I did a similar article not long ago about 20/4 intermittent fasting and people really enjoyed it, so I'm following up with my results from doing 22/2 intermittent fasting for 1 week.
Comparing 20/4 and 22/2 Intermittent Fasting
During 20/4 intermittent fasting, you have a 4 hour eating window followed by a 20 hour fasting window. So, of course, 22/2 is just extending your fast for 2 more hours and having only 2 hours of eating time.
I don't eat the for the full 2 hours. I break my fast with some food and eat until I'm satisfied. Then later on I will have some more snacks. It usually ends up being one main meal with 2-3 different snacks and then I'm done eating.
Hunger
Just like with 20/4 intermittent fasting, I was getting hungry right around the 17 hour mark. I still had 5 more hours to go before I could eat. At the 22 hour point when I would break my fast, I was often very hungry and ready to eat a lot.
Oftentimes this hunger is psychological, so if you keep your mind off of food, then you do a lot better. Also having zero calorie drinks (that don't contain fake sugar) help quite a bit with that.
Calories
During the week that I did 22/2 intermittent fasting, I didn't count calories. I just ate what I wanted to and however much I felt like I needed to eat. I really hate to count calories. It's so frustrating to count and measure every morsel that goes into your mouth. But if you are someone who enjoys it, that's fine.
There were no dietary restrictions at all. I just ate whatever was around. It's important to note that if you're going to do intermittent fasting, you probably should have adequate food around for when you complete your fast, as you will be hungry and probably won't feel like shopping.
How Much Weight Did I Lose?
For 1 week I lost a total of 3.5 lbs. I was pretty happy with that. A lot of bloating went with it. I noticed the inches were going away. Clothes were fitting better, face was more defined.
During my week of 20/4 IF, I lost 2 lbs, so that gives you an idea of how much more effective 22/2 IF can be. I lost 1.5 pounds more from extending my fast by 2 hours and only eating for 2 hours. It makes sense because I am probably consuming less calories.
It's very interesting to see the difference this can make. I got way more benefits just from that small change. It's also very motivating.
I felt more energy and felt better in general, despite the hunger. The hunger is definitely hard, but it's worth it to feel better and lose weight. Intermittent fasting has so many health benefits.
