IF in small doses

shazia20
shazia20 Posts: 18 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
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.

Replies

  • Lietchi
    Lietchi Posts: 6,809 Member
    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.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,238 Member
    edited February 5
    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?

  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,210 Member
    All you have to be concerned with is how many calories you consume on a weekly basis. Meal timing means squat.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,207 Member
    edited February 5
    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.
  • mtaratoot
    mtaratoot Posts: 14,230 Member
    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.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,754 Member
    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.
  • cmriverside
    cmriverside Posts: 34,412 Member
    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.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,210 Member
    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.
    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.

  • jackjackattck
    jackjackattck Posts: 117 Member
    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.
  • tomcustombuilder
    tomcustombuilder Posts: 2,210 Member
    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

  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,754 Member
    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

    💯
  • Corina1143
    Corina1143 Posts: 3,619 Member
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    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).
  • nsk1951
    nsk1951 Posts: 1,304 Member
    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.
  • jackjackattck
    jackjackattck Posts: 117 Member
    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. :)
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 869 Member
    edited February 6
    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.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,238 Member
    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 🤣
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 869 Member
    edited February 6
    PAV8888 wrote: »
    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 🤣

    Hahaha Facts. It would have to be the experimenter. Still not sure how that would play out.
  • PAV8888
    PAV8888 Posts: 14,238 Member
    edited February 6
    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 results
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 869 Member
    edited February 7
    Agreed. It would have to be based on something like blood samples, microbiome, epigenetic markers, blood sugar levels and white blood cell count, saliva samples- to see your overall biological age, and the specific biological ages of your heart, brain, liver, kidneys, and blood, your metabolic, immune, and hormonal systems, and your inflammation system, over an extended period of time, before and after IF.

    Unfortunately, as far as I know, a perfect study for this doesn’t exist. For example, current studies don’t consider senescence, where aged cells generate a mix of inflammatory chemicals that can damage the surrounding tissue. It’s just too hard to see the full picture. Likely best to conduct your own study on yourself and see if it’s worth it. Use those generic ones from the 1950’s on reaction time lol.
  • sollyn23l2
    sollyn23l2 Posts: 1,754 Member
    Good Lord y'all. This isn't even what the original poster was actually asking about. Just can't help yourselves. Back to the original post... if spacing out your meals by a few hours helps you stay in a calorie deficit. Great! Don't get wrapped up in the other... I'm gonna be charitable and say... less than true stuff.
  • ddsb1111
    ddsb1111 Posts: 869 Member
    edited February 7
    sollyn23l2 wrote: »
    Good Lord y'all. This isn't even what the original poster was actually asking about. Just can't help yourselves. Back to the original post... if spacing out your meals by a few hours helps you stay in a calorie deficit. Great! Don't get wrapped up in the other... I'm gonna be charitable and say... less than true stuff.

    My bad ☺️ I only see what has newly been added.

    OP, please ignore my comment. Basically this is what applies to you- “Likely best to conduct your own study on yourself and see if it’s worth it”.

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