Experimental Intermittent Fasting Plan. Will it work?

natecooper75

I am interested in trying intermittent fasting because it seems like a great concept that will help me have better control of my eating habits. With that said, some of the programs that I see out there seem too extreme for me to just hop right into.

My question is, do you think I would see any results if I did 16/8 fasting on non weight training days (5 days a week) and did 12/12 on training days (2 days a week)? I feel more comfortable with having a staggered food intake on heavy weight training days. That could just be a mental thing as I haven't done fasted training in recent memory.

This would be an improvement in terms of feeding windows for me as I would pretty much eat any time of the day with no real regulation other than adhering to calorie count as close as possible. The only thing that makes me question if the plan mentioned above would work is it seems too close to a normal eating pattern to really create a different effect. Any insight would be greatly appreciated.

Branstin

In order to lose weight, you have to create a calorie deficiency. Intermittent fasting is a nice structured way to eat. Some people don't want to spend every moment thinking about food. They set aside a block of time, eat, and move onto to other areas of their lives. The only way to find out if it will work for you is to try it.

rainbowbow

Imo if it allows you to eat what you want without feeling deprived and still able to maintain a calorie deficit it's all good. As far as the strict eating windows I wouldn't flip out about it so much.

Are you interested in IF for fasted cardio? Or for maintaining satiety while cutting cals?

natecooper75

I would say it is more to keep myself under control while maintaining a deficit. Sometimes I have issues not snacking but I feel like if I can tell myself that this is the time to eat and other times are off limits, I will have much better focus.

rainbowbow

From my experience with IF it can be a helpful tool. Done regularly for me, however, results in binging. So long as you're not having those problems I'd say give it a try!

At first it felt nice being able to actually eat a filling meal without holding back, then it became a chore, then I was never full from my "really big meals". Just my personal experience:)

flumi_f

Just try it. It's certainly not harmful. If you like it and can achieve your deficit, all is good.

I do 5:2 (two 500cal days a week / five days at maintainance cals) for my deficit. I do 16:8 on my fast days and sometimes on days, when I know lunch or dinner will be higher cal. I didn't totally switch, because I enjoy eating breakfast. But I do notice, I'm actually hungrier by late morning or lunchtime, when I've eaten breakfast, than when I haven't. Partially this could be do to grain carbs. They tend to make me hungry, if incorporated in a smaller meal.

As far as exercise goes, that shouldn't be too big of a problem. You just need to try it out and see what suits you, as people are different. I can do cardio or light weights in a fasted state without a problem and am not ravenous afterwards. Harder strength exercises make me hungry, so I need to be able to eat afterwards. But that is just my experience.

Trial and error, I'd say. See how your body feels and adjust accordingly.

tjohnoconnor

If it works for you,then fine, go for it. A curiosity to me is, what is to be done when IF is no longer applicable to your goals? Are you going to follow that regime for the rest of your lifetime? If not, then what will happen? How do you carry on a social life while IF? IDK if I could function reaching satiety for a 24 hour period with one meal. I hope it works for you.

KarenJanine

Some people find having a specified eating window helps with adherence to their calorie goal - especially when eating at a deficit. The only way you will know is if you try it.

jclimey

I had never heard of the 5:2 way of eating until my sister in England lost 42 lbs and told me how she did it. This is my first week and it was really easy. I don't usually eat breakfast anyway and on the "fasting" days I had a large serving of salad greens with some feta and tomato for both lunch and dinner. For dinner I added a few shrimp or chicken breast and still had calories for a greek yogurt as a snack. I think this may work for me, as I can do the 2 nonconsecutive fasting days in the week and still be able to socialize on the weekends and not worry too much about what I am eating and be able to have some wine with friends. Keeping my fingers crossed.