Intermittent Fasting?

Alia_R
Alia_R Posts: 410 Member
in Motivation and Support
I recently stumbled upon this idea. Does anyone here do this or planning to? I'm a little skeptical about this, but I would like to hear your thoughts on this. :)

Replies

  • concordancia
    concordancia Posts: 5,320 Member
    It helps some people control their calorie intake and food choices because they are restricting how often they make those choices.

    Other folks binge with those time restrictions.
  • ccrdragon
    ccrdragon Posts: 3,374 Member
    I have done IF most of my adult life (only we just called it skipping breakfast)... I got fat doing IF, I have lost weight doing IF and I have maintained weight doing IF. Nothing magical about it... just an eating window that helps some people control their calories.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,415 Member
    There are many forms of IF.

    I tend to do 16:8 sort of naturally.

    It doesn't stop me from over-eating and it doesn't cause magical weight loss.

    What particular type of IF are you thinking of doing? There are many different ways, 16:8, 20:4, 10:14, 5:2, OMAD...
  • Alia_R
    Alia_R Posts: 410 Member
    I'm not too sure which one yet. :smile:
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,415 Member
    edited January 2019
    Alia_R wrote: »
    I'm not too sure which one yet. :smile:

    Okay. :)

    So, weight loss is about calories. Full Stop.

    Set your goals here on the site, log your food, stay within your calories. That's it. Doesn't matter when you eat or really what you eat. Once your basic nutrition is met, you don't get extra credit for staying on schedule or avoiding ice cream. The trick is adherence and consistency over long periods of time, so the smart money is on finding a plan that works for you. If you tend to not care about breakfast too much, it may be that 16:8 would be a good place to start. You still need to stay in calories and have some way of doing that.
  • RunBakeLove
    RunBakeLove Posts: 101 Member
    concordancia wrote: »
    It helps some people control their calorie intake and food choices because they are restricting how often they make those choices.

    Other folks binge with those time restrictions.

    This is very true! It may not work for you but it does help me. I naturally eat on a 10:14 schedule so I gradually moved to a 16:8 eating only between 12pm and 8 pm. There are days (parties, etc) where I don't but for the most part I stick to it. I'm not sure if it's the fasting that works or if it's just the time control that helps with how much I eat but either way, I see slightly better results just by sticking to this than when I don't.

    I'm not sure if these forums support links but if you google "lauren gleisberg intermittent fasting mini guide" you'll get a link to a very helpful explanation of IF, how to do it, and the science behind it. It was the easiest one to understand that I read but everyone is different.

    Good luck with whatever you choose!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I did 5:2 (five days at maintenance calories, two days with a massive deficit) to lose weight and liked it. Or perhaps more accurately disliked it less than an everyday calorie restriction. But many hate it.

    Also tried the 16:8 daily fasting window at maintenance and disliked it although I'm ambivalent about eating breakfast or not. Some people like the discipline/structure and fewer but bigger meals, some like me find it restrictive for no good reason.

    It's very personal whether any particular eating pattern helps or hinders a person's long term adherence to their calorie and nutrition goals.

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