a fan of switching it up. I may want to eat at certain times out of habit, but being fat adapted means I dont have to eat and I am not actually stomach-growling hungry. Being able to swtich things reenforces the fact that we have control of what and when we eat. For me this is a NSV because when I was on SAD, I had very little, if any, control.

(Todd Batitis) #7

The thing is though, doing IF isn’t about a “low level of calories”. I have been doing 20:4 daily since July and my calories range anywhere from `1800 to 2800 with most days being in the 2000-2300 range. This is on a BMR of just under 2000 as of my last Dexa Scan in October.

In fact, some of my highest calorie days have been when I was doing OMAD because I was working 12 hour shifts that week. It is pretty easy to hit 2500+ with pork belly and the stuffed omelettes I make.

Like I said, IF isn’t about calorie restriction.

(mole person) #8

It doesn’t have to be calorie restrictive but it often is nonetheless. Especially for people who do OMAD. They just can’t stuff as much food in one sitting as they could in multiple ones. Plus there is no snacking after dinner which is a killer for a lot of people.

The OP is clearly concerned that he’ll eat a full meal extra of food if he starts having breakfast again. So in his case he’s obviously having less to eat in two meals than he would in three. This is true for many people. I do OMAD regularly and switch to 2MAD a couple of times a week. There is no question that I can’t eat as much on the OMAD days.

#9

Exactly. It’s not really about calories specifically it’s just eating a whole extra meal since I’m still gonna end up wanting lunch and dinner.

(Allie) #10

Why would that be a problem for you? Eating different amounts each day is normal and what keeps the body guessing so it doesn’t adapt to the lower calorie intake.

#11

Yeah I suppose it’s not. I’m just trying to keep my intake down if I can help it (remember I’m way over weight so I’m not just trying to tone up or anything, I gotta lose a lot haha). More food if I’m not careful means more potential carbs (along with calories not that I’m necessarily counting those). And this thread is making me think about the keeping my body guessing aspect so I’ll try switching it up some, but generally my strategy for the last 3 months has been as low carbs as possible every day, and it’s been working. But back to the point, I was worried about a whole extra meal (breakfast) adding more everything to my day. But yeah I get what the comments here have been saying.

(Bob M) #12

That used to happen to me. If I ate breakfast, I would eat lunch and dinner, and would eat more overall. However, now I can just eat a larger breakfast, then (usually) won’t be hungry until dinner. Normally, I still skip breakfast (not hungry until about 11 am or so, so I eat two meals a day.

(Allie) #13

Increased food intake doesn’t mean increased carbs at all, just be sure to plan your meals as best as possible to keep on top of it. You’ll likely find that waking up your metabolism a bit by changing things up will actually help your weight loss too - good luck :blush:

(Todd Batitis) #14

Don’t think that everyone here is just at maintenance. I am 6 feet tall and when I started out I was 387 pounds. I was eating 6000-15000 calories per day most cases. A 6 mile drive to work might be 4 donuts and a chocolate milk, maybe stop at McDonalds or Jack-In-The-Box since it was also on the way and have it all gone before I made it to work. That all after eating half a box of Cap’n Crunch and a package of Pop Tarts before I LEFT the house. If I bought donuts for my co-workers you could add a couple more before the bell went off while I stashed a couple more away. Then every 2 hours it was a sandwich or two from the vending machines or cookies and cakes and soda.

I get that you have a lot to lose. Some here are starting in the 500-700 pound (227- 318kg for you metric folk) range or did at least. I don’t know how much you have to lose but my point is that LOTS of us (if not most of us) are dysfunctional that way and the switch isn’t always easy. The reality is that simply being mindful of what you are eating and caring about it and eating reasonable amounts is already going to be eating at a deficit. I mean, when I went to low carb/high protein I was set at roughly 2200 calories. From a caloric standpoint, I was already eating WAY less than I was. :slight_smile:

Since March I have gone from 356 to 228. Had I eaten more carbs and calories in general it simply would have slowed me down. And did a few times. :slight_smile:

You are doing alright now, keep it up. And as others have said, adding meals and food doesn’t necessarily mean eating more carbs. You choose what you eat. Just plan your extra meals to be zero carb or as low as possible. That is one of the things I love about pork belly. :slight_smile: It is also how I plan things for when the wife makes something that might be 12g of carbs for dinner for a portion. I eat a small amount due to the carbs but have no problem staying at 20 when I make my tuna/chicken salads with 100g+ avocado mayo. :slight_smile:

#15

Definitely. I was just responding to that comment. Everyone is different. I’ve honestly never eaten a huge huge amount, just poor choices. And I’m sedentary 22+ hours a day if I don’t force myself to move haha. But yeah, lots of good info in this thread I think.

#16

I should add that I don’t think eating breakfast will definitely add more carbs… It just has the potential to without the right choices… Whereas not eating breakfast simply doesn’t provide the opportunity to eat more. So it’s not that I think adding breakfast will automatically be me eating more carbs, it just potentially could lead to it, and I basically feel fine sticking to 12-8pm eating so I was trying to see if it would be ok to stick to it. But I got enough advise in here to mix it up for the sake of keeping your body on its toes specifically so I will.

(You've tried everything else; why not try bacon?) #17

Eat when hungry, and when you stop being hungry, stop eating. Then don’t eat again until you are hungry again. Ignore the clock. If you let your body tell you how much to eat, you will find that you can trust it to set your appetite at the level it needs.

#18

Well if we stuck to JUST that then no one would ever fast right? Haha. But yes that’s the general rule. But there’s not a day I don’t wake up hungry while IFing. But it’s relatively easy to ignore it with water and black coffee and knowing I get to eat at noon.

(KCKO, KCFO 🥥) #19

Actually any time you are not eating you are fasting. You might find the IDM blog helpful, I suggest you read the multi-part blog on Fasting on that site.

#20

Thanks maybe I’ll check it out but honestly I got my answers like a dozen comments up, and now I’m just replying to keep the conversation going haha. I’m good for now :slight_smile: