Question about Intermittent Fasting
scotgirl78
Posts: 47 Member
Ideally, I'd eat between 11am thru 5 or 6pm if I wanted to be successful with fasting. (That's just what works for my home/work schedule.) My issue is that I work out at 3am every morning, which is obviously a fasted workout....Would working out at 3am and not breaking fast until 11am have a negative impact on my metabolism or anything else? I'd like to give IF a try, I'm just not sure if it would mess me up, given my schedule.
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Replies
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Nope. As long as you feel good and have decent energy for your workouts, there is no problem with what you are describing.4
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It will not mess up your metabolism. I have been doing something like you describe for several years and have had no problem losing weight. I currently eat between noon and 8pm, and get up at 4am to workout 5 days a week.2
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Sweet! Thank you for the feedback...I'm pretty sure the 3am-11am time period will be a little tough to get used to, but I didn't want to go through it and have adverse effects.0
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Well, intermittent fasting isn't magical, either.
If you have trouble sticking to it, maybe it isn't for you.
There's no weight-loss advantage to IF.3 -
I wasn't assuming it's magical. Currently hitting my weight loss goals with keto and exercise, was simply asking a question about IF effects.1
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scotgirl78 wrote: »I wasn't assuming it's magical. Currently hitting my weight loss goals with keto and exercise, was simply asking a question about IF effects.
That's fantastic.
So if you're successful at your current regimen, can I ask why you want to switch to a strict schedule? I mean, that's all IF is, a schedule.
I eat with a 16:8 schedule - but only because that's the way I naturally eat. They just gave it a fancy name. If it didn't fit my work and exercise schedule, I woudn't try to stick to it. It just happens to suit me.
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I've read of other benefits and I'm thinking about giving it a go. Pretty simple. In my opinion, I can be successful at something and want to incorporate other changes or take on other challenges....it's unrelated to current goals or achievements.7
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One other idea - depending on when you usually start eating - you could start adjusting your "start" time toward 11am a day or two at a time. If you usually eat at 6am, try 6:30am tomorrow and 7:00am the next day, etc.2
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scotgirl78 wrote: »I've read of other benefits and I'm thinking about giving it a go. Pretty simple. In my opinion, I can be successful at something and want to incorporate other changes or take on other challenges....it's unrelated to current goals or achievements.
Like what other benefits other than helping with calorie compliance?5 -
hoffman2300 wrote: »One other idea - depending on when you usually start eating - you could start adjusting your "start" time toward 11am a day or two at a time. If you usually eat at 6am, try 6:30am tomorrow and 7:00am the next day, etc.
Yes, I was thinking about easing into it. I think right now, I could make it to 9:30/10 already so it's not too much of a stressor.
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scotgirl78 wrote: »I've read of other benefits and I'm thinking about giving it a go. Pretty simple. In my opinion, I can be successful at something and want to incorporate other changes or take on other challenges....it's unrelated to current goals or achievements.
Like what other benefits other than helping with calorie compliance?
I'm not entirely sure how accurate, but there's all sorts of claims: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting
I figured I'd might as well see how it goes! (As long as I won't be hurting my progress)
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scotgirl78 wrote: »scotgirl78 wrote: »I've read of other benefits and I'm thinking about giving it a go. Pretty simple. In my opinion, I can be successful at something and want to incorporate other changes or take on other challenges....it's unrelated to current goals or achievements.
Like what other benefits other than helping with calorie compliance?
I'm not entirely sure how accurate, but there's all sorts of claims: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting
I figured I'd might as well see how it goes! (As long as I won't be hurting my progress)
Short version is that any additional benefits have not been proven in human trails. They have shown some things in rat trails that have not been replicated. As of now at least, the primary benefit is a schedule of eating for calorie control. Despite all the hype.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/
An acknowledgement to psulemon who originaly posted this in another thread about a week or so ago. Thanks!
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scotgirl78 wrote: »scotgirl78 wrote: »I've read of other benefits and I'm thinking about giving it a go. Pretty simple. In my opinion, I can be successful at something and want to incorporate other changes or take on other challenges....it's unrelated to current goals or achievements.
Like what other benefits other than helping with calorie compliance?
I'm not entirely sure how accurate, but there's all sorts of claims: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting
I figured I'd might as well see how it goes! (As long as I won't be hurting my progress)
Short version is that any additional benefits have not been proven in human trails. They have shown some things in rat trails that have not been replicated. As of now at least, the primary benefit is a schedule of eating for calorie control. Despite all the hype.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/
An acknowledgement to psulemon who originaly posted this in another thread about a week or so ago. Thanks!
The biggest take away is if a person used Keto or IF to control weight loss, that is the biggest benefits. For others, especially those who are doing anaerobic activities, they might see a degradation in performance... But the biggest question is, what is the focus? If its weight loss, than calorie control is what matters.4 -
Thanks for the input...I still don't see the harm in trying it out, but apparently it's a hot button with some people.3
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scotgirl78 wrote: »Thanks for the input...I still don't see the harm in trying it out, but apparently it's a hot button with some people.
There is no harm at all. I've done it off and on and, for me, it helps with hunger control. I don't eat my first meal til late morning to early afternoon. If I eat first thing in the morning, I am hungry all day but I can put off eating indefinitely without much issue. Some people experience this with IF. Some do not with IF. Kind of have to try and see.
Yeah, there has been a lot of hype around this topic both here and in the press in general. But most of the claims are not substantiated. It just makes good copy to attract attention.3 -
Are you referring to the hunger control thing or something else?scotgirl78 wrote: »scotgirl78 wrote: »I've read of other benefits and I'm thinking about giving it a go. Pretty simple. In my opinion, I can be successful at something and want to incorporate other changes or take on other challenges....it's unrelated to current goals or achievements.
Like what other benefits other than helping with calorie compliance?
I'm not entirely sure how accurate, but there's all sorts of claims: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting
I figured I'd might as well see how it goes! (As long as I won't be hurting my progress)
Short version is that any additional benefits have not been proven in human trails. They have shown some things in rat trails that have not been replicated. As of now at least, the primary benefit is a schedule of eating for calorie control. Despite all the hype.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/
An acknowledgement to psulemon who originaly posted this in another thread about a week or so ago. Thanks!
The biggest take away is if a person used Keto or IF to control weight loss, that is the biggest benefits. For others, especially those who are doing anaerobic activities, they might see a degradation in performance... But the biggest question is, what is the focus? If its weight loss, than calorie control is what matters.
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scotgirl78 wrote: »Thanks for the input...I still don't see the harm in trying it out, but apparently it's a hot button with some people.
No one is saying there is harm. I would be weary of the claims because most haven't been shown in humans1 -
Are you referring to the hunger control thing or something else?scotgirl78 wrote: »scotgirl78 wrote: »I've read of other benefits and I'm thinking about giving it a go. Pretty simple. In my opinion, I can be successful at something and want to incorporate other changes or take on other challenges....it's unrelated to current goals or achievements.
Like what other benefits other than helping with calorie compliance?
I'm not entirely sure how accurate, but there's all sorts of claims: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting
I figured I'd might as well see how it goes! (As long as I won't be hurting my progress)
Short version is that any additional benefits have not been proven in human trails. They have shown some things in rat trails that have not been replicated. As of now at least, the primary benefit is a schedule of eating for calorie control. Despite all the hype.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/
An acknowledgement to psulemon who originaly posted this in another thread about a week or so ago. Thanks!
The biggest take away is if a person used Keto or IF to control weight loss, that is the biggest benefits. For others, especially those who are doing anaerobic activities, they might see a degradation in performance... But the biggest question is, what is the focus? If its weight loss, than calorie control is what matters.
Hunger control and sustainabilit, which is very individualistic.3 -
Are you referring to the hunger control thing or something else?scotgirl78 wrote: »scotgirl78 wrote: »I've read of other benefits and I'm thinking about giving it a go. Pretty simple. In my opinion, I can be successful at something and want to incorporate other changes or take on other challenges....it's unrelated to current goals or achievements.
Like what other benefits other than helping with calorie compliance?
I'm not entirely sure how accurate, but there's all sorts of claims: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/10-health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting
I figured I'd might as well see how it goes! (As long as I won't be hurting my progress)
Short version is that any additional benefits have not been proven in human trails. They have shown some things in rat trails that have not been replicated. As of now at least, the primary benefit is a schedule of eating for calorie control. Despite all the hype.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/
An acknowledgement to psulemon who originaly posted this in another thread about a week or so ago. Thanks!
The biggest take away is if a person used Keto or IF to control weight loss, that is the biggest benefits. For others, especially those who are doing anaerobic activities, they might see a degradation in performance... But the biggest question is, what is the focus? If its weight loss, than calorie control is what matters.
Hunger control and sustainabilit, which is very individualistic.
Makes sense. IF is very sustainable for me but others, like you as you have said, don't find it so.1 -
scotgirl78 wrote: »Thanks for the input...I still don't see the harm in trying it out, but apparently it's a hot button with some people.
IF itself isn't really much of a "hot button" - there's no denying that some people find it very helpful for satiety and adherence (I do 16:8 myself). The only "hot button" is that there are a lot of magical, woo-tastic claims made about IF which really haven't been scientifically proven to apply to humans.
As a result, some people (speaking generally, not referring to you specifically) jump on the bandwagon even if it's not a good/sustainable fit for their lifestyle/eating habits, hoping to magically melt their pounds away in days while refreshing all the cells in their body and living to 223 years old in ravishingly good health. And the thing is, there's no sense forcing it upon oneself if it's not a good fit, because the weight loss isn't going to happen any faster than on any other diet of equivalent calories/eaten at any other times of the day, and all those other 'benefits' are purely speculative at this point. Sustainability and adherence are the core factors of success when it comes to dieting.
There's definitely no harm at all in trying it out - you'll either discover it's a good fit for you, or it's not. As psuLemon said, I'd just be wary of all the unsubstantiated claims about it beyond hunger control and sustainability.7 -
I think this is my second time ever posting a discussion on this site and it's been eye opening. Haha!
I wanted to try IF to see if it "did" anything for me in terms of energy, sleep, convenience, health, etc. I don't believe I ever mentioned I wanted to use it as a magic solution to all life's problems or even as a weight loss tool. I'd understand the response if I said "hey guys, I'm gonna try meth for a couple months...who's on board?" but ok...I'm fully aware of all opinions now! 8 -
scotgirl78 wrote: »I think this is my second time ever posting a discussion on this site and it's been eye opening. Haha!
I wanted to try IF to see if it "did" anything for me in terms of energy, sleep, convenience, health, etc. I don't believe I ever mentioned I wanted to use it as a magic solution to all life's problems or even as a weight loss tool. I'd understand the response if I said "hey guys, I'm gonna try meth for a couple months...who's on board?" but ok...I'm fully aware of all opinions now!
I think you might be reading into this a bit too much. Its definitely worth a try to see how you respond. Its the only way we find a long term solution to address our goals.8 -
I get up at 3:30am, work out, and have my first meal around 11am. Second meal at 2pm or 3pm. I started eating this way a couple of months ago, not because I wanted to, but because it was the easiest way to fit meals into my current schedule. The only benefit I’ve seen is it’s been way easier to control my calories. Other than that I feel exactly the same as when I started eating earlier in the day.3
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crabbybrianna wrote: »I get up at 3:30am, work out, and have my first meal around 11am. Second meal at 2pm or 3pm. I started eating this way a couple of months ago, not because I wanted to, but because it was the easiest way to fit meals into my current schedule. The only benefit I’ve seen is it’s been way easier to control my calories. Other than that I feel exactly the same as when I started eating earlier in the day.
Great insight, thank you!1 -
scotgirl78 wrote: »I think this is my second time ever posting a discussion on this site and it's been eye opening. Haha!
I wanted to try IF to see if it "did" anything for me in terms of energy, sleep, convenience, health, etc. I don't believe I ever mentioned I wanted to use it as a magic solution to all life's problems or even as a weight loss tool. I'd understand the response if I said "hey guys, I'm gonna try meth for a couple months...who's on board?" but ok...I'm fully aware of all opinions now!
For me, I didn't find it affected anything but convenience, preparing or acquiring and eating one less meal in a day. Didn't affect energy or sleep. Impacted health indirectly as it helps me hit my calorie targets.
You are probably not aware of this but there have been some threads where there have been some pretty outlandish and unsubstantiated claims about IF in the last couple of months. There have been some health benefits ascribed to it that are totally unproven. Which is why I linked the meta analysis upthread. You didn't make these claims and that is understood. The folks responding were primarily trying to be helpful and give you fact based information as well as personal experience and warn you of the woo in the press and general circulation about IF.
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Nope, wasn't aware of all the outlandish claims and definitely wasn't making any.... just wanted feedback before I tried it out. Assumptions that I expected magic to happen threw me off a bit, that's all. I appreciate your feedback, for sure! ☺3
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There is no harm at all. I've done it off and on and, for me, it helps with hunger control. I don't eat my first meal til late morning to early afternoon. If I eat first thing in the morning, I am hungry all day but I can put off eating indefinitely without much issue. Some people experience this with IF. Some do not with IF. Kind of have to try and see.
This is my experience, too...My eating window is 12p-6p. If I am absolutely ravenous (light headed, feeling weak, etc) at 9a or whatever, then I'll have a snack, but if it's just a little hunger, then I can wait til 12p. If I "break the seal", so to speak, then I am hungry all day. It helps me pay more attention to whether or not I am truly hungry, or if I am bored/cravings to have a more disciplined food schedule.
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teresamwhite wrote: »There is no harm at all. I've done it off and on and, for me, it helps with hunger control. I don't eat my first meal til late morning to early afternoon. If I eat first thing in the morning, I am hungry all day but I can put off eating indefinitely without much issue. Some people experience this with IF. Some do not with IF. Kind of have to try and see.
This is my experience, too...My eating window is 12p-6p. If I am absolutely ravenous (light headed, feeling weak, etc) at 9a or whatever, then I'll have a snack, but if it's just a little hunger, then I can wait til 12p. If I "break the seal", so to speak, then I am hungry all day. It helps me pay more attention to whether or not I am truly hungry, or if I am bored/cravings to have a more disciplined food schedule.
Yes, I've talked with many that feel like you and I do. I like the "break the seal" analogy. For me, I can just forget about food for a while doing IF. For some others, they get cranky and obsess about food or get too hungry. It's a very individual thing.2 -
Im somewhere in the middle, Once i start eating i dont stop im hungry always, And putting it off does help even when i wake up starving...because a side benefit of putting eating off until later in the day is it sort of is a daily reminder of what hunger feels like, And that its not a huge emergency that needs to be fixed instantly. I find that a huge benefit. Before i lost my weight my blood sugar would rise and crash and do loops and id bee shakey and weak almost constantly if i wasnt eating every few hours. Helped me add on alot of weight. Realizing hunger exists and is okay and makes my next meal amazing when i wait out the initial hunger ping was a big breakthrough for me.
edit to clarify: It wasnt a breakthrough, It was THE breakthrough lol. My weight loss started when i had just decided to see what happened when i waited out the shakiness. For me it went away and my appetite dropped again. Was me begining to realize everything and it spiraled from there into 110 pounds loss. So the daily reminder is very deeply involved with my loss4 -
I've noticed that too! Wait through the hunger pangs and they go away.
Meal prepping and going to the gym at the same time has focused me... kinda made me OCD with my health and sticking to a schedule. My mindset is IF (intentional or coincidental) will be a good tool too, even if just for planning.0
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