I have an acquaintance who also does IF and he said he always takes his last bite at 7:30 and resumes eating at noon. Since being told this, I’ve also been adding that extra half hour to my fasts. But I’m wondering if it’s necessary? He never quite elaborated why, but I always assumed it was to give his body some time to digest his last meal before starting his clock. I know longer can better for fasting, but curious if adding a digestion window matters for meeting a specific time goal—16, 18, 20, etc.
Answer
I would recommend not overthinking it and thereby getting lost in the weeds on silly stuff like this as you have the potential to drive yourself mad.
I start my fast within a couple minutes of finishing my last meal and then, if I’m within +/- 1 hour of my 16:8 or 18:6 or whatever and I’m ready to eat, then I eat. 1 hour at the tail end of a fast is not going to make any difference at all.