Thoughts about Intermittent Fasting

GuybrushThreepw00d

What's your thoughts about IF?

Immediately I know that one of the many phrases you'll see on MFP a lot is "meal timing doesn't matter". Which i'm not necessarily disagreeing with.
I've lost quite a bit of fat by just being in calorie deficit with no funny diet, no small 6 meals a day stuff coming into play.

However there's a few things that intrigue me about IF,
1. The basic format of having a smaller eating window fits with my lifestyle. I don't like eating early in the morning and waiting to 12pm is fine. I normally have my dinner at 6:30pm, and if i do eat after 8:00pm it's generally not because i'm hungry... it's snacking.
Following IF strictly, if nothing else would stop me snacking
2. There's a lot more buzz about IF in the past 6 months on t'internet. I occasionally watch the Hodge Twins videos on youtube and notice even they have a "Fasting twins" channel.
3. Martin Berkhan doesn't seem completely insane.

SideSteel

I have some opinions in general regarding IF and meal timing/frequency/etc.

First, getting to your immediate question, I think IF can be a great fit for some people. For those who have been mislead into believing that you need to follow a specific meal frequency or timing, who also prefer skipping breakfast, it's like the best thing ever.

I think it's certainly worth trying, and as long as performance is maintained and you experience better dietary adherence, I'd stick to it.

I used to use IF, but I've found performance to be slightly better in a fed state, Consequently, I tend to have a large meal post workout, something small like a pop tart or a piece of fruit pre workout, and then most of my remaining cals at dinner since I prefer evening calories.


As for some other opinions that relate to this topic:

1) I think people have taken the "meal timing is irrelevant" thing and gone too far with it.
2) Likewise I think that some people have become rather black-and-white as far as IF goes. For example, the people who are militant about not putting cream in their coffee so they don't "break their fast" in fear of some negative effect. In my opinion, letting the clock tell you exactly when you can and can't eat because of some perceived advantage, whether it's 6 meals per day or a 16:8 fast, is silly. They're both ridiculous if the individual takes those ideas to that extreme. Sort of replacing one form of dogma with another. That's not to say that I don't like IF, it's just that I see die-hard IFers who are creating/believing in the same sort of inherent "fat loss advantage" that extends beyond the caloric deficit, just like the 6 meal-per-day people.

Ultimately I think people need to look for nutrient timing strategies that satisfy performance and preferential needs first, and once that part is in place, satisfy the theoretical stuff only if you can do so without it compromising performance/preference. And I think for some people, IF might satisfy those things.

EDIT: I do think Martin is a bit insane. I like his work though.

Sarauk2sf

Not surprisingly, I basically agree with what SideSteel has written so am not going to repeat it (I am lazy like that).

Just to summarize my thoughts, which pretty much repeats the above, I personally think that it is more important to fit your eating around your lifestyle/workouts etc rather than forcing an eating style that is not conducive to that.

In other words, if you do not get hungry in the morning, and IF'ing allows you to have a larger meal for lunch and or dinner, then go for it. However, workout performance is one of the biggest factors imo to successful body comp. If you have a better workout in a fed state, then eat before you workout.

firstsip

I'm sort of a big reader on IF, ever since I stumbled on MFP two years ago and made a fool of myself, thinking it was promoting starvation (having done days long fasts as an anorexic for a decade).

However, I've found IF can really line up with many people's hunger--like you, I've never been hungry in the morning, often not feeling hungry until 12 or 1; I workout fasted in the morning, so it all works out. I also prefer having a more caloric lunch and dinner than a "6 meal" type deal would allow. I personally don't notice issues (even though there's some science that women have to be a bit more mindful about.

There's also LOTS of variations in things I've read about IF; 16:8 seems the most standard, but I've seen other windows. I, without trying, just seem to follow a 17:7. On days where I end up not following it at all (an occasional holiday, or day of heavy exercise) and end up in a sort of "standard" 12:12 window, I don't notice any differences in energy or weight.

Also, I know I've seen people get a bit obsessive with the fasting window, but I've read that under 50 calories during the fasting window doesn't break the fast (usually in the context of coffee + milk or cream). I've never encountered a blogger or article that said you COULDN'T have your standard coffee and cream in the morning on a fast.