Intermittent fasting: sounds bad

13

Replies

  • josephinebowman
    josephinebowman Posts: 359 Member
    I'm glad you posted! I had low thoughts about fasting but my doctor said... And so I try not to eat from 7 pm until 10 am. Iced water is okay anytime and my other doctor said ... so I try to drink a lot. It does seem to be working okay-not as hungry and eating to maximize the foods I am getting. I am not starving like I thought nor is my body making noise! I am not sure if I will increase fast hours other than Fast Sunday once a month (My church's belief).
  • tuftedghostdeer
    tuftedghostdeer Posts: 24 Member
    HoneyBadger155 wrote: »
    I've recently decided to start going on (my own variation of) an IF eating pattern.

    I naturally do not like breakfast. I always want to enjoy a nice, full dinner. I don't need much at lunch. This pattern works well in ALL areas of my life from "normal" work weeks, to traveling, to track days, to race weekends.

    Sure, meal prep and calorie counting work - when I'm at home and have the time to do it, BUT, Mar-Oct, that doesn't work so well when I'm on the road and at the track 3 out of 7 days more weeks than not and still trying to work a full week plus my side hustle.

    I chose not to do a true fast in that I still have my morning coffee+creamer once I start work, and I allow myself a small plant/nut/protein based snack (~150-200cal) in the afternoon if I'm getting hungry.

    Then, I don't worry about dinner - I enjoy what I feel like eating that day, and even fast food won't exceed my calories for the day (not that it's common, but just an example).

    I've only just finished my first couple weeks of this, but the scale has started to drop and after a few days (since this tends to follow my natural eating patter anyways) my hunger adjusted and is very tolerable at this point, unlike trying to eat 3-5 small meals a day that always left me hungry.

    Also, my morning workouts are not suffering in any way, either, whereas on the small meal plan, if I was in much of a noticeable deficit, my workouts started to suffer within a couple days. The full dinner leaves me with enough fuel that I've actually been feeling really good during my workouts. Energy during the day hasn't suffered one bit either, in fact, if anything, I've felt more energetic most of the day.

    I'm pretty much doing the exact same thing you are. I am losing weight each week, not obsessing over food, not hungry during the morning or lunch anymore. Eating foods I LOVE for dinner and the weight is dropping off. I LOVE IT.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    I have fasted a couple of times (one for blood work) but I have a problem with it. Breakfast is my favorite meal of the day so I doubt it will ever have a major place in my eating pattern. If I wasn't working I could easily move breakfast to 10 o'clock though.
  • MsBaz2018
    MsBaz2018 Posts: 384 Member
    kommodevaran wrote: »
    The unhealthy thing about IF is to think about not eating all the time as something unhealthy or extreme, and needing a term for it to make it palatable (sorry but not sorry for the silly pun).

    Yes ^

    I know a lot of people who can't stomach breakfast. They've NEVER called it 16:8. Some are slim some are fat.

    I love eating breakfast. But because it's trendy I'll start eating like them? That's what's "unhealthy" about it IMO - this fascination with following trends instead of figuring out what way of eating works for you.
  • pinuplove
    pinuplove Posts: 12,871 Member
    edited October 2018
    tuftedghostdeer wrote: »
    HoneyBadger155 wrote: »
    I've recently decided to start going on (my own variation of) an IF eating pattern.

    I naturally do not like breakfast. I always want to enjoy a nice, full dinner. I don't need much at lunch. This pattern works well in ALL areas of my life from "normal" work weeks, to traveling, to track days, to race weekends.

    Sure, meal prep and calorie counting work - when I'm at home and have the time to do it, BUT, Mar-Oct, that doesn't work so well when I'm on the road and at the track 3 out of 7 days more weeks than not and still trying to work a full week plus my side hustle.

    I chose not to do a true fast in that I still have my morning coffee+creamer once I start work, and I allow myself a small plant/nut/protein based snack (~150-200cal) in the afternoon if I'm getting hungry.

    Then, I don't worry about dinner - I enjoy what I feel like eating that day, and even fast food won't exceed my calories for the day (not that it's common, but just an example).

    I've only just finished my first couple weeks of this, but the scale has started to drop and after a few days (since this tends to follow my natural eating patter anyways) my hunger adjusted and is very tolerable at this point, unlike trying to eat 3-5 small meals a day that always left me hungry.

    Also, my morning workouts are not suffering in any way, either, whereas on the small meal plan, if I was in much of a noticeable deficit, my workouts started to suffer within a couple days. The full dinner leaves me with enough fuel that I've actually been feeling really good during my workouts. Energy during the day hasn't suffered one bit either, in fact, if anything, I've felt more energetic most of the day.

    I'm pretty much doing the exact same thing you are. I am losing weight each week, not obsessing over food, not hungry during the morning or lunch anymore. Eating foods I LOVE for dinner and the weight is dropping off. I LOVE IT.

    This sounds more like OMAD than IF. I could cram all my calories into one meal a day relatively easily. Nutrients? Nosomuch.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    This just reminded me of my wife. She never ate breakfast and I always told her it was the most important meal of the day. So if IF is beneficial she had it right all along. And she reminds me of this daily.
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,168 Member
    jjpptt2 wrote: »
    psuLemon wrote: »
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    amusedmonkey wrote: »
    What's wrong with just, you know, doing IF because it makes weight loss easier for the person who is happier on it? Why does it need a fantastical hook to make someone feel special about following it? If you want a hook, a large percentage of people are unable to sustain a diet. If intermittent fasting makes dieting more sustainable for you, you're one of the special few.

    Because people crave ecstatic quasi-religious fervor even more than they crave hyperpalatable foods? ;););)

    Its validation that they are doing the best possible diet out there. But reality is, there isnt a single solution that is best.

    I almost feel like it's a necessary part of the learning curve...

    1 - Start off doing something...
    2 - Then do what's "best" or "optimal"
    3 - Settle into doing what works.

    This is completely brilliant. Trouble is, I don't think it'll click for anyone who hasn't been through it. ;)
  • nicsflyingcircus
    nicsflyingcircus Posts: 2,843 Member
    I do it because I don't want to eat in the morning. End of story. I don't follow it religiously, if I happen to want to eat something because I am hungry at 8am, I will.
  • psuLemon
    psuLemon Posts: 38,426 MFP Moderator
    lowcarbmale wrote: »
    nutmegoreo wrote: »
    elsie6hickman wrote: »
    I'm confused by it too. If you are eating breakfast and having a light lunch and then a substantial dinner and consume the same number of calories in a shorter period of time, why does it work? I'm sure it is more involved involved than that. Does it matter what foods you consume and is there a calorie target. I know a lot of people seem to believe it broke though a weight plateau for them.

    You need to be in a calorie deficit to lose weight. It doesn't matter of you eat those in 1 hour or in 16 hours. Some people find that IF leaves them feeling less hungry, because they get one or two big meals during a shorter period of time rather than smaller meals throughout the whole day. There is nothing magical about it.

    well if you ignore autophagy and hormonal changes you are right.

    Autphagy happens with caloric restriction. But I would love to see human studies as compared to normal caloric restriction.
  • TavistockToad
    TavistockToad Posts: 35,719 Member
    snickerscharlie wrote: »
    lowcarbmale wrote: »
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LVWQ5EuHrXY

    ht3k2bfmsoxn.gif

    :laugh:
  • snickerscharlie
    snickerscharlie Posts: 8,578 Member
    edited October 2018
    .
  • belleflop
    belleflop Posts: 154 Member
    I think IF is just the new buzz word/phrase so the trendy people can call it a a "new" diet when it's not. If you think about it lot of our daily routines are based around intermittent patterns. We intermittently sleep, exercise, work. I don't call working for 8 hours and than not working for 16 hours intermittent working. I don't call working out 1 hour every other day intermittent exercise. I don't call sleeping for 7 hours and then not sleeping for 17 intermittent sleeping. You get the point.

    All the negativity surrounding IF usually come from a place of confirmation bias or just plain ignorance. I follow the science, and it keeps providing positive data on the benefits. Not quite there yet, but in a few years time with some longer form studies we'll have the empirical data to re butte all the SAD/NAD hanger-ons.

  • LiLee2018
    LiLee2018 Posts: 1,389 Member
    Why does it seem bad to you? Most of the hours not eating are when you sleep. People just choose to stop eating at a certain time and only start eating the next day at a certain time. A lot of folks probably just do it naturally.
    I stop eating at 7pm and dont eat until 11 or noon the next day and it has helped me tremendously with my energy level. As weird as that is to say, but since I started doing it a couple of weeks ago, I've been more awake. It's the only thing I've changed but now, I dont feel so drained and low energy all the time.

    It's not unhealthy, but also not for everyone. If you want your breakfast, then eat your breakfast.
  • rsclause
    rsclause Posts: 3,103 Member
    I don't really see why people are negative toward IF and some are very negative. I don't do IF but the way I see it if someone likes it more power to them and vise versa. I mean you can't sell it other than hope people by a book on it. As far as magic goes you can skip a meal and lower caloric intake but only if you keep a normal portion as your other meals. If your total daily calories are the same I guess you let the magic out.

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