Intermittent fasting
tjsims8
Posts: 46 Member
Does IF itself help burn more fat or is it the fact that your eating is restricted to a smaller window so you eat less calories
2
Replies
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Smaller window and fewer calories.12
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There is not metabolic advantage for fat burning to IF. It's an eating schedule that helps some people stay within their calorie targets more easily. Unfortunately, there are no silver bullets or magic fixes.19
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If calories and protein are equal, than there will be zero difference in fat loss or metabolic markers.8
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For some people, it helps them eat fewer calories. Calorie deficit = fat loss.8
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You can easily gain weight eating less meals if you consume too many calories. All natural fat loss is driven by a calorie deficit.10
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Burning fat is a function of your negative calorie balance not your eating pattern.
If eating in an intermittent fasting style (of which there are many) helps you moderate your intake better then go for it.
Personally I've done two different styles and one helped and one hindered, I don't stick to any particular eating pattern now but often skip breakfast. Throughout my weight has tracked my calorie balance.9 -
I don't know why but when I eat early in the morning it seems like I am starving all day long. Putting off my first meal until noon helps me keep my calories in check and makes my day more pleasant. No magic though...I still have to watch my intake❤19
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Studies have shown that many that practice IF gain weight? Why? Because restricting calories in the morning results in binging later in the day = consuming more calories than they are burning. On the other hand many who skip breakfast find they are less likely to binge during the day = fewer calories consumed than they are burning. Which camp do you fall into? You will never know unless you give it a go.8
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There are also quite many different styles on how to practice IF. The 16/8, 5:2 and eat-stop-eat just to mention few. Try them and see what fits for you so that you don't get into eating overdrive once your fast ends. I think most, if not all IF styles suggest that you should be more or less on your maintenance level when not fasting.3
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I don't know why but when I eat early in the morning it seems like I am starving all day long. Putting off my first meal until noon helps me keep my calories in check and makes my day more pleasant. No magic though...I still have to watch my intake❤
Same for me - it turned out my brain needed to have it proved to it that I didnt need to Eat All Day. My understanding of hunger has been reset which has then supported CICO overall.3 -
IF has many health benefits, for that reason alone it's worth doing. From a fat loss point of view you can argue that it does give it a boost. Ultimately though, fat loss is down to a reduction in calories. So if you want to lose fat then you must eat in a deficit. Fasting in a calorie surplus won't do anything for fat loss.11
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lukejoycePT wrote: »IF has many health benefits, for that reason alone it's worth doing. From a fat loss point of view you can argue that it does give it a boost. Ultimately though, fat loss is down to a reduction in calories. So if you want to lose fat then you must eat in a deficit. Fasting in a calorie surplus won't do anything for fat loss.
As of yet there is no proven benefit of increased fasting in humans and no boost to fat burning. If it is to be done it should be as an aid for calorie control only.15 -
lukejoycePT wrote: »IF has many health benefits, for that reason alone it's worth doing. From a fat loss point of view you can argue that it does give it a boost. Ultimately though, fat loss is down to a reduction in calories. So if you want to lose fat then you must eat in a deficit. Fasting in a calorie surplus won't do anything for fat loss.
As of yet there is no proven benefit of increased fasting in humans and no boost to fat burning. If it is to be done it should be as an aid for calorie control only.
While a lot of these studies have been done on animals not humans there are more and more trials on humans now that have shown these benefits are applicable.
https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/fasting9 -
lukejoycePT wrote: »lukejoycePT wrote: »IF has many health benefits, for that reason alone it's worth doing. From a fat loss point of view you can argue that it does give it a boost. Ultimately though, fat loss is down to a reduction in calories. So if you want to lose fat then you must eat in a deficit. Fasting in a calorie surplus won't do anything for fat loss.
As of yet there is no proven benefit of increased fasting in humans and no boost to fat burning. If it is to be done it should be as an aid for calorie control only.
While a lot of these studies have been done on animals not humans there are more and more trials on humans now that have shown these benefits are applicable.
https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/fasting
Looks like the same stuff that has been floating around for some time now. As of right now the only reason to choose to eat less meals in a day is for calorie control. Additional benefits may be proven at some later time or they may be so small that in most humans they can't be measured.14 -
Logically, it probably helps with fluctuations. Food eaten at one time means food digested at one time, and ex-food evacuated at one time. A bit more consistency means your weight wouldn't go up and down quite as much.5
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lukejoycePT wrote: »lukejoycePT wrote: »IF has many health benefits, for that reason alone it's worth doing. From a fat loss point of view you can argue that it does give it a boost. Ultimately though, fat loss is down to a reduction in calories. So if you want to lose fat then you must eat in a deficit. Fasting in a calorie surplus won't do anything for fat loss.
As of yet there is no proven benefit of increased fasting in humans and no boost to fat burning. If it is to be done it should be as an aid for calorie control only.
While a lot of these studies have been done on animals not humans there are more and more trials on humans now that have shown these benefits are applicable.
https://www.foundmyfitness.com/topics/fasting
Looks like the same stuff that has been floating around for some time now. As of right now the only reason to choose to eat less meals in a day is for calorie control. Additional benefits may be proven at some later time or they may be so small that in most humans they can't be measured.
Did you even read the articles and watch the videos? It literally has the links to the studies with the proven data. Plus if you are not familiar with Dr Rhonda Patrick's work then i'd be apprehensive in taking your advice.11 -
Spadesheart wrote: »Logically, it probably helps with fluctuations. Food eaten at one time means food digested at one time, and ex-food evacuated at one time. A bit more consistency means your weight wouldn't go up and down quite as much.
You are onto something there. It's all about giving your body a break from digestion or more specifically your gut. Your gut biome is incredibly important when it comes to nutrient absorption and general health. Fasting allows your gut to do its job more efficiently and in this day and age with all the processed garbage we consume, our guts are way out of balance which can cause a whole heap of problems.21 -
Those of us who practice IF and don’t have eating disorders such as binging never gain weight practicing IF and know at a personal level the benefits received that others can do nothing other than scratch their head in doubt because they haven’t experienced the same.
I’ve never gained weight practicing IF (disregarding normal fluctuations day.)24 -
pierinifitness wrote: »Those of us who practice IF and don’t have eating disorders such as binging never gain weight practicing IF and know at a personal level the benefits received that others can do nothing other than scratch their head in doubt because they haven’t experienced the same.
I’ve never gained weight practicing IF (disregarding normal fluctuations day.)
You're lucky man, I fast 16 hours a day and yet i can gain 2lbs over a weekend if i allow myself to fall off the wagon. We are talking over 3000 calories here though haha.4 -
I don't understand the claim that it's impossible to gain doing IF if you don't have a bingeing disorder.
At it's simplest level, IF can be just skipping breakfast and eating in an 8 hour window. If someone waits to eat until 12 and then eats whatever they want until 8 (or even 12 to 6 or 2 to 8), it's not that hard to eat over maintenance.
Also, it doesn't change the fact that food choice matters. I can eat 3 filling meals with plenty of veg, protein, fiber, etc., and easily eat fewer cals than in 2 meals with a different food selection.
I think behind that claim is someone for whom it would also be true to say: "when I tried IF, I was focused on losing or maintaining weight, increasing exercise, having a healthy lifestyle and making better food choices than I did before, so on." If "when I do IF" is also "when I am paying attention to eating healthfully and being fit" then it's not meaningful to say "I personally have never gained doing it" and pretty rude to assert that there must be something wrong with those who have. I've personally never gained when I am making myself a homemade breakfast most days or when I am bringing leftovers or some other homemade lunch most days -- is that because the breakfast (or lunch!) has some magical effect or because I tend to do that (and be more organized in general) when I am being more mindful in general.
I think that's part of why when I decided to lose in 2014 that I found it difficult to overeat eating 3 meals a day (no snacking in-between). I wasn't JUST doing that, I also had in my mind other healthy changes I wanted to make, was exercising more and was fitness conscience, soon was training for a half marathon and tri, and was just fitness focused.
I found it extremely easy not to overeat, but I wouldn't take that to mean that anyone who can overeat under any circumstances eating 3 meals a day must have a bingeing problem or be intentionally gorging themselves. Instead, I think tools that help individuals be more mindful about their eating habits tend to make it less likely that one will overeat regularly. (But maintaining that over time, regardless of the tool, takes effort.)
Worth noting: you can gain weight without overeating much daily or by overeating only a couple of times per week, obviously, and it does not require bingeing at all.
But heck, I'd love to see the studies to show that IF guarantees no regain for those without bingeing disorders.15
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