How do I get enough calories on IF?

[aamama]

I'm interested in testing the waters with IF....since I'm often not feeling hungry. BUT....I have found through trial and error that I don't lose unless I'm eating no less than 1400-1500 calories per day. So I'm regularly forcing myself to eat something throughout the day, regardless of whether I feel hungry so that I keep my calorie amounts high enough to lose.

So, if I were to skip breakfast and lunch, and only eat at dinner each day (just as an example) - how on Earth do I eat that many calories in one sitting? I know many of you don't count calories, and just eat to "hunger"...but I've tried that. I generally end up around 600-800 calories if I just let my body tell me when it's hungry/full. And I don't lose at all eating that few calories....how do I balance this out?

[black57]

the definition of a fast is abstinence from solid food, liquid etc for a lengthy period of time. It doesn't have to mean exclude everything for a lengthy period of time. I know that fasting is ketogenic. Fat is ketogenic. I begin my day with some coconut oil and heavy whipping cream in my morning coffee. Besides, fasting doesn't cause rapid weightloss. I highly reccomend doing IF for a year before decing its worth. BUT, figure out how to make it work for you. You can have 2 meals one day and one meal the next. Or 3 meals one day and 2 meals the next. The idea that goes along with fasting is that you eat until feeling full. Also take your time adapting to the change and make gradual changes to will be the more successful way to go.

[Firefly428]

WHY do you want to fast?


is it for rapid weight loss?
is it for the benefits they say you get from fasting for your body?


I don't want to IF. I researched it. but in the end I like to eat. the minute I give myself a fast window of say, 6 pm to 1 pm the next day for my first meal I cave LOL the minute I restrict myself is the minute I want food. go figure? :)

but I unintentionally IF alot of days. I eat a big breakfast and eat a very small dinner maybe and go until my breakfast the next day. curbs calories, keeps me satified and I lose weight.

If you are doing one meal per day and trying to cram 1500 cals into that one meal. woof. that is hard actually. you could just eat a small amt of cheese, cream in coffee, snack on some high fat high cal. foods just enough to keep your calories up. but fasting is really is abstaining from food so???
I don't know

[aamama]

I'm interested in trying it for its reported health benefits - and because I'm just not hungry....and I'm growing tired of constantly worrying about making sure I get that 1400 or so calories. It's making me constantly worry about food, and I feel like I have to be eating every 2 hours to fit that much in. It would be nice to just eat when I feel hungry, but I'm struggling with balancing that minimum caloric requirement my body needs to lose. I'm not overly worried about increasing weight loss - I'm losing at a good rate in my opinion - about 4 lbs per month since January.

The more reading I do, the more I think that IF should be my plan for maintenance....when my weight is where I want it and I can play around with calorie levels more, since I won't need to lose any more....I just don't know. What I'm doing right now seems to be working, why mess with it? Ugh....I'm too impatient.

[kayin]

That's weird that you don't lose when you follow your hunger on IF. Not to get you down, but I lose about 1/2 lb a day eating that amount and IFing with an eating window from 5pm to 8pm. I do walk about 2 hours a day though so that helps. I hope you try out some things and see what works for you. You'll eventually hit upon something that really works, just keep trying!

[JEY100]

Have you tried high fat/high calorie small snacks within your IF window, if you really must keep the calories up? Macadamia Nuts, Coconut Oil based fat bombs, CO in tea, etc. Maybe if you increased the fat ratio you could lose better eating to hunger, rather than forcing a minimum calorie intake? These are guesses, since I've never had the problem of eating too little on IF :)

[rightnow]

Yeah, it's a problem trying to get enough calories in one eating window.

Bacon.
Homemade mayonnaise.
Avocado.
Add coconut oil to everything while cooking.
Add grass-fed butter to everything else or after cooking is done (don't cook omega 3 fats).

Most LC food is fats-proteins, which are very filling but not very caloric compared to how filling they are. Definitely more emphasis on fats is the only hope for the calories.

PJ

[aj_cohn]

You should read some of Stefani Ruper's review of the literature of IF for women (http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/) before before you go that route.

[mike_d]

Most LC food is fats-proteins, which are very filling but not very caloric compared to how filling they are. Definitely more emphasis on fats is the only hope for the calories.PJExactly! I have made more headway with my health since I discovered the effects of high fat. Reading about it is OK, but doing really sinks in. :agree:

I was proud of myself at lunch today, eating a chunk of picnic roast -- I enjoyed the fattest parts and gave the lean to my dog -- like an Eskimo hunter would :lol:

[aamama]

You should read some of Stefani Ruper's review of the literature of IF for women (http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/) before before you go that route.

Wow! Amazingly useful article, with so much helpful information in one place. Thanks for this - I've spent the last few days immersed in reading about IF for women....and have decided I won't be trying it. At least not at this time. I've found such a good "sweet" spot for losing with keeping my cals between 1400 and 1500, with lots of fats and minimal carbs. I'm losing 1.5 lbs per week right now...and feel amazing. I just hated having to eat all the time. But, I'm willing to make that sacrifice :) It's actually very interesting to me, the different impact IF has on men and women. I'm 27 and already struggle with cyclicity issues, some hormone problems, and of course, insulin sensitivity. I'll do whatever I can to avoid exacerbating those issues. I've been eating this way for a year now - my cycles are back to "normal" (for me) and I've noticed a major reduction in hormone imbalance. No sense messing with this now :)

[CindyMarie]

great thread i'm glad i came across this.
i was considering starting IF today because I havent had any loss i'd like to see as of yet. In any case this makes sense because i know hormonally we get those cravings because I believe we need more calories/nutrition especially during those times of month.
before i came back doing LC , over the fall i was doing all vegetarian and fat and took out the grains. however i was taking Spirulina every morning mixed with OJ, that makes the taste much better! i experienced drastic improvements in my cycle in a matter of 1-2 months, more energy and i was able to do physical exercise, chores, etc...
In my reading Spirulina is noted to help the thyroid gland as it contains natural iodine. it helped to regulate my hormones i believe and gave me more energy during those periods when i needed it the most. It also contains protein and lots of Vitamins and minerals we lose during that time esp the first 1-3 days

of course OJ is just a big fat no-no on LC/HF so i may go back to taking the tablets which is a safe bet. drinking the powder without OJ to cover it up is nasty!

[ojoj]

I cant understand this need to have enough calories to lose weight?? Why on earth is it that people in those PoW camps and in third world countries manage it???? Eat when you're hungry and only eat til you're satisfied, not bursting - thats my advice. IF was something I tried, but couldnt do, so I ended up just not eating til lunch time and it worked for me. As for calories - they're about as useful as measuring water with an inch tape!!

Jo xxx

[Liz53]

You should read some of Stefani Ruper's review of the literature of IF for women (http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/) before before you go that route.

That article should be required reading for any woman considering IF or even significant calorie restriction. Thanks so much for posting.