When does the eating period actually begin/end?

I started IF 5 days ago, sticking to 16/8 currently. I was searching around online etc., but can't seem to find a proper answer to these questions that are bugging me: When does the eating period actually begin? Does it begin as soon as the 16 hours pass or does it begin as soon as I put the first bite of food in my mouth? Also, since I follow the 16/8 schedule, but I really only eat once a day, does the fasting period start as soon as I finish my meal or does it start after the 8 hour eating period has passed? If it's worth noting, the one meal that I do have is lunch and it usually consists of meat and veggies.

Answer

Your fast begins as soon as you stop eating and ends as soon as you take a bite/drink of anything with calories.

Example if you finish eating at 5pm you start your fast, then you eat at 11am, and again at 4:30 then stop again at 5pm for your next fast. You fasted for 18 hours and had an eating window of 6 hours.

If you finish a meal at 3pm eat or drink nothing with calories until 2pm then finish that meal at 3pm. You have fasted 23 hours and had a one hour eating window.

I typically have 18-20 hour fasts with 4-6 hour eating windows depending on how I feel. It varies from day to day. And some days I simply don’t fast much at all because it doesn’t fit my schedule. You can do whatever feels right for you.