Need to lose weight. Is Intermittent Fasting (IF) good?
xanderace82
Posts: 1 Member
I was always a fit dude back then around 3 years ago. My BMI was within the average range and well, I would say I looked really fit back then. Then when I met my current girlfriend when we went on foreign dating events we became quite careless about our physical looks and our health. We’ve been eating unhealthy food and it has taken its toll on me. I’ve gained about 150 lbs over the last 3 years through an unhealthy lifestyle and I truly want to lose weight. These days, I’ve become more conscious not just about my health but also about how I look. I don’t look bad especially since I’m quite tall. However, I want to bring back my old body. I need legit advice as to how I can lose weight? Has anybody tried IF (intermittent fasting)? And did it work?
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Replies
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Intermittent fasting is just a tool to help control your calorie intake. It works (or doesn't work) just as well as any other diet/eating schedule with equivalent calories. It doesn't matter if you eat 1600 calories in 18 hours or 1600 calories in 8 hours. The main benefit to it is that some people find it more satisfying to confine their eating to a shorter window so they can have larger meals. Other people find it makes them too hungry between meals and is worse for satiety/compliance.
Other than that, there's no magic to intermittent fasting. It's a very trendy thing right now, but the benefits are highly overstated and there's a lot of wizardry ascribed to it which is completely untrue. Weight loss is going to come down to calories, regardless of what time of the day you eat them.17 -
It's good if it helps you stick to your calories5
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I do IF and I disagree with it’s only benefit being caloric deficit.
If you truly fast (absolutely no intake except water, herbal tea or black coffee- no calories) during your fasting period, it lowers insulin, increases human growth hormone & norepinephrine (fight or flight response), and cellular autophagy.
There’s tons of research on it available on the internet & YouTube medical conferences you can watch instead of reading literature.
Yes- it helps with caloric deficit.
I personally like to feel full on my 1200 calories in a short 4 hour eating window than trying to stagger them in small meals all day long.
But I also no longer get hungry, have increased energy & focus during my fasted state, and feel clear headed & improved mood.
It may not be for everyone but I feel great doing it. It’s not about “weight loss” for me as I am at a very petite ideal body weight, I am just trying to tone by specifically losing fat and gaining muscle & have lost inches and see improvement in my build. Of course you should talk to your doc because it may not be for you if you have any medical issues and I suggest easing into it rather than going straight for longer fasts.
I do 20 / 4 because I feel like 16 / 8 or 18 / 6 is just skipping breakfast & not quite challenging enough for me, but I’m an all or nothing type.43 -
I like two bigger meals, so IF works for me. Nothing special or magical about IF. Everything else you read or hear regarding the benefits of IF is all woo. CICO rules.8
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I eat three meals per day, so I'm doing IF. That's how special it is!10
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It's like every other method of calorie control, the biggest gain I got from it was the realisation that I had enough energy to do the things I wanted to without eating as much as I normally would. It helped control the cravings for my favourite treats too0
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I do IF but it's not intentional. I just skip breakfast and have 2 large meals a day. Works for me. Nothing special really, it just helps keep my calories down so I continue to lose weight.1
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I've lost 37 pounds on IF so far. I do the 18/6 schedule, first meal at noon, dinner over by 6. It's not the skipping breakfast part that has made the biggest difference for me, but the no snacking in the evening part. My evenings had been one long sugar binge and that is over now. More than anything else, IF has helped me get complete control of my appetite5
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I do it occasionally to bank calories for later in the day / week .. it works in that respect, all depends if you fancy missing the odd meal at certain times.2
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Intermittent fasting is just a tool to help control your calorie intake. It works (or doesn't work) just as well as any other diet/eating schedule with equivalent calories. It doesn't matter if you eat 1600 calories in 18 hours or 1600 calories in 8 hours. The main benefit to it is that some people find it more satisfying to confine their eating to a shorter window so they can have larger meals. Other people find it makes them too hungry between meals and is worse for satiety/compliance.
Other than that, there's no magic to intermittent fasting. It's a very trendy thing right now, but the benefits are highly overstated and there's a lot of wizardry ascribed to it which is completely untrue. Weight loss is going to come down to calories, regardless of what time of the day you eat them.
Yep....
I do a the lightest forms of 12/12 14/10 because it gives me bigger meals later and helps a little with appetite control for me. No voodoo magic. Total calories for the day is what matters. I still track my macros.1 -
I do 23:1 on weekdays and 16:8 on weekends. I find 23:1 makes it a lot easier than 16:8 to stick to my calorie limit.6
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I am not a fan of fasting because I never miss a meal! What you need in my opinion is a three pronged attack. Eat quality foods like lots of produce and lean meats. Manage portions to be in calorie deficit. Start moving and get some exercise. The 150 won't come off fast but if you get rid of some bad habits it will come off.2
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I do IF and I disagree with it’s only benefit being caloric deficit.
If you truly fast (absolutely no intake except water, herbal tea or black coffee- no calories) during your fasting period, it lowers insulin, increases human growth hormone & norepinephrine (fight or flight response), and cellular autophagy.
There’s tons of research on it available on the internet & YouTube medical conferences you can watch instead of reading literature.
Yes- it helps with caloric deficit.
Daily IF does help a little with insulin sensitivity, but the main increases in HGH and cellular autophagy are only seen if the fast lasts beyond 24 hours - i.e. a full day fast or longer. TBT, not eating for an extended period of time (like while you are sleeping) will lower insulin anyway.1 -
Its a good adherence tool to use. It won't make you lose faster or better, being in your calorie deficit at the end of the day is what matters for fat loss.
Personally I have been using 16:8 for many years, it was only several years ago I found that it had it name. Choose an IF strategy you can stick to and what works to provide you with the best method to stick to your deficit.0 -
As others have said, IF is a tool, not a complete eating method. It's neither good or bad in and of itself. It's not a magic tool. If you use the tool to lower your calories, and it works, then it's the right tool for the job. If not, then it's not the right tool. Doesn't work for everybody - especially if you are not controlling your intake with it.3
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I use it to help keep me in a deficit only. I can eat more, feel full, and stay under my calories. Also helps to keep me from eating at night on my way to bed.1
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I like it. Seems to be working for me CICO still applies. I do a 23:1. The best part to me though is, in general, I feel like my stomach is tighter all day.3
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i am betting that it ends up to be a whatever-works-for-you type of thing. For me fasting is torture. I constantly think and obsess about food. Just what i need ... to think MORE about food! haha. Remember the old days when they advised to eat within an hour of waking up ... I found this to be burdensome. I get up at 5:30 and eat at my desk around 8:30. Works for me. Guess my point is do whatever works for YOU. it all boils down to CICO2
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Oh and OP ... best wishes on your journey to health and fitness ... whatever path you choose!
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It's practical when your calorie budget is at the minimum.0
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IF is mostly a fancy way of saying skipping breakfast. If eating breakfast makes you hungrier during the day then skip it. If NOT eating breakfast makes you miserable then eat it. If it doesn't matter choose if you want 2 or 3 meals in a day. It really is that simple. All of the rest, including the name, is hipster nonsense.
Think about the name breakfast... breaking fast. Everyone fasts during sleep and during periods where they don't eat. So EVERYONE intermittently fasts.
All the supposed health benefits to losing weight... nonsense. I have routinely skipped breakfast for more than 20 years and gained plenty of weight in that time.8 -
I find IF controls my hunger and carb cravings.2
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I do IF and I disagree with it’s only benefit being caloric deficit.
If you truly fast (absolutely no intake except water, herbal tea or black coffee- no calories) during your fasting period, it lowers insulin, increases human growth hormone & norepinephrine (fight or flight response), and cellular autophagy.
There’s tons of research on it available on the internet & YouTube medical conferences you can watch instead of reading literature.
Yes- it helps with caloric deficit.
Daily IF does help a little with insulin sensitivity, but the main increases in HGH and cellular autophagy are only seen if the fast lasts beyond 24 hours - i.e. a full day fast or longer. TBT, not eating for an extended period of time (like while you are sleeping) will lower insulin anyway.
Yep. And to add, even if it did increase test, it doesn't stimulate muscle protein synthesis, nor increase protein turnover, which is what is required to build muscle.
Skipping a meal, which is what 16:8 is, will not provide any additional benefit outside of calorie restriction in some. For me, i still ate the same amount of calories whether i was fasting or not.
Either way, you need to figure out your goals and eat in a manor to accomplish that.4 -
Slowfaster wrote: »I've lost 37 pounds on IF so far. I do the 18/6 schedule, first meal at noon, dinner over by 6. It's not the skipping breakfast part that has made the biggest difference for me, but the no snacking in the evening part. My evenings had been one long sugar binge and that is over now. More than anything else, IF has helped me get complete control of my appetite
I have been doing it for 5 weeks and down 7 lbs. I love it! Basically I do not eat after supper and skip breakfast.
I used to eat a healthy breakfast around 6:30 a.m. probably about 500 calories or so but it never sustained me...by mid morning I needed a snack and by lunch was starving...now I basically just skip breakfast because it did not sustain me anyway and I notice now that I don't get that shaky hungry feeling I used to get. I am hungry but it is manageable and.....if you can even get in a short workout in before you are going to break your fast even better, you are then on full fat burning mode.2
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