Long-time listener, first-time caller. I have done IF in the past with decent-ish results but always fell off the wagon for a lot of reasons. I also discovered since then that chewing gum and drinking my Diet Cokes were not the stopgap to hunger I thought they were; quite the opposite. So I restarted yesterday doing 16:8. I wound up doing more like 17.5:6.5 because I didn't eat again after dinner (I just wasn't hungry). I'd like to eventually get to 20:4 or OMAD but I want to work my way to that.
F, mid 30s, CW 198, GW in the 130s. I am 5'2" and I am also working on gaining some muscle/definition so I don't care as much about the exact weight but I have some significant back and joint issues that I think would find some relief with less weight to carry/stronger muscles to support them.
Just wanted to post to give myself more accountability! Going the slower, steadier route seems more doable this time around and I am hopeful to just feel better overall. I don't have any IF questions (yet; I'm sure I will be back and I have been reading for a few weeks!) but the thingy makes me add a flair soooo I will ask this important question, courtesy of one of my children: what did the dog say to the cat? "Let's be bark friends forever!"
Answer
Sounds like you have discovered the “clean fast” approach to IF! The flavors in diet coke and gum, etc, usually make fasting very difficult. There’s some science behind this, including related to insulin responses to different tastes (you can search “clean fast” online). Stay strong. IF has many benefits to health!