What have you guys done after your IF was over and how have you switched over to a "normal" diet?

I tried searching in the search bar, but only really just kept getting more progress pics (which is awesome!) and I checked the faq but didn't find anything that answered my specific questions. But if there's a place that has them, please link it! I don't want to waste anyone time.. But I'm wondering, after you've achieved the weight you're looking for, how do you stop and switch over to something that isn't really fasting/something that will continue to lose weight? I feel like every time I've gotten to a good weight, I steadily gain it back after I start eating "noemally" even if I try to be careful with what I eat. Any tips? What have you done? Also, I'm pretty new to this. 1. Is 20:4 more effective/fast than 18:6, or is it just preference? And can it be moved around? 2. So like MWF, I eat between 4-8, and Tuesday/Thur I only eat 6-10? I feel like that'd be fine, as long as it doesn't cut into the 20 hour fast? 3. Or can you switch between 18:6 and 20:4 freely (like every other day) and get similar results or would it make it invalid? I'm trying to work with my college schedule. With one day that starts early and one day that starts late, and I tend to usually only eat in the evenings. 4. But yeah, my main main question is, how do you/what have you done to switch to a sustainable-weight diet after IF? Thanks for any help and advice!

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I’m using IF for the longevity benefits at this point, and I’ve been maintaining my weight for months without any issues. I don’t even consider it a “diet” - it’s just my normal lifestyle. My fasting window fluctuates anywhere from 16-20 hours. It’s such a life hack; I love it.

My feeding window ends before the sun goes down, so my sleep cycles are regular and predictable now. IF is like life on ez mode - I don’t even want to go back to eating during nighttime.

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I don’t plan on stopping. I’ve lost about 50 lbs and have reached my basic weight loss goal. If I start to put on a little weight, I add a couple of OMAD days to my week. Eating only between 10am and 6pm without much snacking is just what I do now.

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Avoid sugar, refined carbohydrates, processed foods, and artificial sweeteners like they are the plague. Eat only whole foods. I think that a whole foods paleo diet around 100g of carb or less is a good starting point. Personally 95% of what I eat is milk, beef, bacon, and sausage. Weight management is a breeze for me eating like this.

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Wut? The point of IF is insulin control. Why would I go back to eating 3x a day? So my doctor gets kickbacks from Kellogg?

In all seriousness, you’re overthinking this. Refraining from eating itself is what helps insulin regulation. Any of your suggestions are fine. I often do OMAD but other times do the same but break with a healthy snack earlier if needed. Overall, it doesn’t make or break your diet.

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IF isn’t a diet, it’s an eating schedule. The same way you learned eating 3 meals + snacks every day, you can relearn how to eat on a healthier schedule.

I wouldn’t even called it a “lifestyle”

I try to think of it as the way I should’ve been taught to eat.

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Keep Doing IF, once it’s a habit it’s easy to maintain, and Remeber it’s not a diet, so on maintenance you can increase your calories.

IF will help you stay at your goal weight… You can just allow yourself to be less strict. It’s also easier if you ever need need to drop a few pounds after vacations or something

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Totally get what you mean! I was thinking the same thing too but unfortunately if you IF and want to stop, you have to watch what you eat everyday so if you’re gonna have to do that, then doing IF anyway makes sense I guess! I’m attempting 20:4 with lots of 18:6 mixed and I’m seeing maintenance at the moment after dropping 10 pounds since I’m not watching what I eat during the weekends. But I did lose a ton of weight with 20:4&18:6 compared to 16:8, so I recommend smaller windows while trying to lose weight and go for a bigger window when you’re on maintenance!