Intermittent fasting
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breemariee920 wrote: »I have been trying intermittent fasting for the past two months and so far I LOVE the results I am getting. Does anyone else do this? Initially I was doing 16:8, but recently I've switched to a 5:2- what do you currently prefer, or do you have a con side to this?breemariee920 wrote: »I have been trying intermittent fasting for the past two months and so far I LOVE the results I am getting. Does anyone else do this? Initially I was doing 16:8, but recently I've switched to a 5:2- what do you currently prefer, or do you have a con side to this?breemariee920 wrote: »I have been trying intermittent fasting for the past two months and so far I LOVE the results I am getting. Does anyone else do this? Initially I was doing 16:8, but recently I've switched to a 5:2- what do you currently prefer, or do you have a con side to this?
I just learned about IF and have been doing a lot of research. I'm a big snacker, so going to ease in to it with just 3 meals per day (6am/12pm/6pm) with no snacks for a week, then moving to 18:6. I know this isn't really fasting, but just cutting out snacks will be a task for me and I'm told it makes for an easier transition. If I jump in head first I think I'd give up and sabotage it.
Good thinking. Just the fact that you’ve thought about it and have a plan is incredible. You’ve got this!!
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I had heard Joe Rogan mention (just in passing during conversations) Intermittent Fasting and finally decided to look it up. When I understood more about what it was, I started looking for podcasts about it and found The Intermittent Fasting podcast with Melanie Avalon and Gin Stephens. Their experience and information has been wonderful as I get caught up on past episodes so I decided to start trying it less than a week ago, not only for a different application for my weight loss (6'/297 lbs at the time) but also as a change to my lifestyle. Ideally, in the long run, it can help reset my body and reverse insulin resistance and pre-diabetes markers. It would be nice to get to a point where I don't think about what I eat but just eat it within my eating window and eat to satiety rather than to numbers.
I started watching some of Dr. Eric Berg's videos that have also been very enlightening on some of these aspects as well.
So far, even eating roughly the same number of calories as I have been, it has actually been easier for me to eat less doing 18:6 for a couple days and now committing to working it as a 20:4 pattern. It was a big change from what I was doing through the bariatric center's non-surgical program where I was eating small meals/snacks every 2 hours. In theory, that just constantly keeps triggering your insulin rather than getting into a more ketogenic state where you are burning fat.
For me, my feeding window is between 2p-6p, I feed the dogs, brush my teeth and then I am done until 2pm the next day. Yesterday was my first day at the gym and doing my normal cardio workout on the treadmill at a 9-10 incline and 3.3 mph didn't cause me any problems. On my way home from work I had a FitCrunch bar to start my window and was good to go.
I am looking forward to seeing how it works long term but it has been 1 pound lost per day so far and am down to 292, a weight I haven't seen in probably 15 years or so.
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I started IF a few weeks ago and it's working well for me. I'm doing 16:8 because I'm not usually hungry at breakfast, so just eating lunch and dinner works well for me. The other day I planned a late lunch, got tied up at work and ended up getting home so late I decided to just wait for dinner, so I had an almost 24 hr fast. What surprised me was that I really wasn't annoyingly hungry or tired until about the time I started cooking dinner. I'll stick with 16:8 with no between meal snacks because that has helped me recognize hunger and satiety and largely eliminate the snacking habit.2
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I started IF about five weeks ago with no calorie counting. I lost 7-8 lbs during the first four weeks. I then decided to implement calorie counting to help make better choices. I lost 2.7 after one week of that so will continue to track calories. I do 20:4 Monday-Friday; then allow myself 16:8 on the weekends.3
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I do 8:16.0
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I love it! I fluctuate between 18-20 hours fasting. I'm not using a scale but measurements instead because of body recomposition. As recommended by most IF experts, I do not count calories.6
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LeeshaSeal wrote: »I love it! I fluctuate between 18-20 hours fasting. I'm not using a scale but measurements instead because of body recomposition. As recommended by most IF experts, I do not count calories.
Counting calories is not necessary for weight loss. But being in a caloric deficit, by whatever means one attains it, most certainly is.4 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »I love it! I fluctuate between 18-20 hours fasting. I'm not using a scale but measurements instead because of body recomposition. As recommended by most IF experts, I do not count calories.
Even doing IF, you don't lose weight if you're not in a calorie deficit.4 -
I have been doing 20:4 and I lost 5.5 pounds in the first week and for the last week nothing, today I was up 1/2 a pound. I like the well it makes my body feel. I hope to continue to drop slowly as I am in the obese range for my height ( 5 foot 1 ). I was hoping to see my blood sugar go down, but so far it has not and it is even starting to rise, so not sure what I will do. Any thoughts are most welcome !0
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LeeshaSeal wrote: »I love it! I fluctuate between 18-20 hours fasting. I'm not using a scale but measurements instead because of body recomposition. As recommended by most IF experts, I do not count calories.
Serious question - why would they recommend NOT counting calories?
I understand some people might not need to count when doing IF, because it naturally keeps them in a deficit, but what's the harm in counting?2 -
It took me a minute to wrap my head around it but caloric deficit is not how IF works. It is the fasting period that brings your insulin levels low. Those lower insulin levels allow your body to burn the readily available energy in your liver and in time, move on to your fat stores. So basically weight loss happens when the fasting magic happens. That's when you naturally move into Ketosis and all the energy comes from burning fat. When your window is open and you eat, you eat until you are satisfied. Jason Fung, MD, argues that long term caloric deficit actually reduces your metabolic rate because your body knows you are eating less and adjusts accordingly.29
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LeeshaSeal wrote: »It took me a minute to wrap my head around it but caloric deficit is not how IF works. It is the fasting period that brings your insulin levels low. Those lower insulin levels allow your body to burn the readily available energy in your liver and in time, move on to your fat stores. So basically weight loss happens when the fasting magic happens. That's when you naturally move into Ketosis and all the energy comes from burning fat. When your window is open and you eat, you eat until you are satisfied. Jason Fung, MD, argues that long term caloric deficit actually reduces your metabolic rate because your body knows you are eating less and adjusts accordingly.
No. That's not how any of this works. There is no "magic" to fasting, Fung is an idiot and his theories have been soundly debunked by actual science, as opposed to the woo he's peddling. He's a laughingstock in the nutrition science world. He's just like Dr. Oz, another doctor who's sacrificed his profession to jump on the money train.
https://www.myoleanfitness.com/evidence-caloric-restriction/14 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »It took me a minute to wrap my head around it but caloric deficit is not how IF works. It is the fasting period that brings your insulin levels low. Those lower insulin levels allow your body to burn the readily available energy in your liver and in time, move on to your fat stores. So basically weight loss happens when the fasting magic happens. That's when you naturally move into Ketosis and all the energy comes from burning fat. When your window is open and you eat, you eat until you are satisfied. Jason Fung, MD, argues that long term caloric deficit actually reduces your metabolic rate because your body knows you are eating less and adjusts accordingly.
So you're claiming that one doesn't have to be at a deficit to lose weight if they're doing IF?6 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »It took me a minute to wrap my head around it but caloric deficit is not how IF works. It is the fasting period that brings your insulin levels low. Those lower insulin levels allow your body to burn the readily available energy in your liver and in time, move on to your fat stores. So basically weight loss happens when the fasting magic happens. That's when you naturally move into Ketosis and all the energy comes from burning fat. When your window is open and you eat, you eat until you are satisfied. Jason Fung, MD, argues that long term caloric deficit actually reduces your metabolic rate because your body knows you are eating less and adjusts accordingly.
I won't argue with this reasoning but I have a suggestion. Try eating 3000-4000 calories within your fasting window and see what happens. I guarantee it's fairly easy to test Fung's quackery. If you don't dare to test it on yourself, look around. I'm sure you know at least one fat breakfast skipper.17 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »It took me a minute to wrap my head around it but caloric deficit is not how IF works. It is the fasting period that brings your insulin levels low. Those lower insulin levels allow your body to burn the readily available energy in your liver and in time, move on to your fat stores. So basically weight loss happens when the fasting magic happens. That's when you naturally move into Ketosis and all the energy comes from burning fat. When your window is open and you eat, you eat until you are satisfied. Jason Fung, MD, argues that long term caloric deficit actually reduces your metabolic rate because your body knows you are eating less and adjusts accordingly.
This is absolutely incorrect. A calorie deficit is still needed regardless. IF is not a magical way of losing weight. A calorie deficit is still needed.
Posting misinformation like this is harmful to this community. People that don't yet know better may read this and believe that if they fast that they can eat at a calorie surplus and still lose weight. (which is untrue)
I really suggest that you look into IF more before spreading this type of misinformation.11 -
So I'm going to fast all day. At dinner I'll eat 5000 calorie dinner and dessert and I'll still lose weight. Not a chance! Lol
I wish that was the case but sadly it isn't. IF is not magic.10 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »I love it! I fluctuate between 18-20 hours fasting. I'm not using a scale but measurements instead because of body recomposition. As recommended by most IF experts, I do not count calories.
Serious question - why would they recommend NOT counting calories?
I understand some people might not need to count when doing IF, because it naturally keeps them in a deficit, but what's the harm in counting?
I ahve done 5:2 for some time...and I'm counting calories as well
From I what I read, the reason they recommend no counting calories is that you're supposed to get a healthy relationsship with food after a while so you'll naturally eat less.
Not sure how long "after a while" is, but the first time I did 5:2 for three months with very little result - due to me overeating on not fasting days.
This time i log and count and It's going much better- I have a slow but steady weight less without feeling I "diet". I do it purely to balance the weekend calories, but I'm still looking forward to my fast days- especially monday, as I feel it relaxes me a bit after a weekend where I usually go out friday and saturday1 -
LeeshaSeal wrote: »It took me a minute to wrap my head around it but caloric deficit is not how IF works. It is the fasting period that brings your insulin levels low. Those lower insulin levels allow your body to burn the readily available energy in your liver and in time, move on to your fat stores. So basically weight loss happens when the fasting magic happens. That's when you naturally move into Ketosis and all the energy comes from burning fat. When your window is open and you eat, you eat until you are satisfied. Jason Fung, MD, argues that long term caloric deficit actually reduces your metabolic rate because your body knows you are eating less and adjusts accordingly.
What do you think happens to the food you eat in ketosis?2 -
Long-time IFer, here. 16-8. Been doing it for decades, even before it was a 'thing' and had a name.
I got overweight with IF.
I then lost 75 lbs with IF.
It makes no difference *when* you eat your food. The only difference is how much of it you eat.
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I am new to all this. i have never diet never exercised never counted calories. I started this past week. I am only eating between 2pm and 10pm. is this 16:8? also excersize everyday. I have cut out sugar and limiting what and how much I eat when I do eat. is this right, any tips? Sundays i eat what and when I want, all within reason, also no excersize this day. i also don't understand counting, adding, and subtracting calories.0
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I currently do 18:6 with my work/workout schedule but switch to 16:8 the week before OCR (obstacle course races) due to taper. I have been doing it for roughly 8 weeks now with a couple days of lax eating but not too much overeating. I have a ton more energy because of the ACTUAL food I am eating...isn't the crappy high carb high sugar items I used to. It does take about 1 to 2 weeks to get your body adjusted to though!2
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I started doing at 16:8 a little over a week ago. It was a little challenging at first for me. I have very strange work hours. I am up at 330am and go to be at around 9. I normally eat dinner at around 5. So to get my 16 in, I can’t eat until 9 am. Being up so early, and halfway through the work at that point, I was pretty hungry. But I have gotten used to it now. I just short of three weeks, I have lost 10 pounds. 3 pounds a week the first two weeks, and 4 the last ( week I was doing IF). I find myself eating fewer calories. I am not really prone to snacking, just large meals, and that was my down fall before. However, cutting out breakfast has made it possible for me to have a larger “family” meal for dinner, while still eating very light at lunch. I am able to still keep a really good deficit, and fell full all night. So, for right now it’s working. If I ever reach a point where I’m really hungry in the morning or after, I probably won’t do it any more. For now, it’s working though.2
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I'm not an IF'r but I see the purpose of IF. It is a very useful method of planning your intake for the day (or week, or month). Now that I've said that...the whole deal is still CICO (calories in calories out). However you hit your deficit is up to you, and more power to you if you find something you enjoy.
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I just started using "Body Fast' app and it has a varied eating schedule. I love the variety after two weeks I plan on switching to 16:8. Feel free to add me and follow along! Happy fasting everyone!2
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