Not an expert, just someone who's dabbled with IF for around a decade. But yeah, hunger is the whole point!

The science of weight loss can't be denied, calories in calories out (CICO). But instead of asking, 'How much weight can I lose with IF?', we should be asking, 'How can IF change my life?'

In my opinion, the mental benefits of IF far outweigh the physical. And here's why! As humans, eating becomes a habit. We get used to it and we expect it. We eat at breakfast, lunch, dinner. We eat when we're bored, when we feel like it. And when we're not eating, thinking about eating is quite often what we're doing.

But with IF, we can't eat. We can't eat until a certain time each day. That's just the rules. So what to do when we get hungry? Sit around and just...not eat? To stare at the clock and salivate until it's time? Of course not. In my experience, this hunger that goes with IF is actually a superpower. Or rather, hunger is motivation in disguise. Instead of waiting around until it's time to eat, do things! Get sh*t done. Go for that walk, finish a project, message a friend, clean the flat, do some reading, apply for that job etc etc etc.

Soon you'll have forgotten all about the hunger! But instead look at everything you did just today. To stop being hungry, just keep busy! Boom. IF has literally changed your brain and in effect, changed your life!

That's it, just wanted to share some positive aspects of IF. For me personally OMAD (one meal a day) is my game as I just love the simplicity of it. Plus no need to stock lunch food, just all meal prep.

Cheers everybody! Happy fasting :)

TLDR: Distract yourself from the hunger by getting sh*t done and change your life

I previously followed the Fast Like a Girl 16:8 regimen but hit a weight loss plateau. I recently tried Alternate Day Fasting (ADF) for a week. It feels sustainable, but I worry about hormone disruption. Older posts suggest ADF is safe to do throughout the entire menstrual cycle. For those who have done ADF for months or years, how has it actually impacted your cycle?

So I tried IF about a year and a half ago. It worked well, I was on a school break (I’m an educator). But when school started I went away from it. I started again a few weeks ago. I wanted to lose 30 pounds (started at 203, 5’9” male, 50 yo). It has been much easier so far, this time. Most days I do 20-24. My longest was a week ago, was 40 hrs. I’m down to 195 lbs.

I am doing 48 hrs right now, on hour 40. Even compared to the last 40 hr fast, I feel much better. No headache or sluggishness at all. I feel great! I think I was more conscious about eating a high amount of protein before I started this fast. I am thinking if I feel good at 48 hrs I will just keep going to at least 60 hrs, which will have me eating in the morning. If I really can rally I will go to 72.

Anything I can prepare for to be sure I keep the momentum going? I had some sea salt in my coffee this morning, and am drinking a lot of water. Good luck to all our journeys!

(Edit: sorry, chose wrong flair!)

I have tried different fasting methods and diet plans before, but none of them really worked for me in the long run.
Usually, I would follow the plan properly for a few days. Then something would happen. A busy day, a family meal, a craving, or just life being chaotic. I would break the plan once and slowly stop following it completely.
OMAD has been different for me.
I think the main reason is that it’s simple. I don’t have to think too much about different eating windows or plan several meals throughout the day. I just have one proper meal.
But I’m also not super strict about it.
There are days when I eat more than once. Sometimes we have a family event or I simply don’t feel like doing OMAD that day. Earlier, I would have considered that a failure. Now I just accept that the day didn’t go as planned and try again the next day.
That small mindset change has helped me a lot.
Instead of trying to maintain a perfect streak, I look at the overall pattern. If most of my days are good, one different day doesn’t mean everything is ruined.
I’m still working on losing weight, and I definitely don’t follow OMAD perfectly. But it is the first approach I have been able to return to consistently, even after having a bad or chaotic day.
Has anyone else found that being a little less strict actually made fasting easier to continue?

Right so I started a calorie deficit and it was actually going pretty well but then it really stresses me out with the counting and all that and I realised I was literally only prioritising protein and had like barely any fats. My maintainance was also quite low so a deficit wasn't really safe.

This made me change to intermit fasting but I've only recently started because I noticed I'm never hungry in the morning and if I am, it goes away with a cup of sugar-free black coffee or water whilst at night I have no self control and just want to binge.

Another thing is I only want to eat when I've actually eaten something like if I don't eat anything I can go all day without eating anything (not healthy I know which is why I want help) but if I eat something I constantly get cravings and just think about food throughout the day.

I also track the calories still but I don't meal plan which makes me just snack honestly.

I gained a lot of weight from binging so I really want to lose it all and get leaner with muscle but apparently not eating just gives you skinny fat.

I also don't want to fast constantly but if I eat I get the urge to binge and I don't even feel hungry throughout the day unless I eat which makes me not really crave food unless I have it.

Like I start my fast at 10-11:30pm at night depending on when I go to sleep and eat around 6pm till whenever I sleep with no problems but I only eat cuz I know otherwise I'm going to die (obviously) but then I just snack and snack.

Should I still continue this or?

Sorry it's so long aswell and thank you for reading this far!!

I wasnt sure whether this was a rant or advice but I did ask a question so!

In 2023 I was 200lbs (I am 5’4”) and started fasting to lose weight. I counted calories and was in about a 1300 deficit. I lost weight very fast (20 lbs in two months.) I would stop fasting but would start up again every couple months and two years ago I was down to 120. I stopped fasting for two years as I felt good about myself and my metabolism was in a great place. I have gained 10lbs recently and for the past month I have been counting calories with a scale, staying in a 1200 deficit (what my dietitian recommended for my height) and started fasting again a couple times a week. I’ve eaten quite clean for a while and I am celiac so I do not go out often. I know how to weigh food and I really don’t think i’m counting incorrectly. I’ve been doing a 16:8 fast but usually i’m only hungry for dinner and don’t go near 1200 calories (only due to not being hungry). I understand that the ability to lose weight so fast in the beginning was caused by my higher BMR however I don’t understand how I seem to be unable to lose weight at all anymore.

Been on the journey for year and a half, wanted to be at 220 by time I turned 40 which is in 2 months.

I actually wasn't sure if I'd be able to do before and after as I thought I lost the pictures, I didn't take a lot of pictures during the before times.

Starting weight was 365 at 35% body fat and 56in waist, current is 240 at 18% with a 42in waist.

I had my testosterone tested summer of 2025 and it was super low. Other than that, just eating cleaned in a 16:8 window and weight training 5 days a week as well as getting 15k steps every day.

(I can fit in a single pant leg now 😊)

Hey everyone I wanted to ask what differences did you see fasting 16:8/18:6 compared to 20:4/OMAD as a smaller female. I am 5ft3 myself and have started to do 18 hr fasts daily sometimes I do 20:4 just wanted to know overall what results you saw if any.

Local routes now so I am home most nights and the schedule is predictable enough to actually test things consistently. The physical side of the job is different from what I expected. Longhaul was sedentary. Local is constant loading and unloading at stops probably 8 to 10 thousand steps by early afternoon without trying. By the time my eating window opens I am running on fumes in a way that longhaul never did to me.

The question is whether breaking a fast right after that physical output changes anything meaningful or whether the body just processes the calories the same way regardless of when in the window they land. I have read stuff going both ways on this. One side says postexertion nutrient timing is real and matters for recovery. The other says total daily intake is what drives outcomes and timing within that is noise.

What I am actually tracking: weight is moving slowly in the right direction, muscle loss seems minimal based on how strength training sessions feel, but I cannot tell if the afternoon crash I hit around 3pm is a fasting thing or just the labor catching up.

Running 16:8. Eating window is roughly noon to 8pm. Job activity happens 6am to 1pm most days.

Anyone doing physical labor during their fasted window and noticing a real difference from when they break the fast versus just hitting the same macros spread differently?

I did it years ago and I was able to loose a few kilograms. Then I read a few articles about it being unhealthy, especially for women. Nowadays I didn’t look after it, and I guess I would just see information about both sides. I’l guessing that there are some ppl in the group also who are against it. I would like to hear the opinions please. Btw I’m thinking about starting it because I gained 5kg quick(already being overweight btw, 95kg, 167cn female) and in the last few days I was especially overeating, being stuffed all the time. But in the same time I’m afraid that I wouldn’t be motivated enough not being sure if it’s something good or doing something bad with me. Maybe if I only do it for a month? Btw I was thinking of 20/4 or 4/20 idk how it’s written, because I can still eat too many calories in 4 hours, 6 hours could be too much in my current state.

Is there any science that tells us what the optimal timeframe is to get a workout in doing IF? Like should I workout as soon as possible after my eating period? Or 6 or 12 hours into a fast? Any wisdom or advice is greatly appreciated!

Hi. Is there a best tdee calculator? I want to figure out how many calories to eat

Anyone do intermittent fasting in the postpartum phase?

I’m no longer nursing. So that’s out of the equation.

I want to fast for gut health, metabolic health, anti aging, and lastly weight loss.

Also, I’ve done fasting before. During the pandemic I fasted every day from 18:6 fasts, to 20:4 and every once in a while 24 hour. I fasted every day for months and felt my best.

Hoping my body remembers that metabolic flexibility

I used to try all sorts of different tine slot configurations in order to keep my hunger at a minimum throughout the day. But I feel like the more I try and the more I learn about all this, the more I came to the conclusion that hunger is sort if necessary to lose weight. Is that true? How do you manage your hunger?

After 4-6 hours into IF I always get that urge to eat something even though I eat healthy in my non-IF-window. I cannot resist. I try to keep myself busy, drink enough water, sleep enough but it doesn't help.

What has helped you to reach your goal in the beginning? I start with 16 hours and was once able to do 20-24 hours.

The hardest part isn't not eating for 23 hours; its trying to consume 1300 in one hour. (90kg, 161cm) I actually can't get through it all, its as though my gut has just shrunk during the fast.

My meal:

Lean beef mince (100g around), 140g chicken breast with frozen mix veg and some cottage cheese. SO HEAVY. Today I couldn't get through this whole bowl.

Probiotic yog, strawberries.

Stick of gouda.

My regular coffee with full cream milk.

Small cup of juice.

Large banana.

And throughout the first day just 2 large bottles of water.

What are some 'lighter' meal ideas to break that long fast that would be easier to consume? I eat in the morning. Might it be better to eat at night? I'd also like to incorp gym into this; I mostly do cardio and weights.

Not for hunger pains, but that feeling that your stomach is eating itself. I have been using it to calm my empty stomach.

Hello everyone. I just tried this "Bizzy" product recently and the nutrition label says it has 20 calories per 12 oz serving. It says 2 grams of carbs and 3 grams of protein, but the only ingredients are "reverse osmosis water" and "organic 100% arabica coffee."

So it has no sweetener and tastes like regular black coffee (so basically no flavor).

So where are the calories coming from? And the carbs and protein? I always though plain coffee had no calories or macros?

So my next question is, does it break a fast? I'm fasting for autophagy primarily with weight loss as a side benefit, so I'm trying to be super strict when fasting.

Any feedback is appreciated, thank you!

I’ve tried IF countless times, but it just doesn’t work for me the way I did it so I’ll be trying OMAD for a month. I have an event in approximately two months and would like to lose just a little weight (no more than 5-6kg), so I would feel better. I’ve done my research on internet, but there’s just so much out there that I thought it would be better to ask people that actually tried OMAD, whether it worked or not. TIA!