What is it with...

froeschli

So before going ahead and trying it, I did some reading on intermittent fasting.

There it said 16-8 is pretty standard, with 15-9 often being better for women.
(And the alternate day or 5-2 day fasting)

So color me surprised when I join a few Facebook groups o IF, and it's a bunch of people crying about not losing (enough?) weight on one meal a day keto less than 1200 calories a day. Mathematically impossible I think.

The more "laid back" people there go for 20-4.
Everyone is talking about extremely rapid weight loss. Not about how they plan on maintaining at the end, either.

Planning a conservative 16-8 with a "normal" diet aiming at 1500 calories a day makes me an outlier.

Just wondering, is that a "normal" sampling of the IF crowd, or has it been hijacked as an extreme rapid weight loss fad?

jennaatsuad

I've left a couple IF groups because they've turned into more of a Keto group than an IF group. There are moderate IFers out there who don't follow Keto at all (for example, I eat whatever I want within my calorie goal, and although I take no calories in while fasting, my fasts are almost never clean when it comes to artificial sweeteners). Sometimes the moderate ones just aren't as vocal.

Verdenal

froeschli wrote: »

So color me surprised when I join a few Facebook groups o IF, and it's a bunch of people crying about not losing (enough?) weight on one meal a day keto less than 1200 calories a day. Mathematically impossible I think.
/quote]

I can' say because personally, I have to be at 1,000 under to lose weight.

If you want to ease into IF, try a 14-hour fast or the fast where twice a week you eat a maximum of 500 calories and the other days you eat normally. If you want to lose weight, you must create a calorie deficit. That will be different for everyone.

Rachelmilloy

Hi @froeschli 😊
I never paid much attention to Intermittent Fasting until I read something about the supposed health benefits. I certainly had no interest in suffering or being hungry 😱... and I didn’t expect it to directly help with weight loss.

So I gave it a whirl, the 15:9, and found from Day One that it suited me to a T... the appetite control it lavishes on me makes it so much easier for me to meet my calorie targets - I eat around 1800/1900 daily... I look for good nutrition, hehe, plenty of carbs, and occasional treats. Guess I’m an outlier too! (I’m in Maintenance but often go for a small deficit to get to the bottom of my Maintenance weight range.)

It’s been several months now, and I’m still loving IF. So have you started yet? All the best!

justbreathesrw28

@jennaatsuad your comment about clean fast when it comes to artificial sweetners.. so do you add say crystal light to the water your are drinking during your fast? I'm new to this and love water but with a little flavor in it. I found hint water which I really love and wondering if that is ok as well. thanks in advance

joyanna2016

There are no hard and fast rules about a little artificially sweetened flavor. You may want to start out without any and then add them in later and just see what it does for you. Does it make your cravings increase? Does it make you happy? Then you can decide what to do. Make it suit YOU. I usually only drink water during my fasting window but about once a week if I'm struggling I'll have a big 'ol diet coke and the caffeine makes rough day suddenly much better!

pmastro724

I was hoping this group was more active! Id love to discuss more about I.F. Does anyone use the app Zero? Its a great tool/tracker. Its free - I believe you can buy a premier version - but the free one is all you need IMO

jan110144

Planning a conservative 16-8 with a "normal" diet aiming at 1500 calories a day makes me an outlier.

I am a fellow outlier! While I would like to lose weight, I am looking at this as a lifestyle change that needs to be sustainable over time.

I am doing 16:8, although I do have two cups of black coffee with 1/2 package of Splenda (each) when I get up, eating 2-3 hours after that. I am not restricting food, but am focusing on reasonable portion control and eating sweets/desserts, chips, etc., etc. very sparingly. Mostly, I try to make sure that my two meals a day are comprised of healthy choices.

Finally, I have elected not to weigh for awhile. I trust the process (and I KNOW I am consuming many fewer calories and much more nutritional food than before.)

So far, this is monumentally less stressful than anything I have done before. I find it very flexible and Don't know yet if i am losing a y weight, but I am definitely feeling good!

KacyCarpe

jan110144 wrote: »

I am a fellow outlier! While I would like to lose weight, I am looking at this as a lifestyle change that needs to be sustainable over time.

Definitely! I have been doing 16:8 for a while now, and it just feels normal to me. I've even gone skiing a few times this season and don't eat until "lunch." So, it's not like it's a big struggle or I'm weak from eating within a smaller window. If you eat real foods and stick to items that are satiating, you should be fine.

Another benefit I've noticed is that we eat less food overall (and we order takeout a LOT less). I think we can now afford to switch to some grass-fed and organic items given those food savings. At least, that's the plan for this quarter. We'll see what the true costs are: I know those products can be awfully pricey.

PaulyJoMomma

I do 16:8 also which gets tricky for me because I wake up early as heck (0430) and I wanted to try to be present for our family dinner each night around 1730 so that skewed when I could eat effectively. Most people I have seen that do IF seem to do 16:8 —especially if they are looking to formulate a habit of eating that is a sustainable way of keeping the weight off after they hit their target. I use another app to track and adjust the location of my eating time range, as necessary. Every once in a while I schedule a fast spanning a couple of days so I can subject my body to autophagy as well.