Intermittent Fasting – a coders personal experience | Hacker News Reader

Intermittent Fasting – a coders personal experience

8 pointsrlawson11 comments

I wanted to share my experience intermittent fasting as I have struggled with weight and this seems to work.

120 days in, have lost 15 lbs (195->180). 8 hrs eating window. 16 hrs fasting so basically skipping breakfast with only black coffee. Slow but steady 0.5-1 lb weight loss per week.

As a developer I like simple systems with easy rules. This seems to work well and doesn't make me feel deprived like previous diets.

Also I'm not paying anyone for diet food or exercise equipment or special vitamins, etc.

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I've also had great success with a 16/8 fasting/eating window, usually noon to 8 PM, sometimes a smaller window if I'm not hungry. Makes me actually excited for lunch time. I combined this with taking the stairs instead of the elevator to get my heartrate up at least once per day. What a difference - less weight, more energy, and an easier time climbing stairs.

I also include carbonated water to help me reach my eating window if needed.

I've been doing this for over a year, but only lost weight for the first year.

Working from home, it's nice to skip lunch and go home early though.

Get ready for the "calories in calories out" people to come after you. Intermittent fasting also helped me lose around 15 pounds but in around half the time with a 20 hour fasting window.

It's interesting in that I have no calorie data but here is what it feels like:

1. Initially I lost weight more rapidly (2 lbs a week) but it seemed I was eating more since I really anticipated the eating period and would stuff myself.

2. After a few weeks, I adjusted and I basically seem to have just eliminated a meal. I get full faster and so I don't stuff myself but eat normally for my two meals. However my weight loss is more steady but less - 0.5 to 1 lb a week.

I would guess that now I do eat less calories

IF mostly works because of “calories in calories out”. It’s very tough to eat three worth meals of calories in one.

No it doesn't. It works because of insulin regulation.

How much coffee/tea do you consume during the day? Has this amount increased, and do you ever feel "h-angry" (easily irritated, impatient, not nice with your peers) during the fasting windows? This is something I've been struggling with as a result of IF.

Initially I was having two cups of coffee to make it till noon but now I only have one cup. First couple of weeks were definitely more difficult to concentrate but got easier and now I rarely notice. But I do the easiest pattern with an 8 hr eating window and if I am hungry I will eat at 11am and stop an hour earlier than normal so 11am-7pm

I started to follow a different set of rules today: Ordinary breakfast plus milk-coffee and light-medium amount lunch. After lunch only a big pot of decaffeinated coffee is allowed.

I tried this but by 1pm I crash hard become very unproductive and usually wrap-up work early.

Yeah I can't go past noon, my wife can do alternate day fasting but no way I could do that and be productive

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