FASTING, love it or hate it?

ArtsieSarah

What is everyone's opinion on fasting? It's something I've never tried before, do y'all love it or hate it? Why or why not??

WholeFoods4Lyfe

I love it. I'm not hungry in the mornings anyway. My whole life I maintained my weight and never ate breakfast. It wasn't until my late 20's when I got my first full time office job and started eating breakfast because "it's the most important meal of the day" that I actually started struggling with my weight. n=1 and all that, but I find it much easier to stay within my calorie goal when I skip breakfast, and sometimes even lunch too.

NovusDies

There is no reason to do it if you hate it unless it is medically/religiously necessary. Loving it is not necessary either though. I like having a really large meal so it is nice for that.

grimendale

I tend to follow an accidental fasting schedule based mostly around skipping breakfast and eating lunch late. I tend to get snacky at night but I'm usually not that hungry until well after noon, so it lets me eat when more when I might otherwise be tempted to blow my goals. It's purely a convenience thing for me, and definitely not the right idea for everyone.

etherealanwar

Sometimes I accidentally end up intermittent fasting when I decide to eat a huge lunch at work and have no more calories left for the day

MikePTY

There are two very different things that "fasting" could mean, and it's important to clarify which one you are talking about.

There is "intermittent fasting", which is eating during a time restricted period during the day. So only eating from 11am to 7pm or 6om to 8pm or whenever you set your window. But you eat a normal amount of calories during that shortened time.

Then there is traditional fasting, in which a person abstains from food (wet fasting) or food and water (dry fasting) for at least 24 hours.

Intermittent fasting is a perfectly acceptable appetite control strategy that one can engage in if they find it beneficial. Some people find it helps them control hunger, others do not. So if you try it and it works for you, that's great.

Traditional fasting, except for religious reasons, is generally not recommended. Prolong fasting can be dangerous

FinelyFermented

Depends on how hungry I get. I skip breakfast and usually don't eat until after noon most days due to my schedule

Muscleflex79

Love it - love having large meals and being full instead of little amounts throughout the day.

apullum

Fasting is a matter of personal preference and does not do anything special for weight management. It therefore doesn’t matter whether other people like it or not; it matters whether it fits the way *you* prefer to eat. If you like eating all your daily calories in a short time, then do that. If you don’t, then there’s no reason to do it.

MikePTY

We still don't know if she is talking about intermittent fasting or full fasting. Everyone saying about how much they like intermittent fasting may confuse the issue and make it seem like you are talking about full fasting.

Rayvis1014

MikePTY wrote: »

We still don't know if she is talking about intermittent fasting or full fasting. Everyone saying about how much they like intermittent fasting may confuse the issue and make it seem like you are talking about full fasting.

I think it's because going any length of time without eating is considered "fasting." For example, taking a fasting blood sugar means no food for 8-12 hours. On the fasting forum I've lurked on they distinguish these by calling them shorter fasts and "long-term" fasts. For example, people on OMAD might say they fast for 23 hours a day. Others might fast for 24-48 hours, or for 21 days. But it's all fasting.

kimny72

Rayvis1014 wrote: »

MikePTY wrote: »

We still don't know if she is talking about intermittent fasting or full fasting. Everyone saying about how much they like intermittent fasting may confuse the issue and make it seem like you are talking about full fasting.

I think it's because going any length of time without eating is considered "fasting." For example, taking a fasting blood sugar means no food for 8-12 hours. On the fasting forum I've lurked on they distinguish these by calling them shorter fasts and "long-term" fasts. For example, people on OMAD might say they fast for 23 hours a day. Others might fast for 24-48 hours, or for 21 days. But it's all fasting.

That's the point though, then OP needs to be more specific. Because I'd bet the average person's "love/hate" meter could feel very differently about an 8 hour fast than a 21 day fast! And there comes a point where the length of the fast can make it an off-limits topic on this forum.



OP, I used to do 16:8 IF for a couple of years, and it really helped my appetite. But when my work schedule changed, my appetite changed and it was no longer practical. I've never went without food for more than probably 18 hours or so - I'm not convinced of any purported health benefits and I've honestly never been tempted to try it. If you could be more specific about what you're asking about, you'll probably get more useful answers. There's also a wealth of previous threads about different types of fasts if you feel like searching for them as well.

COGypsy

Hate it. I wake up hungry and breakfast is far and away my biggest meal of the day. It's not at all unusual for me to eat 800 - 1000 calories before 10 am or so. I also do dinner with friends most nights and have no interest in giving that up. I just don't have 16+ hours in a row to spend not eating.

endermako

my body naturally does IF on the weekend. So i won't feel hungry till about 1-2pm so I'll probably only eat 1-2 larger meals that day to equal my daily goal. I wouldn't be able to do this on a weekday but it's too structured and I get up way to early to make it til 1-2 pm before eating. It's really a preference for you.

pierinifitness

While I don't advocate his extreme practice of IF, the testimony of Penn Jillette is an interesting read giving perspective of how one person went about it using IF as a tool. Such as extreme approach isn't necessary but I'm not going to criticize him at all but instead wish him the best in his continuing fitness, health and wellness journey.

https://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-penn-jillette-weight-loss-20190615-story.html

lemurcat2

I neither love nor hate it, and would also echo that people's personal views about it as a tool for them might very well depend on the type of fasting referred to. I also think types of fasting that wouldn't work for me (like I think I'd hate 5:2) work well for others (a friend of mine loves it).

I have changed my mind over time about fasting for religious reasons, as back in my 20s I thought it was totally pointless and now I see some value in it for me, but that's a different topic.

neversaynever_43

pierinifitness wrote: »

While I don't advocate his extreme practice of IF, the testimony of Penn Jillette is an interesting read giving perspective of how one person went about it using IF as a tool. Such as extreme approach isn't necessary but I'm not going to criticize him at all but instead wish him the best in his continuing fitness, health and wellness journey.

https://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-penn-jillette-weight-loss-20190615-story.html

That is an interesting perspective. He wanted it to be hard and challenging. I've legit never thought of dieting that way. Just the exercise side. Not my thing (although I am doing IF, CICO and exercise) but it's so funny how people approach a situation. When I quit smoking 10 years ago I just told myself - this is it - never again - not one time. Now I took Chantix too but once that mindset was there I never smoked or cared to smoke ever again. And I tried to quit for decades. I would like to think my head is right this time to lose the 30 lbs but you don't really know until the journey is mostly behind you.

aokoye

pierinifitness wrote: »

While I don't advocate his extreme practice of IF, the testimony of Penn Jillette is an interesting read giving perspective of how one person went about it using IF as a tool. Such as extreme approach isn't necessary but I'm not going to criticize him at all but instead wish him the best in his continuing fitness, health and wellness journey.

https://www.latimes.com/health/la-he-penn-jillette-weight-loss-20190615-story.html

My favorite part of this, “If you take health advice from a Las Vegas magician, you are an idiot.” Which is even more prescient when followed up by, "I wanted to lose a pound a day."

SillyGirl_6

A co-worker of mine has been doing IF for about a year. She was obese and lost a substantial amount of weight. Her method is very strict because of health issues she has. It has worked very well for her.

I recently started IF and I'm doing 16/8. I fast from 8 pm to 12 noon. I stalled in my weight loss doing CICO and working out. Dropping breakfast has helped me stay within my calorie count. I still have my coffee in the morning. I drink flavored water and green tea while I fast. Then I eat lunch and dinner with a snack somewhere in there. I'm staying around 1420- 1450 calories per day. I also run and do light weightlifting. I like to workout in the late afternoon and evening so I usually have food in me. I can't workout while I fast. Blood sugar is too low. It looks like I will be on target to lose a pound this week. I will see come Sunday for sure.

Good luck to you!!

sardelsa

It's definitely not for me (at least not the traditional version of it) since I love eating right before bed and first thing in the morning, but it can work really well for other people. Try it out and see how it goes.

jenigennrich

I do intermittent fasting. The 16/8 schedule didn't work for me, so I do a 13/11 schedule. It has helped my stomach and I sleep much better.

LivingtheLeanDream

I would hate it - I can only eat small amounts at a time because I fill up easily.

L1zardQueen

Penn seriously under ate, which is sad. He learned nothing on how to eat like regular people for the rest of his life. He must be fun to hang out with now.

Kevin_Hassenpflug

Nutrionalists freak if you dont break-the-fast and eat with 30 seconds of waking up (6am).....but they cant seem to answer if it is ok to then not eat again until 6pm at night.

Gisel2015

I only fast overnight (around 12 hrs. between dinner and next day breakfast), or if I have a medical procedure or a test the next day. Personal preference in my opinion.

DevilsFan1

It's a gimmick some people use to eat in a deficit. It's not necessary, nor is there anything magic about it, but it may work for you. I see no need for it.

sgt1372

I don't love it or hate it.

I started 16:8 IF because my wt spiked 10#; 5# over by maintenance level. Lost 5# gross wt back to my maintenance level in 2wks after starting IF. Will stop IF l when my trend weight catches up to my gross wt which should be w/in another couple of wks.

IF is not a gimmick or a panacea but simply a method to control your food intake by restricting when you eat to a limited period of time.

It's working for me and may or may not work for others depending upon their particular needs and ability/willingness to restrict their food intake in this manner.

MikePTY

Kevin_Hassenpflug wrote: »

Nutrionalists freak if you dont break-the-fast and eat with 30 seconds of waking up (6am).....but they cant seem to answer if it is ok to then not eat again until 6pm at night.

You made a weird attack on nutritionists in another thread as well. What gives?

k8eekins

ArtsieSarah wrote: »

What is everyone's opinion on fasting? It's something I've never tried before, do y'all love it or hate it? Why or why not??

Depending on the type of fasting you're considering, how you'll fare will be affected by the low-energy intervals within your active hours.

I'm used to fasting (Church calendar & Judaica) and I have circumstantially fasted at times over the years for convenience, however personally, I'd really rather not.

youngmomtaz

Love it! It is teaching me that my “need” for fuel every few hours is all in my head, it is helping me learn not to grab things mindlessly, it is satisfying for me to eat a larger amount of calories in a 2-4hoir window instead of spreading it out through the day. I find sometimes I eat in a larger window as occasionally I am genuinely hungry and need food earlier in the day, but for the most part it is easy for me to stick to and simplifies my day.

ETA: I never really notice the dreaded “energy lag” that other people use for an argument against. If anything I am more energetic as my digestion sucks and if I eat earlier in the day I end up in pain.

NovusDies

L1zardQueen wrote: »

Penn seriously under ate, which is sad. He learned nothing on how to eat like regular people for the rest of his life. He must be fun to hang out with now.

What he calls "easy" would be very insulting if I cared what he thought.