20:4 Intermittent Fasting

kshama2001

AnnPT77 wrote: »

frankwbrown wrote: »

neanderthin wrote: »

Well, 5:2 isn't something a person just tries out of curiosity, and the link you provided have a hard time vetting hard data from IF when there's weight loss because health markers improve from the loss of weight and longevity is well, impossible to substantiate in this context without a controlled trial which means comparing 2 or more groups with very controlled parameters, ideally in a ward setting where everything is accounted for, even sleep and the longevity part would include the study to run for a few decades and I don't think people would like that. If your doing it because you believe it could help you lose weight, well that's a different thing but there's probably easier ways of going about it. Good luck with it though. Cheers.

I wasn't clear in my post what I meant by 5:2. I don't intend a total fast on those days, as in no food for 24 hours. I intend to have a larger than average calorie deficit 2 days a week. So, for example, if I were aiming for a one-pound loss per week, I might try for a 750-1,000 calorie deficit on a couple days with a lower deficit the other five days, instead of having a 500 calorie deficit 7 days/week.
My comment probably doesn't belong here, as it doesn't really relate to intermittent fasting as most people understand it, especially not the 20:4 IF that the OP is talking about.

It sort of relates, conceptually: MFP doesn't support 5:2 in the new IF options, but premium MFP does let a person have different calorie goals on different days of the week. (I'm not suggesting a person needs premium to do IF, since anyone can distribute their calories as they wish, and use the weekly average to control, or variations on that theme. I'm just pointing out that some support features for that kind of IF exists, even though it's not in the IF section.)

I have to admit, I'm not sure why a person needs the new IF features, either: If I wanted to limit the times during which I eat, I'd just eat when I wanted to. Maybe tracking when one is compliant vs. not is useful? I don't know. Since I've never done IF, I don't really have the expertise, so saying "I don't get it" isn't any kind of Deep Thought.😆

FWIW @frankwbrown, I know of at least one guy who used to participate here who found 5:2 pretty perfect for him. IIRC, he didn't enjoy eating below maintenance, found it easier to go hard 2 days a week vs. kinda hard most every day; and found that 5:2 helped him fuel his aggressive athletic schedule more effectively, since he could time the deficit to have less impact on endurance work.

I haven't done IF either, but I do have expertise in marketing, and surmise the new features were needed from a "it's not the steak, it's the sizzle" perspective.

justgirl81

I have been doing IF for years. I vary between 20/4, 19/5, and 18/6.