I’ve been doing the 16/8 (most days, sometimes 15/9) IF for a few weeks now.
The day starts at 430am with the first coffee, Work at 7, more coffee, First Huel at noon-ish, Dinner 6-ish, last Huel consumed at about 8pm. Bed and repeat.
Most days, between first coffee and lunch, all is well. A little bit of hunger, but manageable. Other days though, around 9-10am, I’m so hungry i’m ready to rip off my arm and eat it. I’ve tried more coffee, bug-juice (Navy slang for Kool-Aid), tea, water, it just seems to make it worse. It doesn’t matter if I’m active or at my desk.
I’ve not yet read the IF book mentioned here by @Deron, if I recall, they’re on my Amazon list-to-get.
I’m fairly sure I’m not the Lone Ranger in this, what works for y’all to stave off the hunger pangs, or do you just power through it?
I’ve started with a 14/10 IF & drink a lot of water in the morning until ~9am, sometimes having some coffee if I must, then water/tea/coffee between meals. Some mornings are much more difficult than others & schedule changes, but I try to maintain it by filling up with water whenever possible.
You may need to adjust the time to better correspond to sleep/wake cycles. IMO you seem to be eating too late. I finish my final meal before you do, 1830 is my usual time. I go to bed around 0100 and get up around 0800 or 0900. I have decaf coffee soon after waking, then exercise around 1000. I then eat around 1130. Work starts at 1230. I eat my largest meal right before work.
I wonder if it’s possible to back the feeding window by 2 to 3 hours. Start around 0900 or 1000 and then finish by 1600 or 1700.
BTW, Kool ade with sugar will break a fast.
Another thing I will add is this: now that my BMI is less than 21, IF is harder for me. And now that I’ve adopted a lower fat diet, I sometimes don’t eat enough during the feeding window. I sometimes cannot make it the full 16 hours. Fasting for a good 18 to 20 hours was no problem when I was overweight. Now I lack the excess body fat to feed my cells during the fasting window, so it’s harder.
Thinking about it, it seems it’s worse when I overeat during the day. I do need to keep better track of what I eat. Usually it’s the snacks that do me in. They’re healthier than before, mostly nuts, I’ve given up the pringles, fritos, etc.
There’s usually an hour or so between my last Huel and bedtime. I can try to move it back another hour.
No sugared drinks pass these lips. All the bug juice I drink is sugar free.
I don’t know what my BMI is, I’d bet it’s pretty high. I’m 6’2", 360 pounds.
All the bug juice I drink is sugar free.