IF=Intermittent fasting

I think that for newbies to the South Beach plan and in phase I....it is best to follow the meal plan guide as closely as possible.

IF is a strategy of eating for those who need to get their calories low. It is also believed by some to be a superior way of eating to the way the SBD books suggests to us, due to digestive issues by eating a few times a day.

My eating has certainly evolved over time( 6 yrs doing this now) and I have naturally come to a place where I kind of eat in an IF way.
My morning meal is always the same, 1/2 cup of yogurt(60 cals) with my coffee. I've read where anything under 100 cals in the morning is considered OK on IF. I did not do this to try IF....it really just happened that way for me.
I then have my first meal as my lunch and that is a good amount of food as I do move a lot during the day. I still do have my late afternoon snack, dinner, dessert and a snack later in the evening.

While I do think that what Angie is doing is working for her, it really is not the way we learn to eat in the SBD way.

There are many IF threads all over this site.

If I could just pipe up here, then I'll slink away.
You will find that those of us who practice an IF WOE DO NOT eat low calories.
We just distribute our calories in a different way.

Like you Judy--my calories stay consistently 1700-1800 average daily.
I followed my natural ryhthm for eating...who knew it was called something. I thought that I was just a breakfast hater

I'll slink away now (but I always read the SB threads)

Progress not perfection.

Lisa

How did I know that you'd be piping in on this one Lisa??!!
Thanks for sharing.

I do think it helps me keep my calories within a certain range, but it could be psychological. I know I am not as hungry as when I'd eat several times a day. I was a little scared when switching over to SB from Atkin's because once again, had to face the dreaded "calorie" issue (though certainly NOT to the degree people have to on Weight Watchers) so I employed a second strategy. However, I am not a beginner when it comes to food plans, or how to incorporate them into my life. It is something I have been extremely conscious of since I retired as a fitness trainer and during my career, I offered nutrition advice to many people (though mostly lowfat!)

So, Judy is right I think that people should maybe learn one program well and try hard to adhere at a time. I knew it was going to take some "tricks" for me because I don't have much to lose and I have a thyroid issue. Not everyone would need to employ more than one strategy....but it's sure nice learning that you can!

BTW (sorry to ramble) but I never saw too many folks lose on lowfat diets either! Hard to watch sometimes...knowing they were sticking to it to the letter also.....and were exercising. It was definitely due to all the high carbs and sugar that many just could not succeed!

Thank you for all the great information!!

Angie-
This is a link to a thread for those with small amounts of weight to lose to get to goal:
http://forum.lowcarber.org/showthread.php?t=403937