IF in small doses
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shazia20
Posts: 18 Member
So to say I have struggled with my weight loss is an understatement. Gained 6 lbs in the last 4 weeks. So Ive begun a new strategy now.
So I refuse to do IF because I get very irritated and frustrated when I do it so Ive decided to do it differently . So after each meal i will leave a space of 3 hours minimum. So for example Ill have breakfast at 7 then snack at 10 then linch at 1 and then snack at 4 then dinner at 7. Each time If have finished one meal I will promise myself I wont eat anything before the 3 hours is up. Otherwise I am constantly grazing and I really need to lose weight. Any opinions?
Of course I will try to stay in my deficit.
So I refuse to do IF because I get very irritated and frustrated when I do it so Ive decided to do it differently . So after each meal i will leave a space of 3 hours minimum. So for example Ill have breakfast at 7 then snack at 10 then linch at 1 and then snack at 4 then dinner at 7. Each time If have finished one meal I will promise myself I wont eat anything before the 3 hours is up. Otherwise I am constantly grazing and I really need to lose weight. Any opinions?
Of course I will try to stay in my deficit.
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Replies
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If your problem is grazing and longer periods of fasting are problematic, it definitely makes sense to gradually increase the time between meals/ snacks. Probably not actual IF with only 3 hours of not eating, but I'd definitely give it a try in your case.1
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6lbs true gain in one month is a pretty hefty surplus above maintenance.
If on average one has been eating +750 Cal a day on average, consistently, I would be looking at what has been causing that and how I could modify or mitigate.
Going from +750 to 0 is a big change. Going to -500 or -750 or more? These are large swings.
What is your daily target intake now?
Were you logging during the past 4 weeks? What was your intake then?
Was it consistent frequent overages or more occasional but larger uncontrolled episodes?
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All you have to be concerned with is how many calories you consume on a weekly basis. Meal timing means squat.2
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If you don't eat from 7pm to 7 am that is IF, in it's basic form. What your doing is just trying to eat less throughout the day. Why complicate it and if you really can't stop eating constantly and need to eat every few hours then maybe look at what your eating for a possible solution.3
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Make sure to log all those meals and all those snacks.
If you count the "snacks" as meals, you're eating five times a day. Portion control and weighing everything will serve you well to help stay on track.3 -
tomcustombuilder wrote: »All you have to be concerned with is how many calories you consume on a weekly basis. Meal timing means squat.
But it does matter if you eat nonstop throughout the day (as the OP describes) which has impeded their weight loss... so they're cutting out the constant between meal grazing which may help limit calories.1 -
While it IS about calories, it also helps to focus on good nutrition. Those snacks? Make sure you're getting balanced amounts of protein, fat, carbs and fiber in every meal and snack. Eating lots of carbs and not enough other stuff can lead to constant perceived hunger.
I had to cut out snacks when I was losing weight. I am much happier in general when I eat two largish well balanced meals and one smaller one in between. If I'm allowing snacks, I'm never really satisfied and I'm always thinking about the next food. I had to learn to space out my meals - like normal people!
It takes time and experimentation to find a way of eating and timing that works.
Intermittent fasting isn't magic, it just helps some people manage their meals.4 -
it still comes down to weekly calories however you want to time meals, snack, etc.it may work for Fatloss provided it causes fewer overall calorie to be consumed.sollyn23l2 wrote: »tomcustombuilder wrote: »All you have to be concerned with is how many calories you consume on a weekly basis. Meal timing means squat.
But it does matter if you eat nonstop throughout the day (as the OP describes) which has impeded their weight loss... so they're cutting out the constant between meal grazing which may help limit calories.
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tomcustombuilder wrote: »All you have to be concerned with is how many calories you consume on a weekly basis. Meal timing means squat.
For weight loss specifically, this is true. But IF has many other health impacts beyond weight and the amount of hours you go in between food DOES mean something.2 -
jackjackattck wrote: »tomcustombuilder wrote: »All you have to be concerned with is how many calories you consume on a weekly basis. Meal timing means squat.
For weight loss specifically, this is true. But IF has many other health impacts beyond weight and the amount of hours you go in between food DOES mean something.
going for long periods with no protein is a negative.
There have been articles regarding benefits of IF other than a fat loss program however they are unfounded as are most touted benefits of this diet or that diet.
If someone likes IF and does well with it then that is a good program for that person
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tomcustombuilder wrote: »jackjackattck wrote: »tomcustombuilder wrote: »All you have to be concerned with is how many calories you consume on a weekly basis. Meal timing means squat.
For weight loss specifically, this is true. But IF has many other health impacts beyond weight and the amount of hours you go in between food DOES mean something.
going for long periods with no protein is a negative.
There have been articles regarding benefits of IF other than a fat loss program however they are unfounded as are most touted benefits of this diet or that diet.
If someone likes IF and does well with it then that is a good program for that person
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There are self reported benefits to IF. Still waiting for the double blind study! 🙈🤣🤷♂️ But there is zero doubt that no matter how a deficit is created the result of that is a reduction in the body's energy reserves.
How the reduction breaks down/is partitioned between fat and lean mass and actual muscle tissue which is not the same as lean mass, how it is optimized, how you balance it and keep it going, how you setup for maintenance all that has nuance and some methods may be marginally, or even a lot, better or worse for each one of us.
But if you really do need to control your weight for health reasons because you have become obese truly it starts by removing the biggest quantity of sacred cows that you can bring yourself to so that you can to try and find what will work for you in order to stop gaining and then to start losing
Being married to a way that is not working out for you is a waste of energy better put into logging every single bite that crosses your lips. Accurately, triple checked entries, by weight, and **before** you scarfe it down.
And if you think you will be able to pull this off as a beginning logger without cutting down on unnecessary eating and without choosing more simple, easier to log, more "wholesome" foods, I challenge you to try. The necessary sacred cows condition being not going in till logged. No tastes. No licks. No bites. No scraps. Can you? You will be surprised how often any ans all of the above take place esp with kids around
And I can tell you right now that I threw out meals (or left them for the next day) because I ate all my calories in apples and yogurt while trying to ACCURATELY and to the gram log a more complicated meal.
And at some point of time it clicked; I've had enough calories out of the apples and the yogurt. I want to eat but I am not actually hungry anymore. There exists no entitlement that I can and should continue eating because this was the meal I had planned, or deserved, or whatever
And slowly it dawned that food can be tasty. Food can be appreciated. But food is energy. And it can and should be appreciated in the context of our energy needs and not because it has other attributes.
Because when we consume it in excess it slips from being something we need and enjoy and it becomes a drug that offers only mild immediate analgesic effect at the cost of a slew of longer term side effects.
Food isn't a drug. But a number of us start using it as one. Not everyone FFS. But a good number out of the ones of us at some point in our lives end up obese
Now 🔥 away!6 -
6lbs true gain in one month is a pretty hefty surplus above maintenance.
If on average one has been eating +750 Cal a day on average, consistently, I would be looking at what has been causing that and how I could modify or mitigate.
Going from +750 to 0 is a big change. Going to -500 or -750 or more? These are large swings.
What is your daily target intake now?
Were you logging during the past 4 weeks? What was your intake then?
Was it consistent frequent overages or more occasional but larger uncontrolled episodes?cmriverside wrote: »While it IS about calories, it also helps to focus on good nutrition. Those snacks? Make sure you're getting balanced amounts of protein, fat, carbs and fiber in every meal and snack. Eating lots of carbs and not enough other stuff can lead to constant perceived hunger.
I had to cut out snacks when I was losing weight. I am much happier in general when I eat two largish well balanced meals and one smaller one in between. If I'm allowing snacks, I'm never really satisfied and I'm always thinking about the next food. I had to learn to space out my meals - like normal people!
It takes time and experimentation to find a way of eating and timing that works.
Intermittent fasting isn't magic, it just helps some people manage their meals.
Read these 2 again.
It matters what works for YOU, not what works for someone else.
For instance I can tell you that you must eat at the very least 20 grams of protein for every meal and at least 10 grams for every snack. But wait a minute--that's what works for me. Will it work for you? I could tell you that spacing full meals 6 hours apart is too far apart and you'll get Hangry before meals. But again, that's me, not you.
Just before you eat, ask yourself, Am I still full and eating because it's time? Or am I sooo hungry? Look at what you ate last. Did it contribute to this feeling?
On a day you overeat (or undereat) did what you ate (or didn't eat) the day before contribute? Exercise the day before? Sleep the night before? (I always eat a lot healthier when I've slept well).
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Your prior posting history indicates a somewhat turbulent history with food- frequent mentions of 1200 or fewer calories followed by gains and self flagellation.
Why not, instead of spending the years you already have in this same cycle, set a reasonable loss goal (NOT 2 lbs a week) and a calorie goal that will leave you full and satisfied while aiming for a slower, more manageable loss.
I’m not trying to be ugly. You and I joined within a few months of each other. I’ve lost a significant amount and been in maintenance for three years while you’ve chased your own tail and haven’t made any traction.
I’m not trying to compare myself to you or make you feel bad, just to get you to sit up and pay attention to the opportunities you’ve lost.
Why continue something that’s just not working? If you truly want change, focus and set goals.
Is this how you’d treat your education, finances, love life? Of course not! Why should your weight be different?
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I'd recommend looking at what you are eating. Some foods, for some people, cause them to want to eat again in a more-or-less uncontrolled manner. That could be in the form of over eating at any one time, or eating too often. In the end, you consume more than your body needs. Also, some foods make you retain in your digestive tract or throughout your body, which often settles into swollen feet and ankles when up and swollen face and midsection when laying down.
That said, eating less often helps your body to clear and store what you ate. We don't use up what we just ate, we store it. What we use up is what has already been stored.
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tomcustombuilder wrote: »jackjackattck wrote: »tomcustombuilder wrote: »All you have to be concerned with is how many calories you consume on a weekly basis. Meal timing means squat.
For weight loss specifically, this is true. But IF has many other health impacts beyond weight and the amount of hours you go in between food DOES mean something.
going for long periods with no protein is a negative.
There have been articles regarding benefits of IF other than a fat loss program however they are unfounded as are most touted benefits of this diet or that diet.
If someone likes IF and does well with it then that is a good program for that person
Yeah I was referring to the benefits I've read related to brain / cognitive health. They may be "unfounded" or "touted benefits", but as someone who watched my dad die the most disgusting and despicable death from dementia, even an unfounded claim to increase cognitive health is enough for me to do it.
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tomcustombuilder wrote: »jackjackattck wrote: »tomcustombuilder wrote: »All you have to be concerned with is how many calories you consume on a weekly basis. Meal timing means squat.
For weight loss specifically, this is true. But calorie restriction has many other health impacts beyond weight and the amount of hours you go in between food DOES mean something.
going for long periods with no protein is a negative.
There have been articles regarding benefits of IF other than a fat loss program however they are unfounded as are most touted benefits of this diet or that diet.
If someone likes IF and does well with it then that is a good program for that person
I do OMAD specifically for calorie control. It would be great if there’s extra benefits IMO. Just saw this from a study in 2023 about calorie restriction and Alzheimer’s. I’d love to see double blind studies personally.
Background
The beneficial effects of calorie restriction have been documented in animals and humans. Decreased oxidative stress damage and attenuated inflammatory responses are associated with intermittent fasting. These changes have a favorable impact on the vascular endothelium and stress-induced cellular adaptation.
Results
Physiological alterations associated with fasting have profound implications for pathological mechanisms associated with dementias, particularly Alzheimer’s disease. Compared with ad libitum feeding, caloric restriction in animals was associated with a reduction in β-amyloid accumulation, which is the cardinal pathological marker of Alzheimer’s disease. Animal studies have demonstrated synaptic adaptations in the hippocampus and enhanced cognitive function after fasting, consistent with these theoretical frameworks. Furthermore, vascular dysfunction plays a crucial role in Alzheimer’s disease pathology, and intermittent fasting promotes vascular health.
Conclusions
These observations lead to a hypothesis that intermittent fasting over the years will potentially reverse or delay the pathological process in Alzheimer’s disease.
https://academic.oup.com/nutritionreviews/article/81/9/1225/7116310
Anyway, definitely not for everyone. But, possible more than just a calorie control tool.1 -
Well double blind ain't gonna happen! At best the investigator won't know. The participant I figure is likely to notice without a major sales job 🤣0
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For my own convincing at least, clarity of thought and energy levels should be somehow measured objectively as opposed to self-reported
I've met too many people who are drunk or high and self-report both results1
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