Intermittent Fasting

kducotey

Recently I've started researching Intermittent Fasting (along with IIFYM). I'm really thinking about trying it and seeing how my body reacts to it.
Any one with any personal experiences doing it? Either good or bad.

shadowlydarkness

Would be interesting to see other peoples opinions on this

Bump

chrisdavey

I like it. LG 16/8ish for me for 2.5 years. I like it especially because I like big meals. I can cut relatively easily and gain with a little bit more difficulty (I don't always IF when bulking).

MinimalistShoeAddict

I recommend you check out this group to learn more:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/49-intermittent-fasting

AlchemyOfTheBlackSunCult

I think it is very stupid. You should eat when you are hungry, simple as that.


The claims behind it are so terrible. Your growth hormone "spikes" from eating because it decreases when you don't eat for an extended period of time.

One of the studies I read was done on rats (which is perfectly fine), but they were only fed once every 5th day, thats not how you are going to fast.


IIFYM works perfectly fine, but I would really include fiber, phytonutrients, keeping saturated fats somewhat limited and so on, just to maintain overall health

LolBroScience

I think it is very stupid. You should eat when you are hungry, simple as that.


The claims behind it are so terrible. Your growth hormone "spikes" from eating because it decreases when you don't eat for an extended period of time.

One of the studies I read was done on rats (which is perfectly fine), but they were only fed once every 5th day, thats not how you are going to fast.


IIFYM works perfectly fine, but I would really include fiber, phytonutrients, keeping saturated fats somewhat limited and so on, just to maintain overall health

^ORLY

OP, it's not magic, but it will certainly help you by eliminating stress, and leaving enough of a caloric cushion to be able to eat what you want as long as you hit you micros/macros. Personally, I've been doing it for a little over a year now, and it is so much easier then lugging around multiple tupper ware containers and prepping 6 meals for the work day.

chrisdavey

I think it is very stupid. You should eat when you are hungry, simple as that.


The claims behind it are so terrible. Your growth hormone "spikes" from eating because it decreases when you don't eat for an extended period of time.

One of the studies I read was done on rats (which is perfectly fine), but they were only fed once every 5th day, thats not how you are going to fast.


IIFYM works perfectly fine, but I would really include fiber, phytonutrients, keeping saturated fats somewhat limited and so on, just to maintain overall health

Mrsallypants

I like smaller meals throughout the day., it's difficult to eat a load of protein in a few meals as protein gives the most satiation out of all the macro nutrients.

I'd have to see a human study showing decreases in fat loss before I'd give IF the full go. I have tried the 16 hour fast and 8 hour eating window, but didn't experience any benefit besides terrible hunger pangs for hours. I felt the negative outweighed the alleged positive benefits.

My personal experience may be flawed as I don't control the variables, so a peer reviewed human study is needed on this. Perhaps there is one.

momzeeee

Intermittent fasting is an umbrella term for several different plans-

I did alternate day IF, which does restrict calories, for my weight loss plan and I lost around 40lbs with it (for more info read Dr. Jame Johnson's book The Alternate Day Diet).

I dabbled with 5:2 IF when I transitioned to maintenance, but only did it for a couple weeks since it caused continued weight loss (Dr. Michael Mosley's book The Fast Diet has the info on this-he also has a BBC documentary and a PBS special floating around online.)

Right now I'm experimenting with the 8/16 IF window, with a two meal format, and really like it for maintenance

RTDice

I'm liking the 5:2 IF approach. It suits me and my life style. I've been fasting once a week for a while for other reasons, so adding in an extra day wasn't that hard.

If you want to see Michael Mosley's BBC Horizon documentary on his investigations around fasting you can watch it hear:
http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xvdbtt_eat-fast-live-longer-hd_shortfilms#.UaNPDrXPdNg

jacksonpt

I've done both. Been a IIFYMer for a long time, and been IFing now for about 3 months.

Both work, but neither work. At the end of the day, total calories trumps everything else, so if that isn't in check it doesn't matter what else you do. If total cals ARE in check, then almost anything will work.

These are just 2 approaches that can be used. The goal is to keep total cals reasonable, then find the approach that works best with your lifestyle, preferences, etc. For a lot of people, IIFYM is a much more moderate, flexible approach that is easier (relatively speaking) to sustain long term. For some people IFing works because it lines up well with how they tend to eat naturally. For others it doesn't.

It's about finding the right fit while keeping your calorie intake reasonable.

gadenni34

I have been practicing IF since Thanksgiving of 2012. I use the Leangains approach and started with a 14/10 split and am now at a 16/8 split. It works for me. It works because I can more easily,and with more satisfaction, spread my calories in an 8 hour eating window than try to spread throughout the day. I also prefer not to eat breakfast, as it tends to make me hungrier as the day does on, and also prefer to workout fasted so IF is a win/win for me and my life. I can eat a big lunch and then enjoy dinner with my family and it works for me. Different strokes for different folks.

chrisdavey

I've done both. Been a IIFYMer for a long time, and been IFing now for about 3 months.

Both work, but neither work. At the end of the day, total calories trumps everything else, so if that isn't in check it doesn't matter what else you do. If total cals ARE in check, then almost anything will work.

These are just 2 approaches that can be used. The goal is to keep total cals reasonable, then find the approach that works best with your lifestyle, preferences, etc. For a lot of people, IIFYM is a much more moderate, flexible approach that is easier (relatively speaking) to sustain long term. For some people IFing works because it lines up well with how they tend to eat naturally. For others it doesn't.

It's about finding the right fit while keeping your calorie intake reasonable.

agreed. IF + IIFYM = winner (for me)

Amytrue1

bump

kms1320

Dabbled with it, I much more prefer 7 meals a day and spreading out my protein.