Alternate day / Intermittent fasting results anyone?

CatFishQ

Hey all, just wanted to see if anyone has any experience with either alternate day fasting and/or intermittent fasting.

I'm currently experimenting with alternate day fasting, I've been doing it for a little over a week now I think and so far the results are great. I'm not weighing in again until Monday, but as far as I know I've lost 4kg+ up to now.
Another great result I've noticed is my skin! It hasn't look this clear in years, and I've noticed that some old scarring that I've had trouble with has also started to noticeably reduce for the first time. At the moment my plan for the week looks a little something like this:
Monday: Normal Day - Try to eat relatively healthy. Aim for calorie allowance.
Tuesday: Fast Day - Tea, Green Tea, Coffee, but mostly Water (with half a squeezed lemon worth of juice per glass).
Wednesday: Normal Day
Thursday: Fast Day
Friday: Normal Day
Saturday: Fast Day
Sunday: Normal Day

I haven't yet decided if I will continue with my "day on day off" approach or instead have 2 fast days together at the end of the week to keep every Monday as my first "Normal Day" of the week.

I'm interested to hear about other peoples experiences with either approach ; any tips, preferred methods and results.
Hope you're all well .

wilsoje74

Sounds horrible!!! Sorry but I work out and like to be active, and I would have zero energy if I didn't eat.

CatFishQ

I have to admit it isn't for everyone! :P

I'm not finding it too bad. The longer I'm doing it I'm finding it a lot easier and I even look forward to the fast days now. It's also changed how I see and crave food. It's shocking to think how much I was eating before out of boredom when I didn't actually need to eat at all! Personally its had a great effect on my normal days and how often I crave or plan on eating.

Aside from the potential for weight loss / management, I'm interested in the other aspects I've heard and read about, like clarity of mind, giving the digestive system a break for a period of time, and the effect on HGH levels etc...

SJVZEE

Sounds horrible!!! Sorry but I work out and like to be active, and I would have zero energy if I didn't eat.

I lost 50lbs doing alternate day IF and had lots of energy on my fasting days-this is actually really common and many people end up doing their bigger workouts on those days. I always designated my fasting days for cleaning my house lol.

OP-I had great success with this method and am now in maintenance My mom, who's been obese since childhood, is now doing it after seeing how it worked for me and she's also had success-she's no longer obese for the first time in almost 50 years. Feel free to message me for more info/help!

Mokey41

The only thing it does is limit your calorie intake which you can do by eating properly every day. Your digestive system doesn't need a rest, it has a job to do and it does it well without "rest breaks" which is a fallacy to start with. Your body still produces bile and stomach acid whether you put food in in or not.

There's no real harm in doing this but no real benefit either other than psychological one you seem to be achieving.

psuLemon

Look in the groups, there are several of them that are dedicated to IF or 5:2 fast. But if you follow the program designed, you do not calorie restrict on non fasting days. Essentially, the programmed is designed create a deficit on fasting days as most people over eat their TDEE. In the end, the calorie deficit will be the same over a week's time. There is no benefit with this approach as compared to conventional daily deficits.

Happymelz

MFP is usually against these types of diets.

They may be quick fixes but are NOT healthy.

CatFishQ

Thanks for the responses so far guys! It's great to hear different peoples views on this.

I understand that ultimately the goal is to create a calorie deficit whichever route is taken. For me this seems to be the easier option in terms of controlling how much I'm eating, and so far I haven't had an issue with lack of energy or irritability, in fact its been quite the opposite fortunately! I feel much happier and ease, and lot less stressed!

For my "Normal Days" I have my calorie allowance set a little lower than I need. Not in an attempt to create a further deficit but to keep me mindful of what I'm eating and not to go crazy. I have been going over the set goal on these days, however I haven't gone over what I actually need. This is just how I do it though, I find it keeps me organised and in check :P

SJVZEE - that's great to hear congratulations to you and your mum! I'm sure you both feel amazing for it. I will add you and give you a message in a second thanks

psuLemon

MFP is usually against these types of diets.

They may be quick fixes but are NOT healthy.

Interim fasting isn't a diet. If you compare your weekly calorie goal IF and MFP are the same. It's just different windows to acquire calories. Some IF is 16:8 or 20:4 or the new craze (especially out of the UK) is 5:2.

psuLemon

Thanks for the responses so far guys! It's great to hear different peoples views on this.

I understand that ultimately the goal is to create a calorie deficit whichever route is taken. For me this seems to be the easier option in terms of controlling how much I'm eating, and so far I haven't had an issue with lack of energy or irritability, in fact its been quite the opposite fortunately! I feel much happier and ease, and lot less stressed!

For my "Normal Days" I have my calorie allowance set a little lower than I need. Not in an attempt to create a further deficit but to keep me mindful of what I'm eating and not to go crazy. I have been going over the set goal on these days, however I haven't gone over what I actually need. This is just how I do it though, I find it keeps me organised and in check :P

SJVZEE - that's great to hear congratulations to you and your mum! I'm sure you both feel amazing for it. I will add you and give you a message in a second thanks

The biggest issue with restricting on non fasting days is you are creating a much larger deficit. High deficits lead to muscle loss. Muscle is what makes you tight and lean. So the more you lose, the more you will have to lose to get the same body. If you lose 20 lbs of muscle, it will just take you that much longer to lose the equivalent amount of fat or longer. Too much muscle loss and you could put yourself in an underweight situation where you will have to do several bulk/cut phase to get back the body you want.

CatFishQ

MFP is usually against these types of diets.

They may be quick fixes but are NOT healthy.

Though I think there is potential for this to be turned into a fad diet for some people, I personally don't view this as such if approached sensibly. For me this is a permanent lifestyle adjustment which I will adjust accordingly as I lose weight over time. For me its not just about weight loss, but my attitude and appreciation towards food and a test of self discipline.

As I said before I don't think this is for everyone and as with any adjustment to ones diet it's always best to check with your doctor before hand. I have checked with my GP and it was recommended that I try this style for a few weeks.

I don't want anyone thinking I'm encouraging or promoting anything that would be useless or harmful!
I'm just after some experiences from other people who have experience with alternate and intermittent styles

Thanks again everyone!

RoyBeck

Not for me. It it works for you, and more importantly, you enjoy it that's all that matters. However, I'd prefer to eat food and lose 20lbs over 15-20 weeks. Personally.

SJVZEE

MFP is usually against these types of diets.

They may be quick fixes but are NOT healthy.

There's actually a group on mfp for this plan and there's quite of people who do it, with mfp's 'blessing'. it's NOT unhealthy and there's health benefits associated with this way of eating. I'm in the best health of my life, courtesy of alternate day IF, and my doctor agrees with me

CatFishQ

The biggest issue with restricting on non fasting days is you are creating a much larger deficit. High deficits lead to muscle loss. Muscle is what makes you tight and lean. So the more you lose, the more you will have to lose to get the same body. If you lose 20 lbs of muscle, it will just take you that much longer to lose the equivalent amount of fat or longer. Too much muscle loss and you could put yourself in an underweight situation where you will have to do several bulk/cut phase to get back the body you want.

I completely agree, this is why even though I have my non fasting day calories restricted, I do actually go over this restriction to the level I should be eating. Again I only do this to ensure I don't go over too much. It's a daft way of going about it I know, as you'd think I would just eat what I need to anyway, but I know what I'm like :P I find that going about it this way just works for me.

To clarify though! I do eat the correct amount on non fast days!

SJVZEE

Look in the groups, there are several of them that are dedicated to IF or 5:2 fast. But if you follow the program designed, you do not calorie restrict on non fasting days. Essentially, the programmed is designed create a deficit on fasting days as most people over eat their TDEE. In the end, the calorie deficit will be the same over a week's time. There is no benefit with this approach as compared to conventional daily deficits.

With alternate day IF you do in fact restrict calories a bit on your non-fasting days. You can figure out the numbers from Dr. James Johnson's book, The Alternate Day Diet, or his website, which has a calculator.

I think you're confusing 5:2 with alternate day IF? They're similar but do have some difference-alternate day IF is stricter than 5:2.

Happymelz

You guys have fun.
I prefer to eat EVERY day.

SJVZEE

You guys have fun.
I prefer to eat EVERY day.

Trust me, I had a lot of fun losing 50lbs in a way that didn't feel like I was dieting. It's definitely not for everyone, but for some of us, it's a great fit

CatFishQ

You guys have fun.
I prefer to eat EVERY day.

Everyone's entitled to their opinion and I don't have a problem with that. I just wanted to hear from and about other peoples experiences and results with this. If it's not for you that's fair enough, I just want a positive discussion on experiences

CatFishQ

Not for me. It it works for you, and more importantly, you enjoy it that's all that matters. However, I'd prefer to eat food and lose 20lbs over 15-20 weeks. Personally.

Exactly. Everyone's different, what one person finds easy or enjoyable, another might see as absolute torture!
For me I am enjoying it thankfully and it seems to be working for me.

Thanks for the response!

gsgitu

i use 16:8 approach. works very well for me. also alt cals/carbs days. i like this calc. http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/
zero cals every other day seems to me like a lot of cut. i do reduced cals/carbs 3 days and TDEE 4 days. usually 2 large meals in an 8 hour time. i like it.

CatFishQ

i use 16:8 approach. works very well for me. also alt cals/carbs days. i like this calc. http://www.1percentedge.com/ifcalc/
zero cals every other day seems to me like a lot of cut. i do reduced cals/carbs 3 days and TDEE 4 days. usually 2 large meals in an 8 hour time. i like it.

Thanks for the response

I've heard from a few people who use either the 16:8 approach or 20:4 after experimenting with alternate day fasting. I think this style is ideal for people with a busy day to day schedule as it enables you to socialize more easily if you're unable to do so with alternate day fasting.

I personally find it easy at the moment with the day on day off approach but I can see how a 16:8 or similar style would be beneficial too.

Thanks for the link too, il have a look at that in a second. I'm also looking at this site too as recommended by someone else:
http://www.johnsonupdaydowndaydiet.com/html/how-to-do-the-diet.html

Thanks again