Intermittent fasting.

SaraJeanCahill

Hey guys! Ive been doing a lot of research and decided to try intermittent fasting. Im going to try the 16.8 and just do it every other day for now. I still plan on eating really healthy in between days as well. Today is my first day and Im really excited! What are your experiences with IF and do you have any tips for me? At first Im going to count my calories with it but I'm hoping to stop that eventually. Im hoping to shed weight as I've already lost 30 pounds but I'm stuck at 189 and can't seem to get over that hump! What is a good caloric goal for a day? Ive read that 1500 is good for my height / weight but that really seems like a lot lol I have a hard time just eating 1200 in a day! Any tips would be greatly appreciated!

CAix

my schedule kind of forces me to do 16/8 intermittent fasting. but I love doing it at home too! also currently at 189 (down from 206) and this is where my body gets comfortable to i need to power through! let's connect.

Muscleflex79

you lose weight if you eat at a calorie deficit - so you'll still have to be doing that (whether you count or not, your body does). there is nothing magical about IF that makes you lose weight without a calorie deficit if that is what you are hoping for??

kommodevaran

If you find 1200/1500 calories to be a lot, and don't lose weight as expected, you need to tighten up your logging - you are eating more than you think. You can eat as "really healthy" you want and still eat too much. Set your weekly weightloss goal to 1.5 pounds per week, and aim to hit the target MFP gives you.

Intermittent fasting is just a method to help limit food intake. You can still eat too much (to lose weight), but it's easier for many people to stick to their calories if they eat regularly, but not too often. I don't track calories, and I'm maintaining a healthy weight so easily just by sticking to 3 meals, which usually are eaten within less than 8 hours.

My tip will be - in additon to tightening up logging and adjusting expectations - to not forcefully implement a new meal schedule, but let your appetite and general daily (work, social, family) schedule dictate when to eat.

SaraJeanCahill

Thanks guys! All very helpful!!

toxikon

Just a FYI - IF is just a way of timing your meals, there aren't any particular weight loss benefits, it still all comes down to calories.

I do practice IF because it works for me. I don't get too hungry in the morning so I skip breakfast and usually have lunch around 1pm, then dinner at 6pm. I like to have big meals, I don't like grazing throughout the day so this style of eating works well.

jjpptt2

My experiences? My experience is that I can still eat a gajillion calories even if I'm not eating throughout the day. So ultimately, I still have to count/track cals, or at the very least, be really mindful of my intake (I've been at this long enough to be able to reasonably approximate most foods).

During the week, IF lines up pretty well with my natural tendencies, so it's kind of a no brainer for me. On the weekends, it depends on what's going on... what my training/exercise looks like, what my family obligations are, etc etc. Weekends are pretty hit or miss on any type of plan.

jayuk20

I do If for the actual health benefits, not so much the weight loss thing. It actually makes me understand the difference between wanting food and needing it.

I do 18:6 or 20:4 regularly but I also do strength training 5x per week and I'd urge you to keep cardiovascular work to 0% while fasting and start a strength program or you'll be cursed with skinny fatness.

Break your fast with a 500 calorie meal, nothing too greasy and your "off days" eat at maintenance.

rybo

jayuk20 wrote: »

I do If for the actual health benefits, not so much the weight loss thing. It actually makes me understand the difference between wanting food and needing it.

I do 18:6 or 20:4 regularly but I also do strength training 5x per week and I'd urge you to keep cardiovascular work to 0% while fasting and start a strength program or you'll be cursed with skinny fatness.

Break your fast with a 500 calorie meal, nothing too greasy and your "off days" eat at maintenance.

I'm all for strength training being a part of any fitness program, but the encouragement to do 0 cardio is laughable. One can partake in any exercise program they choose while doing IF. You also don't need to eat at maintenance on off days if following just the timing protocol, nor does it matter what size meal you break your fast with.

jelleigh

Hey OP. Im pretty much in the same boat. Started IF yesterday and am 189 down from 215. I seem to have been stuck here forever so I'm hoping changing up my eating schedule will help . Although I'm tracking fairly closely, I think my night snacking is holding me up. Today I did 18:6 and it was super easy! Im trying to do SL 5x5 but not sure if I'm supposed to lift before or after I eat.

Good luck!!

cmriverside

jayuk20 wrote: »

I do If for the actual health benefits, not so much the weight loss thing. It actually makes me understand the difference between wanting food and needing it.

I do 18:6 or 20:4 regularly but I also do strength training 5x per week and I'd urge you to keep cardiovascular work to 0% while fasting and start a strength program or you'll be cursed with skinny fatness.

Break your fast with a 500 calorie meal, nothing too greasy and your "off days" eat at maintenance.

What? No.

Why would you recommend no cardio? I've been doing 16:8 most of my life (this is what OP is considering.) It doesn't affect performance or energy levels.

"Cursed with skinny fatness?" What does that mean? It's certainly not caused by cardio during fasting.

It seems you are talking about 5:2 maybe on that "break fast" bit? There are many forms of IF - but even so, "breaking the fast" doesn't have to be a certain amount of calories or specific macros. Keep it simple.

SaraJeanCahill

Thank you guys! Im on day 2 and its going pretty good so far. Just making sure that I keep water on hand and I might have some black coffee as well Good luck to everyone one their fitness journey!

maggibailey

I don’t count my coffee in the equation because the. Everyone at work would hate me. It is easier for me to eat this way but certainly if I didn’t pay attention I could still blow by my calories in one meal. I hope you enjoy the process!

Calichusetts

Lost 60 pounds and have done IF for about 5 years. Fittest and healthiest of my life right now. Find a schedule that works for you. I prefer a huge breakfast, small snacks over the day and fast at night. It might take some time, but the longer you stick with it, the better you get in terms of will power, hunger control, and just knowing your body and mind in general. Good luck!

sijomial

Tips - if you struggle to eat 1200 in a day then IF will make that harder.
But if you aren't losing weight then I suspect your food logging is badly off. Opening your diary would allow people to help you with that.
A good caloric goal is the same when doing 16:8 as when you aren't doing 16:8 - same calories but different eating pattern. But again the caveat is you need some degree of accuracy in your logging.
Ignore everything said above by one poster about avoiding cardio while fasting and having to eat a specific amount of calories when you break your fast. IF is just an eating pattern, you only have to change when you eat and not invent arbitrary rules for no good reason.

Experience - liked 5:2 for weight loss, lost weight as expected in relation to my weekly calorie deficit. Disliked 16:8 for maintenance although I can easily skip breakfast I don't like feeling I have to.