Has anyone done Intermittent Fasting (8:16)?

sbrezo82

I'm tossing around the idea of sticking with IF. I eat from 11a-7p and then fast the other 16 hours. I would like to know if any "real world" people have done it and what were the results. Thanks!

LazSommer

The results are the same as any other way of eating the proper number of calories. IF just allows you to get a better grip on hunger if you aren't able to otherwise. You will still gain if you overeat during your feed time.

hhazzouri

^ Results

StealthHealth

Not sure what you mean by "real world people" but for background I'm 47, male, I have a regular 9-5 desk job, a wife and kids, I work out 4 times a week and my goal is to increase muscle and keep the fat low (I do not attempt to do these two things at the same time).

I use IF (slightly modified to 10:14, but there is nothing magic about either set of numbers) sometimes, in fact I'm currently doing so.

I still calorie and macro count but I find that, when on lower calories, IF helps me stay compliant by giving me bigger meals (but fewer of them). I see no reason why you couldn't follow IF indefinitely whether gaining, losing or maintaining, as long as the calories were applicable to those goals but personally I find it harder to eat an excess of calories in a compressed eating window so I drop out of IF when attempting to do that.

Note: my rates of loss or gain are identical to those I would expect when not fasting, given the calorific input. In other words, it is the calories which drive the gain/loss not the fasting protocol.

DanaDark

If I can resist the snacking temptation, my natural eating cycle is IF. 11am/noon first meal, 6pm/7pm last meal. Only thing that gets me is sometimes I like to snack when watching some TV shows in the evening (Sunflower seeds, popcorn, and the like).

But again, its just my own natural pattern.

It is definitely a good tool to use when excess eating is a constant problem. It is far easier to say "Oh, its after 7pm, no popcorn for me now" than it is make sure I don't eat too much popcorn when mindlessly involved with a TV show.

These are all tools. Nothing works except what works for you.

Heartlight441

Just started this! Giving it a shot to see.

SolotoCEO

This is my normal eating pattern. Since it's all about the calories consumed, when you eat them doesn't have a huge impact on weight loss.

lyttlewon

I have been the past few weeks. The biggest benefit for me is when I compress my calories into a shorter window of time I can eat meals differently. I often have 1,000 calories available for dinner, which is how I prefer to eat.

I'm getting further into my training schedule now, I have a half marathon on June 11th, and I'm having a harder time keeping the fast. I run and lift after work. I'm hungrier in the morning than I was because of the higher demand work out, so I've broken the fast sooner a couple of days.

mkraizel

I found it really helped manage my hunger. I love having 2 large meals! But, like others have said it still comes down to CICO. give it a shot! It won't hurt- see if it is a tool that works for you.

lyndseybellz

ive been following 16:8 IF for three weeks. i enjoy it because i have always worked out at 5am on an empty stomach. the idea for those who lift and use IF is to force your body to use body fat for energy rather than food or glycogen. at the end of the day though, like everyone else has said, weight loss still is simply calories in vs. calories out.
however i do find breaking my fast to be something spiritual after not eating for 16 hours. haha, so i love food even more now! and the discipline required to maintain the fast has helped me not "cheat" with little snacks/treats.

check out the hodge twins on youtube. they have a lot of videos talking about IF.

jodidari

People always say it doesn't matter when you eat but it does. Your body has limits and needs. I always wonder if i'm the only one that can eat heavier than normal meal but still be hungry by a certain time. It's because the body does not have a constant metabolic rate. Your processes may occur faster in the morning than in the night, which is we are told not to eat at night because for many people, our body needs more time to break down macros in the night than in the morning. For some people this is merely because we are less active at night, but for others (like me) I'm equally active between 6am and 8pm so it must be due to something else. I think mine is faster before 1pm so my body will burn the food I eat in the morning quickly leaving me hungry in about 3 hours but if i was to eat this same meal after 1pm I'd go 4-6 hours without getting hungry although my activities don't really change throughout the day.
Anyway, I remember doing a fast that i'm sure was called intermittent fasting but mine was much more complicated. Say I should eat 1200 calories to lose weight. Today I'd consume 1700 calories and tomorrow I'd eat 700 . There were variations with the days: example Wednesday could be 1400 while Thursday would be 1000 calories. I eventually realized this wasn't allowing me to be healthy because some days I'd get so tired and weak while others I was eating too much. The whole point of this fast was to prevent my body from getting used to a certain routine and as a result my weight loss was never to plateau. As I said, i stopped this pretty quickly but I can say that the first two weeks I lost 3.8lbs in total instead of the 2lbs the site told me I'd lose. The other two weeks I tried I lost 2.2 lbs but this is where I stopped. It's also important to know I gained about 3 lbs within a month of switching back to my regular eating.
If your goal is weight loss this may work for you but be mindful that you may gain some or all of the weight you lost during the fast if you choose to switch to your regular diet too quickly

jodidari

Oh the fasting part was where I had to eat under 900 calories every other day, some days it was as low as 400 calories

StealthHealth

jodidari wrote: »

which is we are told not to eat at night because for many people, our body needs more time to break down macros in the night than in the morning.

^^ This isn't true

jodidari wrote: »

The whole point of this fast was to prevent my body from getting used to a certain routine and as a result my weight loss was never to plateau.

^^ This is one of the most bizarre strategies I have ever heard. I'm sure there is absolutely zero evidence that this practice will be of any advantage over simple CICO whether under IF or otherwise.

jodidari wrote: »

It's also important to know I gained about 3 lbs within a month of switching back to my regular eating.

^^This is because you overate during your "regular eating" phase.

ogtmama

It's not so crazy. Just a late breakfast and no snacks after dinner...I tend toward this pattern naturally.

annaskiski

There's a group here:

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

LoveEpifanie

Like others have said, it really helps me to control my hunger. I enjoy eating at night and like going to bed not feeling hungry, so I skip out on the traditional breakfast time meal. It is easier for me to control the hunger when I know food is coming soon compared to when I have to fall asleep hungry.

sbrezo82

StealthHealth wrote: »

Not sure what you mean by "real world people" but for background I'm 47, male, I have a regular 9-5 desk job, a wife and kids, I work out 4 times a week and my goal is to increase muscle and keep the fat low (I do not attempt to do these two things at the same time).

I use IF (slightly modified to 10:14, but there is nothing magic about either set of numbers) sometimes, in fact I'm currently doing so.

I still calorie and macro count but I find that, when on lower calories, IF helps me stay compliant by giving me bigger meals (but fewer of them). I see no reason why you couldn't follow IF indefinitely whether gaining, losing or maintaining, as long as the calories were applicable to those goals but personally I find it harder to eat an excess of calories in a compressed eating window so I drop out of IF when attempting to do that.

Note: my rates of loss or gain are identical to those I would expect when not fasting, given the calorific input. In other words, it is the calories which drive the gain/loss not the fasting protocol.

I just meant actual people - not models, authors or people pushing their book on IF.

Mistapholeezkat

I just started today!...I have tried it along with a keto diet and had success losing some weight. I think it will go better this time for me simply because I understand the electrolyte balance (keto requirement) better.

andrewq6100

I use IF to curve my snacking during work, I stop eating around 9/10 pm, sleep around 11-12 and don't eat till about 1 or 2 pm and got an 8 hr feed window while i'm at work, so that way I don't snack on everything in the vending machine and I stay full through the day.

sbrezo82

I read that IF can help you lose weight w/o even changing your diet b/c you reach that "fasted state" after 12 hrs or so. Not true?
I think I enjoy IF b/c all I have in the morning is either a small cup of coffee or tea and I seem to be more focused when at work. When I eat breakfast, my mind kind of wanders. Does that happen to anyone else?
Also, I know that I need to stop eating at 7p and when I do eat at 12p I'm more critical of what I eat (since I have a window of when I can eat).

MissCaroline71

I have been "forcing" myself to eat breakfast for years - but IF allows me to "skip" breakfast, and have 2 filling meals during the day. I find this very satisfying...
Eating Breakfast just makes me hungrier during the day...

wantoldme

Ramadan is coming up in about three weeks so I will be fasting from like 5 in morning to almost 8:30 pm. My relatives in Germany and Denmark will be fasting from 5 till 10:00 pm.

RollTideTri

sbrezo82 wrote: »

I read that IF can help you lose weight w/o even changing your diet b/c you reach that "fasted state" after 12 hrs or so. Not true?
I think I enjoy IF b/c all I have in the morning is either a small cup of coffee or tea and I seem to be more focused when at work. When I eat breakfast, my mind kind of wanders. Does that happen to anyone else?
Also, I know that I need to stop eating at 7p and when I do eat at 12p I'm more critical of what I eat (since I have a window of when I can eat).

No "style" of eating will cause you to lose weight without changing your diet. All the "fasted state" and "starvation mode" stuff is bunch of bunk. For some people, IF helps them change their diet by helping control hunger and give some structure to their eating habits. If it helps you eat at a deficit, that's awesome, go for it. But you have to have the deficit no matter what.

joannamfmorris

I've been doing it for about a month, and it's working better than when I just counted calories due to me eating less in my 8 hour window. I'm finally starting to be less hungry in the mornings. I used to literally wake up hungry so it was torture waiting until 12. I went from 179 to 175 prior to fasting trying calorie counting and avoiding sweets, etc. for months. Now I'm 168 and losing steadily.

ASKyle

It works for me because I am never hungry during the traditional breakfast time in the first place.

You still have to meet your calorie goal. The fasting window isn't magical.

sijomial

sbrezo82 wrote: »

I read that IF can help you lose weight w/o even changing your diet b/c you reach that "fasted state" after 12 hrs or so. Not true?

I think that's based on a mouse study where the same calories were given in different feeding patterns and showed some small differences. Would take that with a pinch of salt, interesting perhaps but not conclusive.
IF in general does seem to cherry pick results from very different protocols and studies and make the leap of faith that they apply to any IF protocol. Ditto for the supposed benefits of exercising fasted rather than fed.

For me the main benefit is if it helps you adhere to a suitable calorie goal in a way that fits in with your preferences.

My main weight loss was done with 5:2 and it suited me well. Did try 16:8 but it made me a bit clock obsessed and felt restrictive. I do find breakfast an easy meal to skip when I want to save calories but feel no need to do it, or benefit from doing it, otherwise.

Worth experimenting to see how you like it.

Panda_Poptarts

I skip breakfast pretty regularly, and have a big lunch, putting me at around 16:8. I've done 20:4 but don't care for the negative effects, particularly on my mood.

My approach to IF is if I wake up with hunger pangs, I have breakfast. If I wake up and I'm not particularly hungry, I skip breakfast and eat lunch. For me, this isn't really about weight loss. It's all about re-training myself to eat when I'm actually, truly hungry, not bored or because it's meal time.

Sumiblue

Works great for me. I do 16:8 fast , do fasted workouts and then have lunch with protein. It keeps cravings at bay and I lost 14 lbs where before I gained and lost the same few lbs. I concentrated on fat loss & muscle preservation.