Intermittent Fasting/Flexible Dieting

CSlupe11

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.

rybo

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

TeaBea that sounds like the alternate day fasting approach?

sarahlifts

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

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

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

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

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

Totally get where you're coming from segacs

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PeachyPlum

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

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

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

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

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

Sarasmaintaining

I did alternate day IF for my weight loss phase, used 5:2IF during the transition period between active weight loss and maintenance, and I now do 16:8IF as part of my maintenance plan. I love IF and will always do it in some form

FoxyMars25

I just started 5:2 this week. Have two fast days under my belt now, and I LOVE it! I am amazed at how great I feel when I just take a break from eating all the damn time.

cajuntank

Any diet plan works if it creates the necessary calorie deficit to lose weight (assuming that's your goal). All of these "diet plans" whether they are IF, Paleo, IIFYM, Low Carb, etc... are just protocols that have been used to get that deficit in place. People, using these different protocols, find the one that best works for them, their adherence, and lifestyle. Definitely not a placebo affect if it creates a deficit. You can just as easily gain weight doing IF if the calories you take in are more than needed.

Sarasmaintaining

cajuntank wrote: »

Any diet plan works if it creates the necessary calorie deficit to lose weight (assuming that's your goal). All of these "diet plans" whether they are IF, Paleo, IIFYM, Low Carb, etc... are just protocols that have been used to get that deficit in place. People, using these different protocols, find the one that best works for them, their adherence, and lifestyle. Definitely not a placebo affect if it creates a deficit. You can just as easily gain weight doing IF if the calories you take in are more than needed.

This.

CSlupe11

Sarasmaintaining wrote: »

I did alternate day IF for my weight loss phase, used 5:2IF during the transition period between active weight loss and maintenance, and I now do 16:8IF as part of my maintenance plan. I love IF and will always do it in some form

That's great to hear! I've heard it works awesome for people.

CSlupe11

FoxyMars25 wrote: »

I just started 5:2 this week. Have two fast days under my belt now, and I LOVE it! I am amazed at how great I feel when I just take a break from eating all the damn time.

I've heard it boosts your mood and helps prevent diseases, including diabetes. Those were the main reasons I was seriously looking into this option.

CSlupe11

cajuntank wrote: »

Any diet plan works if it creates the necessary calorie deficit to lose weight (assuming that's your goal). All of these "diet plans" whether they are IF, Paleo, IIFYM, Low Carb, etc... are just protocols that have been used to get that deficit in place. People, using these different protocols, find the one that best works for them, their adherence, and lifestyle. Definitely not a placebo affect if it creates a deficit. You can just as easily gain weight doing IF if the calories you take in are more than needed.

You are totally right

SLLRunner

I don't think I could do IF because I have GERD and do better on the 5 to 6 smaller meals a day. However, because I rise each weekday morning at 4 to go workout, I find myself really hungry so breakfast between 6:30 and 7 contains the most calories. Throughout the morning into the afternoon, I will eat my other smaller meals. Sometimes I don't anything from just after lunch until dinner/desert. I generally don't eat at least two hours prior to bed due to my GERD as well, so I don't eat anything from about an 10 to 11 hour window, but I think that's what many people do as well.

SLLRunner

CSlupe11 wrote: »

FoxyMars25 wrote: »

I just started 5:2 this week. Have two fast days under my belt now, and I LOVE it! I am amazed at how great I feel when I just take a break from eating all the damn time.

I've heard it boosts your mood and helps prevent diseases, including diabetes. Those were the main reasons I was seriously looking into this option.

I don't know about mood boosting, but I don't see how IF can specifically prevent diseases and diabetes.

Annie_01

CSlupe11 wrote: »

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.

You might also take a look at zigzag dieting. I am trying it now to see if it fits my life style. My calorie level is 1370. Two days a week I eat lower...two days higher...and three days at 1370.

I was interested in the 5:2 but just didn't know if I could go that low in calories for those two days. The zigzag allows me to have one day on the weekend at a higher range and one day mid-week.