Are There Benefits to Intermittent Fasting? (NY Times article)

Jthanmyfitnesspal

I thought some people might find this interesting:

Are There Benefits to Intermittent Fasting? (NY Times)

"The best diet is the one where you are healthy, hydrated and living your best life. If you want to fast, it offers similar weight-loss benefits to just cutting calories."

https://nyti.ms/2KNpYVM

NovusDies

It started strong but then it went downhill culminating in the statement that it can take several days or longer for your body to start burning fat. The moment you are in an energy deficit is the moment you begin burning fat.

freda666

"The most effective diet is the one you can stick to while still living your best life."

The article gives good advice, and how IF works is of less interest than whether or not it works for you.

I am doing 5:2 and am having the most success I have ever had, sticking with it since July and losing in excess of 15kg so far (I did not start weighing until September). It works for me, as the article says, because I only have to really restrict what I eat every 3rd day (I in fact have settled into a 2:1 regime) and for me that has meant no binging, which is where having to restrict every day ALWAYS takes me in the end.

I am happy I am losing weight and I am happy I can still eat decent sized meals more days than not.

And finally it also means I am not frightened that Christmas dinner will knock my diet off course as I will simply fast on the day before and then again on the day after, and then continuing with the usual routine.

rumbaimom

IF is working well for me with 18:6 or 20:4 schedule. Helps me not obsess about each calorie I consume. I absolutely have dropped in cravings and appetite which helps you stay in your calorie deficit. The loss isn’t super fast for me, just about 2 lbs a week. But I’m dropping sizes and enjoying my workouts more. It’s a nice fit for me.

J72FIT

rumbaimom wrote: »

IF is working well for me with 18:6 or 20:4 schedule. Helps me not obsess about each calorie I consume. I absolutely have dropped in cravings and appetite which helps you stay in your calorie deficit. The loss isn’t super fast for me, just about 2 lbs a week. But I’m dropping sizes and enjoying my workouts more. It’s a nice fit for me.

2 lbs per week is pretty fast...

SoUl_ReBeL2021

I'm doing 16:8 and have loss 13 pounds no keto just eating at my BMR not exercising. I've noticed it's decreased my appetite. So yeah I would definitely say intermittent fasting works!

Djproulx

For those interested in IF, there is an article in the New England Journal of Medicine titled "Effects of Intermittant Fasting on Health, Aging and Disease". The article was updated on December, 26, 2019 at NEJM.org. The authors, de Cabo and Mattson, are researchers at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.

The article outlines a number of interesting benefits noted in humans in areas such as improved stress resistance at the cellular level, better glucose and blood pressure regulation, improvements in memory, improvements in endurance training and reduction in abdominal fat.

I came away from the article convinced that there are significant health benefits beyond weight management to consider. With that said, I also understand that the primary motivation for many of us here is to understand whether or not IF is the right approach for weight loss efforts.

SlayLikeAWarrior

IF works...I have been doing 18:7 and I am in fasted state during my workouts.

sijomial

SlayLikeAWarrior wrote: »

IF works...I have been doing 18:7 and I am in fasted state during my workouts.

Is squeezing 25 hours into a day a benefit of IF?

Jthanmyfitnesspal

sijomial wrote: »

SlayLikeAWarrior wrote: »

IF works...I have been doing 18:7 and I am in fasted state during my workouts.

Is squeezing 25 hours into a day a benefit of IF?

18:7 and 8 days a week!!

J72FIT

sijomial wrote: »

SlayLikeAWarrior wrote: »

IF works...I have been doing 18:7 and I am in fasted state during my workouts.

Is squeezing 25 hours into a day a benefit of IF?

"They've done studies you know, 60% of the time, it works every time..."
–The Anchorman

Chieflrg

For weight loss it isn't any more beneficial than standard 10% caloric deficit. If it helps you adhere to a caloric deficit better long term then I have no issues.

Also it could be useful for those who train for ultra type events.

missyelainious

I have been doing IF 16:8 for a month and am really liking it. On 1200 cal per day it gives me more room to eat bigger meals. Before this I was eating a lot for breakfast and snacks, now I just push through the morning and eat a big salad at noon and feel great!

Jthanmyfitnesspal

Man, I can't understand why anyone would hit "Disagree" with @missyelainious. She just told us that it's working for her. How can you disagree with that?

PWHF

Jthanmyfitnesspal wrote: »

Man, I can't understand why anyone would hit "Disagree" with @missyelainious. She just told us that it's working for her. How can you disagree with that?

Trust me you don't want to get into that can of worms. And yeah - she didn't even make any 'claims' unless you count 'really liking it' and 'feeling great'.

Or - playing Devil's advocate maybe it's someone from the pro IF camp disagreeing with her saying that it gives her more room to eat bigger meals thus reinforcing that commonly accepted notion that IF just helps with adhering to numbers.

heybales

It was nice that they emphasized several times it's about sticking to something, not dropping out, same as regular diet if really done. Touched on a few items research is showing.

But then they went and threw in a common type phrase that just confuses people about the whole energy supply - "But it can take a few days — sometimes weeks — of fasting regularly for your body to start burning fat for fuel."

Why must something either undefined or not clarified that is untrue at face value be thrown in?

JacqMoon

I started IF 16:8 Jan 1. I also keep my daily cal intake to 1200-1500. I’ve added walking 5-6 times per week and mix up the pace, length and time. I’m 62 and have lost about 22 lbs. Since beginning IF I noticed increased energy and return of mental sharpness. It also cuts out those after dinner snacking calories. I’m not super regimented. I’ve made that mistake in the past, but most days I stop eating by 6:30-7pm and resume with a healthy snack before lunch. It seems to work and doesn’t seem hard to follow.