How consistent are you guys?

I started in August. Started 18/6 but mostly been 20/4 with occasional OMAD. In that time I took 7 days off in a row once when I was too stressed and couldn’t quite keep the discipline, and 6 individual days off here and there. I’m looking to be more consistent, but was curious how often if ever do other people slip or take some days off.

Answer

Here is how I am very consistent. A hard stop after dinner. Nothing is more important to me than not eating while idle.

I eat dinner and I’m done eating. No snacks, no desserts, no little goodie, no piece of pie, no cocktail, nothing. That structure helps me, so I help that structure help me by starting my fasts well. Occasionally dinner goes later than I prefer but the hard stop still comes.

I’m pretty consistent in the morning, too, because I like the coffee life.

But I’m not an OMAD. That’s a specific group. Tough stuff, honestly and not for me.

Answer

I do OMAD. There have been a few days where I’ve opened up my eating window to around a 20:4 but I don’t take days off. It’s too easy for me to reverse my good habits toward bad habits so I avoid that opportunity by staying on the path I have chosen.

Answer

I slip now and then. I normally do 20 or 22 hrs with the odd 40hr fast. I aim for a minimum of 16hrs though if I’m feeling hungry or have weekend plans and every now and then I just don’t fast. The key for me is getting back on track quickly and not losing control because I ‘messed up’ one time.

IF and fasting are the only eating lifestyle I can fit naturally into my life and it allows me flexibility while helping me meet goals. And I feel so good while fasting which helps!

Answer

I’m not a terribly consistent person—I’m a creative type with a messy brain—but I am PERSISTENT.

So for me, I usually try to do 16:8 or 18:6. Most days it’s easy. But this Friday, for example, I’m going out with friends to celebrate my birthday and I won’t fast that night because we’ll be eating fairly late. No biggie—I’ll just hop back on it the next day.

And if there are days where I get to 16 and don’t feel hungry, I keep going. And if there are (very occasional) days where I just don’t feel good, for example, with menstrual cramps or a migraine, sometimes I’ll stop at 14 and call it good enough.

If I held myself to a rigid standard, I would be failing all the time. But when I give myself permission to adapt as needed, I’m much more likely to stick with it and not feel so shitty about myself that I throw in the towel. 14 hours is still a fast, even if it’s not very long. But it’s better than 8 hours, and 16 is better than 14, and 18 is better than 16.

As long as the scale keeps going down, I’m not going to sweat it too much. And if it stops, I’ll reevaluate then.