IF Baby Steps? page

[OnTheBayou]

So I'm drinking my pot of black coffee this AM and starting thinking of trying an IF. Partly because I read about it in the book last night, partly because knowing that I won't have food around for a few hours this AM, that should be easier.


If I went from 10PM to 1PM, 15 hours, is that helpful? Or does one really have to go 20 or so?


I'm also hoping to do my beach walk of 3 miles, thinking some food prior to that (the 1 PM mid-day meal) might prevent weakness.


I've never done this before. Besides having spent most of my life always eating because I was skinny, I have to feed other people. Breakfast wasn't too hard, microwave omelets and outta there. But lunch is more "food in front of me" during prep.


PS, no perfect category to put this question in, so I went with Fitness.

[PrimalJewishAmericanPrincess]

This is a great place to start:

http://www.fitnessspotlight.com/2008/02/27/intermittent-fasting-101-how-to-start-part-i/


I think that a fast of any length will do some good. I'm so horrible at it. My only success would be found if I was on a deserted island when I do it, I'm such a bear.

[Grumpycakes]

Welcome to IFing! One of the great things about it is that it's so flexible. Skipping even one meal as you would be doing with a 10 PM - 1 PM fast is still IF.


This week I've been doing one of the IF patterns that is promoted in some book I forget, maybe Eat Stop Eat, which is to eat breakfast and lunch, then nothing until dinner the following day, then breakfast and lunch the next day, and so on. I don't think I'll keep that up for more than a week or so. Then I'll go back to my usual pattern of skipping two or three meals in a row, twice a week.


But I think if you haven't done IF yet, then it is a good idea to take baby steps. You seem to have the PB way of eating down pat, though, so I doubt you'll have much discomfort.

[OnTheBayou]

Thank you both! That's a good site, PJA, and I think I'll go 15 hours this time. One hour and fifteen minutes to go! Ha ha..


I did notice that my worst hunger pangs were in the 13th hour, they subsided, then I was almost (very slightly) in an altered state of consciousness. I should know one, plenty of experience from, uh, yeah, those days and also spiritual ones w/o "aids." I guess it is due to low blood sugar, eh?


I do remember running across that eat-stop-eat program a month or so ago. Wow, discipline!


Thanks for the support!

[GeriMorgan]

I'm somewhat of an IF weenie. My usual method is to skip a meal (or more, as of yesterday) and have a small snack when I'm feeling particularly hungry.


Basically, I think any time that you have successfully achieved a window of greatly reduced calories, you're doing it right. How "hardcore" you want to be about it is up to you.