Intermittent Fasting
rainycs65
Posts: 13 Member
I'm considering doing the 16-hr Intermittent Fasting. If you have tried it, would you mind sharing your thoughts on I and if you think it worked?
If this is a repeat post, I apologize. I thought I posted it earlier but I can't find it.
Thanks!
If this is a repeat post, I apologize. I thought I posted it earlier but I can't find it.
Thanks!
4
Replies
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If you go to "My discussions" it will show you any threads you've created. Not an IF'er here, so no help there.3
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It depends on what you're trying to do. If by "it worked", you mean "losing weight/fat", then it does if you create a caloric deficit. Intermittent fasting is an eating schedule - nothing more.10
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To expand on that, I've used IF as a tool to help control my appetite because I like more food in my meals. It worked just about exactly the same as when I ate smaller meals throughout the day. No difference in results.3
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I have been using intermittent fasting for the last few months and it works really well as love as keep a calorie deficient. I like to eat dinner, and so I don't eat anything until 4 after 4. Sometimes If I get hungry during the day I eat a protein bar around 1. It has really helped me to learn what hunger actually feels like.2
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I like it. It just involved skipping a morning meal for me, and I eat "breakfast" around 11am instead. I find it helpful because I can eat bigger meals in a shorter amount of time, while still in a calorie deficit, which keeps me more satisfied.
Ultimately though when you eat does not matter at all with regard to weight loss.4 -
Works for me, I start eating at 7AM usually high carb, eat again at 2PM high protein, mod fat mod carb, stop eating at 3PM.0
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I agree with everything everyone above me has said. Personally, I skip breakfast. I sip on some lightly Stevia sweetened cinnamon tea to help reduce the growling. I don't eat ANY calories until 12:30pm and then try to have mostly protein and complex carbs. I might have a small snack (like an apple or a yogurt) around 3 and then I generally have supper between 5:30-6:30pm. Technically, I should not eat anything after 8:30pm but since I really want about 4 hours between the last thing I ate and sleep, I'd be going to bed at 12:30 am. Since I generally go to bed around 10:30 pm, I try not to eat anything after dinner. I am not often successful but I do try to stick to very light snacks.
IF has helped me reduce my calorie intake. I do find that it is sometimes a challenge to get all of my necessary nutrients and on the days that I get motivated and am particularly active, I've discovered that it is easy to go under 1000 calories (which is NOT good). I've been doing IF for 5 weeks and have (with the exception of one week that I cheated and gained) have been losing almost 2 pounds a week. Like was said before me, the time of day that you eat doesn't really matter. What happens is that you eat less often so you get to have bigger meals, making you feel more full. If you struggle with the constant thinking about food because you're having to eat 6 times a day or if you're often feeling hungry because your smaller meals aren't satisfying, IF might be for you.4 -
I've been a breakfast skipper for years.
In and of itself, it didn't "work". While delaying breakfast did decrease my appetite throughout the day, I still ate too much, and reached my highest weight ever while only having morning coffee. I likely would have weighed more had I not skipped breakfast since doing so took some edge off my appetite, so there's that.
Saying that? I need to conscientiously control my calories. It doesn't matter when I eat them. It just so happens that delaying breakfast helps keep my hunger in check and allows me to have a nice big dinner, which is an eating pattern I prefer.5 -
Not for me: I like to put food in my mouth from the moment I wake up until I go to sleep at night
If your considering IF for weight loss then remember it’s just a numbers game, cals in vs cals out is all that matters. What time of day you eat is irrelevant but if it helps you stick to your calorie goals then go for it.
Good luck
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Despite being someone who naturally skips breakfast most of the time I really disliked the feeling of having set rules and clock watching, 16:8 made me less happy for the same calorie allowance so it was a negative for me.
There's also many days in the year when I need to eat outside a set window to fuel multi hours bike rides so it would be a counter-productive restriction.
If you are curious about experimenting with it then give it a try. Even if you find you don't like it you might learn something useful about what helps or hinders you.
If you mean "worked" in regards to weight then both forms of IF I've done and eating my usual more freestyle way had the same results, weight tracked my long term calorie balance.2 -
16:8 has always worked for me.
I did find it hard to get used to at first, but it turns out it's perfect for me. I never felt like I needed breakfast as soon as I wake up, with IF I've been able to wait til later in the day.
It's definitely helped me keep my calorie count down too, it's a lot easier to keep track of things in my opinion.2 -
I'm on my own variation of "IF" that has been working pretty well for me. Basically, I don't eat a meal until dinner. I have my morning coffee with creamer (so, technically speaking, it's breaking the so-called "fast") and then if I'm hungry in the afternoon, have a small (~200 cal) snack with protein of some variety in it, and then have a full dinner.
As a female with a very sedentary job, this is working quite well for me, and it works for my life regardless of whether it is a normal weekday, a race or track weekend, or I'm traveling for work...you get the idea.
In order to appreciably lose weight, however, I still have to do most of my cooking at home and make relatively healthy choices, loading up on vegetables. While I seem to maintain pretty well while traveling/eating out, I don't seem to lose much - too many "hidden" calories in restaurant food, plus I tend to choose what sounds good that day and tend to consider it a "treat." Occasional nights out with friends, however, don't have a serious impact on my weight loss trend, so that's nice!
Honestly, meal prep and eating smaller meals throughout the day worked better in that I lost more weight more quickly (still a healthy loss rate, but it was more noticeable). The issue with that, for me, is it's not sustainable most of the year (once race season starts my life gets crazy) and I was undoing all my winter work over the spring/summer/fall.
This eating plan can follow me anywhere, requires less planning (which is great when you work 2 jobs, plus a coaching job, plus racing!), and there has been a steady, albeit slow, drop in my weight. It feels sustainable - for life, for me.2 -
I love it but only because like everyone has said it helps make a calorie deficit easier. I find I’m not really hungry until I start eating and then food literally never leaves my mind. It’s really just a matter of personal preference. Most people either love it or hate it. I’d suggest you give it a try and see how you feel in two weeks.4
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It's been working for me. I started doing it on purpose for the last couple of weeks and I've noticed that I'm more awake than I was before.
I used to feel tired ALL the time. My eyes would always feel heavy and I just had no energy.
I'm not bouncing off the walls now or anything, but I'm also not wanting to go back to sleep 10min after waking up.
It also fixed my weight loss stall. I eat the same amount that I did before, it's just that it's in a smaller time frame now 11,noon-7pm and dunno.. that seems to have worked. I was losing the same few pounds over and over again and IFing got things moving in the right direction.5 -
For me, IF has made it easier for me to stick to my calorie goals. I that this is because I know the calories have to be consumed within a certain window of time, and, using the MFP tools for logging and viewing nutrition charts, I am able to be sure I'm getting in the calories and macros I need.
One significant positive I've seen occur is the complete absense of nightime heartburn and acid reflux, and this I am certain is because I mostly eat nothing after 6pm. Some days when life gets in the way of planned calories during the day, I'll find myself eating after 6pm, but I limit those meals to green vegetables, as those are the only foods I've found compatible with heartburn-free nights.
I used to be an all day grazer, estimated my food portions (very incorrectly), and had a hard time staying alert and productive at the office.
I'm now at mostly 3 meals a day, and, I try to make each meal balanced across the macro goals I've set for myself. I've a tendency to go protein heavy, so the food scale is absolutely critical to staying on track.
Whenever I make a meal that is a single macro, I end the day with some strange 'macro-hole'. I've had a day or two where all I had left to eat was 150 calories of fat. Would love to see what CHOPPED cooking contestants would make of a basket full of fats.
good luck to you, and good fitness to us all!
amyfb0 -
I've been off IF for a while, but hit a plateau about a month ago. I did not go straight to 16/8 right away, what I did was, on day one, I ate "breakfast" one hour later, day 2, two hours later, day 3, three hours later until I got to 12 noon. Been on a eating window of 12-8 ever since and have recently broke my plateau and got below my lowest weight in month's. I notice on busy work days now, that I can easily go to 2pm, sometimes 3pm before the hunger pangs start.
Planet Fitness 3 x Week
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Eats clean 6 out of 7 days
1 glass of wine some nights
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It can "work" if it helps you keep your calorie deficit, sure, but there is nothing special or magical about IF in and of itself that will cause pounds to come off. I experimented with it for awhile by skipping breakfast, but after awhile I went back to it because I get so hungry in the mornings. I seem to do better with eating a large lunch and skipping dinner though. If you're interested in IF, it helps to just play around with eating windows and see what works best for your lifestyle.4
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I’ve been doing IF (specifically One Meal A Day) for just shy of 4 months now. I’ve lost a little over 50 pounds so far, although I still have plenty to go.
There is a TON of science behind why IF is so much more than simply a tool to help easily maintain a calorie deficit, although it definitely does that too.
It’s all about baselining your insulin levels for extended periods of time to auto target your energy stores, and slowly adjust your body’s weight set point. It resolves insulin resistance, gives you more consistent energy throughout the day, makes workouts more effective (both in intensity level increases from higher levels of adrenaline, and in the fact that if you’re fasted, all the energy you’re using to do the workout is being pulled from your storage), and a slew of other benefits.
Personally, I’ve been loving every minute of it.
Good luck in your journey!21 -
Monk_E_Boy wrote: »I’ve been doing IF (specifically One Meal A Day) for just shy of 4 months now. I’ve lost a little over 50 pounds so far, although I still have plenty to go.
There is a TON of science behind why IF is so much more than simply a tool to help easily maintain a calorie deficit, although it definitely does that too.
It’s all about baselining your insulin levels for extended periods of time to auto target your energy stores, and slowly adjust your body’s weight set point. It resolves insulin resistance, gives you more consistent energy throughout the day, makes workouts more effective (both in intensity level increases from higher levels of adrenaline, and in the fact that if you’re fasted, all the energy you’re using to do the workout is being pulled from your storage), and a slew of other benefits.
Personally, I’ve been loving every minute of it.
Good luck in your journey!
Please feel free to share any of the science in the form of studies on humans that you feel prove this point. Honestly, I think you may find it a challenge to find any.
The rest of your assertions are pretty much nonsense. It can help improve insulin sensitivity. It does nothing for improving workouts and energy substrate during workouts is immaterial. Fat loss is a factor of overall energy balance. Your post reads like you've read too many blogs and not enough evidence.11 -
Monk_E_Boy wrote: »I’ve been doing IF (specifically One Meal A Day) for just shy of 4 months now. I’ve lost a little over 50 pounds so far, although I still have plenty to go.
There is a TON of science behind why IF is so much more than simply a tool to help easily maintain a calorie deficit, although it definitely does that too.
It’s all about baselining your insulin levels for extended periods of time to auto target your energy stores, and slowly adjust your body’s weight set point. It resolves insulin resistance, gives you more consistent energy throughout the day, makes workouts more effective (both in intensity level increases from higher levels of adrenaline, and in the fact that if you’re fasted, all the energy you’re using to do the workout is being pulled from your storage), and a slew of other benefits.
Personally, I’ve been loving every minute of it.
Good luck in your journey!
Please feel free to share any of the science in the form of studies on humans that you feel prove this point. Honestly, I think you may find it a challenge to find any.
The rest of your assertions are pretty much nonsense. It can help improve insulin sensitivity. It does nothing for improving workouts and energy substrate during workouts is immaterial. Fat loss is a factor of overall energy balance. Your post reads like you've read too many blogs and not enough evidence.
This was published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2018
This is one of the most prestigious journals on this topic in the world.
Title: Intermittent energy restriction improves weight loss efficiency in obese men
Quote:
(ER = Energy restriction)Greater weight and fat loss was achieved with intermittent ER.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/ijo2017206
While this study does not apply directly to daily IF, it shows that there is a significant difference between just continously reducing calories to a low amount or mixing it up a little bit with strict fasting and maintenance phases.
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lowcarbmale wrote: »Monk_E_Boy wrote: »I’ve been doing IF (specifically One Meal A Day) for just shy of 4 months now. I’ve lost a little over 50 pounds so far, although I still have plenty to go.
There is a TON of science behind why IF is so much more than simply a tool to help easily maintain a calorie deficit, although it definitely does that too.
It’s all about baselining your insulin levels for extended periods of time to auto target your energy stores, and slowly adjust your body’s weight set point. It resolves insulin resistance, gives you more consistent energy throughout the day, makes workouts more effective (both in intensity level increases from higher levels of adrenaline, and in the fact that if you’re fasted, all the energy you’re using to do the workout is being pulled from your storage), and a slew of other benefits.
Personally, I’ve been loving every minute of it.
Good luck in your journey!
Please feel free to share any of the science in the form of studies on humans that you feel prove this point. Honestly, I think you may find it a challenge to find any.
The rest of your assertions are pretty much nonsense. It can help improve insulin sensitivity. It does nothing for improving workouts and energy substrate during workouts is immaterial. Fat loss is a factor of overall energy balance. Your post reads like you've read too many blogs and not enough evidence.
This was published in NATURE in 2018
Title: Intermittent energy restriction improves weight loss efficiency in obese men
Quote:
(ER = Energy restriction)Greater weight and fat loss was achieved with intermittent ER.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/ijo2017206
While this does not apply directly to daily IF, it shows that there is a significant difference between just continously reducing calories to a low amount or to mix it up a little bit (the second works better). IF does that on a daily basis.
I wonder if you actually read the article. It does not cover intermittent fasting in any way. It references intermittent energy restriction where participants were put on a 7 week at energy restriction, 2 week at maintenance calories cycle compared to the control group that was on continuous energy restriction. So, not intermittent fasting. Intermittent calorie restriction.
That the group that had breaks from energy restriction did better is no surprise. There is a sticky post here all about diet breaks and their benefits including proof data.
https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10604863/of-refeeds-and-diet-breaks/p1
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lowcarbmale wrote: »Monk_E_Boy wrote: »I’ve been doing IF (specifically One Meal A Day) for just shy of 4 months now. I’ve lost a little over 50 pounds so far, although I still have plenty to go.
There is a TON of science behind why IF is so much more than simply a tool to help easily maintain a calorie deficit, although it definitely does that too.
It’s all about baselining your insulin levels for extended periods of time to auto target your energy stores, and slowly adjust your body’s weight set point. It resolves insulin resistance, gives you more consistent energy throughout the day, makes workouts more effective (both in intensity level increases from higher levels of adrenaline, and in the fact that if you’re fasted, all the energy you’re using to do the workout is being pulled from your storage), and a slew of other benefits.
Personally, I’ve been loving every minute of it.
Good luck in your journey!
Please feel free to share any of the science in the form of studies on humans that you feel prove this point. Honestly, I think you may find it a challenge to find any.
The rest of your assertions are pretty much nonsense. It can help improve insulin sensitivity. It does nothing for improving workouts and energy substrate during workouts is immaterial. Fat loss is a factor of overall energy balance. Your post reads like you've read too many blogs and not enough evidence.
This was published in the International Journal of Obesity in 2018
This is one of the most prestigious journals on this topic in the world.
Title: Intermittent energy restriction improves weight loss efficiency in obese men
Quote:
(ER = Energy restriction)Greater weight and fat loss was achieved with intermittent ER.
Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/ijo2017206
While this study does not apply directly to daily IF, it shows that there is a significant difference between just continously reducing calories to a low amount or mixing it up a little bit with strict fasting and maintenance phases.
Right, the study does not apply to daily IF. Why use it to support IF?The intermittent approach in the present study differs fundamentally from intermittent fasting. In intermittent fasting paradigms, weight loss occurs over time if energy intake during ad libitum feeding periods is not sufficient to compensate for the substantially reduced energy intake on ‘fasting’ days.45 In contrast, energy intake was prescribed in both the ER and energy balance blocks in the present study, to create distinct periods of weight loss and maintenance. Given that this is the first application of an intermittent model using 2:2-week blocks of ER and energy balance, direct comparisons with other studies are not possible.
IF is an eating schedule. If you like it, do it. People have skipped breakfast and/or lunch for ages. It's not a new concept, just new marketing.13 -
Monk_E_Boy wrote: »I’ve been doing IF (specifically One Meal A Day) for just shy of 4 months now. I’ve lost a little over 50 pounds so far, although I still have plenty to go.
There is a TON of science behind why IF is so much more than simply a tool to help easily maintain a calorie deficit, although it definitely does that too.
It’s all about baselining your insulin levels for extended periods of time to auto target your energy stores, and slowly adjust your body’s weight set point. It resolves insulin resistance, gives you more consistent energy throughout the day, makes workouts more effective (both in intensity level increases from higher levels of adrenaline, and in the fact that if you’re fasted, all the energy you’re using to do the workout is being pulled from your storage), and a slew of other benefits.
Personally, I’ve been loving every minute of it.
Good luck in your journey!
Please feel free to share any of the science in the form of studies on humans that you feel prove this point. Honestly, I think you may find it a challenge to find any.
The rest of your assertions are pretty much nonsense. It can help improve insulin sensitivity. It does nothing for improving workouts and energy substrate during workouts is immaterial. Fat loss is a factor of overall energy balance. Your post reads like you've read too many blogs and not enough evidence.
Here are two to get you started, let me know if you want more.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5064803/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2645638/2 -
Please feel free to share any of the science in the form of studies on humans that you feel prove this point. Honestly, I think you may find it a challenge to find any.
Another one for you
Published in the Journal Obesity in 2017
https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/oby.22065Emerging findings suggest that the metabolic switch from glucose to fatty acid‐derived ketones represents an evolutionarily conserved trigger point that shifts metabolism from lipid/cholesterol synthesis and fat storage to mobilization of fat through fatty acid oxidation and fatty acid‐derived ketones, which serve to preserve muscle mass and function. Thus, IF regimens that induce the metabolic switch have the potential to improve body composition in overweight individuals. [...]
Haters gonna hate.
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Try it. What’s the worst that could happen?2
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By the way: I believe the burden of proof to show that intermittent fasting does have the same effect as continuous eating lays on your side, not ours.
The most logic thing to assume is that when you do things differently you can't expect to get the same results.
Therefore I would really be interested in studies that investigate this topic on humans and come to the conclusion that intermittent fasting (16/4, 20/4, 23/1, alternate day fasting etc.) do not create metabolic changes in human beings.
@mmapags15 -
lowcarbmale wrote: »By the way: I believe the burden of proof to show that intermittent fasting does have the same effect as continuous eating lays on your side, not ours.
The most logic thing to assume is that when you do things differently you can't expect to get the same results.
Therefore I would really be interested in studies that investigate this topic on humans and come to the conclusion that intermittent fasting (16/4, 20/4, 23/1, alternate day fasting etc.) do not create metabolic changes in human beings.
@mmapags
Well the burden of proof is on those making the claims of benefit but, I'll play.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/
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lowcarbmale wrote: »By the way: I believe the burden of proof to show that intermittent fasting does have the same effect as continuous eating lays on your side, not ours.
The most logic thing to assume is that when you do things differently you can't expect to get the same results.
Therefore I would really be interested in studies that investigate this topic on humans and come to the conclusion that intermittent fasting (16/4, 20/4, 23/1, alternate day fasting etc.) do not create metabolic changes in human beings.
@mmapags
Well the burden of proof is on those making the claims of benefit but, I'll play.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/
This. It's up to those making the claim to prove it, not in the reverse.
Edited to add: Say, for example, you were to make a claim that a new planet - complete with humanoid life - has been discovered in our solar system. By your standard of proof, unless I could prove you wrong, that planet and its population exists merely because you say so?
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lowcarbmale wrote: »By the way: I believe the burden of proof to show that intermittent fasting does have the same effect as continuous eating lays on your side, not ours.
The most logic thing to assume is that when you do things differently you can't expect to get the same results.
Therefore I would really be interested in studies that investigate this topic on humans and come to the conclusion that intermittent fasting (16/4, 20/4, 23/1, alternate day fasting etc.) do not create metabolic changes in human beings.
@mmapags
Well the burden of proof is on those making the claims of benefit but, I'll play.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/
Ignoring the animal studies (because you said you wanted human ones), and any and all “modified fasting” scenarios (because that’s not what we’re talking about here), it seems like the study you provided is fairly clear on its opinion of IF:
“It appears that almost any intermittent fasting regimen can result in some weight loss. Among the 13 intervention trials included in this review, 11 (84.6%) reported statistically significant weight loss ranging from 1.3% in a cross-over trial with a 2 week intervention23 to 8.0% in a 1-arm trial of 8 weeks duration.13”4 -
Monk_E_Boy wrote: »lowcarbmale wrote: »By the way: I believe the burden of proof to show that intermittent fasting does have the same effect as continuous eating lays on your side, not ours.
The most logic thing to assume is that when you do things differently you can't expect to get the same results.
Therefore I would really be interested in studies that investigate this topic on humans and come to the conclusion that intermittent fasting (16/4, 20/4, 23/1, alternate day fasting etc.) do not create metabolic changes in human beings.
@mmapags
Well the burden of proof is on those making the claims of benefit but, I'll play.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/
Ignoring the animal studies (because you said you wanted human ones), and any and all “modified fasting” scenarios (because that’s not what we’re talking about here), it seems like the study you provided is fairly clear on its opinion of IF:
“It appears that almost any intermittent fasting regimen can result in some weight loss. Among the 13 intervention trials included in this review, 11 (84.6%) reported statistically significant weight loss ranging from 1.3% in a cross-over trial with a 2 week intervention23 to 8.0% in a 1-arm trial of 8 weeks duration.13”
Notice the key word 'can' in the bolded above.
And no one argues that IF can result in weight loss for some people. For those in which this does occur, it happens solely because they were in a caloric deficit during that time. IF works *exactly* the same way as any other method that restricts caloric intake. There's no magic, no additional benefits that can be shown.
PS: I've been doing IF for decades. Long before it had a name and became trendy.
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