Fasting

madison3611

Can some people offer their opinion?

I’m curious to know ... does fasting enhance weight loss or stall it? I’ve heard it’s better to keep your metabolic rate up by eating lots of little meals through out the day but I also heard fasting can enhance weight loss.

Talk soon 😌

cmriverside

Meal timing is irrelevant. Weight management is about calories. Full Stop.

amtyrell

Weight is about calories in vs calories out.
Metabolic differences are minimal
Fast times work for some people because they eat less calories during their eating times. It fails for others because post fast they want to eat all the things

Small meals work for some people because they never get ravenous and it moderates their eating

I am in the middle 3 healthy ish meals each with enough calories to sate me without bekng ravenous.

However what overall matters is calories and feeling full and happy on those calories

tuckerrj

Some folks, like myself, have had better success in losing weight by not having a static calorie intake everyday. For example, if the goal is to eat (on average) 1600 calories a day, I will eat 1200 calories every other day, and 2000 on the others. It feels like I do better losing with this eating plan. But a calorie deficit (on average) is still required.

missysippy930

Weight loss happens when you eat less calories than your body burns. ALWAYS.
What program or method you follow to get there is a personal choice.

lemurcat2

madison3611 wrote: »

I’m curious to know ... does fasting enhance weight loss or stall it? I’ve heard it’s better to keep your metabolic rate up by eating lots of little meals through out the day but I also heard fasting can enhance weight loss.

Neither. Nor does eating a bunch of mini meals accomplish anything unless you find it more enjoyable or to lead to better calorie compliance. Eat in the pattern that is most sustainable for you.

hookandy

I have just started eating using a "fasting" pattern, so 14:00-21:00 I think thats classed as 16:8 Personally I am ok not eating breakfast, I then end up with 2 bigger meals, lunch and dinner and enough for a snack in the evening while watching TV etc. I find it easier to hit my calories without restricting dinner.

If I eat breakfast, I feel as hungry at lunchtime, but have less calories to spread around for the rest of the day.

At a weekend though I love a lesiurly breakfast with family etc, so have to adjust.

hookandy

Having said that my OH uses the 5:2 fasting by restricting her calories on 2 days to around 500-600 and then maintainance for the other 5 days (In her case 1600-1700) She is fine with this at the moment, but has just started lifting, so we shall see how she fits in lifting with fasting

extra_medium

it's extreme but I typically eat about 90% of my calories in one meal.. it makes no difference as long as you eat fewer than you consume over time

NovusDies

I have done what the interwebs calls 18:6 and very often OMAD throughout my 2 years. Most of that time I have meticulously tracked my weight progress as it compares to the calorie deficit I created. If there is an advantage it is not enough of one to show up in my numbers. I lose weight at around 3500 calories per pound just like everyone else.

A lot of people will think it makes a difference because when you change your eating schedule it can change hydration and your bathroom elimination schedule. This can result in a quick loss on the scale. This is not fat weight. It is water weight and waste weight that you eliminated earlier or didn't consume at the same time of day as before. I have watched myself do this many times as I alternate between eating a small dinner or not.

cwolfman13

madison3611 wrote: »

Can some people offer their opinion?

I’m curious to know ... does fasting enhance weight loss or stall it? I’ve heard it’s better to keep your metabolic rate up by eating lots of little meals through out the day but I also heard fasting can enhance weight loss.

Talk soon 😌

It inherently does neither. I've done 16:8 and have lost weight, maintained weight, and gained weight depending on my overall calories consumed.

kshama2001

dabburs6515

I started fasting (18/6) to lose weight initially, (using CICO too) I stayed because the other benefits for me (post menopausal woman) have been better sleep & much better moods 😍 I don’t worry about what to make for breakfast or lunch , I’m more productive at work & home - I usually break my fast with a milky coffee and some plain popcorn - I eat normally with my family at dinner and deny myself very little ( 1600 calories is a lot to eat in 6 hours) I’m not strict and adjust my eating window at weekends to enjoy brunch - it’s working for me , I believe the weight loss is wholly due to CICO though

Avidkeo

Ok im just one person but I just recently did a month of IF 16:8 and then stopped and ate when ever I was hungry for another few weeks, non IF.

I track my weight daily.

No noticeable difference in my weight loss rate from doing IF to not doing IF. If IF helped maximise weightloss, I should have seen a higher rate of loss while on IF than when I stopped IF. And no, I didn't have that difference.

So yes it helps you lose weight, but no difference than from just a standard calorie restriction.

sijomial

I think time restricted eating is probably something worth experimenting with just to make yourself think more about what you eat, when you eat, how much you eat, what (outside of genuine hunger) makes you eat.....

You might gain some insight into how to budget your calorie allowance better or stick to your calorie allowance easier.

Two things I got from it was that it:
Confirmed I find breakfast a very optional meal (an easy way to trim a few hundred calories when I want to).
Confirmed I dislike arbitrary restrictions and a fixed timetable to my eating, the more dietary freedom I have the happier I am.

nab212

There are several other health benefits with time restrictive eating. Research shows that there could be a correlation with reducing cancer risk due to cellular regeneration and phagocytosis, aids in bolstering immune and overall gut health and can help reduce inflammation; to name a few...as for weight lose, of course you still need to be at a deficit.

As for me, I think it helps me feel more full due to having somewhat larger meals and not spreading smaller intakes through an entire day. I tend to follow a 16:8 regimen but often do an 18:6 if I'm ok after 16 hours. Like the gentleman above stated, it can help change how you see your food and why you eat. Often, it's very to easy to eat once you have a small craving or feeling a little hungry (Not that there is anything wrong with that but something about the discipline of this technique is personally rewarding for me and now has became natural) Eating at a deficit can be somewhat tough at times and I personally find that it helps a little. I also do 6 on and 1 off. I'll take a day where I will "refeed" and eat throughout an entire day. Throw in a little more of my favorite indulgences in there(never deprive yourself of the foods you love)but try to keep it overall standard as my other days; as far as what I eat but tend to be at a surplus.

I think it is something worth researching and seeing if it works for you(Dr. Rhonda Patrick is a good source to start with). I personally think that it has helped me stay more lean at a lower deficit than I have done in the past but as far as if it actually has been the major catalyst, I can't say. Good luck and hope this helps.

nab212

Also Dr. Satchin Panda is a good source.

whoami67

I didn't really like intermittent fasting...it had a negative effect on my already poor health and it made me hungrier. When I do a religious fast for 24-36 hours, I notice it seems to make me more in control of my eating, cravings and hunger for a few days afterwards. That tends to make me eat less overall or at least it is easier to eat less overall.

MlleKelly

My certified nutritionist recommended intermittent fasting. She said by not eating for a period of at least 12 hours, your gut gets to reset, cells get to regenerate, the body gets a chance to break down and use all of the nutrients you've put into it that day so it can "tell" you what it needs the next time you eat. I've been doing it for about three months now and it has helped me - especially when traveling! And I travel a LOT. So instead of eating from the time I wake up to the time I go to bed, I eat less calories (just like what the "full stoppers" above have said) simply because I only allow myself to eat within a certain window of time. Dinner was over at 9pm? Okay, that means no eating until at least 10 or 11am the next day and try to have dinner done by 8pm. I'm not at strict with my times/windows as a lot of people, but I'm still figuring out what works for me.

Good luck!

paperpudding

not eating for 12 hours is called intermittent fasting???

Gosh, the term is used in looser and looser fashion.

That describes lots of people's normal schedule - eat dinner and even an after dinner snack, end at 8 pm, have breakfast next day at 8 am.

Your gut does not need to re set and cells regenerate whatever eating schedule you use.

If a certain eating pattern helps with calorie compliance. use it - that's all.

Whether it is 20 mini meals an hour apart or OMAD or anything in between, doesnt matter.

because calorie deficit.

riffraff2112

What has been working for me is to save about 75% of my calories for the evening (5pm - 10pm). I always struggled to control my snacking in the evening, and this allows me plenty of room for dinner and some late night snacking. Essentially I skip breakfast (except for coffee), and have a very small lunch (often a protein shake or power bar with maybe some fruit. Having said that, I have had success maintaining with many different eating frequency schedules. This just seems to work for me (for now anyway)