Here is the Time Restricted Eating (TRE) follow up post I promised in the initial TRE post. Check that out first if you haven’t read it yet. I’ve been consistently doing this form of Intermittent Fasting (IF) my way for over two months now.

Disclaimer: I am not a medical doctor and the information here is not intended as a replacement for care from the appropriate healthcare professional. I am also not offering medical advice. I am merely sharing my interests. Time Restricted Eating or Intermittent Fasting is NOT for everyone. Please always check with your doctor BEFORE trying TRE/IF to make sure it is ok for your individual situation.

Time Restricted Eating – My Way

For me, doing Time Restricted Eating my way means that for 5 days of the week, I fast for a minimum of 12 hours (my fasting window). I therefore restrict my eating to the remaining hours of the day (my eating window). The 2 days I take off fluctuate each week, and I use them for either weekends, holidays or special occasions. 12 hours is pretty easy for me now, so each week I have multiple days where I fast longer. Currently, fasting 14 hours and having a 10 hour eating window feels like the sweet spot for me (14:10). However I sometimes choose to fast for only 12 hours on days when that best suits my schedule (12:12). So far, the longest I have fasted is 16 hours. Presently however a 16:8 schedule is not my objective.

Disclosure: I get commissions for purchases made through affiliate links (marked with asterisks) in this post.

My Objective

My objective with Time Restricted Eating is to make slow steady progress based on changes I can sustain over time without going to extremes. As I initially shared, I am most interested in the intangible health benefits. Have a look at this How Intermittent Fasting Affects Your Body and Brain video. Don’t get me wrong, while any weight loss or physical changes are secondary, they are absolutely appreciated!

Measuring Progress

Towards that end, I took my measurements using a tape measure earlier in the process. I then re-measured a little over a month after that. I am so glad I did! The reductions were there, and they were even better than the ones from after my 30 Day Mini tramp challenge! Without this data, it really looked like nothing was happening on that front. Take a look at this Why and How to Take Body Measurements article for guidance and tips. I only measure my chest, waist (at the navel), hips and thighs. I don’t split waist and abs measurements as they mention in the article. Snag this *Tape Measure if you need one.

Tracking

With Time Restricted Eating, tracking is key for me. I started off using a regular notebook. After a while, I made myself a couple of creative notebooks for this purpose. Nothing fancy and not really necessary, but they are meaningful to me. Each day in addition to tracking my relevant meal start and end times, I keep notes identifying challenges, info, and kudos. Here’s one of them. Hopefully you can see the glitter paper that sparked my creativity. 🙂

My Observations

>>>First Week

Getting through the very first week of Time Restricted Eating was challenging. By the end of that week I was exhausted! I also got a bit irritable when the end of my fasting window stretched into my work hours for the first time. It didn’t help that I tried to push to my fasting window to 14 hours too soon! Everyone is different, but there are some side effects that are common. I like that Dr. Mindy explains the reasons for some side effects in her video. Otherwise we might think they were reasons to quit. However if you are under medical guidance for your TRE plan, please check with your doctor for questions about side effects. Anyhow, after that first week, things got much easier.

>>>Improvements

Overall, I definitely sleep better on the days I practice Time Restricted Eating. Additionally, I can eat dinner earlier in the evening and not worry about late night cravings for snacks. I’ve also noticed that many of my daily cravings for sweets have been tamed. Even cravings for my beloved dark chocolate are almost non-existent! Trust me though, I still eat sweets….and carbs!

>>>Exercise Adjustments

After my first week of TRE, I wanted to get back on my workout schedule including strength training. However the guidance I was seeing indicated that lower impact workouts would be better than heavy weights – especially if working out during my fasting window. Initially, I did Pilates instead, and this *Pilates Fusion workout was ideal for me. Over time, I would compromise and do shorter strength training workouts with lighter weights like this *30 Minutes to Fitness: Body Design by Kelly Coffey-Meyer. Specifically the Light Dumbbell Cardio Sculpting, and the Weighted Kickboxing segments are perfect options. Finally this *Cathe LITE Body Weight & Bands Resistance Band Workout is an effective low impact yet challenging workout. For this latter workout, I purchased *Exercise Loops, *Resistance Bands, and *Resistance Tubes with Handles for the accessories. I switch these videos up for variety on my low impact days. I save my workouts that use heavier weights (i.e. Workout #1 from my Sculpting RX blog post) for mornings following one of the days that I skip TRE.

>>>Is it Just Me?

Interesting question: Is fasting causing me to have “temperature fluctuations”? Not sure, but I did some digging, and it seems like it’s a possibility for some of us. However apparently according to this video, you can use certain types of fasts as a tool to overcome hot flashes.

Quick aside regarding the resources and info I share: Rarely will we/I agree with every bit of guidance from a resource. This probably goes without saying. We must all practice discernment. Further, how do we know what’s right in the face of conflicting information? For me, I typically ask myself if the information resonates with me. If it does – assuming it’s safe for me – I try it, listen to my body, and move forward accordingly. Your process may be different, but do always check in with yourself.

TRE – Ongoing Challenges

>>>The Nibbles

When preparing meals, I have a tendency to nibble or taste. In fact, there’s a section in this Intermittent Fasting 101 book by Stephan Lederer regarding this. 😀 For Time Restricted Eating, this is mainly a challenge at breakfast (ending my fast), or after dinner (starting my fast). To resolve the challenge I accept that I will likely nibble, and I won’t prepare my breakfast until after my fasting window ends. I also make a point to put any leftovers away while I am still full from dinner since I am very unlikely to nibble then. Nevertheless it happens sometimes. Whenever it does, I adjust my meal start or end times as needed.

>>>Evening Commitments

Errands, classes, meetings, or other commitments in the evening often result in a later dinner. To get around this, I attempt to run errands during lunch. Recently when friends wanted to meet up for dinner, we coordinated an early dinner time and that worked great (one of my kudos). Unfortunately sometimes evening challenges are unavoidable. Lately instead of shortening my fasting window when they occur, I challenge myself to make it longer (another kudo). The following morning I use my Coffee with MCT Oil and/or tea to help me delay breaking my fast. BTW…check out my simple recipe for Coffee with MCT Oil. I don’t use it often, but I find it very helpful and surprisingly satisfying.

>>>Teas/Beverages

Despite tea being an acceptable fasting beverage, some teas may have ingredients that sweeten the tea, or contain naturally sweet fruit flavoring. I now try to avoid fruity herbal teas during my fasting window, and I pay closer attention to the ingredients in beverages I use while fasting. Some teas even include stevia! While there appears to be inconsistent info on stevia and it’s ability to stimulate insulin production, I elect to pass on these teas. Easy for me to do. I don’t like the taste of stevia. 😉 Need help figuring out which beverages won’t break your fast? This What to Drink For Fasting video may prove helpful.

New Discoveries

>>>Fasting As An Anti-Depressant?

In my Better Brain Toolbox – Part 2 post, I talked about books and resources identifying foods and activities that can be used to beat depression. Recently I stumbled on The Antidepressant Effects of Intermittent Fasting video on YouTube where Dr. Tracey Marks explains how and why it works. She also gives an excellent overview of eating and fasting windows that I think many will find helpful. Do check it out!

>>>Autophagy Updates

Autophagy is the key to my health benefit goals. While fasting is said to be one of the best ways to trigger autophagy, turns out it is not the only way. In 10 Ways to Induce Autophagy, Stephan Lederer outlines what autophagy is, why we should care, and the various ways to get it going. Additionally, Dr. Mindy’s Foods That Promote Autophagy video shares different foods and beverages, as well as how you can combine then with your fasting and eating windows for maximum effect. How long do you need to fast to induce autophagy in humans? Great question! I’ve heard/seen 12-16 hours, 17 hours, 18 hours, and 24-48 hours. The best answer I heard so far is “we don’t know yet”. 🙂 Have a look at this 6 Signs and Symptoms of Autophagy article if you’re curious. More than likely I will dive deeper into autophagy in a future post.

Wrapping It Up

That’s it! I think I can comfortably say that Time Restricted Eating (TRE) has become another lifestyle change for me. It’s a journey, and I expect I will continue to discover new things about it and me along the way. How about you? Assuming TRE is safe for you, have you started since my initial post on TRE? Let me know your experiences in the comments.