Intermittent Fasting

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Replies

  • lisaap77
    lisaap77 Posts: 123 Member
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    I have been IF 16:8 for 21 days now. I feel amazing! My energy levels are up. My weight is down. My inflammation is down. Many non-scale victories! I have been pleased by the changes I see and feel. I am a nurse so evidence based is my thing. I have done a ton of research before I started. This is just one of many evidence based studies.

    Ihttps://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156

    That's not an evidence based study. It's a blog post. I would think as a healthcare professional, you would know the difference. This is evidence:
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/

    It was the wrong link, my bad. No need to get snarky. Most of my info was from medical journals, which I subscribe to and apparently you can't read unless you do.

    If you didn't mean to link to a blog post, what did you mean to link to?

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7021351/
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    I have been IF 16:8 for 21 days now. I feel amazing! My energy levels are up. My weight is down. My inflammation is down. Many non-scale victories! I have been pleased by the changes I see and feel. I am a nurse so evidence based is my thing. I have done a ton of research before I started. This is just one of many evidence based studies.

    Ihttps://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156

    That's not an evidence based study. It's a blog post. I would think as a healthcare professional, you would know the difference. This is evidence:
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/

    It was the wrong link, my bad. No need to get snarky. Most of my info was from medical journals, which I subscribe to and apparently you can't read unless you do.

    If you didn't mean to link to a blog post, what did you mean to link to?

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7021351/

    And in what way does this study review and its conclusion support your beliefs?

    "Conclusion
    Intermittent fasting shows promise for the treatment of obesity. To date, the studies have been small and of short duration. Longer-term research is needed to understand the sustainable role IF can play in weight loss."
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    I have been IF 16:8 for 21 days now. I feel amazing! My energy levels are up. My weight is down. My inflammation is down. Many non-scale victories! I have been pleased by the changes I see and feel. I am a nurse so evidence based is my thing. I have done a ton of research before I started. This is just one of many evidence based studies.

    Ihttps://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156

    That's not an evidence based study. It's a blog post. I would think as a healthcare professional, you would know the difference. This is evidence:
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/

    It was the wrong link, my bad. No need to get snarky. Most of my info was from medical journals, which I subscribe to and apparently you can't read unless you do.

    If you didn't mean to link to a blog post, what did you mean to link to?

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7021351/

    "Twelve studies comparing IF to calorie restriction found equivalent results."

    "To date, the studies have been small and of short duration. Longer-term research is needed to understand the sustainable role IF can play in weight loss."

    What about this was convincing to you?

  • lisaap77
    lisaap77 Posts: 123 Member
    It was not one specific study, it was several, I was just trying to share one. I am having success using IF, the recent science is promising was all I was trying to say. If you don't agree or it's not for you, fine. Just sharing my personal experience. Have a great day.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited June 2020
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    mmapags wrote: »
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    I have been IF 16:8 for 21 days now. I feel amazing! My energy levels are up. My weight is down. My inflammation is down. Many non-scale victories! I have been pleased by the changes I see and feel. I am a nurse so evidence based is my thing. I have done a ton of research before I started. This is just one of many evidence based studies.

    Ihttps://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-surprising-update-2018062914156

    That's not an evidence based study. It's a blog post. I would think as a healthcare professional, you would know the difference. This is evidence:
    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4516560/

    It was the wrong link, my bad. No need to get snarky. Most of my info was from medical journals, which I subscribe to and apparently you can't read unless you do.

    If you didn't mean to link to a blog post, what did you mean to link to?

    https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7021351/

    Doesn't support a claim that IF is superior to other forms of weight loss. It does suggest that for some it might be an easier way of controlling cals (not that cal control isn't what matters), as is commonly stated by many of us here. (What helps control cals is going to vary person to person.) Relevant bits:

    "Study selection
    Forty-one articles describing 27 trials addressed weight loss in overweight and obese patients: 18 small randomized controlled trials (level I evidence) and 9 trials comparing weight after IF to baseline weight with no control group (level II evidence). Studies were often of short duration (2 to 26 weeks) with low enrolment (10 to 244 participants); 2 were of 1-year duration. Protocols varied, with only 5 studies including patients with type 2 diabetes.

    Synthesis
    All 27 IF trials found weight loss of 0.8% to 13.0% of baseline weight with no serious adverse events. Twelve studies comparing IF to calorie restriction found equivalent results. The 5 studies that included patients with type 2 diabetes documented improved glycemic control.

    Conclusion
    Intermittent fasting shows promise for the treatment of obesity. To date, the studies have been small and of short duration. Longer-term research is needed to understand the sustainable role IF can play in weight loss."

    and

    "Study design
    Study interventions incorporated IF in a variety of ways, from a 24-hour fast several days per week (eg, the “5 and 2” protocol) to a daily 16-hour fast. The most common study design was to alternate 24-hour periods of fasting with unrestricted consumption (alternating fast and feast days). Study protocols also varied in their recommendations on caloric intake, enrolment of patients with diabetes, presence of a control group, and study duration. Some studies restricted calories while others allowed ad libitum consumption when not fasting. The rigour of fasting also varied, with several studies allowing 25% of regular caloric consumption during fasting periods. Comparator groups to IF diets followed a usual diet or calorie-restricted diet.

    While patients with diabetes were commonly excluded (Table 2), 5 studies enrolled only those with type 2 diabetes (n = 174 patients) (Table 3).In both diabetic and non-diabetic populations, cardiovascular risk factors were reduced. When diet composition was controlled, most protocols were consistent with Health Canada and American Heart Association guidelines at the time: 55% carbohydrates, 20% fat, and 25% protein. The most common alternative was unrestricted consumption. An enrichment of protein was considered in 5 studies at the expense of carbohydrate intake. Two followed a Mediterranean-type diet. Fat consumption was examined in 1 study, which compared dietary fat intake of 45% versus 25%, at the expense of carbohydrate intake. Sixteen studies included dietary education, with participants choosing their own meals, while 11 supplied all or part of the diet. Others did not require a specific dietary composition outside of the fasting period."

    and

    "Twelve studies used calorie-restricted diets as a comparator to IF and found equivalent weight loss in both groups. Study duration was 8 weeks to 1 year, with a combined total of 1206 participants (527 undergoing IF, 572 using calorie restriction, and 107 control participants) and demonstrated weight loss of 4.6% to 13.0%. Adherence appears similar for both weight loss strategies. The largest study comparing IF with calorie restriction was by Headland et al in 2019 of 244 obese adults who achieved a mean 4.97-kg weight loss over 52 weeks versus a mean weight loss of 6.65 kg with calorie-restricted diets (P = .24). All of the 11 other comparisons of IF and calorie-restriction diets also found similar results between both groups. In several of these studies, those in the IF group consumed the same amount of calories or less than those in the calorie-restriction group. Four studies combined fasting and calorie restriction on the non-fasting days and found comparable weight loss to other studies (3.4% to 10.6%). In a direct comparison of 88 participants over 8 weeks, IF combined with restricting calories to 30% less than their calculated energy requirements led to greater weight loss versus IF alone (P ≤ .05).

    Note: neither 4.97 kg/year nor 6.65 kg/year in obese adults seems like an especially effective strategy, IMO, although it's better than nothing.
  • freda666
    freda666 Posts: 338 Member
    Hello all. I have been struggling with my weight loss journey and am contemplating fasting for two days a week. Has anyone had any success with restarting their weight loss with IF?

    I started with 5:2 and then moved to 4:3, initially fasting Mon, Wed and Fri, but at the moment I am doing it every other day.

    I count calories on both eating days and fasting days, and at the moment fasting days are 600 calories.

    I struggle living a life where I have to restrict every day and this is why IF works for me, as on fasting days I know tomorrow I can have a good sized dinner and still have calories available for lunch and snacks. I have lost 6 stone so far, at the rate of around half a stone a month.
  • janejellyroll
    janejellyroll Posts: 25,763 Member
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    It was not one specific study, it was several, I was just trying to share one. I am having success using IF, the recent science is promising was all I was trying to say. If you don't agree or it's not for you, fine. Just sharing my personal experience. Have a great day.

    I think the pushback (at least on my part) is because you centered the research and evidence in your initial post. If you want to go drop back to "This is just what works for me" that's fine (we all have things we do for that reason), but if you're talking about evidence and centering yourself as a medical authority, then people are going to ask about it.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    sijomial wrote: »
    lisaap77 wrote: »
    It was not one specific study, it was several, I was just trying to share one. I am having success using IF, the recent science is promising was all I was trying to say. If you don't agree or it's not for you, fine. Just sharing my personal experience. Have a great day.

    I used IF successfully to lose the excess weight I had carried around for 20 years - I'm not in the slightest against sensible forms of IF.

    Sharing personal experience is also absolutely fine.

    But please can I ask you not to make claims you can't evidence or post links to articles that you clearly haven't read?

    All of this^^.
    I have practiced IF on and off for 10 years. I am a proponent. What drew attention was the claim of "benefits" and "evidence" and then the lack thereof. The consensus of of the evidence to date boils down to: IF helps some people maintain the appropriate calories for weight maintenance or weight loss. That's it.

    Some animal studies indicate the possibility of possible greater benefits. But it has not been thoroughly tested in humans yet.
  • MarkFuckerburgSux
    MarkFuckerburgSux Posts: 1 Member
    IF is a great way to get your body near ideal body weight without much work. True IF doesn't require calorie restriction although it is more difficult to fit in a lot of calories,thus assist with limiting calories. There is a freedom with IF that is refreshing. You aren't tied to a feeding schedule every 2 to 4 hours with sugar spikes and then blood sugar lows with moodiness or hanger pains. After doing it 2 weeks you will get used to it. You won't get hungry easily. You will also have a mental clarity because of the stimulus of phagocytosis, the cleaning of cellular debris, from cellular metabolism that occurs naturally. Incidentally, this is part of a mental, or dementia, decline treatment to fast a minimum of 12 hours. Biologically, we were never able not meant to continually put food in our bellies. This causes pancreatic burnout from constant insulin release to keep the blood sugar in parameter.
    My personal experience is mixed. I became stronger in my lifts and did better with workouts. I felt great mentally and didn't suffer frm hunger or cravings. However, I may have gained a little weight. I'm 6ft and wanted to get under 190lbs but went up to 205 and now the recent high of 211, my most ever. I think it works great for those in the 50lb plus overweight category but boot so much if you're near IBW. I think it's worth a harmless try.
  • mmapags
    mmapags Posts: 8,934 Member
    IF is a great way to get your body near ideal body weight without much work. True IF doesn't require calorie restriction although it is more difficult to fit in a lot of calories,thus assist with limiting calories. There is a freedom with IF that is refreshing. You aren't tied to a feeding schedule every 2 to 4 hours with sugar spikes and then blood sugar lows with moodiness or hanger pains. After doing it 2 weeks you will get used to it. You won't get hungry easily. You will also have a mental clarity because of the stimulus of phagocytosis, the cleaning of cellular debris, from cellular metabolism that occurs naturally. Incidentally, this is part of a mental, or dementia, decline treatment to fast a minimum of 12 hours. Biologically, we were never able not meant to continually put food in our bellies. This causes pancreatic burnout from constant insulin release to keep the blood sugar in parameter.
    My personal experience is mixed. I became stronger in my lifts and did better with workouts. I felt great mentally and didn't suffer frm hunger or cravings. However, I may have gained a little weight. I'm 6ft and wanted to get under 190lbs but went up to 205 and now the recent high of 211, my most ever. I think it works great for those in the 50lb plus overweight category but boot so much if you're near IBW. I think it's worth a harmless try.

    So much misinformation that it's just not worth responding. But the bolded is just patently false. Interesting first post...
  • lgfrie
    lgfrie Posts: 1,449 Member
    edited June 2020
    IF is a great way to get your body near ideal body weight without much work. True IF doesn't require calorie restriction ... My personal experience is mixed. I became stronger in my lifts and did better with workouts. I felt great mentally and didn't suffer frm hunger or cravings. However, I may have gained a little weight....

    So you didn't count calories on IF and you gained weight.

    Most people with weight/obesity issues can consume entire days worth of calories in an hour. No food window can stop the onslaught of weight gain just on time limitation alone, unless it was like 90 seconds.

    There may be some "purist" form of IF out there w/o calorie counting, but a visit to the big IF board, reddit's r\intermittentfasting, will show that 95+ % of people doing IF are doing it in conjunction with strict calorie counting (and, often, serious work out regimens).

    IF without calorie counting is kind of 2015 IF. People have moved on from that, for the most part.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    Many confuse TRE Time Restricted Eating for Intermittent Fasting. Intermittent means irregular intervals.

    Generally speaking, Intermittent Fasting is a short term solution for a long term problem. I don't aim to shame but intermittent fasting won't change an emotional relationship with food. In the long run, it will make it worse.

    It results in eating it all back and throwing all caution to the wind. You end up eating way more than if you would've enjoyed your food and simply moderated your portions.

    So much of this stuff is mental. IF has become so cliche and filled with inconsistencies that I can barely say the words outloud. There is a better way. Throw all of that dieting dogma out the window.

    After many have eaten it all back they return to the scene of their original crime. They double down on the method that gave them the greatest amount of weight loss and ride that merry-go-round again and again and again. They believe if they really give it all they've got by just giving it one more perfect try that the weight loss will never ever come back. Until it does...

    Doing what we've always done will get us what we've always gotten. Rebound weight gain with friends.

    Changing cognitive behaviors and habits is hard. It takes time and changing some mindsets.
  • cerad2
    cerad2 Posts: 70 Member
    Diatonic12 wrote: »
    Generally speaking, Intermittent Fasting is a short term solution for a long term problem. I don't aim to shame but intermittent fasting won't change an emotional relationship with food. In the long run, it will make it worse.
    So it is impossible to "change an emotional relationship with food" if you routinely skip breakfast and sometimes skip lunch? Got it.
  • Diatonic12
    Diatonic12 Posts: 32,344 Member
    edited June 2020
    That's generally referred to as OMAD and many OMAD'rs eat all of their food in the evening. I don't do that.

    For the most part, even talking about IF gives everyone a great big pinch. I get it. ;)
    I don't practice IF. Never have. Never will. That is all.