IF vs CICO

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Microscopes
Microscopes Posts: 92 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm trying to wrap my head around the IF (8 hour eating window) theory.

How does eating your calories in an 8 hour window help you lose weight any better than throughout the entire day (whenever you want)?

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  • murp4069
    murp4069 Posts: 494 Member
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    It doesn't. IF is just a tool some people use to keep their calorie intake in check. I personally find it easier to stay within my calorie goal for the day if I only eat during an 8 hour window. If I eat breakfast and snacks throughout the day I inevitably go over my calorie goal after dinner. IF is only a tool to help you with CICO.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
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    Microscopes wrote: »
    I'm trying to wrap my head around the IF (8 hour eating window) theory.

    How does eating your calories in an 8 hour window help you lose weight any better than throughout the entire day (whenever you want)?

    IF works for some people because it allows them to stay in a deficit easier (which is what CICO is; it's not actually a versus). Once I start eating, I tend to get hungry every few hours, but if I delay breakfast until 10am or so, I'm usually fine until I start eating. Eating every two hours from when I wake up (4:30) compared to 10 would lead to a lot more calories consumed throughout the day.

    I don't do true IF, but it's a similar concept. It's easier to eat less when they only eat at certain times. I have a friend who only eats one meal a day on his diet, so it's been easy for him to lose weight because he can have a huge meal and still stay within his daily goal.
  • Microscopes
    Microscopes Posts: 92 Member
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    ok, gotcha.

    I was under the impression that people think it helps shed fat more quickly.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,395 MFP Moderator
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    IF is a dietary preference/style, CICO is an energy balance equation. All styles follow CICO.


    And there really are no differences in shredding fat, regardless of dietary preference. And in the end, you need to find a style that is beneficial and sustainable for you. I tried IF for 6 months and never got over the intense hunger in the morning or bad breath. So I went back to 3 large meals a day.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
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    A lot of people use IF as a method to lose weight, successfully. I don't think you can say "vs"....in the end, weightloss is still about CICO, how you go about timing the CI is the only difference.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Microscopes wrote: »
    I'm trying to wrap my head around the IF (8 hour eating window) theory.

    How does eating your calories in an 8 hour window help you lose weight any better than throughout the entire day (whenever you want)?

    It doesn't and it's still CICO. Some people just do better with an eating window as it fits their overall lifestyles better and provides for greater dietary adherence.

    CICO is just a formula and is applicable to any diet or WOE and to any weight management objective.
  • Microscopes
    Microscopes Posts: 92 Member
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    Maybe I misread, but I could have swore that LeanGains IF (8 hour window) said he had to increase his calories after switching to IF because he was burning so much faster.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,395 MFP Moderator
    edited April 2016
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    Microscopes wrote: »
    Maybe I misread, but I could have swore that LeanGains IF (8 hour window) said he had to increase his calories after switching to IF because he was burning so much faster.

    If he did, it was due to a reduction of calories. If your calories are constant, then the results will be equal regardless of timing or frequency.
  • Microscopes
    Microscopes Posts: 92 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    Microscopes wrote: »
    Maybe I misread, but I could have swore that LeanGains IF (8 hour window) said he had to increase his calories after switching to IF because he was burning so much faster.

    If he did, it was due to a reduction of calories. If your calories are constant, then the results will be equal regardless of timing or frequency.

    Thank you.
  • yarwell
    yarwell Posts: 10,477 Member
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    Microscopes wrote: »
    ok, gotcha.

    I was under the impression that people think it helps shed fat more quickly.

    You may have read that the extended fasting period reduces insulin levels and facilitates fat release and oxidation. I don't know how significant that is in different populations, but it might be relevant to some.
  • jumpingborderterrier
    jumpingborderterrier Posts: 16 Member
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    psulemon wrote: »
    IF is a dietary preference/style, CICO is an energy balance equation. All styles follow CICO.


    I tried IF for 6 months and never got over the intense hunger in the morning or bad breath. So I went back to 3 large meals a day.

    I tried IF for 2 weeks using the 16:8. It gave me bad breath too. Plus I was cranky and bonked in a weights class. I got light headed and the clammy sweats. So back to three meals for me. I eat snacks if hungry in between. I like having steady energy when I work out.
  • JustMissTracy
    JustMissTracy Posts: 6,339 Member
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    jumpingborderterrier wrote: »
    psulemon wrote: »
    IF is a dietary preference/style, CICO is an energy balance equation. All styles follow CICO.


    I tried IF for 6 months and never got over the intense hunger in the morning or bad breath. So I went back to 3 large meals a day.

    I tried IF for 2 weeks using the 16:8. It gave me bad breath too. Plus I was cranky and bonked in a weights class. I got light headed and the clammy sweats. So back to three meals for me. I eat snacks if hungry in between. I like having steady energy when I work out.

    Me too, I tried it for a week, but day two I was shaky all day...by day 4 I felt like throwing up, shaking, and cold sweats...no Thankyou. My body loves to be fed, well, and often :)
  • Davidsdottir
    Davidsdottir Posts: 1,285 Member
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    Microscopes wrote: »
    I'm trying to wrap my head around the IF (8 hour eating window) theory.

    How does eating your calories in an 8 hour window help you lose weight any better than throughout the entire day (whenever you want)?

    It helps you to stick to your CICO.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,366 Member
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    eleeosia wrote: »
    murp4069 wrote: »
    It doesn't. IF is just a tool some people use to keep their calorie intake in check. I personally find it easier to stay within my calorie goal for the day if I only eat during an 8 hour window. If I eat breakfast and snacks throughout the day I inevitably go over my calorie goal after dinner. IF is only a tool to help you with CICO.

    Actually, IF is a bit more than that -- a quick search and you can read the countless articles in medical journals on the benefits of fasting and how fasting for 16+ hours consecutively can spur autophagy/lower insulin/etc. These can have an impact on weight loss/retention beyond CICO.

    Nope - you have to fast for several days in a row to get any autophagy benefits. The 18 hour window is too short to deplete your body of it's stored reserves.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,395 MFP Moderator
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    ccrdragon wrote: »
    eleeosia wrote: »
    murp4069 wrote: »
    It doesn't. IF is just a tool some people use to keep their calorie intake in check. I personally find it easier to stay within my calorie goal for the day if I only eat during an 8 hour window. If I eat breakfast and snacks throughout the day I inevitably go over my calorie goal after dinner. IF is only a tool to help you with CICO.

    Actually, IF is a bit more than that -- a quick search and you can read the countless articles in medical journals on the benefits of fasting and how fasting for 16+ hours consecutively can spur autophagy/lower insulin/etc. These can have an impact on weight loss/retention beyond CICO.

    Nope - you have to fast for several days in a row to get any autophagy benefits. The 18 hour window is too short to deplete your body of it's stored reserves.

    Add in the fact that almost all thr studies demonstrated the benefits on rats... Not humans.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,015 Member
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    eleeosia wrote: »
    murp4069 wrote: »
    It doesn't. IF is just a tool some people use to keep their calorie intake in check. I personally find it easier to stay within my calorie goal for the day if I only eat during an 8 hour window. If I eat breakfast and snacks throughout the day I inevitably go over my calorie goal after dinner. IF is only a tool to help you with CICO.

    Actually, IF is a bit more than that -- a quick search and you can read the countless articles in medical journals on the benefits of fasting and how fasting for 16+ hours consecutively can spur autophagy/lower insulin/etc. These can have an impact on weight loss/retention beyond CICO.

    Nice thread resurrection there for a first post. This thread is two years old and there have been hundreds of discussions about IF on these boards since then.

    Not sure what your point is by doing this...

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