Alternate Day Fasting to Intermittent Fasting?

ashdeo

Hi all,

So for the past 5 weeks have have done alternate day fasting (ADF) where I eat about 1200-1400 calories on non-fast days and 500-700 calories on fast days (I eat 700 for the days where my workouts were very intense). This has resulted in great results! I broke through a plateau I was having, lost 11 pounds in the past 5 weeks and lost 4 inches overall. However, lately I've noticed my body has not been able to keep up with ADF for almost a week and I have been eating 1000 cals on my fast days in order to not feel faint/keep me going throughout the day. I've also noticed I've been craving sugar QUITE a bit lately.

This may be a sign from my body that I need to up my calories and start eating a normal amount of calories everyday again. However, I have really enjoyed the benefits of fasting and am thinking about trying intermittent fasting: eating my calories within an 8 hour time period and fasting for 16 hours. What are your thoughts, comments, advice?

For background, I used to weight 220 pounds and am currently 136.2, trying to get down to 120 by my 4 year anniversary of adopting a healthy lifestyle (end of June). Body fat % is approx. 21%-23% and I am 5'6. I workout 5-6x per week doing HIIT cardio, circuit training and strength training.

fatblatta

Mix it up. Eat every day for a week or two then go back to it. If you feel like you're suffering only fast 2 days a week. It still works. Have a big calorie day once in a while too. 220 to 136 is awesome. I'd imagine a 5'6" lady that is pretty thin at 136. Great job!

RTRKH2O

I am several weeks into intermittent fasting also... I am eating 1200 calories between 10am and 6pm each day and then fast at night. I walk 1-2 hrs a day with weights.

I too am loving the results. Losing 1-2 lbs a week which is huge for me. I've suddenly become overly tired. I'm wondering the same thing. Adding in extra red meat to my diet isn't helping the way I thought it would.

Hmmmm.... I'm thinking about adding in extra hours to eat ... maybe 9am- 8pm because I'm also a student during finals weeks and am up late writing papers...

I wonder if anyone has made intermittent fasting a permanent lifestyle choice and had success?

Annie_01

On non-fast days you are supposed to eat at maintenance. You are restricting every day so that is probably why you are feeling so weak.

IOW...you only diet every other day.

Annie_01

Also to add...it is often suggested not to exercise strenuously on fast days.

spinnerdell

I've been doing intermittent fasting for about one year- an eight hour eating period from around 10am to 6pm. This has really helped me shed the last stubborn 10 pounds of my 70 pound loss. I plan to continue this eating timetable as an aid to my weight maintenance, since it's easier for me to eliminate nighttime snacking than to moderate it.

danford48

Firstly, the closer you get to your idea weight, the harder it will become to lose fat because for one reason, you have less of it to burn. In my opinion, a caloric deficit is a very bad idea. Your are lowering your metabolic rate. Did you know that? If you used to eat 2,000 calories before the diet and now you eat around 1000 calories, I think you just slowed down your total energy energy expenditure by 50%! Remember your body will adjust to the new amount of calories you are feeding it so in your case, it is decreasing the amount of energy it is burning for you to stay alive. The body is not stupid, it wants to survive long enough for you to have offspring. Believe it or not, you are doing further damage to your metabolism by exercising 6 days a week because your body needs to adjust to the energy being used in your intense workouts by decreasing your energy expenditure even more!! Don't believe the calories in calories out theory that people are tossing around on this forum. Argg, I can type for maybe a half hour but I don't have time. There are many things you are doing right: the intermittent fasting and the exercise but you messed up by doing a calorie deficit. Can we be real for a moment? Are you gonna eat 700 calories, maybe 1000 calories for the rest of your life? How about 20 years from now!?!? The answer is probably no. As soon as you result back to your normal way of eating, you will gain the fat back. This is why about 95% of all diets fail..........

The following study shows that the body will adjust to the the amount of energy it burns it in terms of energy expenditure. Here is more info:

http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/26/modern-lazy-people-burn-as-many-calories-as-hunter-gatherers-so-what-makes-us-fat/

Here is a shocker, what if weight gain is not due to calories but rather hormones? This is the current theory that makes the most sense to me right now. OK, this is getting to long so I need to stop soon but listen to your body. If it wants more calories, give it more calories(healthy whole foods, no refined carbs or sugars). You are feeling faint for this reason let alone the organ damage you are doing to your body. You are craving sugar, that means your hormones are out of wack. You can learn a lot from the following 6 part series. Take notes from this guy. It's about an 8-9 hour lecture. I almost finished the whole thing by the way.

I've been studying nutrition for about 10 years as a hobby and I recently took 2 college level nutrition courses. I'm obsessed over this stuff. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an expert on this topic but I know a couple more things then the average person. If you have any questions, I'm happy to help.

By the way, I think you are smarter then 80% of dieters out there because you learned about intermittent fasting but you are making a few mistakes Take care now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpllomiDMX0

ashdeo

fatblatta wrote: »

Mix it up. Eat every day for a week or two then go back to it. If you feel like you're suffering only fast 2 days a week. It still works. Have a big calorie day once in a while too. 220 to 136 is awesome. I'd imagine a 5'6" lady that is pretty thin at 136. Great job!

Thank you so much!! I have a lot of stubborn belly fat in mid section (main reason I became interested with fasting, I heard a huge benefit is that it uses your body fat rather than carbs/food for energy) that refuses to go away. I was on a lot of steroid medications for the first 17 years of my life to deal with some medical problems I HAD *reversed them thanks to a GOOD HEALTHFUL DIET!* but, for anyone that doesn't know, steroid meds mess with your fatty tissues.

Do you happen to eat all your calories in one meal on fast days or split it up throughout the day? I'm currently splitting up throughout the day because I'm a college student with a busy academic/social life so it kinda helps. Lately have been noticing I can be fine without food for long pds of time but once I have my first meal I start to crave food more

ashdeo

danford48 wrote: »

Firstly, the closer you get to your idea weight, the harder it will become to lose fat because for one reason, you have less of it to burn. In my opinion, a caloric deficit is a very bad idea. Your are lowering your metabolic rate. Did you know that? If you used to eat 2,000 calories before the diet and now you eat around 1000 calories, I think you just slowed down your total energy energy expenditure by 50%! Remember your body will adjust to the new amount of calories you are feeding it so in your case, it is decreasing the amount of energy it is burning for you to stay alive. The body is not stupid, it wants to survive long enough for you to have offspring. Believe it or not, you are doing further damage to your metabolism by exercising 6 days a week because your body needs to adjust to the energy being used in your intense workouts by decreasing your energy expenditure even more!! Don't believe the calories in calories out theory that people are tossing around on this forum. Argg, I can type for maybe a half hour but I don't have time. There are many things you are doing right: the intermittent fasting and the exercise but you messed up by doing a calorie deficit. Can we be real for a moment? Are you gonna eat 700 calories, maybe 1000 calories for the rest of your life? How about 20 years from now!?!? The answer is probably no. As soon as you result back to your normal way of eating, you will gain the fat back. This is why about 95% of all diets fail..........

The following study shows that the body will adjust to the the amount of energy it burns it in terms of energy expenditure. Here is more info:

http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/26/modern-lazy-people-burn-as-many-calories-as-hunter-gatherers-so-what-makes-us-fat/

Here is a shocker, what if weight gain is not due to calories but rather hormones? This is the current theory that makes the most sense to me right now. OK, this is getting to long so I need to stop soon but listen to your body. If it wants more calories, give it more calories(healthy whole foods, no refined carbs or sugars). You are feeling faint for this reason let alone the organ damage you are doing to your body. You are craving sugar, that means your hormones are out of wack. You can learn a lot from the following 6 part series. Take notes from this guy. It's about an 8-9 hour lecture. I almost finished the whole thing by the way.

I've been studying nutrition for about 10 years as a hobby and I recently took 2 college level nutrition courses. I'm obsessed over this stuff. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an expert on this topic but I know a couple more things then the average person. If you have any questions, I'm happy to help.

By the way, I think you are smarter then 80% of dieters out there because you learned about intermittent fasting but you are making a few mistakes Take care now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpllomiDMX0

Holy guacamole!!! This was so informative thank you so much!!!! A lot of people I've encountered on the forums who know a lot tend to be condescending at times so first and foremost thank u for being so kind!!! We are all here to learn

Very true what you are saying about eating at a deficit but I've been doing for four years, it's been very hard for me to learn how to eat at maintence because my body gets full at the deficit amount! However, making progress by starting to eat closer to 1400.

Definitely will eat more calories and keep up with my workouts and will try IF and do it responsibly! Would love to stay in touch

kommodevaran

Fasting is not eating. Intermittent fasting isn't really fasting, it's just not eating all the time. Eating within an 8 hour "window" is perfectly normal; calling it a "window" is just trying to be more hip. It isn't necessary to be hip (but it can feel great), it's necessary to eat enough, but not too much. Any method that makes it easy for you to eat enough, but not too much, is a good method for you.

stevencloser

ashdeo wrote: »

danford48 wrote: »

Firstly, the closer you get to your idea weight, the harder it will become to lose fat because for one reason, you have less of it to burn. In my opinion, a caloric deficit is a very bad idea. Your are lowering your metabolic rate. Did you know that? If you used to eat 2,000 calories before the diet and now you eat around 1000 calories, I think you just slowed down your total energy energy expenditure by 50%! Remember your body will adjust to the new amount of calories you are feeding it so in your case, it is decreasing the amount of energy it is burning for you to stay alive. The body is not stupid, it wants to survive long enough for you to have offspring. Believe it or not, you are doing further damage to your metabolism by exercising 6 days a week because your body needs to adjust to the energy being used in your intense workouts by decreasing your energy expenditure even more!! Don't believe the calories in calories out theory that people are tossing around on this forum. Argg, I can type for maybe a half hour but I don't have time. There are many things you are doing right: the intermittent fasting and the exercise but you messed up by doing a calorie deficit. Can we be real for a moment? Are you gonna eat 700 calories, maybe 1000 calories for the rest of your life? How about 20 years from now!?!? The answer is probably no. As soon as you result back to your normal way of eating, you will gain the fat back. This is why about 95% of all diets fail..........

The following study shows that the body will adjust to the the amount of energy it burns it in terms of energy expenditure. Here is more info:

http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/26/modern-lazy-people-burn-as-many-calories-as-hunter-gatherers-so-what-makes-us-fat/

Here is a shocker, what if weight gain is not due to calories but rather hormones? This is the current theory that makes the most sense to me right now. OK, this is getting to long so I need to stop soon but listen to your body. If it wants more calories, give it more calories(healthy whole foods, no refined carbs or sugars). You are feeling faint for this reason let alone the organ damage you are doing to your body. You are craving sugar, that means your hormones are out of wack. You can learn a lot from the following 6 part series. Take notes from this guy. It's about an 8-9 hour lecture. I almost finished the whole thing by the way.

I've been studying nutrition for about 10 years as a hobby and I recently took 2 college level nutrition courses. I'm obsessed over this stuff. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an expert on this topic but I know a couple more things then the average person. If you have any questions, I'm happy to help.

By the way, I think you are smarter then 80% of dieters out there because you learned about intermittent fasting but you are making a few mistakes Take care now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpllomiDMX0

Holy guacamole!!! This was so informative thank you so much!!!! A lot of people I've encountered on the forums who know a lot tend to be condescending at times so first and foremost thank u for being so kind!!! We are all here to learn

Very true what you are saying about eating at a deficit but I've been doing for four years, it's been very hard for me to learn how to eat at maintence because my body gets full at the deficit amount! However, making progress by starting to eat closer to 1400.

Definitely will eat more calories and keep up with my workouts and will try IF and do it responsibly! Would love to stay in touch

Ignore his post please, it's completely removed from scientific reality.

rybo

See my reply to your other post. You're eating too little

extra_medium

danford48 wrote: »

Firstly, the closer you get to your idea weight, the harder it will become to lose fat because for one reason, you have less of it to burn. In my opinion, a caloric deficit is a very bad idea. Your are lowering your metabolic rate. Did you know that? If you used to eat 2,000 calories before the diet and now you eat around 1000 calories, I think you just slowed down your total energy energy expenditure by 50%! Remember your body will adjust to the new amount of calories you are feeding it so in your case, it is decreasing the amount of energy it is burning for you to stay alive. The body is not stupid, it wants to survive long enough for you to have offspring. Believe it or not, you are doing further damage to your metabolism by exercising 6 days a week because your body needs to adjust to the energy being used in your intense workouts by decreasing your energy expenditure even more!! Don't believe the calories in calories out theory that people are tossing around on this forum. Argg, I can type for maybe a half hour but I don't have time. There are many things you are doing right: the intermittent fasting and the exercise but you messed up by doing a calorie deficit. Can we be real for a moment? Are you gonna eat 700 calories, maybe 1000 calories for the rest of your life? How about 20 years from now!?!? The answer is probably no. As soon as you result back to your normal way of eating, you will gain the fat back. This is why about 95% of all diets fail..........

The following study shows that the body will adjust to the the amount of energy it burns it in terms of energy expenditure. Here is more info:

http://healthland.time.com/2012/07/26/modern-lazy-people-burn-as-many-calories-as-hunter-gatherers-so-what-makes-us-fat/

Here is a shocker, what if weight gain is not due to calories but rather hormones? This is the current theory that makes the most sense to me right now. OK, this is getting to long so I need to stop soon but listen to your body. If it wants more calories, give it more calories(healthy whole foods, no refined carbs or sugars). You are feeling faint for this reason let alone the organ damage you are doing to your body. You are craving sugar, that means your hormones are out of wack. You can learn a lot from the following 6 part series. Take notes from this guy. It's about an 8-9 hour lecture. I almost finished the whole thing by the way.

I've been studying nutrition for about 10 years as a hobby and I recently took 2 college level nutrition courses. I'm obsessed over this stuff. Don't get me wrong, I'm not an expert on this topic but I know a couple more things then the average person. If you have any questions, I'm happy to help.

By the way, I think you are smarter then 80% of dieters out there because you learned about intermittent fasting but you are making a few mistakes Take care now.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpllomiDMX0

Weight gain is due to calories. When I was at my heaviest, my body always wanted calories, and I gave them to it. Nothing adjusted other than my pant size. It doesn't matter what label you put on the calories "whole" "healthy" "nutritious" calories are calories and if you eat too many of them you'll gain weight. If you eat fewer you'll lose weight.

And yes, if you want to maintain your weight, you eat your maintenance calories for the rest of your life (it's not 700 or 1000 unless you're three feet tall.) Or you get to the gym and eat more.