Hi folks, I’m considering Intermittent Fasting as a beginner but slightly wary about it.
Background: I’m in my 30s, somewhat unfit (sedentary lifestyle + bad at sports) but no serious health issues. At 60kg / 157cm I’m not bothered about weight, but would love to tone up & lose excess visceral fat. Been doing FB consistently (albeit short & low impact) for a year and felt some improvement.
My motivation for IF is rather silly: killing two birds with one stone. I’m getting dental aligners in a couple of weeks. I thought rather than taking them off and putting them back on everytime I eat/snack several times each day, why not try IF? Been hearing good things about it. Would be awesome if it could help me quit my snacking habit, get healthier, and shave a cm or two off my belly.
I exercise first thing in the morning at at 6/7am. I unfortunately can’t exercise on empty stomach; I usually have a banana/egg, some nuts, and coffee 30-60 mins before. If I do IF I’m thinking of eating from eg. 6am to 2pm, then fast the rest of the day til the next morning.
Problem is: I’ve never actually done continuous fasting before (not religious so don’t observe any kind of religious fasting). Never been on special diets either. My willpower is not the best and to tell the truth I don’t like to suffer, lol. If I really found it too hard, I’d like to be able to tone it down (fast shorter) or even quit. After I’m done with the aligner (4-6 months) I hope to keep doing IF with less intensity and/or frequency.
TL;DR I’m concerned about:
— How strictly should the 16/8 IF be observed? (eg. Is it generally ok to have a day off? Or fast for 14-15 hrs instead of 16?)
— Does IF cause any dependency or long-lasting/permanent change in my metabolism? (ie. Is it safe to quit after doing it for a few months?)
— Is early eating time frame (morning to early afternoon) less or more recommended for beginners or is it purely a matter of preference?
Appreciate any input from those who have done this!
I still have not done anything to ease myself into IF... until today. Had dinner at 8:30pm last night, was occupied with work etc in the morning (so no breakfast and no morning workout), had lunch at 12:30pm today. Between last night's dinner and today's lunch I had plain water, a cup of chamomile tea (night), and a cup of coffee (morning), both unsweetened. So I "fasted" for 16 hours albeit accidentally!! 😱
Intermittent Fasting for reluctant beginners?
Hi folks, I’m considering Intermittent Fasting as a beginner but slightly wary about it.
Background: I’m in my 30s, somewhat unfit (sedentary lifestyle + bad at sports) but no serious health issues. At 60kg / 157cm I’m not bothered about weight, but would love to tone up & lose excess visceral fat. Been doing FB consistently (albeit short & low impact) for a year and felt some improvement.
My motivation for IF is rather silly: killing two birds with one stone. I’m getting dental aligners in a couple of weeks. I thought rather than taking them off and putting them back on everytime I eat/snack several times each day, why not try IF? Been hearing good things about it. Would be awesome if it could help me quit my snacking habit, get healthier, and shave a cm or two off my belly.
I exercise first thing in the morning at at 6/7am. I unfortunately can’t exercise on empty stomach; I usually have a banana/egg, some nuts, and coffee 30-60 mins before. If I do IF I’m thinking of eating from eg. 6am to 2pm, then fast the rest of the day til the next morning.
Problem is: I’ve never actually done continuous fasting before (not religious so don’t observe any kind of religious fasting). Never been on special diets either. My willpower is not the best and to tell the truth I don’t like to suffer, lol. If I really found it too hard, I’d like to be able to tone it down (fast shorter) or even quit. After I’m done with the aligner (4-6 months) I hope to keep doing IF with less intensity and/or frequency.
TL;DR I’m concerned about:
— How strictly should the 16/8 IF be observed? (eg. Is it generally ok to have a day off? Or fast for 14-15 hrs instead of 16?)
— Does IF cause any dependency or long-lasting/permanent change in my metabolism? (ie. Is it safe to quit after doing it for a few months?)
— Is early eating time frame (morning to early afternoon) less or more recommended for beginners or is it purely a matter of preference?
Appreciate any input from those who have done this!
Sources:
https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156
https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/intermittent-fasting-guide
===
UPDATE 12 Mar 2020:
I still have not done anything to ease myself into IF... until today. Had dinner at 8:30pm last night, was occupied with work etc in the morning (so no breakfast and no morning workout), had lunch at 12:30pm today. Between last night's dinner and today's lunch I had plain water, a cup of chamomile tea (night), and a cup of coffee (morning), both unsweetened. So I "fasted" for 16 hours albeit accidentally!! 😱