How Does Fasting Work?

Dazzlle22

Let's say you exceed your calories by 900 cals one day, and the next day you fast really hard in order to cover them and still have "spare" calories to fill (about 500). If you overeat again the next day (by 200 cals over your calories limit) will you have to fast again or by burning off that much calories the previous day cover up the new extra calories?

MikePTY

I'm not sure where you heard to do that, but what you are describing is not recommended. That is a binge/restrict cycle and its an unhealthy eating pattern. If you go over one day, just focus on trying not to go over the next day. Don't try and "make it up" buy "fasting really hard".

cmriverside

That's a really bad habit/routine to get into and often leads to disordered eating.

Intermittent Fasting has lots of different schedules and you can look online for that, so I won't go into the various schedules.

Some people "save" a set amount of calories during the week to "spend" on a treat or large meal on the weekend, but I think you want to have a plan for that and not try to do this, "Rob Peter to pay Paul," thing that I think you're implying. It's more a weekly calorie goal than a random over-eat one day, make up for it the next. That just leads to a bad cycle of trying to balance the books.

I just eat my calories on the day they are alotted and if I'm over or under for the day, I still try to get close to the goal every day. Otherwise I end up in a binge/restrict cycle and it's hard to break.

maureenkhilde

I personally do not think doing 24 hour fasts is a great way/plan on losing weight. Does not sound very healthy. You should be eating every day.

Many people instead of looking at a day by day total. Instead look more at a weekly total. So if say your daily total is 1400 that would mean you get 9,800 calories per week. Before doing any exercise, which we know we get to eat some of those calories back.

So maybe you could consider undereating a few days in a given week, so on certain days you would have more calories. I do this weekly so that on Sundays I will have an extra 375 calories. Under by 75 calories 5 days a week.

paperpudding

yes sounds like you would be better looking at weekly calories OP- you still see how many over or under you are per day, but aim to have the weekly total around the mark.

Also don't do this by extreme measure like 24 hour fasting - is that what your post is suggesting, I'm not quite sure.

corinasue1143

I agree with the others. Don’t invite trouble. Set a sustainable calorie goal. Stick to it as close as possible.
Don’t set yourself up to fail.
If you were really hungry so you overate by 900 calories because you were tired of being hungry, you definitely need to re-assess your goals and calorie deficit.
If it was Christmas or your birthday and there was cake and ice cream, just get right back to your goals and healthy way of eating. Forget it, it’s one day a year.

lgfrie

Punishing yourself for overeating by fasting the next day is probably the quickest possible way to kill a diet. Just get up the next day and eat a diet day's worth of calories and move on.

Some people do weekly balancing, in which you aim to have the whole week add up to the right caloric total, instead of limiting calories on a daily basis. I'm not a fan of that, but others are. However, even people who are into that don't do hard-core fasts to make up for binging. More like moderate adjustments between the days of a week so they can have a treat meal or something, nothing that would leave them binging and then starving themselves. That does not work. For anyone.

rileysowner

Not that way. It may help you, as others said, to have a weekly calorie goal.

MikePTY

rileysowner wrote: »

Not that way. It may help you, as others said, to have a weekly calorie goal.

I think until a person can learn to control food intake, a weekly goal is not necessarily the best option, particularly for someone who is drawn to a binge restrict cycle. Weekly goals can be beneficial to help you spread your calories around in a week with a bit more freedom, but I still don't think within a weekly goal its a good idea to overindulge and then restrict too much. That is not usually conducive to developing a health relationship with food. So I would encourage the OP to take some time to get familiar with and comfortable with eating at or close to their goal (on either side) every day, and when they have a better handle on it, perhaps then consider moving to a weekly goal with a bit more flexibility.

lorrpb

Very good responses above!!

feisty_bucket

MikePTY wrote: »

That is a binge/restrict cycle and its an unhealthy eating pattern.

It's calorie cycling and it's totally normal with weightlifters. You eat more on lifting days and less on resting days.

elfin168

if you overeat on one day start again afresh, also reconsider your deficit...is it too steep? if you are getting hungry and tired it is a recipe for failure

MikePTY

feisty_bucket wrote: »

MikePTY wrote: »

That is a binge/restrict cycle and its an unhealthy eating pattern.

It's calorie cycling and it's totally normal with weightlifters. You eat more on lifting days and less on resting days.

What the OP is describing is not calorie cycling. The normal MFP pattern is to eat more calories on days your workout (that is why it gives you exercise calories). That's not this. Going heavily over your goal and then "fasting hard" the next day to make up for it is textbook binge/restrict, and it is not a healthy relationship with food.

feisty_bucket

MikePTY wrote: »

feisty_bucket wrote: »

MikePTY wrote: »

That is a binge/restrict cycle and its an unhealthy eating pattern.

Going heavily over your goal and then "fasting hard" the next day to make up for it is textbook binge/restrict, and it is not a healthy relationship with food.

Eh, ok, sorry. I guess I didn't get what OP's point was.

sardelsa

MikePTY wrote: »

feisty_bucket wrote: »

MikePTY wrote: »

That is a binge/restrict cycle and its an unhealthy eating pattern.

It's calorie cycling and it's totally normal with weightlifters. You eat more on lifting days and less on resting days.

What the OP is describing is not calorie cycling. The normal MFP pattern is to eat more calories on days your workout (that is why it gives you exercise calories). That's not this. Going heavily over your goal and then "fasting hard" the next day to make up for it is textbook binge/restrict, and it is not a healthy relationship with food.

I calorie cycle and do a modified version of 5:2 (it's actually more like 2:3:2 with two days at surplus, three at maintenance and two at deficit). On my lowest days I also do cardio and sometimes upper body so I am burning way more calories than the lifting other days. So on my low days my net intake is fairly low (for me, under 1000 cals). Also sometimes I eat too much on the weekend and make up for it the next day by eating less or some extra cardio. Not as punishment but more balancing. I look at overall weekly calories not one day in isolation. I mean i would agree the way OP worded it, it does sound more like a guilt/punishment cycle and for many people I wouldn't recommend it especially if they are prone to binge/restrict. However this type of calorie cycling (whether planned or unplanned) works for me.