The Big IF Study: What if it’s about when you eat, not what you eat?

Join Tim Spector and Sarah Berry in a brand-new webinar, as they introduce you to The Big IF Study all about intermittent fasting. This is the ZOE Health Study's latest research with which everyone in the UK can get involved!
Tim and Sarah talk about how the study will work, how you can take part, what we hope to learn and answer lots of your questions from the app about intermittent fasting.
To find out more about The Big IF Study visit: health-study.joinzoe.com/inte...
If you need subtitles, please click the option for subtitles at the bottom right of the video.
You can also read some published scientific papers on Intermittent Fasting:
www.cell.com/cell-metabolism/...
www.annualreviews.org/doi/ful...
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/arti...
The app is available to download from: health-study.joinzoe.com/app
Join our science newsletter where ZOE weighs in on the latest trends and discoveries, with advice from top scientists to help you improve your health: eepurl.com/hPnPZL

[@natures_child]

I used to eat within a 12 hour window, but a few months ago I cut this down to a 10/11 hour window based on the advice given by Tim in other podcasts and after reading his book, Spoon Fed. I usually eat my breakfast around 7:00 - 7:30am and eat my main meal by 5:30pm - 6pm. I only drink water in the evenings. I have found that fasting any longer than 14 hours does not suit me as I am perimenopausal and suffer from terrible fatigue, light headedness and dizziness etc. Since reducing my eating window I have noticed that I am sleeping much better, that I actually feel hungry when I eat my breakfast (my stomach is empty) and that my digestive system is functioning much better. I have also found that I no longer feel hungry during the day and that I want to eat less for my dinner as I still feel full. I cannot wait for the results of this study.

[@robertwilson7736]

Yes sir theres a hunger problem fasting to me is torture lifes too short

[@claireothel4470]

Okay

[@wendypayne985]

Been doing IF for over a year now, lost 40 pounds, best thing I've ever done, i have so much more energy, my skin feels so much better, I was always a yoyo dieter before. So pleased Zoe are doing this study, absolutely brilliant.

[@vicwilkins7555]

That’s such good news. Can I ask how long you’re eating window is and how long you fast for? Thanks

[@MrChompom]

Well - this is brilliant! I’m 56, had MS since ‘98 and can just about wall walk. Done all the gut protocols and learnt loads. My main aim was to alleviate fatigue, particularly post eating, which I put down to a ‘sugar’ crash. Time restricted eating using a late 9hr window has really energised me! I had noticed that previously when I didn’t eat - I felt better, but thought I should eat as this was the norm. Can’t wait for the study to start and the Personalised Eating Protocol thing - which I haven’t been called up for yet!

[@anaphirirussell]

My main question as regards the study is, if you’re already doing IF can you/should you take part? I’m so excited about this! Big up to ZOE for boldly going where no one has been before 👍🏼👍🏼🙌🏽🙌🏽

[@littlevoice_11]

Same question. I am 20:4 or OMAD

[@tracy3561]

I also practice 16/8 at the moment. If I want to join the study, should I stop for a week before the study starts? Thanks

[@wendypayne985]

Same Question

[@KellieAndersonfoodtoglow]

Same. Currently 18:6 and it suits me so well.

[@ChicybeeUk]

same here ive just posted the same question lol

[@janedawber7214]

I have chrones disease and 2 years ago started time restricted diet. Brunch 1.30pm and nothing after 9.30pm. Lost weight and chrones in remission. Its brilliant for me!

[@lifestylesew]

Hi I have started Zoe recommended from my son-in-law, he is a scientist Dr Robert Lucas. I never eat till about 10am for years, then started to each breakfast. Things changed, in weight and how I felt, blotted after meals, and it also increased my appetite. Its taken my years to get back to eating at 10 again, feel slimmer inside, I know thats a funny thing to say but its how I feel. I dont eat anything after 7pm as I cant digest it anyway. I dont have a gallbladder now, taken out years ago. It nice now to be more accountable on the Zoe life change way of eating.

[@petert9756]

I’ve been doing intermittent fasting for approximately 9-10 years. On a Monday I fast from the last meal on Sunday evening to Monday evenings meal. It can be anywhere between 18 - 22 hours, drinking only water, black coffee or green tea. Tuesday to Friday I generally have lunch about 12-13.30 so the fasting period is between 14- 16 hours. Some of those days I may also do a full day fast depending on how I feel. Weekends it depends, sometimes I have a late breakfast, ie brunch but often I don’t eat until lunchtime. I have found this ideal for me, I go to the gym 3 times a week, Monday, Wednesday and Friday and never eat before I gym. I feel my energy levels are higher when not eating than when I eat and it definitely suits my exercise regime. Because I’ve been doing this for sometime my body never feels lacking in anything, and often I have to decide to eat even though I may not be hungry. This lifestyle has definitely worked for me, it gives me more energy and if some days I feel my body needs food when I would normally fast then I would eat, but that’s not too often.

[@karlint39]

Sounds fantastic! I do IF (for about 3 years so far). I previously I did 16:8 or 18:6 or even OMAD, but now I've settled in to 3 meals a day on a 14:10 schedule. I don't usually fast for 24 hours, but I sometimes think it might be beneficial -- like what you do. It might be impossible to know, but do you feel that there are any specific benefits from your once-a-week 24-hour fast? If so, what benefits do you attribute to that? And this may be difficult to answer, but how do you *know* those benefits are from the 24-hour weekly fast? Sounds like you've got a great routine. Thanks for sharing.

[@petert9756]

@@karlint39 Thanks for your reply Karl, I started fasting from purely a health benefit side and not to loose weight, although that is also a health benefit. The main aim was to allow my body to function in the way it is meant to, by allowing it to go into what I would say is a self healing phase. When you eat it has to digest and process the food, make new cells etc and fasting as you would know allows the body to repair etc. By going on what I have read, your body needs 12 hours of fasting to start this process and the longer you fast the benefits increase. So for me the one day longer fast is to do just that. I do more days as and when I feel but I’m also aware of weight loss and therefore I’m careful how much I do otherwise I would be fasting longer. Unlike before I started this, not eating has now become easy, I feel it’s a really healthy way to live, gives more energy and together with a good diet which is constantly changing as I learn more from the really informative podcasts like Zoe regarding the microbiome etc it has become a lifestyle I really enjoy. So to answer your question, I don’t necessarily feel any different by doing longer fasts, only in the knowledge that it is beneficial to me.

[@karlint39]

@@petert9756 Thanks. That makes complete sense, and is very close to my own understanding of diet, fasting and health. I think you've inspired me to try 24-hour fasts from time to time. It's really not a big deal, as when I have a doctor's appointment in the afternoon, I end up fasting from early evening the day before until after the doctor's appointment (because I want to be fasted for the blood tests.) Inspirational.

[@petert9756]

@@karlint39 You’re welcome Karl, I think the most important thing is to do what you are happy with and what you feel is right for you, otherwise you won’t succeed in doing it. Personally I found it was best for me to extend the fasting gradually and now I can do a whole day as and when. What inspired me to do it was a programme I watched on Horizon back in 2012. It was Michael Mosley’s Eat, Fast and Live longer. It totally made sense that we should be doing intermittent fasting. Most people thought I was nuts, even my children I think but here we are 10 years on and now it’s becoming mainstream. Oh yes my children are also fasting now and have completely changed their diet, my son even bought me a book on food and the microbiome. He lost 3 stone, feels so much healthier, all his joint aches he had have now gone …. “thanks for persevering dad” he said …. you can ask for more than that 😊

[@methods3110]

I have been doing intermittent fasting 20 hours and 4 hour eating window with low carb diet for 3 years. Without drugs 11.7 A1c within 4 months it reduced to 5.9 and within 7 months to 5.3. Diabetes 2 completely reversed with recent test of 5.6 but having increased carbs for more balanced diet.

[@Elizabethpacey]

I started time restricted eating (plus other changes to diet) last year and it has changed my life, literally. Those closest to me are amazed. Energy levels, anxiety, IBS, sleep all improved. I still have problems on and off (I have chronic heath issues) but the difference is incredible. I eat breakfast after 9am and do not eat after 6pm. Although I have a small dry (water) biscuit snack at 11pm & if I wake in the night. No caffeine, no alcohol, no cakes or biscuits. So not sugary or fatty snax. No animal fats (only heath fish). Only unfiltered organic EVOO. No marge or butter. No milk only oat milk. Smoothie for breakfast. Removed foods that obviously affect my IBS. I'm a new person.

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

Hi, just started, reported for yesterday's eating. I am stoked about this because I was thinking of dieting but this happened and I think this deserves an honest go before subjecting myself to starvation! The main reason for me wanting to lose weight is to help my blood pressure and if I can do some good this way, I am all for it and cam think about restrictions of calories later when I see how I do. Like I said, couldn't have come at a better time for me!

[@adrianneale3368]

About two years ago I was diagnosed as pre-diabetic & weighed 75kg, BMI 24.49. I have kidney disease from damage which occured during a lung transplant 10 years ago, so I needed to sort this out. I changed my lifestyle & adopted TRE with a window between 13:00-21:00, but combined it with giving up sugar & sweets (3 sugars every cup of tea all my life), and adopted a low Carb diet (less bread, potato, pasta, rice etc.). The weight wasn't realy the issue & it came off slowly, but I'm now 62.2kg with a BMI of 20.3 and my blood sugar was brought back to an acceptable level within about 3 months, so I'm no longer Pre-diabetic. But change like that isn't easy and it did require a lot of self discipline initially. Sticking at it for a couple of weeks allowed my body to adjust though & since then I feel better generally, never lack energy, I'm rarely hungry (unless I skip lunch as well) & I will continue this the rest of my life because it works for me. And it's really easy to maintain because I've changed my lifestyle & don't even need to think about it like you have to with a 'diet'. With my Kidneys I do need to do more now though, and elimate as much 'processed' food & sauces as possible from my diet because my Kidneys do not handle all the crap in processed food well.

[@comptytom]

My wife and I began with Prof Longo like Fasting Mimicking Diet every grthree months with great results after watching Trust Me I'm a Doctor 6-7 years ago. Last year I found Dr Gundry: read his books: watched his podcasts and gradually moved to 16-8 intermittent eating. I quickly got used to it and rarely feel hungry on it. I east brunch and dinner between 12:30 and 19:00 using Dr Gundry's dietary advice too: So not vegan, just low carb and reduced protein. While fasting I drink black teas and coffee. On golf days I add some MCT to my coffee. I am now statin free and halved my blood pressure medication and expecting to be off it altogether next year.

[@kathygann7632]

When fasting 20-23 hours per day, you’re only hungry for the first 3-4 days. It is a relief to not always be hungry.

[@patsmith2507]

I've also been doing this for a long time now. I eat breakfast or lunch at lunchtime and only black coffee in the morning. I haven't really noticed much difference in my mood or weight. Recently, on holiday, I ate breakfast normally and did not notice any change either.

[@freeganjustin6699]

You are missing that part of the aim is to give your gut microbes time to digest the food, rather than pushing it all through with never ending eating. The theory is that you will get more energy / nourishment from the food so you don't need as much of it. An added benefit should be a wider range of nutrients from the same food, for instance Vitamin K2 from breaking down plant fibre.

[@e.vincke126]

"Vitamin K2 from breaking down plant fibre" could you explain this ?

[@beth6787]

Brilliant idea. I will definitely take part.

[@lillaamos1591]

My husband and I have been doing IF since the end of 2020, we do early lunch and early supper due to the way our family works. We have plenty energy, feel great and lost about 10kg each. I (female 61 years old) used to often experience low blood sugar, which made my hands shake and I would feel awful, since starting IF I have never experienced it again. I do power walking for an hour about 4 x a week, do cold water swimming all year for 20 minutes at a time in the ocean in Blouberg, Cape Town and attend callanetics classes for an hour twice a week. I have plenty of energy and feel so much better. I almost completely cut out sugar and wheat because they are not great for my body. I could highly recommend this lifestyle.

[@jojivarghese3494]

Thanks for the video

[@teresawilliamson9377]

I have been doing IF for over 10 years. I have no problem doing 16 hours every day, I feel more alert, full of energy. Sometimes I stray into 18/20 hrs because super busy. I drink herbal teas, no milk or sugar, half a lemon sqeezed in big cup of warm water, later in the day vegetable stock cube in cup of hot water for the sodium. I eat in 6 hour window, some days do OMAD one meal a day, eat until I decide it is enough, odd occasion do 36 hours lots of fluids, used to do 5/2 but find other 5 days of eating not as healthy. My best IF is 16 hours fasting 5 days very clean eating, weekends eat whatever I want but I still do the 16 hours beforehand. Good luck!

[@daniellesanderson5482]

Two confounding, omitted variables are the amount of exercise done on a particular day and the amount/quality of sleep the preceding night. In addition to walking the dog twice a day, four days a week I run 5 miles, one day I run 10 miles, one day I cycle for two hours, and one day I go to the gym and do cross training and swim. I get hungry after my 10 mile run (which I do fasted) but otherwise rarely feel hunger. I have found that eating breakfast at around 11am and lunch around 4pm works really well for me.

[@catharinebragg7229]

What about us who are already intermittent fasters, do you want us to join the study?

[@rutharendse3917]

Thanks! It makes so much sense. I'm looking forward to participating in I.F. study

[@juneingram1130]

I just signed up, excited to start

[@ilyaleontyev5463]

This channel inspired me to start IF (to pay attention to nutrition in general). I chose a four hour window, and so far it seems to help with mindfulness, energy and discipline. I badly need a daily routine to follow, and so far IF seems to have been a good choice for brinning structure to my life.

[@booklassygarrahan3929]

I do it and end my eating by 4-6 each day depending on when I end my fast. I usually fast 16-19 hours naturally (it's not hard for me). I fix dinner for my family without a problem. I feel so much better doing this. I am hoping it will improve my gut microbiome because I have had multiple gut surgeries and have had to be on a ton of antibiotics in my life.

[@IvyRoad]

Before I started TRE, I craved carbs at bedtime and could usually be found eating lots of bread and jam near midnight. I also craved carbs as soon as I opened my eyes in the morning - more bread. I started TRE with 16/8, noon to 8 pm, but found it difficult and opened the eating window to 10 hours, which was mostly doable. Over time, I realized that 14/10 had become really easy - I wasn’t craving carbs as much, and was less hungry. I was making sure to get in 3 meals per day, but that began to feel like too much. It was easy then to move to 16/8, and eat less because I was not having cravings, had no desire to binge on carbs, and felt more gentle hunger in the late morning. I’ve been doing it for several months. I didn’t do it for weight loss but my jeans are looser, and I’m definitely WAY less bloated. I’m vegan (ethical not health motivated), so less bloat is a really nice change. When I do have cravings now, I want an orange and a few walnuts - despite being vegan, I’ve never been that person; I’ve always been the half a bag of cookies person. I turned 70 a month ago and my recent bloodwork has a totally normal lipid profile for the first time in decades. Also my pre-pre diabetes numbers have improved over 4 years ago into the safely normal range. Looks like I’m not drifting into MS any longer. And I never feel deprived.

[@IvyRoad]

I eat noon to 8 p.m., but if earlier is shown to be better, I don’t think I would have much trouble moving it up to 11 to 7 p.m.

[@IvyRoad]

I was wrong, I have been TRE for more than a year.

[@diggingshovelle9669]

Time restricted eating has shown that 18:6 best results. Last meal to be finished by 18.00 has real benefits. But would be interested in your study.

[@redhen689]

During the spring, I ate my breakfast at about 8 am, lunch about 1130, and dinner at about 5. I work 7-5:30, so was consuming all my meals at work. I tended to avoid added sugars and white flour. I lost about 4kg (9 lb). I went off the plan over the summer and gained the weight back. I am trying to get back on the plan again. I have done well most of the time, but at times I feel really hungry at bedtime, so I had a small piece of cheese. That only happened a couple of times. I’m not in the UK, so I don’t think I’m eligible to participate in your study…

[@shutterant]

Oops! I missed the window on this one. It would be fascinating to know the results of the study. When will they be available? I fell into IF whilst I was recovering from my first COVID infection in February 2021. I found that I was so fatigued that I often slept until late morning or midday, got up and then ate a small breakfast. This pattern continued for several months. As my recovery improved, I started actively looking at getting fitter and discovered IF through a KZbin search for fitness tips. It turns out that I was already unconsciously practising TRE by eating during a window from midday until around 7-8pm (eating late gives me horrible acid reflux) each day. I've been practising IF almost everyday day ever since. In the beginning, I was really anti-carbs and lost a lot of weight. I was also very energetic once I fully recovered from COVID. Nowadays, however, I've let carbs back into my life and have noted that some of the weight has piled back on, especially during holidays and Christmas celebrations. Yet, I still prefer to eat from midday onwards until the early evening. It just works for me!

[@prudencewere822]

I would really love to participate in the Zoe studies but, alas, I live in Australia. Is there any possibility that Zoe might be available here any time soon?

[@ChicybeeUk]

hi there fascinating exciting study, i look forward to seeing the results. As a 53 year old perimenopausal woman who practices fasting daily anyway since june 2020 - anywhere from 16 - 24 hour fasts (depending on how hungry i am) and i also do the 5;2 which has been hugely successful for me personally , im assuming it would be fruitless in taking part in the study as im so fat/fast adapted anyway? i might add i feel amazing and better shape then ive ever been at any age through my life and ive just started doing the couch to 5k as i have soooo much energy ...its my lifestyle now and i eat what EVER i want (although i try to avoid processed garbage and only cook from scratch unless im dining out) im in the UK by the way :0)

[@meandmysellefrancaishorsel2585]

Hi all .I have done the traditional fasting diet for 15 months till mai this year in June , worked well ,I dont need to lose weight being 6ft and 11 stone /70 kgs . and am 75 . I work on my farm with my horses and am very fit ,but I need to get on top of aches and pains now/inflammation! . But after having a bad reaction earlier this year to my 3rd covid jab ,I lost 10 and half kgs in one month . (I think about 1stone and half !Dr panicked ,went to have x rays all over plus the usual cameras up my you know where and down my throat .Every thing is fine so we put this down to the covid jab .So now I actually do as you do ,ie breakfast at 9am and afternoon meal at 4 pm ,gives me a fast of 16 to 18 hours and also a 24 36 48 one or two times a month . So I keep to this 7 days a week to be quite honest it suits me all the time and yes it is sustainable ,no draw back or problems at all ,so thanks ya'll for this vid , cliff longlands

[@kirstierhodes2058]

Im just filling out the questionnaire prior to starting the IF study on your app. There are a couple of questions that could really use modification. For example the rate your sleep , there should be an 'average' or 'ok' button to click between 'very good' and 'very bad' , frequency of sleep patterns should also be listed. I had to click very bad because I wouldn't call my sleep patterns always very good , but neither is it always very bad, just occasionally. Another question about your gut habits also started with very medical terminology that is not obvious to all, perhaps that could be simplified. Looking forward to seeing the results of another great survey otherwise

[@gillpolgreen3792]

strikes me one of the main benefits might be due to drinking less alcohol. 8am breakfast and 6pm dinner leaves no slot for an evening glass of wine

[@irenestead1970]

For health reasons I need to maintain my fluid intake and find I can only do that by drinking lots of tea with milk regularly through the day. Under the study I have to class these drinks as 'eating'. I'm not sure how much this will affect any benefits I may gain from IF but I will still try to restrict the period during which I eat meals and snacks even if on your data it won't seem as though I've made the changes you are looking for.

[@MamguSian]

I tend to do an 8 hour or less eating window. Would I need to expand this to 10 hours to take part? edit: OK, I've now heard you say it's ok to go longer if you like.

[@leewilton4782]

I’ve been if for two months with a 6 hour window, I feel great my mood has improved and lost 9kg, I’m a 55 female, more energy,

[@JohnLovesSpain]

There appears to be a lot of misinformation and conflicting opinions about 'resistant starch'. A Zoe podcast will be most welcome to dispell or confirm whether it works. Zoe is my preferred source for quality health and diet information.

[@claireofclareroad]

I'm surprised the questions about alcohol in the fasting window wasn't raised! Just to be clear alcohol is seen as food i assume? so my small tipple in an evening at 9pm or occasional glass or two of wine would all need to be at 6pm when I last eat for a fast until 9am.

[@gelbsucht947]

Anything other than water, still or fizzy, black coffee or black tea will break your fast, so alcohol is definitely a ‘food’ in that sense. Gin Stephens (Delay don’t Deny and Feast, Fast, Repeat) talks at length in her books about ‘clean’ v ‘dirty’ fasting.

[@SueLyons1]

What about those subject to overnight PEG feeding using a Jevity kix for a continuous 12 hours? Please reply

[@sueharris5841]

I always start the day with a hot lemon drink made with sliced lemon and hot water would that have to stop until I start the time restriction

[@miketranfaglia3986]

As far as the difference between men and women vis-à-vis the benefits derived from intermittent fasting are concerned, one thing to consider is that the female hormonal suite tends to encourage carbohydrate craving. This is often a lifelong thing. You don't see this quite as much in men, and I think this explains the dramatically increased levels of obesity in women in the US. Decreasing carbohydrate intake makes intermittent fasting much more tolerable for most people and allows for a significantly shorter eating window. It sounds like Sarah is terrified of having her blood sugars crash, but I can assure you as someone who has done this for years that if you eat a higher fat meal at the end of the eating window, you will not feel "hangry" in the morning.

[@HereDiianas]

But in other part of the world women eat carbs on a daily basis without doing IF and they have no problem with obesity. France and Italy ( with bread and pasta), Japan, Vietnam or African countries like Congo and Cameron ( with rice or beans). Carb is not the problem. Eating carbs for a meal does not mean your entire meal is only made with carbs by the way. It's only part of a composed meal which must include other things like veggies....And the type of carbs, processed or not also makes a difference. The main problem in the US is the huge amount of processed food/ empty calories that people eat. The world can see that. It seems that only the US can't. Ulyra rocessed food/drink often has a lot of sugar, no fibers, additives to improve taste, texture, color, shelf life.... Those empty calories "enginered food" push people to eat more often, more sweets, more processed carbs. They are created to make you eat more of it, and more often. The US... run into new miracle diet every 5 years but just want to ignore the obvious. "Things don't need to be complicated when you mainly eat diversed real/ unprocessed food".

[@miketranfaglia3986]

@@HereDiianas I agree that ultra-processed foods are the biggest problem, but it's not just the US. The rest of the world is following us down this path, unfortunately.

[@sarahholmes2156]

I have definitely completed my report each day but unfortunately two days appear not to have registered; is there any way I can revisit them and record times etc?

[@suejones9140]

I work.two jobs and one means I leave at 4 and don't get home till 11.30 - 12 pm. No meal break. The other one is from 9.30 - 4.45 but I don't get a lunch break. This makes IF very difficult though I am keen to try it. My shift pattern for the daytime job is the same 2 days each week but the other varies from week to week.

[@christyhoover6836]

Will there be objective data points collected or is this only about logging "how we feel"?

[@annettestephens5337]

Been eating 2 meals a day for years. Lunch and evening meal, no snacks. Works for me.

[@JohnLovesSpain]

and me 😀

[@reginald2004]

Same here. Occasional snacks and occasional time deviations but generally stick to the routine. I very rarely ever feel hungry.

[@annettestephens5337]

@@reginald2004 I almost never get hungry or hangry like I used to, but I think this factor is also down to my low carb diet. I would be interested to know if you too eat low carb.

[@reginald2004]

@@annettestephens5337 I wish.

[@johnsheehy4192]

@@annettestephens5337 Same here. I wrote a lengthy reply directly to the video earlier, but somehow YT or the Chrome browser screwed up and lost my post just because my internet connection had disconnected. Very sloppy programming. A more condensed version of my story is that I now eat one meal or only within a 4-hour window every day, and never feel hungry or hangry at all. "Not eating" only leads me to thinking that I need to eat to maintain or build muscle; not to end hunger. I was just the opposite years ago; years ago I would over-eat all day and then wake up an hour after going to sleep hungry, and then cook a pound of noodles. I weighed 95 pounds more then than I do now, and I attribute the change in hunger to very infrequent desert-like foods, mostly whole foods, and cycling between lo- and no- carb, which makes time-restriction an effortless breeze.

[@lucienicholson1222]

Does coffee/tea with milk constitute a snack/food? I drink those between meals.

[@karlint39]

I think your study with so many people will add a lot of credibility to this research field. I've been doing IF for a couple of years now. BMI 33 down to 22 in one year and then rock steady ever since. HOMA-IR (insulin resistance) of 0.3-0.5 (highly insulin sensitive). I don't think I have more energy, unfortunately. One issue I can see with your 3-week design is that it may take people a while to adjust to a more restrictive feeding window. In the beginning it took self-discipline to not snack in my fasting window, but now, it's easy. I started with not eating 3 hours before bedtime and did two meals a day (18:6 or so) during my rapid weight loss period, and now since I can keep the benefits with less effort, I eat three meals in a 14:10 fasting/feeding schedule. In part, shortening my fasting window was with the intention of improving protein absorption, but that may not be a goal for many people. Certainly an analysis of the first three weeks can be interesting, but ultimately what happens when this becomes the person's lifestyle will be the most interesting. It will also be interesting to look into the social aspects of these new eating patterns. If all of Britain does IF, but half of them eat early in the day and the other half eat late, they won't be able to go to parties together! LOL. Looking forward to hearing the results.

[@paulharris758]

Re the energy, you should do the zoe app if you can afford it, where they test your sugar, fats and gut bacteria(poo). You kind of need to see the full picture and all 3 of those make up the major effecting things. For instance, you may find eating different foods or in a different way may help the energy.

[@karlint39]

@@paulharris758 Where I am, Zoe is not available, and I guess it won't be in the forseeable future. On the other hand, I have used a CGM and submitted my poo for analysis. The CGM in particular was fascinating. The poo results were also interesting, but the analysis(report) was quite lacking. I don't know what all those species are, and telling me things like "you get constipated easily" or "your gut microbiome is similar to people who find it hard to lose weight." weren't that helpful. In the past those those things applied to me, but now that I've changed my diet, neither is a problem. But yes, I think that both the CGM and poo analysis would be more useful if they were part of an integrated service (like ZOE) rather than stand-alone products/services. Thanks for the feedback!

[@NekonataVirino]

Just noticed how my morning cup of tea (milk and two sugars and no i will not be changing that to some vile sugarless concoction) or my drink of hot squash - (20 mil of cordial in 350 mil of hot water) is counting as extending my eating window by as much as 3 hours. I don’t eat food till 11am but that one drink means I report the window as 8am. I wonder how much difference that actually makes.

[@dharmacharinipasadanandi7110]

i can't seem to find anyway to log in to my covid profile (which my family and I have always used for reporting how we are), since I've joined the big IF study... can anyone enlighten me how I access the covid "report today" screen, please?

[@idcgsocioeconomics9062]

What do you take during fasting hours?

[@wmp3346]

No study needed - definitely recommend IF - game changer- one of my pillars of good health

[@ChicybeeUk]

me too exactly that, life changing... as jason fung simply says... STOP PUTTING FOOD IN YOUR MOUTH ....:0)

[@jo-annecook7333]

Love Zoe, the research and information here comes the BUT ! How does my logging help when you don't know several conditions and medication that affect my Answers ? Frustrated hearing you say you know how you react to foods because you have access to tests . Could I go privately to someone to find out more about myself and so be better able to help myself ? But who ? Jo-Anne Cook

[@jimnewtonsmith]

I wonder if this IF study is appropriate for people for people who already practise (successfully) IF or time restricted eating already. What I have found is that eating at certain times and omitting certain meals is more about eating habits and changing them over time.

[@tinatorres5345]

If have joined the app. I'm trying to join the IF study but it's only taking me to the COVID study. How do I get to the IF study.

[@Early100]

For me eating between 12 and 10 would mean I’m eating for a longer time than I do now, I don’t think the fasting time for this study is long enough. I appreciate what your doing and it’s a great start but please if possible at some point can you look into the benefits of longer fasting periods. I only eat between 12am until 6pm. There is lots of info on “omad” one meal a day which if done correctly does make me feel amazing, it’s hard to do but it is possible. Thanks for reading.

[@Early100]

12 noon I meant - sorry

[@gillsimpson4976]

Yes I'm in agreement with you on this. Such a short fasting window but I suppose that's the only way they can begin a study and attract enough participants. If they asked for people to do a 20 hour fast or OMad they would probably fail to start. Except for us two 😅.

[@Early100]

@@gillsimpson4976 haha yes, I’m very very surprised that it’s such a long eating window. I just hope the study won’t result in them telling everyone that eating this way doesn’t have any benefits before longer fasting periods are studied as well. I think it would be interesting if they were to study separate groups that have roughly the same amount of people but with different fasting periods per group, say a 1000 people do 10 hours, a 1000 people do 12, a 1000 do 14 and so on. Until recently I didn’t really know much about fasting and didn’t think a longer fast would be safe but after a bit of research I’ve come to believe that it’s generally safe, there’s so much information already. A lot of mainstream health information seems to me to be way behind on this info, sometimes it’s as if “new rules” regarding food, nutrition and diets had been set in stone from around the 1960s & 70s - a lot of it is wrong but its hanging on in there for dear life, it’s set in our psyche. We have been hypnotised and constantly bombarded for years by food companies into thinking we need to eat eat eat 😮

[@gillsimpson4976]

@@Early100 yes I agree. Perhaps if they read these comments they may incorporate side by side studies. 5 years ago I did the 5-2 and lost 2 stone and reversed by pre diabetic diagnosis. But more recently I have lost an additional 2 stone but this has been secondary to my health benefits. No pain meds, normal blood results, more energy etc etc. I don't get much benefit from 10 - 12 hour fasts. I fast long - 20 hrs approx - and feast well with good nutrition.

[@Early100]

@@gillsimpson4976 agreed, well done on the weight loss etc, I’ve lost 20lbs in four months but I was following a “keto” regime at times as well. I’m not doing strict keto at the moment as I’m very near my target weight (3lbs or so to go) but I am still doing IF and my weight seems to be stable so far, cutting out bread and sugar has been key for me. I can’t say anything about long term outcomes as this year is the first time I’ve ever consciously fasted or done keto but I’m very happy for now.

[@FakeItalianoII]

I tried to join the IF study by downloading the ZOE Health Study from Apple's APP Store on 10/26/2022, but all I got was aninvite to join a COVID study , NO IF study... Is there a way I can join the group ???

[@handelevans1502]

would love to have a go but not got the app,

[@wildflower-web]

I've been eating between 11am and 6pm every day for about 6 months now, regardless of whether I exercise in between or not. My goal is to reduce this window further and eventually just eat 1 meal a day with no snacking. However, I'm unsure if going all day would be a good thing because fitting all your daily nutrition in one sitting seems a bit overwhelming, so I'm thinking that perhaps a small bit of fruit in the morning to spread it out a little may be a better strategy. I've read somewhere that it's better to eat fruit on an empty stomach. Also, a little bit of a random thing to mention but interestingly I have an acupressure mat and when I lay on my stomach on it, it tends to bring on hunger and sometimes it even makes my stomach rumble.

[@leehowson440]

I'd just like to mention two things if I may, I do one meal a day, been doing it for 8 weeks and I almost never feel hungry, I don't do fasting per se because I have coffee in the morning with full fat double cream but since doing this I've lost weight, feel better and I am now used to it, I just trained my brain to think "no food" all day and it works great for me. The other thing I would say is, as for your rumbles in the tummy, this happens from the day you're born to the day you die, it's just that you only notice it when hungry or empty stomach, and when you've eaten, the rumbles are muffled by the food 🙂 if possible, try reading "ultra processed people" by Chris van Tulleken, it has totally changed how I think about food. Good luck 👍

[@wildflower-web]

​@@leehowson440 That's good to hear, keep it up. It sounds like you're obviously doing all the right things. Over the last 12 months, my waist has gone from a size 28 to a loose 27 inches (I'm 45 years old) without losing any weight so I must've put weight on around my chest. I do strength train as well and take berberine and NMN which I think also helps. I do all the other common sense stuff which is correct too - no smoking, drinking, eat whole foods, exercise frequently etc. and my muscles have become much more well defined over the last 12 months. I also try to eat a lot of fatty non-processed foods. I avoid eating cereals and starchy vegetables as they can spike sugar levels and I think avoiding these spikes is key to good long-term health. The only dairy product I eat is eggs daily, and occasionally milk which I don't really need because I think I get all the nutrition in milk from the other foods I eat. I hope you see the benefits I'm seeing, keep it up.

[@valerieknight1404]

If I eat lunch at noon, which I find hard, as I don’t feel hungry and then at 6pm with my husband, have I still got to force myself to eat up until 10 pm, even though I don’t need it? I have also been used to an 8 hour window and don’t feel hungry until at least 2 pm, often later. I feel sluggish the earlier I eat.

[@laurensargent9471]

When can we in the US join this IF study?

[@moirawright2343]

I've been IF f'or over a decade before I even knew it was a thing! A oat milk drink in the morning but no food until about 12.30 -1.30pm then have a light lunch of yogurt/blueberries or half tin soup/3 cream crackers. Main meal (vegan) is around 5 - 5.30pm then nothing until the next day (no snacks). Energy levels great, especially in the morning. I have chronic IBS and IF allows my insides to settle and 'reset' . I am 70 next year, active and my BMI is 18.4.

[@IvyRoad]

I turned 70 this year (unbelievable!) and I’m also vegan, with a similar BMI. I’ve been doing 16/8 for about a year and a half, and the lack of vegan bloating is such a fantastic benefit! I would do it for that alone! May your gut continue to benefit!

[@mynunthorpegarden2628]

Is there any point in someone whose lifestyle is such that they are already easily within the 10/14 regime (and close to 8/16) taking part in your study? I am of course talking about myself!

[@christianprats8225]

I have been doing the 18/6 int fasting for 6 months , 2 meals a day. Has been very easy , but have decided to go back to 3 meals a day as i have noticed a considerable hair loss over a very short period of time, so will reduce the fasting period to stop my hair loss. Other than that havent had any other p r oblems.

[@paulharris758]

Hair loss is an odd one. Maybe get your bloods checked and check in with a gp about it too. Just in case its something else?

[@carolwestwood5559]

I’ve been time restricted eating for the last 10 months. Eat between 10:00 and 18:00 then water only in the hours between.

[@gavin1342]

My question is about routine medication. Should that also be avoided during the fasting period?

[@paulharris758]

Medication, if its prescribed, shouldnt be altered without talking to your prescriber or gp. And even herbal should be checked before cutting it out.

[@serloinoflamm1119]

Looks interesting and really keen to take part. But my concern is on your chosen time to run the study. At this time of year we have holidays, Christmas etc and lots of traditions/pressures to eat more in line with seasonal celebrations and family/work gatherings. Would it not be better to run the study in, say January, when all the festive pressures are off and likely more people will be motivated and able to join in? I for one am unlikely to join any study until after Christmas.

[@anaphirirussell]

I think it only last 3 weeks so should be over by early November. ?

[@gillsimpson4976]

I understand your concern but from what I understand they are only requiring you to fast for 10 hours which is easily achievable especially when most people sleep for 7 or 8 hours !! In my opinion the fasting should be longer - at least 12 hrs.

[@littlevoice_11]

I think it's an opportunity for people to partake in Christmas foods (if they so wish) but within a smaller window e.g.a big Christmas lunch and a snack in the afternoon whilst watching a cosy Christmas film wirh the family 😊

[@beth6787]

Tim & Sarah did actually say the IF fast for the study was only a fortnight after one week of recording your usual eating pattern for comparison. So if you started later this month you would finish by mid November.

[@gavin1342]

Or don’t start celebrating Christmas until December?

[@lisadefries6718]

It’s about both I believe both quality of food and when you eat it.

[@lovelifesmile]

The app would not let me join. I filled in stage 1 and 2 but would not submit stage 3

[@humanitarianH]

I haven't participated in ages so I might this time.

[@sectionalsofa]

My guess is yes. The earlier the better.

[@emilyhops2566]

The gelean centre, i think the channel is called, has a video called fasting for survival which is VERY interesting. He suggests you dont have to do it every day. Well worth watching. Well worth doing. I have read that fasting even helps type 1 diabetics, and for type 2, it can reverse it. Just what i have read.

[@Musika1321]

It does

[@elisabethdean5314]

Can one have aTRF within less hours,say 8 or 7 hours

[@rosegold9933]

I don't think you mentioned fizzy sugar-free ('diet') drinks? OK in a fast?

[@jennyp8726]

Do you need data from people who are already practising time-restricted eating? And if so, should we revert to 'standard' eating for a week at the start of the study?

[@anaphirirussell]

Exactly my question 👍🏼

[@garyrooksby]

Me too

[@paulharris758]

Hi, as i cant see an answer here, hers my thoughts. Try doing your routine and then change it to something else for the other 7 or more days. Im not part of the zoe team, but I expect if you do a 10 hour window and then reduce it to 6 hours, that would be interesting research wise. If you do 6 hours, then do 10 hours, also interesting, and if you do 8, try 4! Just record it. With 100,000 people, its all going to be interesting and this does attract people who know more about it all and are therefore likely to already be on an intermittent timetable, so try something with a 4 hour difference either way, for the second 7 or more days, if you can and subject to no other answers from zoe themselves. Plus its interesting for yourself too. Or you could try the 7 days with very little carbs to see. And make that the difference. That's my thoughts on it as I'm also already on one. Or try a different time in the day. Re the circadian rhythm, one mans timescale isnt necessarily another's. Just bare that in mind. Good luck!

[@christinewhiteside2843]

How do I join?

[@amandaleek7209]

Been trying doing this since diagnosed with diabetes, fasting is meant to be good for blood sugars,

[@paulharris758]

It is, but you also need to look at carbs. Thats worse if they effect you as one doesn't expect them to! Very worth doing the zoe app and testing. Worth the money if you can!

[@veronicamccormackcosivi3506]

Can you do this from abroad. I am British but live in Brazil

[@e.vincke126]

Or in France ?

[@Lulu-kt6gr]

What can you do to mitigate the effects of taking any depressants and the fact that they kill some of the micro biome in the gut?

[@carolvile5584]

I already only eat between 8am and 8pm most days, is there any point in me joining? Also I have had to stop eating fruit and look at lectins since last week and that's a big change for me. I have a couple of glasses of Kefir at or after 8am and normally don't eat solid food until 11am to midday.

[@paulharris758]

Hi, yes it would do it. Eat as normal, then do the 10 hour one. The bacteria double every half hourish, so the change of 2 hours is quite a bit! The kaffir is counted as eating, im sure you know. Did you listen to the 6 mins talk on night and day bacteria?

[@carolvile5584]

@@paulharris758 I don't think I've watched that one. Of course I count kefir as food. I had such a bad evening and night, it seems I can't eat kiwi fruits ever again. I'm much better this morning.

[@bertwoodshack6617]

You talk about calorie restriction not being sustainable which I think is true. Yet I have never found another method as effective as it.

[@johnsheehy4192]

Non-water weight loss always occurs when less calories are also taken in than put out, but the piggy-bank model of calories is one of the worst *approaches* to weight loss, because it does not reduce hunger. The CICO (calories-in-calories out) is only the final tally on non-water weight change. "A calorie is a calorie" when burning fat, glucose, fructose, or protein in a fire, but in a diet, they and their various combinations and timings affect how strong the drive is to overeat. People do not get obese because they were bad at calorie counting; they got obese because the foods that they ate, and the timing that they ate them in, caused them to be hungrier for more food than they need for their metabolism, which is also affected by what and when they eat. I tried the "move more, eat less" method in 2003 (age 43), after doubling the weight I was when I reached my full height at age 14 (125 pounds to 250 pounds in 29 years). I got down to 187 pounds within a few months, but I was the hungriest I'd ever been in my life, and after all that weight loss, I broke out into binging and eventually got up to about 216 pounds again by 2013 at age 53. At 53, I decided to change WHAT I ate, and started eating more fat, and less processed carbs, getting a higher percentage of my calories over time from meat, eggs, and dairy, and here I am today at age 62 at 156 pounds, with ZERO hunger and my first meal many days at 5PM or later. The chance of me ever getting obese again, without any explicit damage to my hormonal glands, is pretty much nil. I don't have to struggle to resist overeating, as there is absolutely ZERO compulsion to do so.

[@faithrubin4293]

What is happeng with the big IF study? There has been no new update forever!

[@tomk8729]

I'm interesting as to whether intermittent fasting can be made to work with heart patients taking a beta blocker. I've tried and failed to make it work for me - my metabolism simply slows, which is not what's supposed to happen with intermittent fasting.

[@zakariahussein962]

did you actually comment before the video was uploaded?

[@tomk8729]

@@zakariahussein962 Er, obviously I did! The trailer was put up 11 days ago and I asked them if they could address this issue when the show was recorded.

[@zakariahussein962]

@@tomk8729 oh ok. thanks for the reply.

[@e.vincke126]

"- my metabolism simply slows" you're "metabolism" or you're heartrate ?

[@AngieStonesPhD]

I am not sure about any fast time because most people will finish eating about 7pm and have breakfast 9. But in my case, I don't eat anything after 5 and before 10am still, weight is not dropping off :(. I have always eaten that way. I just don't like eating after 5. And I don't stuff myself during the day, my breakfast is cornflakes usually. I am not a meat eater. So, it is not that simple, I think.

[@SheSaidWalkOnOver]

They specifically said it didn’t usually make a difference to weight but other health benefits like energy and mood. Sorry to hear it’s not working for you but I think the study is for something different to what you’re looking for.

[@paulharris758]

Hi, you should try and do the zoe testing as there are quite a few other things that also effect one. Sugars, carbs, timing, sequence, fats, gut bacteria. And more. So probably worth doing it if you can. It will give you a huge new picture and why of your system! And cornflakes may well be spiking your sugar levels 2 hours on from eating them.

[@AngieStonesPhD]

@@paulharris758 Thank you Paul. Yes I know there are many factors and I am testing every year because I am heavily invested in longevity movement (I don't mean money) since 2000. I am a Psychophysiologist and try to do as much investigations of various published papers etc. But as everything else, one thing may work for one person and not for the other. This is a life long learning, I guess. :)

[@daviddjerassi]

For my age i practice 12 hour fast 6 pm to 6 am.

[@ramonametcalfe9059]

Is there a benefit to fasting for a few hours between meals, say between breakfast and evening meal?

[@eddiegill]

Body goes into Keto 4 hours after meal

[@TWOKDOK1]

Erm. Not eating between breakfast and evening meal IS fasting by definition isn’t it ?

[@andrewstrakele6815]

Hi Ramona! It takes time for the Body to switch from Digestion/Storage Mode to Recycle/Repair Mode after eating a Meal. In your scenario, by the time you're ready to eat Dinner, your Body is just getting ready to switch to Recycle/Repair Mode from eating Breakfast. Eating Dinner puts you back in Digestion/Storage Mode. You're better off extending the good Fasting you've done during Sleep by eating your 1st Meal later OR finishing your last Meal earlier. This gives your Body a longer interval to be in Recycle/Repair Mode.

[@annettestephens5337]

Personally I think the main health benefits of IF is elimination of SNACKS. Snacks are very often high carb junk food and will not enable the digestive system to rest. If you eat only 2 meals a day then you’re already lightyears ahead of most people in terms of metabolic health.

[@sallyv1939]

Why do the big if study over the hour change? Surely that must affect mood and fatigue for many people and cloud your results.

[@chrisemery914]

Medcram covered the existing research on this on 9 Common myths busted. Apparently 8am till 2pn is the optimum time to eat with fasting outside of this. However, I just wouldn't do this so really interested to see the results from this research. I am very happy yo not eat until late morning or sometimes much later. I have been losing a bit of weight this way and trying to eat healthy. Cutting out alcohol on a school night.

[@trebledog]

I Think three quarters of the world, except maybe for Americans, most Europeans, some Asians, already forego at least one full meal a day and most go 12,14, 18 hours without food, and many go a whole day without, not by choice. By choice I eat two meals a day, berries, fruit, nuts, rice, protein, the cheapest I can afford from small markets, private gardens, and in small amounts. Not eating for 12, 14 hours is normal for me. As an American, I am embarrassed by the greed? (eating, munching at all hours)and by the amount of food we waste (throwaways from supermarkets, farms, restaurants, home cooking) without a thought and respect for the food, everyone running after the next fad vegetable, fruit, chemical supplement, etc. Having travelled in countries where often I saw the plight of hunger in children mostly, brought me to the conclusion that the way we look at food in the West is saddening.

[@HGParrot]

Will there be a way for people already at the most severe end of a symptom to be able to log if it gets worse? For example Fatigue impacts my daily living if it improves a lot that's great I can downgrade it to only affecting exercise but should fasting make it worse rather than better how would you know as there isn't an option to say it's more severe than my normal or even not quite as severe as normal but still not as improved that it only affects my ability exercise. As the fluctuations all stay within the most severe option the majority of the time there is no way to show this, if fatigue is something you are interested in there needs to be a much better way to log this as part of the IF study, particularly for those with chronic illness whose normal ranges from say predominantly in bed all day, to mainly housebound to might be able to reheat odd meal here and there and occasionally go for a short walk, to can work part time with rest days provided they rest the rest of the time and have help with other daily living tasks that is a huge range to come under one option of most severe option for fatigue and I don't think you'll see the granularity of data required to see many improvements or worsening

[@brianbecker1468]

Does a bullet proof coffee, so a tablespoon of MCT oil whipped into black coffee constitute food? I believe it has zero insulin response?

[@jackierobinson4086]

Would this be safe as I have diabetes T2 , thank you

[@glorialambert2778]

😊

[@luna-xd2lz]

I've been playing with IF with a 10hr window and was hoping tobloose some weight. I have lost around 5lb over approximately 4 months, but my energy hasn't increased, however I have even having skimmed milk in my tea. Is this where I've gone wrong and not lost more weight?

[@paulharris758]

Maybe, as milk will start the digestion process and wake all those daytime bacteria up! Try cutting it out and see. Good for all of us to know. But its more about energy in this short time. Weight is possibly due to carbs. But you could also try an 8 hour window to see.

[@janamiddleton1412]

I follow Stacey sims who specialises in researching diet and exercise in female athletes. Stacey recommends that females should not exercise in fasted state. I love doing IF but at weekends when I want to exercise early in the day I have to make myself have a breakfast. I must admit that I do exercise better when I have eaten.

[@kbkesq]

It’s for people who are already overweight since the sample comes from people enrolled in your paid Zoe program. Biased sample but if it helps that cohort than great. My guess is delaying eating in the morning isn’t helpful but of course cutting off eating after 6pm is very helpful to sleep and glucose metabolism.

[@susanchristian1665]

The Zoe program is not about losing weight, and does not exclusively contain overweight people.

[@garyrooksby]

Zoe is open to all. This study wants as wide a cohort as possible to look for patterns in response between subgroups as well. Re. Your quote "My guess", that's not what science is about. It's about data and there's not enough solid data on this subject hence this study is required.

[@suzannelevy9094]

I’m taking part in this study and I am not enrolled on the paid zoe program. So not a biased sample .

[@reginald2004]

What would be the affect on A1C?

[@littlevoice_11]

it has the potential to improve glucose sensitivity and therefore keep blood glucose within a tighter and lower range which will reduce hba1c overtime. Benefits also cone from metabolic flexibility and fueling the body on exogenous ketones

[@gillsimpson4976]

My A1C was reduced to normal levels within 2 months. My doctor was shocked at the impact IF had on my blood tests. Best thing I have ever done.

[@reginald2004]

@@gillsimpson4976 I suspected as much. That's why I wondered. I'm 77 and technically obese but my A1C is still below the threshold for pre diabetes. Bad knees and lungs so I'm not very active which probably accounts for the lack of hunger pangs.

[@gillsimpson4976]

@@reginald2004 I'm 66 Roger and have now stopped taking any pain meds for my joint pain. There is so much anecdotal evidence about the benefits of reducing inflammation in the body and this is better than any weight loss in my opinion. Inflammation is what causes illness and disease. I follow and watch Jason Fung on KZbin. He is a Canadian doctor and so informative on this subject.

[@chrissys4284]

I feel that this could trigger a lot of eating disorder behaviours - adding rules around food may not be healthy for some.

[@gillsimpson4976]

Anyone with an eating disorder should not be fasting. For everyone else we need to look at how so many people are now eating 3 meals a day and numerous snacks. This is not healthy. And the only rule for IF is fast and then feast. Its easy. No stress about counting calories or macros. I feast well so that I can fast well. Its empowering.

[@johnsheehy4192]

Not likely. This idea comes mainly from people who haven't done it. After you get used to it, it isn't a rule. You literally are not hungry outside your eating window, if you become adapted at burning stored fat.

[@handelevans1502]

What about old people who do not know how to use apps or use a computer for this

[@SuzanneU]

This is how I like to eat. The only caveat is that I have nocturnal hypoglycemia; if I eat an ounce of cheese around 9pm, I don't have the crushing early morning.

[@paulharris758]

Thats interesting, you should do their full zoe testing. Might show up a lot more info.

[@carmenb9079]

I followed a TRE of approx 8 hrs, I would eat between 10 am (sometimes close to 12 am) and 6 pm, nothing else in the evening , just a coffee in the morning before my work day started. I did that for at least a year with one goal in mind, to lose weight. It was easy for me to do that, I also ate just two meals a day because I had a sizeable meal for the start of my eating window and i would not be hungry until the end of it. However, my goal was not achieved at all, I did not lose almost nothing, barely 2-3 pounds in all that time. I realized that for me, IF is not working for losing weight, I need to change though WHAT I eat (I did not restrict too much my food type, I cook at home, don't eat out or fast foods or packaged foods, is just I like pasta and the bread I bake myself :)); also I want to try to have more than two meals per day (eat often and little). I am working on that right now, difficult to find the right way with all the conflicting information existing out there (do this, don't do it, eat this, don't eat it....sighing).

[@keithmuller223]

Hi ....i suppose your problem is the bread and pasta! ...this is really sugar soon after you have eaten it.. This will spike insulin and turn on fat storage for you in you're eating window... Try to reduce or better still remove all the simple carbs ( i just cut out starch which REALLY helped ) ... Its not fun, but you will see a difference I'm sure in weight loss .. Its not easy is it!!! ...but good luck and thanks for sharing your story ... Keith