Intermittent fasting.
Replies
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I think that some of you are not realizing that many people do better using rules and/or guidelines. It takes the decision making out of their hands. When it comes to food most of us have proven that we don't make very good decisions when it comes to food.
Some of you do and I can appreciate that but I haven't. The decisions I have made in the past is what has caused me to gain and regain weight. Eating snacks(not my regular meals) has always been my downfall. Having a window has made that decision for me on whether I have an after dinner snack or not.
Since the way that I eat only affects me I have the choice to change my WOE if I choose. Also some of you seem to think that all of us just jumped in to this way of eating because of the "internet". I assure you that I did my homework and compare all of it with my lifestyle and needs. It fits and has been working so far. I also know that there is no mystical powers that comes along with this WOE. The only problem that I have had so far is making sure that I have eaten enough during my window. That is not the problem of the method but my execution of those methods. I am working on that this week.5 -
I think that some of you are not realizing that many people do better using rules and/or guidelines. It takes the decision making out of their hands. When it comes to food most of us have proven that we don't make very good decisions when it comes to food.
Some of you do and I can appreciate that but I haven't. The decisions I have made in the past is what has caused me to gain and regain weight. Eating snacks(not my regular meals) has always been my downfall. Having a window has made that decision for me on whether I have an after dinner snack or not.
Since the way that I eat only affects me I have the choice to change my WOE if I choose. Also some of you seem to think that all of us just jumped in to this way of eating because of the "internet". I assure you that I did my homework and compare all of it with my lifestyle and needs. It fits and has been working so far. I also know that there is no mystical powers that comes along with this WOE. The only problem that I have had so far is making sure that I have eaten enough during my window. That is not the problem of the method but my execution of those methods. I am working on that this week.
Not me. I know some people are very methodical in what they choose to do and pick it for very good reasons. I know others (from reading here at MFP) jump on anything that is internet shiny at the moment. I can't tell you how many people have not had an answer for the simple question "What is it you hope to accomplish trying this method?"
I would argue though that you do make good decisions because you chose to implement a plan to help offset weak points in your day. You decide to follow it when you could simply ignore it when it is standing in the way of eating a snack or whatever. The rules are meaningless if you do not choose to follow them.7 -
Conversely, people start IF and start off super motivated and into it, but then get hungry or even ravenous at night the first few weeks. Some tough it out, and some don't. Thing is, if you grab a handful of almonds because you're starving at 11 pm, that's fine, but you're no longer doing TRE. You're doing something else -- maybe staying within your calories, maybe not, but you have given up the biggest contribution of a TRE structure: the acquired self-control in the face of hunger that a TRE diet imposes and teaches (and, specifically, teaches to people many of whom have had self-control issues with food their entire lives).
I'm not sure why this is unique to TRE.
For example, when I first started logging, I had two major rules for myself -- (1) no eating other than at meals (so a snack at 11 pm wouldn't have been possible, although I was never hungry at 11 anyway); and (2) no eating in excess of my cals. So again I wouldn't have been able to grab a snack at 11 (even if I thought I was hungry and even without the no snacking rule), if I was already at my calorie goal.
Point is that if the perceived difficulty is self-control in face of hunger, there are many approaches. My personal favorite approach is to eat foods that tend to be satiating so that one is not having to struggle with hunger, but I do agree that wanting to eat when you are used to eating due to habit can kick in even if there's no good reason you should be hungry. My biggest struggle there has always been between lunch and dinner, so a window would not have helped me vs. the rules I used.5 -
Conversely, people start IF and start off super motivated and into it, but then get hungry or even ravenous at night the first few weeks. Some tough it out, and some don't. Thing is, if you grab a handful of almonds because you're starving at 11 pm, that's fine, but you're no longer doing TRE. You're doing something else -- maybe staying within your calories, maybe not, but you have given up the biggest contribution of a TRE structure: the acquired self-control in the face of hunger that a TRE diet imposes and teaches (and, specifically, teaches to people many of whom have had self-control issues with food their entire lives).
I'm not sure why this is unique to TRE.
For example, when I first started logging, I had two major rules for myself -- (1) no eating other than at meals (so a snack at 11 pm wouldn't have been possible, although I was never hungry at 11 anyway); and (2) no eating in excess of my cals. So again I wouldn't have been able to grab a snack at 11 (even if I thought I was hungry and even without the no snacking rule), if I was already at my calorie goal.
Point is that if the perceived difficulty is self-control in face of hunger, there are many approaches. My personal favorite approach is to eat foods that tend to be satiating so that one is not having to struggle with hunger, but I do agree that wanting to eat when you are used to eating due to habit can kick in even if there's no good reason you should be hungry. My biggest struggle there has always been between lunch and dinner, so a window would not have helped me vs. the rules I used.
I generally agree with all of the above. The bottom line is, I'm looking to control my calories and intake in a healthy way. I mostly skip breakfast. But If I'm hungry on a given day, I eat. I don't care if is outside my "feeding window" or that I'm not doing TRE. Honestly, I think all those acronyms are a little silly but if they help some people to grasp the concept, no harm done.
The harm can be in the mentality that someone has failed or done it wrong. For goodness sakes, it's just an eating schedule that is meant to be used as a tool!! (as many others have already said) If it helps some to have boundaries and limits and that keeps them complying, ok I guess. But no one day where someone might eat outside of their planned schedule is really going to amount to anything in the big picture.
And while I get the "give it time to adjust thing" I don't get the "tough it out" thing. My goal has always been to make it as effortless and sustainable as possible. I do just fine with a couple of cups of coffee in the morning most days. On the occasional day I don't I have something to eat.10 -
Conversely, people start IF and start off super motivated and into it, but then get hungry or even ravenous at night the first few weeks. Some tough it out, and some don't. Thing is, if you grab a handful of almonds because you're starving at 11 pm, that's fine, but you're no longer doing TRE. You're doing something else -- maybe staying within your calories, maybe not, but you have given up the biggest contribution of a TRE structure: the acquired self-control in the face of hunger that a TRE diet imposes and teaches (and, specifically, teaches to people many of whom have had self-control issues with food their entire lives).
I'm not sure why this is unique to TRE.
For example, when I first started logging, I had two major rules for myself -- (1) no eating other than at meals (so a snack at 11 pm wouldn't have been possible, although I was never hungry at 11 anyway); and (2) no eating in excess of my cals. So again I wouldn't have been able to grab a snack at 11 (even if I thought I was hungry and even without the no snacking rule), if I was already at my calorie goal.
Point is that if the perceived difficulty is self-control in face of hunger, there are many approaches. My personal favorite approach is to eat foods that tend to be satiating so that one is not having to struggle with hunger, but I do agree that wanting to eat when you are used to eating due to habit can kick in even if there's no good reason you should be hungry. My biggest struggle there has always been between lunch and dinner, so a window would not have helped me vs. the rules I used.
I generally agree with all of the above. The bottom line is, I'm looking to control my calories and intake in a healthy way. I mostly skip breakfast. But If I'm hungry on a given day, I eat. I don't care if is outside my "feeding window" or that I'm not doing TRE. Honestly, I think all those acronyms are a little silly but if they help some people to grasp the concept, no harm done.
The harm can be in the mentality that someone has failed or done it wrong. For goodness sakes, it's just an eating schedule that is meant to be used as a tool!! (as many others have already said) If it helps some to have boundaries and limits and that keeps them complying, ok I guess. But no one day where someone might eat outside of their planned schedule is really going to amount to anything in the big picture.
And while I get the "give it time to adjust thing" I don't get the "tough it out" thing. My goal has always been to make it as effortless and sustainable as possible. I do just fine with a couple of cups of coffee in the morning most days. On the occasional day I don't I have something to eat.
Right. It is an eating schedule. It is not an accomplishment by itself... or at least it should not be. I think it is silly to brag about it and no one should feel like a failure for deciding it is not for them. If it helps a person get from point A to point B easier or more effectively then being at B is the accomplishment.
The way I have eaten for a year and a half has resulted in over 200 pounds of lost weight. My accidentally trendy eating schedule is, imo, one of the most boring aspects of the whole deal.
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I have been doing it for awhile now so if you want someone to talk to, let me know. It isn’t awful or hard to follow, just make sure you stick within your calories and you will lose the weight. You’ve got this!1
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Thank you all for your inputs!!!1
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Taytaylynn92 wrote: »I’m going to begin intermittent fasting tomorrow. What are the best and worst parts about it. My eating period is probably going to be between 12-8. Any tips on this?
I workout in the mornings before work and am hoping I’m not too hungry and fail at this!
There is no harm in trying. If it works...then great. If it doesn't then you haven't failed...it just didn't work so try something else. It is about you and not anyone else. Don't feel as if you can't adjust some of those rules that some unknown person says that you have to follow. Our WOE including the scheduling of when we eat should fit our lives and we should receive some benefits from those rules that we have set for ourselves.
At the end of the day however you choose to eat should move you toward those goals that you have set for yourself.
Hi Annie, thats some great advice. thanks for taking the time to reply2 -
CardinalComb wrote: »Just go all out and do 1 meal a day. Eat all your food in a 2 hour window.
Why does it have to be all or nothing to work?4 -
Just popping in (after doing a search on IF) to say that today was my first day fasting. I made it 21 hours. For the first time of trying it, I’m going to call that a success. (And I broke the fast with a handful of almonds and an apple. So not, like, Doritos.)4
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KatsMeow12 wrote: »Just popping in (after doing a search on IF) to say that today was my first day fasting. I made it 21 hours. For the first time of trying it, I’m going to call that a success. (And I broke the fast with a handful of almonds and an apple. So not, like, Doritos.)
Congratulations on your day one success. Moderate your zeal for best results and adopt a mindset of 100 percent compliance. By that I mean, pick a fasting time period and number of days a week that you can likely achieve 100 percent for your initial period. That may not be 21 hours a day 7 days a week. Maybe it is but maybe it's not. So, you might be able to achieve 100 percent compliance with a 16 hour fasting period 5 days a week.
Make sure you don't have the tail wagging the dog in your IF journey. Wishing you the best.
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Hell, I was happy to just make it 18 hours!1
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KatsMeow12 wrote: »Just popping in (after doing a search on IF) to say that today was my first day fasting. I made it 21 hours. For the first time of trying it, I’m going to call that a success. (And I broke the fast with a handful of almonds and an apple. So not, like, Doritos.)
Keep in mind that your body does not have a 24 hour energy clock. You don't start over fresh you start from where you were. What that may mean is that after the second or third day you might find it difficult suddenly jumping to a 21 hour schedule. You might be fine but there is also the chance you blink and when you open your eyes again you are sitting in a puddle of ice cream with Dorito boats floating in it.
You will probably want to make sure you eat enough calories today if you plan to do this again right away. Pairing an aggressive food energy deficit with an aggressive non-eating schedule is a good recipe for the previously mentioned ice cream scenario.
If 100 percent compliance to some sort of eating schedule helps keep you from unwanted eating that may be a good idea. If you are not struggling on that front feel free to make up your own rules once you are sure you have a good handle on your energy management.
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I did one day of time based IF (so did not change calorie goals but stopped eating from 3 pm to 7 am).
Probably coincidence but busted through weigh in plateau for first time in two weeks this week????
Also feel like it's helping me with subsequent dinner portion control. ("If I can fast at night, I can get by not over eating at dinner.")
Think I'm going to do this once/week/month but just depending on schedule as we Ike to have family dinners.
But I'm convinced there is something to this beyond calorie counting.5 -
@jhanleybrown, thanks for sharing your introductory experience which mirrors what those of us who practice IF know convincingly. Wishing you the best in your fitness, health and wellness journey. Keep marching forward!
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jhanleybrown wrote: »I did one day of time based IF (so did not change calorie goals but stopped eating from 3 pm to 7 am).
Probably coincidence but busted through weigh in plateau for first time in two weeks this week????
Also feel like it's helping me with subsequent dinner portion control. ("If I can fast at night, I can get by not over eating at dinner.")
Think I'm going to do this once/week/month but just depending on schedule as we Ike to have family dinners.
But I'm convinced there is something to this beyond calorie counting.
I go through 2 weeks of "plateaus" all the time skipping breakfast and lately skipping dinner. When you change your eating schedule you can change your bathroom schedule which is the real cause of sluggish scale results. So not coincidence but not a fat burning secret.
If you are in a calorie deficit this is the real cause of a "plateau":
http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/
I never actually plateau. My weight loss is just masked for short periods of time on the bathroom scale. Eventually (often after 3 weeks) I visit the restroom more often for 3 or so days and I have a big drop in weight that represents all that I should have lost but did not see on the scale.
If there is more to it they can't find it in humans other than the benefit for people with insulin resistance.
Keep in mind that a few years ago there was supposedly a huge benefit in eating more often not less often.5 -
jhanleybrown wrote: »I did one day of time based IF (so did not change calorie goals but stopped eating from 3 pm to 7 am).
Probably coincidence but busted through weigh in plateau for first time in two weeks this week????
Also feel like it's helping me with subsequent dinner portion control. ("If I can fast at night, I can get by not over eating at dinner.")
Think I'm going to do this once/week/month but just depending on schedule as we Ike to have family dinners.
But I'm convinced there is something to this beyond calorie counting.
I go through 2 weeks of "plateaus" all the time skipping breakfast and lately skipping dinner. When you change your eating schedule you can change your bathroom schedule which is the real cause of sluggish scale results. So not coincidence but not a fat burning secret.
If you are in a calorie deficit this is the real cause of a "plateau":
http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/
I never actually plateau. My weight loss is just masked for short periods of time on the bathroom scale. Eventually (often after 3 weeks) I visit the restroom more often for 3 or so days and I have a big drop in weight that represents all that I should have lost but did not see on the scale.
If there is more to it they can't find it in humans other than the benefit for people with insulin resistance.
Keep in mind that a few years ago there was supposedly a huge benefit in eating more often not less often.
For some people this still works. I never did for me. I spent too much time thinking about the next little meal that I would get to eat. I just needed more food than that at one time to satisfy my hunger.
I think it is very interesting that what works well for one is a disaster for another.0 -
jhanleybrown wrote: »I did one day of time based IF (so did not change calorie goals but stopped eating from 3 pm to 7 am).
Probably coincidence but busted through weigh in plateau for first time in two weeks this week????
Also feel like it's helping me with subsequent dinner portion control. ("If I can fast at night, I can get by not over eating at dinner.")
Think I'm going to do this once/week/month but just depending on schedule as we Ike to have family dinners.
But I'm convinced there is something to this beyond calorie counting.
I go through 2 weeks of "plateaus" all the time skipping breakfast and lately skipping dinner. When you change your eating schedule you can change your bathroom schedule which is the real cause of sluggish scale results. So not coincidence but not a fat burning secret.
If you are in a calorie deficit this is the real cause of a "plateau":
http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/
I never actually plateau. My weight loss is just masked for short periods of time on the bathroom scale. Eventually (often after 3 weeks) I visit the restroom more often for 3 or so days and I have a big drop in weight that represents all that I should have lost but did not see on the scale.
If there is more to it they can't find it in humans other than the benefit for people with insulin resistance.
Keep in mind that a few years ago there was supposedly a huge benefit in eating more often not less often.
For some people this still works. I never did for me. I spent too much time thinking about the next little meal that I would get to eat. I just needed more food than that at one time to satisfy my hunger.
I think it is very interesting that what works well for one is a disaster for another.
Works for calorie management but not for supposedly boosting metabolism.
It is very interesting though. My wife can eat very little breakfast but she cannot skip it at all. If I eat it I am hungrier the rest of the day and if I don't eat the right protein to carb ratio my BS will bottom out. It is easier and safer for me to skip it.
I don't think many people would be happy on my actual overall plan. It has worked for me for 18 months now. Of course "worked for me" has included a few rough spots and bad days but that is life.5 -
jhanleybrown wrote: »I did one day of time based IF (so did not change calorie goals but stopped eating from 3 pm to 7 am).
Probably coincidence but busted through weigh in plateau for first time in two weeks this week????
Also feel like it's helping me with subsequent dinner portion control. ("If I can fast at night, I can get by not over eating at dinner.")
Think I'm going to do this once/week/month but just depending on schedule as we Ike to have family dinners.
But I'm convinced there is something to this beyond calorie counting.
I go through 2 weeks of "plateaus" all the time skipping breakfast and lately skipping dinner. When you change your eating schedule you can change your bathroom schedule which is the real cause of sluggish scale results. So not coincidence but not a fat burning secret.
If you are in a calorie deficit this is the real cause of a "plateau":
http://physiqonomics.com/the-weird-and-highly-annoying-world-of-scale-weight-and-fluctuations/
I never actually plateau. My weight loss is just masked for short periods of time on the bathroom scale. Eventually (often after 3 weeks) I visit the restroom more often for 3 or so days and I have a big drop in weight that represents all that I should have lost but did not see on the scale.
If there is more to it they can't find it in humans other than the benefit for people with insulin resistance.
Keep in mind that a few years ago there was supposedly a huge benefit in eating more often not less often.
For some people this still works. I never did for me. I spent too much time thinking about the next little meal that I would get to eat. I just needed more food than that at one time to satisfy my hunger.
I think it is very interesting that what works well for one is a disaster for another.
Yup. No one-size-fits-all. As you know, the only universal truth is that it takes a calorie deficit, maintained over time, to lose weight. However anyone chooses to go about doing that is just personal preference.2 -
Ok...researching this now. Apparently it can also improve cholesterol profile. At least in rats:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/324699669_Intermittent_fasting_decreases_oxidative_stress_parameters_in_Wistar_rats_Rattus_norvegicus
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