Fasting?

exWHYzee1337

its medical fact that starving your body slows down your metabolism not some gimmick trick...and while it might work without hazard for some people it isnt reccomended..healthy diet and exercise should be the only way to go

sorry but an 18 hour fast followed by a six hour eating window where you consume your daily calorie intake/macros for the day is not "starving your body"....

I'm curious about the 18 hour fast/6 hour eating. When do you eat, and what is the benefit?

You should read Eat Stop Eat by Brad Pilion(I think that's how you spell his last name) awesome book and tells you everything you need to know

good article here on intermittent fasting. http://www.muscleandstrength.com/articles/understanding-intermittent-fasting

I lost 55 lbs and maintained muscle. Different methods and diets are easier and more convenient for different people. This one worked for me

AlohaKeAkua

I've seen a few people post about adding 1-2 days of fasting to their diet each week. Doesn't this put the body into starvation mode? What exactly do you eat/drink on these fasting days? Does it really help?

Starvation Mode that your speaking of does NOT exist. MFP'ers throw that term around to scare you into eating more or eating what they think you should be eating. I fast all the time, I eat low cals and have done so since I started this in January 2012 and I have YET to have anything close to this made up term. And look what I've lost, my body has NOT held onto the fat, my hair is not falling out, my nails were bad to begin with so that isn't an issue. Starvation Mode I call BS.

Forget what you said (even though I agree)! All I see is the fact that you lost 200 lbs!!! You're my hero!!!

tmauck4472

To be honest, it's really unhealthy to fast to control weight. Unless you are fasting for religious purposes, it's not a good idea.

So very untrue. Fasting burns fat at a faster rate than just dieting. It's not about controling weight it's about the healthy benifits of fasting. This is your opinion and one not researched on your part

abeare

To be honest, it's really unhealthy to fast to control weight. Unless you are fasting for religious purposes, it's not a good idea.

I`m curious why you think fasting for weight control is bad but doing the same exact thing in the name of religion is ok? I think your view on this is that of a social one and not a health one.

tmauck4472

I've seen a few people post about adding 1-2 days of fasting to their diet each week. Doesn't this put the body into starvation mode? What exactly do you eat/drink on these fasting days? Does it really help?

Starvation Mode that your speaking of does NOT exist. MFP'ers throw that term around to scare you into eating more or eating what they think you should be eating. I fast all the time, I eat low cals and have done so since I started this in January 2012 and I have YET to have anything close to this made up term. And look what I've lost, my body has NOT held onto the fat, my hair is not falling out, my nails were bad to begin with so that isn't an issue. Starvation Mode I call BS.

Forget what you said (even though I agree)! All I see is the fact that you lost 200 lbs!!! You're my hero!!!

Thanks Hard work and determination and good friends

PhoenixEve

The documentary "Eat, Fast and Live Longer" with Michael Mosley is very informative on this topic, and was very eye opening for me.

Fasting (when done right) can improve your health and longevity. It helps your body repair old cells instead of creating new cells. Repair of old cells improves health and reduces cancer risk. Michael Mosley's lab reports in the documentary were enough to convince me of this.

I've been eating within a 8-10 hr window every day and i feel great! I still eat all my calories, just within a shorter time frame so that i have 14-16 hours of repair mode for my body each day. I'm sleeping better and have better energy levels. Dropping fat and gaining strength. Occasionally i will do a 24 hr cleanse/juice fast (like once or twice a month) when i know i'm not going to be doing any strenuous physical activity that day... but i only fast that long on a rest day. Or sometimes a 20 hr fast and a 4 hr eating window so i can enjoy a REALLY big high cal meal for a special occasion or event and still stick to my cal goals for that day. It's totally working for me. No starvation mode here. I'm actually eating more daily calories than i was previously and i'm losing weight!

Keiras_Mom

I've done several methods of IF, but lost the bulk of my weight with alternate day fasting. No metabolic slowdown or starvation mode here, and I've been doing it for a year and a half.

farazrizvi16

Being Muslim, I do fast each year from sunrise to sunset for one month (month of Ramadan). This is for religious purposes, I can eat from sunset to sunrise but honestly after hungry whole day you cannot eat much and small amount of food even can make you feel full. I never weight loss due to fasting but yes ts give me more control on my eating habits.

PrimalPixie

I've seen a few people post about adding 1-2 days of fasting to their diet each week. Doesn't this put the body into starvation mode? What exactly do you eat/drink on these fasting days? Does it really help?

Starvation Mode that your speaking of does NOT exist. MFP'ers throw that term around to scare you into eating more or eating what they think you should be eating. I fast all the time, I eat low cals and have done so since I started this in January 2012 and I have YET to have anything close to this made up term. And look what I've lost, my body has NOT held onto the fat, my hair is not falling out, my nails were bad to begin with so that isn't an issue. Starvation Mode I call BS.

^^ This. Also, congrats on your amazing loss! You rock!

momzeeee

its medical fact that starving your body slows down your metabolism not some gimmick trick...and while it might work without hazard for some people it isnt reccomended..healthy diet and exercise should be the only way to go

sorry but an 18 hour fast followed by a six hour eating window where you consume your daily calorie intake/macros for the day is not "starving your body"....

I'm curious about the 18 hour fast/6 hour eating. When do you eat, and what is the benefit?

I did alternate day intermittent fasting for weight loss and now do 8:16 IF for maintenance. I break my fast at 11am with my largest meal of the day. I then eat a slightly smaller meal at around 6pm and I don't eat snacks. Doing this format has allowed me to maintain effortlessly. When I spot check calories I'm naturally eating 1,800-2,200 calories.

As for what I eat, I stick with a fairly primal leaning menu, but I I'm not super strict about it. I eat what I enjoy and don't deprive or restrict myself. An example-what I ate yesterday:
Broke my fast at 11am with 8 ounces of top sirloin petite steak, pan cooked in butter with mushrooms, bell peppers and onions. For my second meal at 6pm I had pork tenderloin, cooked in olive oil, with a very large salad, which had a hard boiled egg, bacon pieces, cheese, and regular ranch dressing. I finished up wih a sour cream donut and one square of dark chocolate
Calorie wise it came in around 1,800 calories. I did not eat anything else and only drink water.

IF works great for me

sk_pirate

Nah.

GorillaNJ

It is more effective then fisting... or so I have read.. for weight loss... again read

Tatiyanya

I "fast" in a form of 18-6, because i enjoy the mood control it gives me , i am fast, smart, alert and in hunter mode when hungry /fasting during most of the day and then in the afternoon/evening have 3 meals with my daily caloric intake, when i feel full, cuddly and sleepy and it doesnt affect my work/education performance.
I feel better with alert mind and flat belly during the day and i like going to sleep still feeling full after big meal i had few hours before.

It might be because due to some health issues my eating habbits changed, and if i eat breakfast ...well, when i start eating i dont stop, breakfasts make me super hungry for some reason , didnt use to do that before. So 18-6 fits me.

Fasting on water for few days straight tho is not something i'd personally do, but aparently it gives you the "hunter mode" alertness too, dunno. Fasting is aparently healthy if done right. I just do it cos it fits my moods/day schedule

Don't overcomplicate stuff ;D

kellykw

I notice my blood sugar/mood is more stable when I practice IF a few days a week.

Exactly. That's why I do it. :flowerforyou:

lillith1991

To be honest, it's really unhealthy to fast to control weight. Unless you are fasting for religious purposes, it's not a good idea.

I think what littlelfmage means is that fasting for religious reasons is different as suppose to using it for weight lose. When used for jewish yom kipper or the muslim holiday of ramadan its not like doing it every day. One day or a month doesn't translate into doing it everyday for the next few years or the rest of your life.

That said it can be used effectivly and done right. Just don't expect everyone to be on board with the idea.

JossFit

its medical fact that starving your body slows down your metabolism not some gimmick trick...and while it might work without hazard for some people it isnt reccomended..healthy diet and exercise should be the only way to go

Define "healthy diet and exercise"...

JossFit

To be honest, it's really unhealthy to fast to control weight. Unless you are fasting for religious purposes, it's not a good idea.

So... if you're doing it for some magical "religious purposes" suddenly it makes it healthy?

Please show me some peer-reviewed studies that explain how not eating for a small period of time (especially when we are talking about 14-18 hours) is unhealthy.

vtmoon

To be honest, it's really unhealthy to fast to control weight. Unless you are fasting for religious purposes, it's not a good idea.

I think what littlelfmage means is that fasting for religious reasons is different as suppose to using it for weight lose. When used for jewish yom kipper or the muslim holiday of ramadan its not like doing it every day. One day or a month doesn't translate into doing it everyday for the next few years or the rest of your life.

That said it can be used effectivly and done right. Just don't expect everyone to be on board with the idea.

Some monks and certain religious men fast all the time, it helps them with mental clarity. So again like you said it can be done, so weight loss vs religious reasons why is it unhealthy one way vs the other? it is like saying there are no religious people with weight issues. Cause they are screwed if fasting is unhealthy and they want to stay religious.

sbbhbm

Meh.
I fast every Wednesday, the entire 24 hour day with only water, for religious purposes. I've lost 140 pounds - it never slowed me down. I always feel really good the next day- like my body had time to process everything from the rest of the week.

tricksee

To be honest, it's really unhealthy to fast to control weight. Unless you are fasting for religious purposes, it's not a good idea.

Quite possibly the single worst post I've ever witnessed on any forum I've been a member of. Words can't express how I feel about the above (they probably could, but I'm already on my second strike and I'm banned if I use the language I want to!!)