Intermittent Fasting (IF) simply refers to a lifestyle in which one fasts for a number of hours, and then eats. We all technically do IF when we sleep, and then wake up and eat. However, the way I began IF was to not eat for 16 hours (includes sleep), and have an 8 hour window where I would eat all my calories.

The first few weeks were difficult. Hunger in the morning (I had eaten breakfast upon rising my entire life, even when not hungry) was almost vicious, and I had to fight to keep myself from eating (maybe this would have been easier if I drank coffee then). I would sometimes be hungry during the day as well, yet I usually had something to keep me occupied and my mind off food. As time went on, the hunger pangs would last less and less time, until I was only feeling very hungry for about 15 minutes in the morning, and that was it for the rest of the day. Eventually, about 4 weeks in, I stopped being hungry during the day.

I began with an 8 hour window from 12pm-8pm. I noticed I would often be hungry after 8 and before bed, so eventually I decided to push the window back from 2pm to 10pm, so I could eat up until going to bed. This worked well for a while. The next change came months later, when I decided to lose body fat. For convenience, I pushed the feeding window so it began post workout (around 5:30 usually) and ended when I went to bed (around 10). This 4.5 hour window made losing body fat really easy. I was up and about all day, not hungry. I would only be hungry after eating my first meal. When meal time came, I would have usually 2 meals, and would actually struggle to meet my minimum calorie requirements. The combination of food I was eating (mostly fresh fruits and vegetables for carbs, sometimes spaghetti. Grass fed local chicken and longhorn steak) and rather large daily energy expenditure helped me drop from 12% to about 8% in months. Effects of pre workout/stimulants and caffeine seemed to be accentuated in the fasted state.

My first meal was a post workout meal, large, high carb and low fat meal, between 4-6pm. Last meal was usually around 10-10:30pm. Felt fine all day, no lethargy or sleepiness (this was a HUGE benefit, as I would often struggle to not fall asleep in my early afternoon class). I enjoyed feeling light and able all day, rather than feeling slowed down by food. Focus was high all day, meals were timed to be able to wind down and relax after getting everything done during the day.  I would never get hungry until I ate. The hardest part was the first few weeks, as hunger in the morning was sometimes severe. Training fasted (after consuming ~10g bcaa) was not a problem, I enjoyed it.

I now use IF when I am trying to lean out, as well as gain weight. I love feeling light and mobile all day long, and coming home after being physically exhausted and feasting. When trying to gain weight, I often lengthen the window to 8-10 hours, as it can be difficult to consume the amount of calories I need in the shorter time period. While leaning out, I shorten the window, usually around 6 hours, post workout until bed time. I have seen wonderful results doing so, and so far IF is the most effortless and simplest way for me to lose body fat. I have been doing it for about 2 years now, give or take a few months where my environment and schedule made it difficult to sustain.

I highly recommend attempting this method of eating, and sticking through with it until it becomes easy. If you see no results or do not like it, drop it. It is by no means for everyone. However for me it brought about an entire change in lifestyle which I can easily revert back to any time and have yet to not see results and derive joy from it.