Intermittent fasting for weight loss

Kimbot88

I posted this in another area as well but now I'm thinking maybe it belongs here. So sorry if that's frowned upon.

Have you tried intermittent fasting (IF) as a weight loss method? If so, what were your results? Do you recommend it? If not, why?

Stickthejugon80

I enjoy IF once a week... it's not for weight loss, it's a tool to keep calories within range if you go over e.g. if I go over 600 calories in a week total, I fast for 24 hours (missing 600c in meals) to reach my weekly target. The extra benefits to IF for me are: 1. Accomplishment 2. Rest 3. A reset to keep me focussed. Also, if I know I have a big eating celebration night coming up, I plan to fast beforehand so that I don't have to overly worry about going over daily limit. HTH Kate

TeeDeezy

I've done it before, but also only one day per week. I wouldn't recommend it more often than that.

I researched it pretty heavily before hand and didn't feel wierd or crazy about doing it. A 24hr fast once per week isn't going to have any detrimental effect. I ate a decent dinner about 7. Then, I skipped breakfast and lunch the next day substituting green tea. Then I ate again 24hrs later at 7 the next night. It's actually pretty manageable and it can be effective if done the right way.

Just be aware of how dangerous it can be psychologically (could lead to eating disorder if done improperly) and know that if your strong enough to take on the responsibility mentally then it can safely be used as a tool for weight loss. IMO anyway from someone who has done it before. You'll hear a lot of people say no way, no how because of the psychological risks involved that can lead to physiological risks. That wasn't my experience, but if you do it you want to be very aware of that.

shadowconn

Yes. Depends on where I'm at. If I can't get the weight to move, I'll fast. But my fasting is closer to going on a liquid diet for a few days.

I've been on a 66/33 liquid/solid diet for almost a month. About time for me to come off it. It's done what I wanted it to do which was to very rapidly get out of the obese catagory while shrinking my stomach or at least getting used to the pain of being hungry all the time. That's done. So now I need to find low cal solid foods.

ericGold15

It can certainly be done safely, but the fraction of people who gain the weight right back is not pretty.
There is good reason to recommend long term lifestyle change rather than the ping pong of weight loss/weight gain.

PinkPixiexox

I tried it for about 2 days (day 1 was 500 cals, day 2 was 'normal' cals whatever that means!) and I hated it. After the 500 calorie day, I felt weak, miserable and STARVING hungry. My head was pounding despite drinking loads of water and I just wanted to go home to bed and wake up to the high calorie day! I'm not sure if this actually works though I have heard some positive opinions from others who lasted longer than me! I'd say, if you generally struggle on a deficit as it is - don't consider IF! If you can do it, fantastic - let me know your results

Christine_72

I lost the majority of my weight doing alternate day fasting. 500 calories one day, then my TDEE the next, and so on. 24lbs in 4mths. I went back to normal daily calorie counting when I was a few kgs from my goal weight.

aniqa109

how much did you weigh to begin with @ christinev297

KANGOOJUMPS

for sure!, love it!, works great for some!,, there are some groups on here that are very good.

Christine_72

@aniqa109 . I started at around 81kgs (178lbs) . I'm 66kgs now (145lbs)

MyNameIsNotBob

Yes, I've been doing 5:2 for about a month. Love it so far, it's working, and it fits my lifestyle. Down 9 lbs. in a month. Once I learned a few tricks, fasting days became easy and I feel great.

neelsmith92

Intermittent Fasting is going an extended period of time without eating. Although it might sound like an eating disorder in the making, Intermittent Fasting is simply a different style of eating that is safe, effective and comes with a slew of health benefits (including fat loss) when done the right way.
womens transformation

hdtalbot

MyNameIsNotBob wrote: »

Yes, I've been doing 5:2 for about a month. Love it so far, it's working, and it fits my lifestyle. Down 9 lbs. in a month. Once I learned a few tricks, fasting days became easy and I feel great.

What is the 5:2?

thankyou4thevenom

There is a group on here for IF and I've linked you right to the FAQ because it contains a LOT of information that a lot of people in this tread ought to be reading.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/599982/intermittent-fasting-faq

As for 5:2 I'm doing that, so let me explain. It's 5 days at maintenance calories (that includes exercise) and then 2 days (not done together) eating no more than 500 calories for women and 700 for men per week. So Monday you could fast (500), Then eat normally until Friday when you fast again. Then for the weekend you eat normally.
The amount you lose per week depend on how much you burn on a daily basis, so for me I burn on average 2500 calories. So over two days I cut 4000 calories from my causing a loss of just over 1lb a week.

Downsides, unless you're really busy the fast days can be hard, fortunately I have busy days so it easy to skip food for a day.
Upsides, all the benefits of fasting. Also on your normal days you're eating to maintenance, so when you don't have to fast for weight loss you already know what and how much to eat. You just simply stop fasting.

I hope this was helpful!

Kimbot88

thankyou4thevenom wrote: »

There is a group on here for IF and I've linked you right to the FAQ because it contains a LOT of information that a lot of people in this tread ought to be reading.
http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/599982/intermittent-fasting-faq

As for 5:2 I'm doing that, so let me explain. It's 5 days at maintenance calories (that includes exercise) and then 2 days (not done together) eating no more than 500 calories for women and 700 for men per week. So Monday you could fast (500), Then eat normally until Friday when you fast again. Then for the weekend you eat normally.
The amount you lose per week depend on how much you burn on a daily basis, so for me I burn on average 2500 calories. So over two days I cut 4000 calories from my causing a loss of just over 1lb a week.

Downsides, unless you're really busy the fast days can be hard, fortunately I have busy days so it easy to skip food for a day.
Upsides, all the benefits of fasting. Also on your normal days you're eating to maintenance, so when you don't have to fast for weight loss you already know what and how much to eat. You just simply stop fasting.

I hope this was helpful!

Very helpful! Thank you!

accidentalpancake

IF can be a great tool, but you have to understand the why and how, just as with everything else. Check out the IF group.

I eat between roughly 4pm and 10pm daily, and have lost 75+lbs. Once you've gained knowledge of actual hunger signals, it couldn't be easier.

ki4eld

xp from other thread... I use 17off/7on and it works great for me. My eating window is 12-7p. I don't like breakfast and I have to stop eating 2-3 hours before bed. That cuts my eating time by a few hours. I cut it by a couple more just because.

lilstar168

I'm done with the 1st week and now still pressing hard to this plan. I love IF i lost 1kg so far.
17:7 works for me well. I only have 1 meal per day, few cups of black coffee and some biscuits when im really really hungry. I only eat from 1pm to 8pm and repeat on the next day.

kat239

Hi I just started to mini fast only been doing it for 5 days so can't say weather I've lost yet, will keep you updated. Link below mini fast.

http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/diets/445425/The-mini-fast-How-skipping-breakfast-could-make-you-slim

tiffkittyw

I think I've been doing this unknowingly on weekends. I wake up around 9am and go straight to the gym so my first meal is at lunch. I don't eat less than 1,000 calories though on Sunday and Saturday I eat my TDEE so I'm not doing the 5:2 plan but still having my body in a fasting state. I also stop eating around 6-7pm those days.

dmcb24

What are some tips to get through fasting time? I have been getting too hungry and can't make it my full fast.