Intermittent Fasting/Flexible Dieting

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CSlupe11
CSlupe11 Posts: 31 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
How many of you follow intermittent fasting/flexible dieting? Do you feel it works better than when you eat just your allotted calories/macros whenever you want throughout the day?
Trying to decide if its truly a good "diet" plan or if it works more like a placebo affect.
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  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
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    You are blending 2 different things. I love IF because of the scheduling aspect. Flexible dieting is an approach that acknowledges you can't eat perfectly every meal every day. Neither is any better than the other. There is no placebo effect, its personal preference.
  • nstock
    nstock Posts: 135 Member
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    Personally for me, I need to eat every 3-4 hours (I usually eat small meals/snacks), so IF would be terrible. I know my friend does it and she only eats from 1pm-10pm. She says she has no issues with it and likes to do it. I have no idea how she doesn't eat til 1 lol I am STARVING when I wake up. I think it's just personal preference. If you're tryna lose weight, it's all about cals in vs. cals out.
  • JessicaThompson12
    JessicaThompson12 Posts: 82 Member
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    I'm a grazer. A big grazer. I did IF for a period last summer where I only ate from 11-7 and more than anything it helped me to stop grazing so much.
  • Lexicpt
    Lexicpt Posts: 209 Member
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    I unintentionally do IF most days. I don't eat until noon and am done eating for the day by 8pm. It just works out that way because I'm not hungry in the mornings.
  • Yosie721
    Yosie721 Posts: 2 Member
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    Im trying to figure out it all out myself, been trying to do 14:10 with a window of eating from 10am to 8pm
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    I'm doing 5:2 - Eating 500 2 days a week, eating maintenance the other 5

    It's working for me because "I'm only dieting 2 days a week." Yes, those 2 days are hard. I still log 7 days, I tried 5:2 initially so I didn't have to log so much (that didn't work). Maintenance is a big issue for me.
  • rainbow198
    rainbow198 Posts: 2,245 Member
    edited April 2015
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    I typically eat all of my calories within a 6 hour window.

    Usually 2 larger meals and a snack on really active days when I need the extra calories. Larger meals keep me satisfied so there's no need to snack all day.

    IF has been really great for maintaining my weight!
  • CSlupe11
    CSlupe11 Posts: 31 Member
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    TeaBea that sounds like the alternate day fasting approach?
  • sarahlifts
    sarahlifts Posts: 610 Member
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    I have been flexible dieting for more than a year. its awesome.

    I just began IF 16:8 yesterday to curb my late day snacking. Worked like a charm. Looking fwd to my 11 am breakfst and eating for the next 8 hours the same foods I ate when it was just IIFYM.

  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
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    IF and flexible dieting are two different things entirely, and neither is 'better' than the other, fat loss is determined by your caloric deficit. Now do I fine IF easier than multiple meals a day? yes I do
  • CSlupe11
    CSlupe11 Posts: 31 Member
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    I've heard that the 16/8 is great. Some people refer to it as the "8 hour ab diet."

    Do you truly feel like it helps shred more fat than just eating your normal calories all day long?

    Obviously I'm exercising 5-6x per week too.
  • segacs
    segacs Posts: 4,599 Member
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    It doesn't help you lose more weight, assuming you stick to it.

    It might help you better stick to it or manage your calories, for some people. Not me, though. I like food too much to ever willingly restrict myself so often.
  • USMCMcG
    USMCMcG Posts: 7 Member
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    I'm on IF 16:8 and have been for a few months. I have a difficult time going to sleep on a less than full stomach, so being able to late load my meals has helped a lot. I'm a grump in the mornings anyway, so hangry until noon isn't that much different. :)

    I've also been doing fasted cardio in the mornings which is supposed to help. No idea the science behind that, but for now it's working for me.
  • CSlupe11
    CSlupe11 Posts: 31 Member
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    Totally get where you're coming from segacs
  • PeachyPlum
    PeachyPlum Posts: 1,243 Member
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    CSlupe11 wrote: »
    I've heard that the 16/8 is great. Some people refer to it as the "8 hour ab diet."

    Do you truly feel like it helps shred more fat than just eating your normal calories all day long?

    Obviously I'm exercising 5-6x per week too.

    No it does not.

    It can, however, make it easier to stay within your calorie allowance, depending on your personality type.
  • Tubbs216
    Tubbs216 Posts: 6,597 Member
    edited April 2015
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    Lexicpt wrote: »
    I unintentionally do IF most days. I don't eat until noon and am done eating for the day by 8pm. It just works out that way because I'm not hungry in the mornings.
    This is exactly me, although I now make it a deliberate thing. I figure if I'm not hungry for breakfast, why not take advantage of that?

  • hsmith0930
    hsmith0930 Posts: 160 Member
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    There is some "bro-science" that I've seen saying that working out in a fasted state can help to increase the amount of loss coming from fat instead of muscle, but... Broscience will be broscience. So the idea is that it doesn't make you lose any more than you would from any other calorie deficit, but that you should be maintaining more muscle? Who knows. I "sort of" eat IF. I tend not to eat anything until mid-day and I am usually done eating about 8-9 in the evening. But I don't try to stick to the kind of schedule. If I want something earlier, I eat earlier.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
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    CSlupe11 wrote: »
    TeaBea that sounds like the alternate day fasting approach?

    5:2 is less aggressive than the alternate day, but yeah same kind of thing. Slower is better when you are closer to goal. I need to minimize muscle loss (over 50) so slower is okay with me.
  • CSlupe11
    CSlupe11 Posts: 31 Member
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    TeaBea wrote: »
    CSlupe11 wrote: »
    TeaBea that sounds like the alternate day fasting approach?

    5:2 is less aggressive than the alternate day, but yeah same kind of thing. Slower is better when you are closer to goal. I need to minimize muscle loss (over 50) so slower is okay with me.

    I feel that slower = more maintainable in the long run :)

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