I've been doing IF for about two months and have lost 11 pounds after a horrible year long weight loss plateau following the birth of my third child. Nothing, NOOOOTHING worked until I started IF! Obviously I'm thrilled.
However, I almost find it... *Too* easy, if that's a thing? I do a loose 18 hours (I don't eat until 11am, and while dinner is usually at 5, sometimes I wait until 7-ish when the kids go to bed so I can enjoy it a little more). I'm not hungry at all during the 18 hours, and sometimes I'm not even hungry at 11. Lately I struggle to find something that actually sounds good. Everything just sounds "meh", not all the time but a lot of the time. So even after 18 hours of fasting, I just eat a protein bar for lunch and usually a fairly normal dinner.
Now I'm perfectly happy to not be obsessed with food and constantly pining for it, but the issue is, when I do my calorie log for the day, sometimes I really haven't eaten much. Like 600 calories some days, and considering the fact that long distance walking is my hobby/passion and I double it up with walking to/from school dropoff (usually about eight collective miles of walking per day), sometimes my net calories are negative.
I feel absolutely fine and full of energy, but this just seems like it can't be right. Should I be forcing myself to eat more? Sometimes I do and it's fine, I don't get sick or anything, but is it necessary? How many net calories per day SHOULD I be having?
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If you’re feeling fine and your fasting for weight loss, keep at it. Just stay on top of your electrolytes and you can be at a caloric deficit until you reach your goal weight. If you finish off your eating window with a solid multivitamin, essential minerals and a good probiotic, should be nothing to worry about, even if you decide to stretch your fasting window to OMAD. There’s no # of calories you SHOULD be having. Just listen to your body and heck, even do rolling 48’s if you’re feeling that great!
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If your goal is to lose weight, shouldn’t your net calories be negative? Maybe I’m not understanding what you mean by, or how you’re calculating net calories.
If you’re not obsessing about food, I wouldn’t worry too much about the occasional small calorie day. If it becomes something you strive for - eating as little as possible instead of your your planned 1500 (or whatever), then you might need to pay closer attention.
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Since you are trying to lose weight you may do better with a weekly focus on calories over a daily focus. I am talking about fast days. Let’s say you need 3k/day every week that is 21k, fast 3days and 9k negative eat 500 extra on your 4 days a week of eating still 7k negative. 7k is about 2 pounds of fat. Just make sure you eat on your eating days.