Intermittent Fasting

auburneng1

Looking for pros/cons on intermittent fasting. Should I do it 7 days a week and eat in an 8 hour window? Should I still count calories?

Go_Deskercise

lemurcat2

If you want.

oceangirl99

Pro: Eating large meals, yes you should still count calories.
I do IF most of the time but I firmly believe with the chart posted above. I eat within a window of approximately 6 hours but that's just because I save my breakfast calories because I don't care much for breakfast and I prefer a large lunch and dinner. I'm not a snacker but when I do I end up eating everything in site so I just try to not do it at all. If I didn't count calories, I could very easily go over in my eating window.

menotyou56

I'm doing IF 20:4 with MFP counting cals to be sure I don;t go over. And yes I can go over my cal limit for the day in four hours easy peasy.

apullum

You should eat according to the schedule that you prefer.

If your goals are weight related, especially if you want to lose weight, then you should count calories. IF does not ensure a calorie deficit and therefore does not guarantee weight loss on its own. You can ensure a calorie deficit by weighing and logging all your food.

IF does not do anything special for weight management; it is simply how some people prefer to eat.

neversaynever_43

I do anywhere from 16:8 to 19:5. I love eating this way. I like a big meal. I still watch and count calories. Which is a lot easier when you are eliminating one or two meals a day and snacks.

Eating small meals throughout the day involved a lot of prep and packing and it was never enough to fill me up.

If that’s how you like to eat, go for it.

Drink lots of water. And be patient. It takes some time to adjust.

s_rivera_92

IF is nice for me. 20:4 fits how I regularly eat. Eating 1300-1500 calories in OMAD is of course doable, but I'd rather split it up. That being said, I dont think it's a necessity to do IF. I'm honestly trying to eat two meals and a snack, but I lack the hunger. If your goal is weight loss, counting calories and creating a deficit is still the most important thing (even with IF).

NikonPal

IF works great for me. I really have never "craved" breakfast but ate it because I thought I had to have "something" to get thru the morning. LOL. I 99% stick with 16:8 and it fits wonderfully into my daily schedule. Breakfast has been replaced with an early morning walk every day. IF has also led to an easy reduction of daily calories. I love to cook and plan all meals with "healthy" foods. The only time I really alter the schedule is for planned engagements or if away on a special getaway.

Back in 2013 I weighed 405. I lost roughly 200 lbs. and have kept the majority of it off for 4-5 yrs...then started slacking with habits for about 12 mos. Started IF last May and should be back to goal within 2 months more days

Danp

Here's the definitive Pros and Cons list for IF when it comes to weight loss

Pro:
I find a particular restricted eating schedule easiest and it helps me to stick to my calorie target

Con:
I find it difficult to stick to a restricted eating schedule and I don't enjoy it. It doesn't help me stick to my calorie target

lgfrie

Seems like the above posters have covered the pro's and con's pretty well. I'll address your other three questions.

Yes, you must count calories if you do IF.

Eating in an 8 hr window is the most popular and probably the easiest form of IF. I eat in a 7 hr window because I find it easier, and you'll probably do your own fine-tuning along those lines, but 16:8 is a good place to start.

As far as whether to do it 7 days a week: I think it's a good idea when you start IF to get a solid month under your belt of 7 days a week. There's an adjustment involved, more psychological than physical -- getting used to not eating anything most of the time, and getting used to ignoring hunger pangs and not reaching for food every time you feel a tiny bit hungry or get a craving. These are immensely useful skills for dieting, which IF provides, but you have to really get in there and do it full time for a while to lock in these new behaviors.

After a month or thereabouts, you'll probably start loosening up a bit, taking some days off from IF. Nothing wrong with that. Social obligations and such do not always fit with IF and it's best to be flexible once you're in the swing of things. I don't have scheduled non-IF days but if a day comes up where it doesn't fit, I don't try to force-fit it, I rearrange my food schedule around other things. Remember, IF is here to make your diet easier, not harder.

sijomial

My personal pros & cons as someone who commonly skips breakfast and eats most of his calories later in the day but tried 16:8 time restricted fasting as an experiment.....

Cons -
Made me feel more restricted for the same calorie allowance, made me a clock watcher and moved me further away from eating according to hunger and needs.
Conflicted with some of my exercise which needs fuelling in the morning (multi hour cycle rides).
Conflicted with some social eating which is a source of enjoyment.
I like snacks and felt restricted that I couldn't snack in the morning.

Pros -
Reinforced that for me skipping breakfast is an easy way for me to cut some calories if I need or want to.
Reinforced I do best with the least restrictions and most flexibility as possible.

Avidkeo

Been doing IF purely to help stop evening snacking. It worked from that aspect. But I like to run in the morning and not have something before I run was not working well. So now I stop eating at around 7pm, or after my evening meal, then just half a banana and a coffee in the morning, then nothing till lunch. A split IF if you will.

Purests will say I've eliminated the "benefits" by having a banana but those benefits have yet to be proven to occur in humans.

SnifterPug

IF 7 days a week (skipping breakfast) in conjunction with calorie counting is the only thing that has worked for me, and continues to work 6 years down the line. It's now a lifestyle. By all means give it a go, but as others have said IF on its own will not help you lose weight if you eat a calorie surplus during your eating window.

gentledreams

IF is about improving your body's production of insulin and energy usage, not about losing weight. It *can* help you losing weight if you pair it up with a diet, and some people find they naturally eat less as they effectively skip a meal, but it's not its primary focus.

I do 16/8, Mon-Fri I have a yogurt and a banana at 11am, lunch at 1pm, snack at 3pm, and dinner at 6pm; Sat-Sun I'll skip the 11am meal and have dinner a little later.

My pros and cons:
Pros - it has improved my mental clarity in the morning, it has even made me less crabby. It saved me a lot of money as I am not buying breakfast on the go anymore. It massively improved my bowel functions (I have IBS) and in general I feel lighter and less bloated. I've always preferred eating big meals and feeling full instead of having 5 small meals anyway, so this works great and even after eating a big meal I don't feel uncomfortably full and lethargic like I used to.

Cons - it takes a bit to get used to, especially if breakfast is your favourite meal like it was for me. It can be difficult to pair up with an active social life as you need to think in advance about when you can eat, alcohol counts so if you start eating at 1pm but then go out and keep drinking till midnight that was not an IF day. This was not an issue for me as I rarely go out and drink very little alcohol anyway, but it can be an issue for other people.

gentledreams

I forgot to add one of the cons is you need to be more careful about your water intake, as you can easily get dehydrated doing IF. We take some of our water from food as well, so by restricting the window in which we can eat we need to make sure we are drinking more water to make up for it. I did feel a bit dehydrated the first couple of weeks, but then I increased my water consumption and felt alright.

freda666

I do 5:2, although in practice it has become 2:1 as I prefer a regular eat and fast days pattern.

This works for me because I do not have to be particularly restrictive on eating days but I do count calories to make sure I eat both enough and not too much.

On my fast day I stretch my 500 calorie allowance with lots of veg and a very small portion of chicken. I have just discovered miso, which means even my fast days are kept interesting. I also tend to drink a lot on these days - green tea, black coffee and sparkling water.

Suits me and I have lost about 15kg so far.

IAmGainingHealth

I am using a combination of intermittent fasting, and low carb mainly.

One endocrinologist told me that intermittent fasting is scientifically proven to aid weight loss.

Nony_Mouse

IAmGainingHealth wrote: »

I am using a combination of intermittent fasting, and low carb mainly.

[b}One endocrinologist told me that intermittent fasting is scientifically proven to aid weight loss.[/b]

Only if it helps you stay at a calorie deficit. It does nothing in and of itself in terms of weight loss.

mmapags

IAmGainingHealth wrote: »

I am using a combination of intermittent fasting, and low carb mainly.

One endocrinologist told me that intermittent fasting is scientifically proven to aid weight loss.

Lol, ask for the studies that prove it. I use IF for calorie control. But if I don't watch calories, I can gain just like eating any other way. I've done this for over 10 years on and off. I've read every study and meta analysis I can get my hands on. It has helped me but there is no inherent weight loss advantage over calorie control.

MichelleWithMoxie

I dig it. It naturally works for me, but I’m not super strict about it. And I definitely still count the calories eaten.

snickerscharlie

Avidkeo wrote: »

Been doing IF purely to help stop evening snacking. It worked from that aspect. But I like to run in the morning and not have something before I run was not working well. So now I stop eating at around 7pm, or after my evening meal, then just half a banana and a coffee in the morning, then nothing till lunch. A split IF if you will.

Purests will say I've eliminated the "benefits" by having a banana but those benefits have yet to be proven to occur in humans.

Glad to see that you realize that there are no extra benefits to doing IF, and no penalties if you 'break' your fast outside of your 'eating window.' The magic doesn't stop, because there *is* no magic.

At the end of the day, the only thing that matters is the total amount of calories consumed, and nothing at all to do with when they were actually consumed.

steveko89

I've done IF a few times. It's helps me with adherence for a while, and then it doesn't. For my n=1 data set, lose rate was unaffected. I lift in the morning so I felt like I was leaving something on the table not having a protein source around my workout. As at least one other poster mentioned it conflicted with social eating periodically as well. I was also not a fan of the negative impact it seems to have on my complexion and bathroom regularity.

sgt1372

auburneng1 wrote: »

Looking for pros/cons on intermittent fasting.

Pro: It helps to limit when you eat to a consistent schedule.

Con: Many people have difficulty sticking to a consistent eating schedule

auburneng1 wrote: »

Should I do it 7 days a week and eat in an 8 hour window?

Yes

auburneng1 wrote: »

Should I still count calories?

Yes

Psychgrrl

I do IF (ish). I say “ish” because my eating window varies. I skip breakfast and sometimes eat an early lunch (like 10:30) because that’s the only break in my schedule until 4pm. Like tomorrow. I workout after work and don’t get home until 8 or 9.

I log religiously. I can eat it up with the best of them and it’s easy for me to overeat if I’m not intentional about tracking.

mysteps2beauty

I just (officially) started IF (16:8) about 10 days ago. It reminds of when I was my thinnest in my 20s. Didn't eat breakfast cause back then eggs (love 'em) were considered bad for you, and for religious reasons would not eat pork (back then there was no beef bacon or turkey bacon just pork). Don't like bread except for the occasional sandwich, and even then one slice or I would just eat the middle, no crust. So no muffins or bagels for me.

I'm also eating low carb. I just don't like bread or potatoes, but occasionally rice. I love my veggies so that's usually what I eat along side chicken, turkey or fish. I enjoy a glass of wine at dinner. And I have kicked the morning brew habit long ago. I guess I was going IF earlier than I thought. I don't have time to stop for McDonalds and with the renovation around my office building it's more than a notion to walk blocks away for breakfast food especially if you have to be in the office. Don't like Starbucks.

I know it's mostly water weight but I have lost just shy of 4 lbs.

I like eating this way. And I think that's really the point. Do what you enjoy cause that is what you're gonna stick with long term. Good luck!