I just got in there and made adjustments along the way to suit myself. You’ll find or figure out that most of the noise of clean/dirty fasting, different methods, and such is just that. The physiological aspects are often over emphasized and given too much importance when it’s the why someone is fasting that matters a lot and what ultimately dictates those choices.
I just got fasting app and started. In a few days I figured out all my previous endless questions.
Start 12/12 and build from there.
If you don’t eat breakfast already, you are an easy 16:8 or more depending on when you eat lunch.
No snacks after the final meal of the day.
If you want to ask if it breaks a fast, it probably does. You will figure this out along the way what works best for you.
Good luck and enjoy being in control of your calorie intake!
Ok, I used to watch this youtuber named cole or “snake man”, he is mean about it but is actually trying to help fat people live healthier, and he is what started me in the right direction, I was 210 lbs a few months ago down to 180/178 at 6’1/6’2, and his recommendation was doing 1 long fast (24-48 hours) to get over your fear of fasting/being hungry. I did this and my life changed, I had no idea I would feel better being hungry.
TL;DR do 1 long fast to start to get over your fear of fasting/being hungry and realize you feel way better then do whatever is best for you, it will take some figuring out. Personally, I like 23 hours no food, 1 hour food. And I eat a few hours before bed because I have trouble sleeping hungry.
I just decided that I wasn’t going to eat before 4pm or after midnight. My goal at the time was purely related to the potential long-term health benefits of fasting; I was not trying to lose weight or improve any specific health problem.
And then later other things happened.
My view is that starting somewhere will lead you to the next thing, whatever it is that may be right for you.
I dabbled in IF for a while (mostly 16/8), but my game changer was coming down with a rough infection where my mouth broke out in sores as a response and I physically could not eat. Even drinking was extremely painful. People were telling me I had to eat, or I wouldn’t be able to fight the infection. When I brought up that concern to the doctor treating me, he politely said I would be fine (I was still 50 lbs or so overweight). I dropped about 15 pounds in a few weeks.
My expectation from past experiments with calorie restriction was that after I got better and regained the ability to eat, the weight would come back quickly. But it didn’t. My understanding of what happened is that I changed my body’s set weight point by not eating and lowering insulin levels over time. Caloric deficit also, for sure, but there’s more to it than that.
Very healthy now, and I do a 36-48 hour fast once a week until goal weight. It’s been coming l off steadily, bit by bit.
Definitely don’t overthink it! Count your sleeping time in your fasting window and just don’t take in any calories during that time. The most common time frame is to not eat for 16 hours and only eat during 8., But you can work up to that if you want. Lots of people stop eating at 8 o’clock at night and don’t eat again until noon the next day.I found it easier to eat low-carb during my eating window. A pro tip is when you have a craving, put a pink salt crystal under your tongue.The best thing you can do is don’t over complicate it. Just start. And if you have a setback, don’t think about it, just start again. Best of luck!
I just dove in and quickly realized that it was so much easier for me to say “no” to food before/after a certain time than to choose healthy food vs convenience food. And if putting cream in my coffee keeps me from snacking on junk food at work then I consider that a win. Finding out what you can STICK with is the key!
Some people like to dive in, but I started in small steps:
I moved my dinner to an earlier time (I used to keep snacking until midnight/bedtime) so that dinner was finished before 20:00 (8pm). If you’re interested in the biology of it, check out Huberman Lab podcast, but the idea is that finishing your meal should start to trigger your night time routine, such that your brain recognises the last meal of the day means you’re going to sleep soon. An early dinner (18:00-20:00, 6-8pm) fits most people’s circadian rhythm.
I moved breakfast back an hour or so at a time, until it more or less coincided with lunchtime. I’m prone to sleeping late on days I don’t work, so sometimes skipping breakfast was as simple as sleeping right through it!
Eventually I found I could reach 16-18 hours fasting without too much hunger or stress. The psychological barrier was tricky for me, I was just so used to grabbing something as I walked past the kitchen, but now I just tell myself “okay, you fancied a biscuit, you can start with that tomorrow.”
Remember to be kind to yourself. Being kind doesn’t mean giving in and breaking the fast, but it does mean recognising that this is a hard shift. Telling myself “I can have that, just later” was really, really helpful. It does away with the sense of deprivation, and as you probably have already heard, hunger pangs go away after about 20 minutes and/or a glass of water. Distract yourself and promise yourself something lovely during your eating window.
Good luck!