Intermittent Fasting?

gofer20112015
gofer20112015 Posts: 1 Member
edited December 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Anybody try this? Is it effective what is downsides of it?

Replies

  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    Lots of people here have tried it. It can help you to control calories if it can work with how you prefer to eat. It is just an eating schedule though. There are no metabolic benefits for weight loss in an otherwise healthy person. If one is insulin resistant, it can help increase insulin sensitivity.

    The downside would be if it doesn't work with your schedule and preferences.

    A quick search will show tons of threads on this subject, including some that are fairly active currently, that may provide you with a wealth of info.
  • SVZee
    SVZee Posts: 76 Member
    You might want to use the search feature, there's lots of posts about IF on here, and lots of members who do it in one form or another :)
  • BrettWithPKU
    BrettWithPKU Posts: 575 Member
    gofer20112015 wrote: »
    Anybody try this? Is it effective what is downsides of it?

    I do 16:8 IF, every day, so I eat between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.

    Shortening the eating window helps because I'm weakest against the temptations that come in the middle of the day. I eat at least half my calories between 10 and 12:30 so I'm satiated until dinner (the other half of my calories) in the 5:00 hour.
  • Redordeadhead
    Redordeadhead Posts: 1,188 Member
    SVZee wrote: »
    You might want to use the search feature, there's lots of posts about IF on here, and lots of members who do it in one form or another :)

    This
  • bukwyld24
    bukwyld24 Posts: 2 Member
    I've combined Intermittent Fasting with a controlled calorie intake program and I've noticed a positive results reaching my weight loss goals. I've been on it for about 6 weeks and so far have nothing negative to report...other the closer lunch gets, the hungrier I get. Any thought on which routine you intend to follow?
  • Panini911
    Panini911 Posts: 2,325 Member
    pros: it helps SOME people maintain their calorie deficit. for some it was already a more natural to them way to eat.

    cons: I am the opposite, eat eat like 6x a day. i would go insane and likely go off on everyone if I tried.
  • jjpptt2
    jjpptt2 Posts: 5,650 Member
    edited December 2018
    The vast majority of the pros or cons will be personal and subjective. IF in and of itself has no significant benefits nor consequences.

    Here is a very recent post on the topic... feel free to read up.
    https://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10710594/intermittent-fasting-16-8/p1
  • kimny72
    kimny72 Posts: 16,011 Member
    IF will be effective if eating within a specific eating window makes it easier for you to stick to your calorie goal. Some people find it helps them control their appetite and if it does that for you, and it's realistic for your lifestyle, it may be a great choice.

    If while waiting for your eating window start involves getting super hungry and hyper-focused on food (which it does for some people), it is not a great idea for you.

    Some people with blood sugar issues should be very careful and talk to their doctor before even short periods of fasting.

    You might need to play with the timing of your eating window and exercise to make sure you are properly fueled. Some people have no problem working out on an empty or full stomach, others can be really sensitive to that.

    A couple of years ago I realized I was only eating breakfast out of habit, not hunger, and I was running out of calories earlier than I'd like. So I started skipping breakfast, essentially 16:8. I enjoyed having more calories to play with around dinner time and a quick little after dinner snack. Then a few months ago, I started waking up super hungry, and when it kept happening, I started eating in the AM again. Luckily I'm in maintenance now so I have more calories to play with! I didn't notice any other changes with and w/o IF except for appetite.

    You'll find lots of veterans here use some form of IF, at least periodically. You don't say what your goals are, but if it's weight loss/gain/maintenance, that comes down to calories, regardless of eating schedule. IF could be a great tool to control calories, and there's certainly no harm in trying it for a few weeks and seeing how it goes!
  • foxtrot1965
    foxtrot1965 Posts: 133 Member
    mph323 wrote: »
    foxtrot1965 wrote: »
    I only come here to see the hate for IF. I love it, I've also noticed that it's helped with digestive issues that I have. Genoa me stay in my cals, I feel like I have more energy. I'm happy on it!

    Really? Could you point out those posts? I feel like I must be missing something.

    The comment literally above mine.
  • kds10
    kds10 Posts: 452 Member
    Love IF myself, even if I am eating not great for whatever reason, as long as I stick to my 6 or 8 hour eating window I feel in control of my eating. I have had too many days prior to starting IF where my eating was out of control basically eating from sun-up to sundown.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,887 Member
    I think if you call people haters, the evidence ought to be pretty clear cut. In that tone is hard to convey, the reader has a responsibility to recall that. People cannot know how a comment will be interpreted.

    But that's just me.

    Back to the topic, saying you think the IF name is overly grand and kind of silly for something pretty commonplace (which is what I thought Novus was doing) does not seem at all to be "hating on" the practice of doing IF. I think the vast majority of posters here think IF is great for those for whom it works, and only object if people assert that it is better than other ways to eat for ALL or claim benefits exist beyond the personal ones that are not proven (which is a legitimate topic of discussion).

    Very often the statement "this way of eating is not the absolute best one" is taken to be "hating on" that way of eating, and that is not a tone issue, it's a demand that everyone agree with your personal choice about the best way of eating, which I don't think is reasonable.

    So to the questions:

    Is it effective? For some people, those who find it makes things easier for them.

    What are the downsides? For the people who like it, only perhaps matching meal times with family. For those who do not find it works for them, that they find it makes things harder
  • mph323
    mph323 Posts: 3,563 Member
    foxtrot1965 wrote: »
    mph323 wrote: »
    foxtrot1965 wrote: »
    I only come here to see the hate for IF. I love it, I've also noticed that it's helped with digestive issues that I have. Genoa me stay in my cals, I feel like I have more energy. I'm happy on it!

    Really? Could you point out those posts? I feel like I must be missing something.

    The comment literally above mine.

    I think our definitions of "hate" are really different then. I interpret "hate" as something like "IF is a terrible idea, it's starving yourself and it's not healthy!" - which I've seen in other threads. Not seeing that here.
  • swatson99
    swatson99 Posts: 53 Member
    I do the 10-6 most days. Some days it just doesn't fit into my scheme of things like when I have to eat something early in the a.m. before I go somewhere. Anyhow my experience is that it's not a magic pill but it does seem to make your body, including your metabolism, work more efficiently. I seem to drop larger chunks of weight at a time when I do it but that's just my experience. It may not work for everyone.
  • pierinifitness
    pierinifitness Posts: 2,226 Member
    I’m an IF practitioner and like it’s effectiveness. For some strange reason at this forum, there are naysayers who look for every opportunity to dismiss it.

    The natural part of me wants to debate but the wise part of me tells me to ignore them.

    I prefer a five hour or less eating window.

    Good luck in your pursuits. For best results, keep your cards close to your chest. Think poker.
  • rikkejohnsenrij
    rikkejohnsenrij Posts: 510 Member
    I've done IF for a year (the 5:2 version). It helps me stick to my calorie goal (as it balances out the weekend nicely), and I personally believes it has helped me get full on smaller portions. But I also know some people who get quite unwell after a few hours without food, so for them IF is a terrible idea.

    Imo you should find your own way that works for YOU and stick to that
  • angelarene626
    angelarene626 Posts: 32 Member
    I found out this year I was doing IF just naturally and didn’t even realize it had a name...it’s just the way I like to eat lol. I find I am able to keep a calorie deficit easier if I stop eating around 6pm. And I usually have breakfast around 10am. Making my eating window 8hrs. It just feels better to get the majority of my calories in at breakfast and then late lunch. Then I eat something light around 6/6:30p to fuel my workout at 7pm. I will say if I did an intense workout and was starving afterwards I would have like an apple or protein bar to keep the hunger pains away especially when I first started actively doing this during the week days.
  • NovusDies
    NovusDies Posts: 8,940 Member
    foxtrot1965 wrote: »
    mph323 wrote: »
    foxtrot1965 wrote: »
    I only come here to see the hate for IF. I love it, I've also noticed that it's helped with digestive issues that I have. Genoa me stay in my cals, I feel like I have more energy. I'm happy on it!

    Really? Could you point out those posts? I feel like I must be missing something.

    The comment literally above mine.

    My point was that I am not sure telling your boss that you "do" IF is a great idea if they can see right through it. I have skipped breakfast for more than 2 decades but I would not call it IF because I don't want to sound absurd. It is no different than saying that I intermittently sleep.

    The OP asked for a downside. I am supplying one.

This discussion has been closed.

Categories