Intermittent fasting- keen to hear other people's experiences

reddeament

I've been doing intermittent fasting (14-15 hour daily fast) for the past 2 weeks and have lost over 2kg even after leaving my diet the same. I'm also calorie counting on my fitness pal and doing strong lifts 5x5. I think intermittent fasting for me isn't the only reason I've lost weight but it's sped it up. Before the past few weeks I only lost 1-2kg a month.

I'm curious to hear about other people's experiences and if they've been able to do intermittent fasting and calorie counting at the same time

HildaInstant79

This sounds great! Have you found it easy to follow?

brb_2013

IF only worked for me when I wasn't exercising. Now that I exercise 3 days a week I find myself with varying hunger and need to be more intuitive about my eating. But it did work out with my schedule and needs prior to my workouts beginning.

dcresider

I'm currently on IF 16:8 (16 hour fast, 8 hours of eating within your calories). So far so good especially during the work week since I can control my eating habits more. It has only been a couple of weeks but it's definitely help me stay within my macros. I'm also on a 16 week strength training program so I may not see much of a loss in weight but hopefully inches.

reddeament

HildaInstant79 wrote: »

This sounds great! Have you found it easy to follow?

@HildaInstant79 yes I've found it easy to follow. It took me 2/3 days to get used to it though, my stomach was pretty painful in the morning. Now I'm alright - when I'm struggling I have a black coffee (no sugar) and then that helps to tide me over through to lunch.

gcaracciolo2

I tend to cycle it in every now and then and it's a good way to limit the amount of calories you eat in a day. It all depends on if you can handle the long period without eating.

On the bright side, If you like big meals I find IF the best way to accomplish this while sticking to your TDEE.

reddeament

dcresider wrote: »

I'm currently on IF 16:8 (16 hour fast, 8 hours of eating within your calories). So far so good especially during the work week since I can control my eating habits more. It has only been a couple of weeks but it's definitely help me stay within my macros. I'm also on a 16 week strength training program so I may not see much of a loss in weight but hopefully inches.

@dcresider what strength training program do you follow? Have you noticed a weight or inches loss difference? I'm due to measure my inches/cm loss this weekend. Rather nervous as this has been really slow in the past and it's not as "visible" as kg lost

reddeament

@gcaracciolo2 yeah I do find I'm more likely to hit my net calorie goal when I've actually eaten within the time window.

Black coffee helps me handle the long period without eating. I just have one in the morning. Not sure how I would cope without black coffee tbh (I know a lot of people don't like black coffee)

Lyenny

I started limiting my eating to a 12 hour window last year....so just a 12 hour fast...after I read an article summarizing a study about mice and fasting for 12 - 16 hours. I decided on the 12 hour because I knew I could do that without too much trouble. I didn't limit what I ate at all....and I did have my annual 5 pound winter weight gain. However, I'm back on MyFitnessPal tracking my calories now, and still maintaining the 12 hour fast time. And here's what I noticed. My weightloss hasn't sped up at all...but there has been a change in my body. I took my measurements last week, and at that time, I was 3 pounds heavier than the last time I had taken my measurements....but my measurements were the same as they were when I weighed 3 pounds less....And I'm noticing that my clothes fit more like I'm at that lower weight, and I have more muscle definition than I have had at this weight. It's not a huge difference, but it is noticeable...The only think that I'm doing differently is the fasting...I think having that 12 hour period of not eating and exercising close to the end of the fast has helped me burn more fat during my workouts, and my body composition has changed ever so slightly. I'll take it!

Sabine_Stroehm

I've been experimenting with it. 16:8 and 14:10. I lost a few pounds right off the bat, while not changing my daily eating.
I plan to keep it up for a few months but do need to work my morning runs in better.

I tend to drink broth during the last few hours of my fast.

StealthHealth

Not currently following IF but I love it. I use a 14:10 protocol just because it fits my lifestyle better than 16:8.

I find black coffee helps during the fast. IF is not magic - CICO still applies, but it is still a useful tool to have and use if/when you need it and I find that when on calorie restriction it helps me with adherence.

I also think that it is important that you ensure that you eat enough when fasting and so recommend continual logging of your food.

springs47

I'm trying to do this. I don't eat anything past 5pm and nothing until 5am.
Its been very hard breaking my midnight snacking habits!!

DanaDark

I use a variation. Two days a week (not consecutive), I eat VERY little. Like maybe 300-400 calories for the day. The other days, I just make healthy food choices and don't worry too much about being over calories.

Overall, I lose 0.5 to 1.0 pounds a week this way and feel just fine and dandy. Other than the low days, I don't even feel like I am restricting my intake.

I personally have found that simply trying to restrict calories every single day, constantly concerned about how many calories is in A, B, or C got too exhausting for me. Mentally and emotionally. Doing the 2/5 day IF thing is so much better.

tns56364

I follow the kinobody style of IF and it works well for me. It allows me to easily eat at a deficit without starving.

sycowomble

I used my polar heartrate monitor for a full day to get a rough idea of how many calories in burn, it was 3200 for the day. While using the IF diet do I have to take in 2700 calories in my 8hr window to lose weight without losing muscle mass?

lauracups

Just started a couple weeks ago, down a few pounds, broke my plateau and makes sticking to my calorie limit easier. I'll either eat between 11 and 6ish or 12 to 7ish. I exercise early in the morning so initially it was tough to stick to, hunger pangs kick in around 9ish. I get up at 5:30 and start with black coffee.

DanFoster98

I started IF a few weeks ago and immediately saw results. I did my same diet the first week and then 2nd week onward I prepped my meals on Sunday's and the results are actually awesome. I plateaued about 6 months ago at 175 lbs and in 2-3 weeks I dropped 10 lbs already in weight . I started off with the lean gains method of 16:8 ( 16 hour fast 8 hour feast ) and then after getting used to it switched to a 20:4 and must say I enjoy it a lot . I drink a lot of water and 2 cups of coffee a day to curb my hunger until my eating period which is 5-9 pm and that's it - simplicity. I don't find the long fast that long at the moment and actually don't mind it either because it allows me to do things without worrying about eating. It also REALLY works around my schedule so that's also really nice. I would say a major component tho to IF is sticking to a good macronutrient percentage. I personally do 40% protein intake , 20-30% carb and fat ( each ) depending on the day ( higher carb on workout days and higher fat when not ). This method has so far worked wonderfully already and I can physically see my waistline and fat disappearing. Feel free to ask any questions about technicalities.

bluebelak

Hey Dan I was wondering how did you prep for the feasting times? I have noticed I tend to over eat sometimes if I have a hard day at work ie 1 scoop of peanut butter turns into 2 or 3 and did you still have protein shakes to help add some protein? Plus I use the 20/4 window it helps with my time schedule.

RoxieDawn

Never lost 1 pound due to 16:8 or 17:7 intermittent fasting. It was all about the calorie deficit and if I knew for one minute that speeding up weight loss could be done doing this then I may have boxed it up and tried to sell it for a profit.

This is only an eating schedule in which it delays "break fast" for me till later in the day and it just gives me a window of time to eat all my calories. Weekends are not included in this schedule, but I still eat the same calories.

WBB55

I did it at first to smooth out my blood sugar crashes. Now it's just more convenient than having to plan a breakfast on top of everything else I have to do. I usually can manage at least 16/8.

AigreDoux

I have been doing 16:8 IF for the past few weeks. It hasn't accelerated my weight loss, but it has broken up some diet fatigue I was having. Basically I wake up at 5 am, workout, have coffee with a tablespoon of milk. Have black tea throughout the morning. Then eat lunch around noon or 1. When I'm busy in the mornings, this time goes by quickly. If I'm not, then it's a little tougher. But since I don't have easy access to food at work in the morning, that takes away some temptation.

My lunch is usually around 500-700 calories which fills me up until dinner. Then dinner (6-7 pm usually) is 800-1000 calories. I like having a big dinner! I can eat out more easily and eat the same things as my family too.

Before I started IF I was usually limited to about 600 calories for dinner, and was waking up hungry in the night.

Not gonna lie, I am often hungry in the mornings, but knowing that I won't be hungry later makes it easier.