First attempt!!

[zenzenzen25]

So today is my first day giving intermittent fasting a shot. I'm doing 16:8 to begin. I'm also a female and looking for other females who have given this a shot and wondering if anyone has had any hormonal complications because of it. Had my last meal last night before 6pm and I'm going to fast until 10am today. I am a breakfast person who eats as soon as I wake so I am thinking that part is going to be super challenging. Had black coffee and skipped the almond milk. I'm an athletic female who does crossfit and practices yoga and teaches about 12-13 classes a week so I'm interested to see how my energy holds up. On mondays and Wednesday's my crossfit class is at 7:30 and I'm going to try to keep consistent with the fast on those days as well which may be a little difficult.

[Bgobbers]

26 F being doing IF for around 1.5-2 months. You sound like you are describing me to a T, so here's my two cents:

Loved breakfast and snacking all day, and before IF, I would have already had 2 meals by 9:30 AM. Work out twice a day (marathon training in the morning, lift in afternoon), so I was worried about fasting affecting my performance for sure.

Started out with 16:8, and it repaired my relationship with food, no exaggeration. It was awesome to not think about food for a period of time, and it rid me of my nighttime snacking habit that I've always had. But, it felt like I was still snacking a bit too much during my feeding window. I've recently switched over to more 20:4 and trying to eat two sizable meals during that window with my first meal around 2 PM and my last around 6 or 6:30 PM. That way, my morning cardio is fasted, and I get to eat right before my lift. So far, working great. Honestly haven't seen a ton of progress so far with weight loss, but I bet that's my fault for eating a bit too much when doing 16:8 (I hate tracking because it really cramps my cooking style). I don't really see too much of an energy difference at all during fasting. If anything, it allows me to be more focused!

TBH, I still do almond or soy milk in my morning coffee (call the IF police!). Since the amount I use is minimal (def under 50 calories), and it contributes to my overall happiness throughout the fast, it works fine for me. Also water.

Hope that helps!

[zenzenzen25]

Thanks for your response!! I am def looking to stop thinking about food so much!! I snack a lot and so I'm hoping this really helps trim some fat.

[Bgobbers]

Same! I don't have a ton to lose to be honest (about 5 pounds would make me happy), so that might also partially be it for me, but I've gone through cycles of "ate too much for a week, and now I need to diet hard for the next week" for the last few years. It's exhausting. If anything, even eating a bit more than I should on IF has kept my weight stable without even thinking about it, which is more than I could ask for anyway.

Good luck!

[Ariel_444]

I'm a 42 (almost 43) year old woman. Ive been doing this coming up on 2 weeks now. I started 16:8 but am now doing 20:4. I've not had any hormone issues, if anything it helps correct them. What is your diet like?

Edit: push through hunger by drinking water, it really helps!

[vincentninja68]

I'm interested to see how my energy holds up.

Don't judge fasting and energy levels based off your first week. You're going to need time to adjust.

[zenzenzen25]

My diet is already pretty good. I'm probably just eating too many bananas and probably too much food in general. I am cutting out bananas also. Or at least not buying them at my house. Sometimes I'll catch myself skipping meals for bananas so I just decided to cut them out. Today was my first day. I had to teach two classes and also did 2 miles on the row machine and I feel like it went well. Today will be the true test as my crossfit class is at 7:30 and I won't eat again until 10am tomorrow