IF hasn’t worked for me so far

H4RRYGH

Hi there!! I’m back to this app (after a few years away) to try & figure out why Intermittent fasting just isn’t working for me. I’m 50, M, 226lbs & hope to lose 20+lbs, though I’d be happy with 10. I’m fairly active, exercise at least twice a week, sometimes more.
My weight has never fluctuated much. I was at 202 or so 15 years ago and I’d gain 1-2 lbs a year. Seasons of exercise or none have never made much difference. About a year ago I gained 12 lbs in 6 mos, and definitely noticed more belly fat, my clothes got tight, etc. My doctor said that was very common for someone my age, and I had also started using a cpap, changed jobs, and had other factors that may have explained it.
So here I am, stuck at 226-ish. I have been doing 16:8 fasting 4 days a week for almost a month with no real change in weight (I have noticed other benefits). I eat pretty healthy… or at least I think I do. I generally stay below 2400 calories, less on fasting days. I’m here to track calories again and figure out what I need to change!

neanderthin

IF isn't about calories per se but for some people who are nocturnal snackers it may help. 18:6 is more about the down time for the body to repair stuff and less time insulin is elevated during a 24 hour period which can help increase insulin sensitivity in the context of someone that has metabolic syndrome dysfunctions, but if a person is considered healthy then IF would really be elusive I would imagine, except lots of people say they sleep better as well. cheers

ddsb1111

I’m sorry IF didn’t agree with you @H4RRYGH, unfortunately it’s not for everyone. I’m curious what you were doing exactly to use IF as a tool to lose weight? Feel free to fill me in if you’re up to it. I might have a suggestion to make it easier.

I do IF (OMAD to be specific) everyday for no other reason than to eat within my calories and alleviate the burden of thinking and preparing meals all day. This is definitely not for everyone! But I enjoy the amount of calories I get in that meal, and it keeps me from the typical food coma I’ve experienced whenever I ate during the day. The only way IF works for weight loss is if you eat in your calorie deficit, there’s really nothing miraculous about it otherwise. And the closest way I’ve monitored those calories is through honest weighing and logging what I eat.

kshama2001

There are mistakes that people commonly make that cause them to not lose weight that we might be able to spot if you change your Diary Sharing settings to Public. In the app, go to Settings > Diary Setting > Diary Sharing > and check Public. Desktop: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/account/diary_settings

H4RRYGH

Thanks for the comments!! I’m back to this app to be sure I’m not fooling myself on the amount of calories I’m taking in. I will share my diary once I have a few weeks of data logged. I was drawn to IF b/c I have seen AMAZING results with some co-workers… guys who really weren’t particularly overweight, but who lost 20-30 lbs through IF alone. That’s what I was hoping for but so far (4 weeks) no real results. I am motivated though so I’ll stick with it. I’m trying to up my exercise/movement from what it has been the past month, so maybe that will help.

ddsb1111

H4RRYGH wrote: »

Thanks for the comments!! I’m back to this app to be sure I’m not fooling myself on the amount of calories I’m taking in. I will share my diary once I have a few weeks of data logged. I was drawn to IF b/c I have seen AMAZING results with some co-workers… guys who really weren’t particularly overweight, but who lost 20-30 lbs through IF alone. That’s what I was hoping for but so far (4 weeks) no real results. I am motivated though so I’ll stick with it. I’m trying to up my exercise/movement from what it has been the past month, so maybe that will help.

Well, welcome back, and I think you’ve got the right idea when you said to be sure I’m not fooling myself on the amount of calories I’m taking in. This is the path to weight loss, not IF. What IF really does is shortens your eating window making it easier to adhere to your reduced calorie goal. This is the ONLY reason your co-workers had success 😊 And, you can too! Exercise is for health and fitness but doesn’t do much in the way of weight loss, but if it’s not causing you to be more hungry then that’s great. Keep an eye on your calories, weigh and log everything with honesty and accuracy, and you’ll absolutely crush your goals.

MacLowCarbing

H4RRYGH wrote: »

Hi there!! I’m back to this app (after a few years away) to try & figure out why Intermittent fasting just isn’t working for me. I’m 50, M, 226lbs & hope to lose 20+lbs, though I’d be happy with 10. I’m fairly active, exercise at least twice a week, sometimes more.
My weight has never fluctuated much. I was at 202 or so 15 years ago and I’d gain 1-2 lbs a year. Seasons of exercise or none have never made much difference. About a year ago I gained 12 lbs in 6 mos, and definitely noticed more belly fat, my clothes got tight, etc. My doctor said that was very common for someone my age, and I had also started using a cpap, changed jobs, and had other factors that may have explained it.
So here I am, stuck at 226-ish. I have been doing 16:8 fasting 4 days a week for almost a month with no real change in weight (I have noticed other benefits). I eat pretty healthy… or at least I think I do. I generally stay below 2400 calories, less on fasting days. I’m here to track calories again and figure out what I need to change!

I do IF in the form of TRE like you (usually 16:8 or 18:6), but I only eat about 1200 calories per day. And if I do a full day fast, I don't eat anything, I only drink homemade bone broth.

Are you sure 2400 calories isn't too high for you? 2400 sounds pretty high to me for weight loss unless you're also a body builder or do some other kind of intense daily exercise.