How to begin with intermittent fasting?

[jazzyoldjim]

I had a baby 4m ago and since then I have eaten whatever I like and put on some pounds. I am 5ft3 and weigh 11st4 (71kg) before baby I weighed 10st6 and I still wanted to lose weight. I'd like to give intermittent fasting a go, but not sure how to start. Do I go straight to 16h fasting and 8h eating or should I start with less? Are there any "rules" I should abide by to maximise weight loss?

Any advice very much welcome!

It depends on how you're doing on the day to be honest. Some days it's easier than others. If I were you I'd buy the Michael mosely book, itsvery good for getting your head round the principles. I personally don't find eating breakfast helpful, my friend otoh eats in the morning & lunch then not again until the following day. You really need to see what suits you best and be prepared to eat if you absolutely really need to.

Personally I don’t like to create rules for anything diet related. But here is a summary of my experience as I fast regularly and really enjoy it.
To start with you ought to stop snacking in between meals completely, to get a feel of it all. Then cut down on added sugar (cakes and cookies) to avoid default sugar binging when you break your fast. Many people binge and overcompensate at the end of the fast and do not lose any fat as a result. Be mindful of what you eat when you come off a fast.

Then start by skipping a meal, most prefer to skip breakfast or lunch. Have a massive dinner but try not to have sugary treats, or just a little bit of treats.
Start with skipping one meal one day per week and increase to five days a week. Once you are used to that you should already see dramatic difference in your appearance.
Then extend as appropriate. If you feel light headed/faint/extremely tired then you must stop fasting. People who suffer from blood sugar and blood pressure issues should not fast for prolonged period of time.

The easiest way to do intermittent fasting is to stop eating after your evening meal. Avoid the evening / late night snacking. Have some tea or sugar free flavoured sparkling water if you're bored and feel you just need something. Then hold out until the morning. By stopping the eating at 7pm and not eating again until breakfast at 7am you'll have done a 12hr fast and slept through most of it. It's really very easy once you get the hang of it. I stop eating about 8pm. Then don't have my next meal again until 1pm the next day. I just don't get hungry anymore

I do IF and it’s been really effective. I didn’t find it that hard to skip breakfast and go through to 12 noon before eating. It’s also mostly ok stopping eating by about 8pm. It depends a bit on what your schedule is as to what works. You can just tweak it to find what suits you. I drink black coffee (which took some adjusting to) and water when fasting, I have lengthened my fasts now so usually do 20:4 each day which has been ok - with the very occasional longer fast. I found listening to Intermittent Fasting Stories Podcast with Gin Stephens helpful.

Are you breastfeeding? Do you need more calories ?

Ok, all very helpful thank you!
@newbiename no, not breastfeeding.

We eat early because of the kiddos so I can easily stop eating at 6 and then we get up about 8 so thats 14h no problem. I'll maybe try that for a week and see how I get on, perhaps I can stretch it gradually.
I do get dizzy/faint sometimes if I exhert myself without eating enough so I will have to be a bit careful I think.

Look up Jason Fung & Eric Berg on YouTube.

I would just not eat until you feel hungry and then have a cut off point in the evening.

I went hard core a couple of weeks after starting fasting with a 44 hour fast and found that quite easy, been doing it over 4 years now. I prefer a short eating window of 2-4 hours, I find it much easier to control my eating this way. Hunger is much more manageable if I don't have too many carbs too. I I did 12-16 hour fasting window in my latest pregnancy, I ensured I was eating plenty each day and baby came out perfectly healthy and huge (4.96kg, 38+6). I do all my gym sessions fasted and feel great, I lift heavy weights.

Hi, I'm also very new to IF and coincidentally the same weight and height as jazzyoldjim. Only I had my last baby many moons ago. I have just started on the 14:10 plan only because I want to see how I get on with it and gradually work my way up to fasting longer. I very rarely have breakfast but find it challenging not to snack in the evenings. I usually work till midnight and "think" my teatime is when I get home. Rubbish I know and a difficult habit to crack. Because of my work pattern I now have my last food at 11pm (usually 2 pieces of fruit) and my first meal at 1pm. I have a small-(er) portion at tea time and stick with low sugar, high fibre and high protein snacks. Plenty of water is also important. Try for about 2.5 litres 😉