Intermittent fasting for women

Beautiful_Warrior94
Beautiful_Warrior94 Posts: 197 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Anyone have any results from this? I would like to try this out and see how I do.

Replies

  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
    I do 16:8 because I'd rather eat two bigger meals than 3 smaller meals. It helps me stay in a deficit and I've steadily lost weight. It is natural for me to skip breakfast and I can see myself maintaining this for the rest of my life. It works for me but not everyone will like or do well with IF. It wouldn't work for my hubs, for instance, who starts feeling shaky if he misses a meal.
  • Sumiblue
    Sumiblue Posts: 1,597 Member
    I do 16:8 as well. It's just a method of keeping on deficit. Been doing it since late Sept and I've lost 9.5lbs and inches. Reached my goal weight today. I've lost a total of 17 lbs but the weight loss was much more linear and predictable with IF.
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 792 Member
    I adore 16:8 but am giving 5:2 a try because it fits really well with my schedule right now.
  • TeaBea
    TeaBea Posts: 14,517 Member
    I found that I couldn't manage 5:2. Now I zig-zag my calories differently. Here are links to the groups...lots of info there

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/49-intermittent-fasting

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/100058-5-2-fasting

    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/group/8628-5-2-diet
  • kaysday
    kaysday Posts: 256 Member
    yep I do 20:4 lost 50 pounds
  • ew_david
    ew_david Posts: 3,473 Member
    I lost the bulk of my weight doing 16:8.

    I failed at 5:2. My maintenance days quickly turned into surplus days.
  • Bella0531
    Bella0531 Posts: 309 Member
    I did 16:8 for a while, but didn't have a ton of luck (but, I had a little). I stopped, though, when I started working out before work. I need to have a little something before my workout, and didn't want to stop eating at 2pm.
  • tara_means_star
    tara_means_star Posts: 957 Member
    Sumiblue wrote: »
    I do 16:8 as well. It's just a method of keeping on deficit. Been doing it since late Sept and I've lost 9.5lbs and inches. Reached my goal weight today. I've lost a total of 17 lbs but the weight loss was much more linear and predictable with IF.

    I've noticed my weight loss is more linear as well.. Weird!
  • Barbs2222
    Barbs2222 Posts: 433 Member
    I lost 30 pounds last year doing 18:6. I also maintained the last 1/3 of the year by doing 18:6 without really logging or anything. I needed a break, but now I'm back to lose the last 11 pounds.
  • utahmomof10
    utahmomof10 Posts: 133 Member
    I gave it a go at 16:8 for 3 weeks. I would wait until 1 pm after my workout to eat, and then be done eating at 9 pm. I was losing weight pretty steadily (7 pounds in 3 weeks), but by the end I was having some concerning issues. I starting having episodes where my legs would get numb and weak/dead feeling and I would get kind of dizzy and have to sit down, and I was having headaches and feeling shaky a lot. I attributed it to blood sugar instability. Plus my weight gains started to drop off. I stopped the IF and those symptoms have completely stopped. Bottom line - it's not for everyone.
  • Beautiful_Warrior94
    Beautiful_Warrior94 Posts: 197 Member
    What is 16:8?
  • Beautiful_Warrior94
    Beautiful_Warrior94 Posts: 197 Member
    Wait never mind I feel stupid
  • BoaRestrictor
    BoaRestrictor Posts: 194 Member
    I do 20:4, I was using it to maintain but now I'm doing it with a deficit. Makes it really easy to eat 1200-1400 calories a day when you only eat dinner.
  • mef1107
    mef1107 Posts: 22 Member
    Thin_Beauty94 wrote: »
    Wait never mind I feel stupid

    Don't feel stupid, I didn't know either, I had to google it to see what the heck everyone was talking about
  • mef1107
    mef1107 Posts: 22 Member
    Now, I'm not sure about 20:4
  • Beautiful_Warrior94
    Beautiful_Warrior94 Posts: 197 Member
    mef1107 wrote: »
    Now, I'm not sure about 20:4

    I believe it's where you fast for 20 hours and only have a 4 hour eating window. Am I correct?

  • pyrowill
    pyrowill Posts: 1,163 Member
    Yeah thats correct, bit extreme, and can easily lead to binging issues, but if you can handle it, theres no reason why it's unsafe.
  • dasher602014
    dasher602014 Posts: 1,992 Member
    My husband and I skip breakfast 2 or 3 days a week which makes it a 16 hour fast. We eat what we want afterwards. It seems to work out to 2 normal meals that day. This was recommended for Type 2 diabetes blood sugar control (recommended by doctor) and with a lower carb diet, it is working to lower his blood sugar. I am a natural breakfast skipper so this mild way of IF doesn't bother either of us. It does seems to help the weight drop too, but slowly.
  • timeforwork
    timeforwork Posts: 114 Member
    so if you were to do 1 of these how do you decide ratios? ie 20;4 , 16:8 ect? are these the only ratios? and is one better that the other? can you make up your own ratio ect? this is just curiosity if anyone can enlighten me :)
  • BoaRestrictor
    BoaRestrictor Posts: 194 Member
    pyrowill wrote: »
    Yeah thats correct, bit extreme, and can easily lead to binging issues, but if you can handle it, theres no reason why it's unsafe.

    :) Yeah I didn't just wake up one day and decide to go 20:4* out the gate. I believe I went 14:10 then 16:8 and then 18:6 and only after that became like nothing did I move to 20:4.

    * For those asking yes it means you fast 20 hours and then have a 4 hour eating window. Right now I cease eating at 8:30PM and do not consume calories again until the next day at 4:30PM.
  • ilex70
    ilex70 Posts: 727 Member
    so if you were to do 1 of these how do you decide ratios? ie 20;4 , 16:8 ect? are these the only ratios? and is one better that the other? can you make up your own ratio ect? this is just curiosity if anyone can enlighten me :)

    Depends on you and how well you do with fasting/eating bigger meals.

    5:2 can be pretty mild. The idea is that you eat 5 days at maintenance then 2 days (usually non-consecutive) at a deep deficit. Usually on the deep deficit days people skip breakfast, sometimes lunch too.

    16:8 is a sixteen hour fast with an 8 hour eating window. I can do this one if I really want to and it did previously help me lose that last 10 pounds. With an 8 hour window you can still eat 3-4 meals, which works for me.

    20:4 is a 20 hour fast with a 4 hour eating window. So you likely have maybe 2 meals. My blood sugar/eating is such that this doesn't work for me. I'm usually good with 300 - 400 calories and can be satisfied with less if I eat less calorie dense foods. So I would feel bad with low blood sugar and would have a tough time getting all the calories in unless I went for some serious high calorie stuff...super nachos and ice cream maybe. Not sustainable for me.
  • MissCaroline71
    MissCaroline71 Posts: 24 Member
    I started 16:8 about 3 weeks ago.

    I had previously been trying to fit in 6 small meals a day, or 3 average meals with a couple of snacks - but I found once I started eating I couldnt stop, and I dont think my meals were "small enough".

    With the 16:8, I have been stunned by the results, and how easy "I" have found it (Its absolutely not for everyone).
    Here are things Ive discovered:

    - I am 100% okay not eating breakfast - Ive spent the last couple of years "forcing" myself to eat breakfast - Its not something I need first thing in the morning. I drink coffee and water through the morning until lunch

    - I eat a normal lunch/dinner - about 400-500 cals for lunch, about 700-800 cals for dinner (or less - note: Im only 5'1 - dont freak about about 1200cals) - if I get peckish in between - I will grab a granola bar or something similar

    - For my brain - its very easy to say "Dont eat before lunch" or "Dont eat after dinner". This is an easy rule for me to follow

    - Ive instantly stopped snacking just before bed......

    - Its nice not feeling "guilty" about eating. I am really enjoying my lunch and dinner.

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