Intermittent Fasting

loveswalking

I was thinking about doing this, but then i realised i am a hungry monter in the mornings, i can easily go without food during rest of the day, except for dinner.

Is there also a fasting way that allows you to eat breakfast and dinner only? Ofcourse i can do it, but not sure if there is a fasting term for it.

Right now i am doing IIFYM, doing a fasting i am pretty sure i won't hit my macro's. Ofcourse i will then need to lower my calorie intake for the day first by i think another 600-800 (cause this is what i eat for lunch and snacks during the day)

I also am afraid i might faint during my workouts in my lunchbreaks. So need to change my workouts to evenings, after dinner then.
And does fasting allows you to drink coffee and water all day, or is that also only when you are supposed to eat?

This story kinda got my attention now, and wanna learn a bit more first about it before trying it out 3-4 weeks

You could do 5:2 fast diet. There's a support group on here with a lot of helpful people on it.

bkk40in2011

I started on Monday with a fasting day and love this. I felt good and my blood sugar remained stable. (I test it just because I am a science geek and love knowing my body's numbers.) I have done 2 fast days and have decided to do 3 a week - using the 500 - 700 calorie on fast days. I do 1900 on normal days lightly active days and track everything. My averages are 1400 which I could never consistently keep before. On fast days I have done a snack (apple with a TBS of pb for a snack at 2pm then a dinner with family of a salad and fish at 6pm. I have lost 2 lbs this week from my highest weight on Sunday so I consider that a success. I have real problems with eating sweets so to not be craving is incredible. I also noticed this week my blood pressure has dropped to normal levels which is unbelievable to me. Love love love this WOE and WOL!

mtoasty79

How do you combat headaches on that type of eating schedule? I know if I wait too long I get a headache.

gmallan

so no banana splits?.... No...really....thanks for that reminder. Those high calorie foods can add up fast. How much are people losing per week doing it? I haven't heard any concrete numbers for weight loss?

Well that's the thing with IF, there's not going to be a set x amount per week you'll lose. It's just another way of creating a calorie deficit. In the end it still comes down to calories in calories out. For some people IF will work, and what I mean by that is that it will be a sustainable way of eating that fits their lifestyle and requirements. Others will hate it. It all comes down to personal choice (you are your own experiment n=1).

For me, I've been maintaining on IF for well over a year. I do 16:8 eating between 1pm and 9pm (most days except when I have a specific sporting need to eat early). I usually do a big lunch at 1pm, a big dinner at 8-9pm and a pre-workout snack at around 4pm.

BookAngel_a

Thanks everyone for the info and comments. I'm just starting IF on a trial basis, trying to find out what eating window works best for me and if this way of eating will help me start losing weight again. This thread has been very encouraging!

pipertargaryen

I eat between 2 and 9, and it's been doing wonders for me. I too sometimes end up with a coffee with milk and sweetener before that window, however.

The only day I eat outside that window is Sunday, I end up with breakfast at noon because I head to the gym/am then out of the house til I get home from work at 11PM, when I eat my dinner.

missrenahope

During my last month or so of school I tried out IF with an 8 hour window. I lost five pounds in a month doing that, mainly because I taught myself to avoid unnecessary snacking and I learned how it felt to really be hungry. Since I was limited in time, I also naturally made healthier, worthwhile choices. I unfortunately had to stop it once I came home for summer because of having to eat with my family's schedule, but I do plan to get back to it in a month when I go back.
Eating from either 11 to 7 or 12 to 8 worked for me. I would have a small lunch, snacks (bananas, yogurt), and whatever I wanted for dinner. I remember one day one of my clubs had free pizza and I binged on four pieces and ate lightly for the rest of my eating window and surprise surprise... no weight gain. It's a great way to manage calories.
You have to be careful not to get too extreme, though. At times I took the "I'm really not that hungry" a little too harshly and would end up not eating nearly enough for the day. I know that messed up my metabolism short-term. It definitely takes some experimenting, but it is a nice asset to weightloss. I will probably do it M-F and take Saturday and Sunday off.

Apazman

Hey everyone,

So, as someone earlier mentioned, for those of us that are typically not hungry until later in the day, this way of eating normally works for me. The caveat to that being, I MUST have my coffee in the morning, and I absolutely can not drink it black. Does anyone have this issue?

Thanks!

Here is the problem, one of the ways that IF works well is that your blood sugar is lower for longer. If you spike it in the morning with creamers/milk/whatever sugar, its stops the fat burning process and your fat oxidation levels drop significantly. Can you try a caffeine supplement in the morning instead?

RosanaRosanaDana

I was thinking about doing this, but then i realised i am a hungry monter in the mornings, i can easily go without food during rest of the day, except for dinner.

Is there also a fasting way that allows you to eat breakfast and dinner only? Ofcourse i can do it, but not sure if there is a fasting term for it.

Right now i am doing IIFYM, doing a fasting i am pretty sure i won't hit my macro's. Ofcourse i will then need to lower my calorie intake for the day first by i think another 600-800 (cause this is what i eat for lunch and snacks during the day)

I also am afraid i might faint during my workouts in my lunchbreaks. So need to change my workouts to evenings, after dinner then.
And does fasting allows you to drink coffee and water all day, or is that also only when you are supposed to eat?

This story kinda got my attention now, and wanna learn a bit more first about it before trying it out 3-4 weeks

The 5:2 diet allows you to eat as you would normally for 5 days of the week. On 2 days a week (which days are up to you, together, space, doesn't matter) you eat a total of 500 calories for women and 600 for men. You can split those calories in half and have 2 meals or have it all in 1 meal. Only water, coffee or tea with no sweeteners or dairy.

huge2fan2

My husband presented the IF idea to me in July 2012 and I initially thought he was crazy. I was brainwashed to believe that my metabolism would suffer; I would die of starvation; and I would suffer "hunger headaches" as well as hypoglycemia... Here we are almost 2 years later and I still love IF! The beauty is that your eating window can be tailored to your lifestyle (my window is usually between 1 PM & 9 PM). The key is to ensure that you don't overdo it with the calories during your eating window. I did log my foods when I was trying to lose, but now that I am in maintenance I still IF but don't currently log (I am very mindful of what I eat though). I recommend IF because I've been very successful so far with it (over 80 lbs lost & maintained) and gaining lean muscle mass while losing fat.

harribeau2012

My husband presented the IF idea to me in July 2012 and I initially thought he was crazy. I was brainwashed to believe that my metabolism would suffer; I would die of starvation; and I would suffer "hunger headaches" as well as hypoglycemia... Here we are almost 2 years later and I still love IF! The beauty is that your eating window can be tailored to your lifestyle (my window is usually between 1 PM & 9 PM). The key is to ensure that you don't overdo it with the calories during your eating window. I did log my foods when I was trying to lose, but now that I am in maintenance I still IF but don't currently log (I am very mindful of what I eat though). I recommend IF because I've been very successful so far with it (over 80 lbs lost & maintained) and gaining lean muscle mass while losing fat.

this all sounds really interesting to me...BUT I reckon I could very easily overdo it in an afternoon/evening and also If I get toooo hungry I can easily eat a dinner's worth of food whilst prepping dinner!!

further tips? x

padrizzy

I agree with you, I love IF because it's easy and narrows down what time I can eat, if I didn't have the guidelines for what time I can eat, I would be eating all day which isn't good. I been doing IF on and off and have lost weight consistently but this time I'm going to keep on it until I accomplish my goal. I would love to train fasted but I can't on my schedule. Hope your weight loss keep on!

mariaoutlook

HobbitSithLord wrote: »

I think that if IF suits your natural eating habits you can have a ton of success with it. There's so many people just naturally AREN'T HUNGRY until later in the day. I'm one of them. When I started out, I was forcing myself to eat breakfast and sometimes having to choke lunch down. Then I'd hit dinner, my 'natural' big meal and I'd go over or close to it and I was always on edge about eating.

That's what happens to me. I'm hungry at night. But I've always been told to eat 5 meals instead of 2 or 3.

Barbs2222

HLindsayA wrote: »

Hey everyone,

So, as someone earlier mentioned, for those of us that are typically not hungry until later in the day, this way of eating normally works for me. The caveat to that being, I MUST have my coffee in the morning, and I absolutely can not drink it black. Does anyone have this issue?

Thanks!

I was just going to ask this very question

Barbs2222

Sorry I read slow, I'll try black coffee tomorrow. Can I still have my lemon water in the morning?

Apazman

IF is most effective especially when you keep that blood sugar low. I DON'T mean dangerously low. but every time you eat or raise that blood sugar level your body has to stop burning and return to lower the blood sugar. So the longer you can keep that blood sugar low, the better. Most people love coffee, because of the sugar, but most people don't realize they also like it because of the caffeine.. I use caffeine supplements in the AM to get me going. By Lemon water, do you mean that sparkling flavored water which has sweetener in it? or do you mean water with a lemon wedge?

Barbs2222

Water just with a lemon wedge.

Apazman

oh yes, that is totally fine of course, I did find a booster to this is green tea. Suck down as much of it as you can. Green tea contains bioactive substances like caffeine and EGCG, which can have powerful effects on metabolism.

Barbs2222

Great thanks, I love warm drinks. Thanks for the great advise and for sharing

TiberiusClaudis

<<<<Before & After

minakshi703

hi everyone,i have joined this group today,wats about this fasting ,it sounds intresting,Can some one elaborate this for me...

Apazman

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting
http://dailyburn.com/life/health/intermittent-fasting-methods/

SnazzIT

Awesome...I am doing Fast-5 and yes IF simply is the best way of living for me...:)

krawhitham

I love IF! I am that person that would eat within my calories all day, and then inevitably go over at night. I can't fall asleep feeling hungry, so quitting food at 6-7pm was out of the question.

It's so good to hear that you've had success with it!

GretchenB02

I did IF for 4 months and lost 20 lbs. I ate in a 6-8 hour eating window. It really decreased my cravings. You can have bulletproof coffee in the am. I would just put some coconut oil in my tea in the am. It isn't for everyone and you have to figure out what works for your body.

SnazzIT

marybeth9999 wrote: »

so no banana splits?.... No...really....thanks for that reminder. Those high calorie foods can add up fast. How much are people losing per week doing it? I haven't heard any concrete numbers for weight loss?

I lost 1.5kg in one week having started back on Fast5...I still log in MFP diary though. my window is 5-10pm...

jenmovies

I do it, it's easy and I don't feel deprived most of the time. I tend to cut out dinner, and eat all day! As long as I still eat at a deficit, I lose. It's cheaper, simpler and it works. I am still healthy and have enough energy for workouts. If I feel like I need to eat though, I eat. Nice post!

jenmovies

HLindsayA wrote: »

Hey everyone,

So, as someone earlier mentioned, for those of us that are typically not hungry until later in the day, this way of eating normally works for me. The caveat to that being, I MUST have my coffee in the morning, and I absolutely can not drink it black. Does anyone have this issue?

Thanks!

Hello! the meal I skip is dinner, that way the fast is longer and for most of it you're asleep, so it's not as difficult! I cannot give up my morning coffee, no way lady!

carinaut

HLindsayA wrote: »

Hey everyone,

So, as someone earlier mentioned, for those of us that are typically not hungry until later in the day, this way of eating normally works for me. The caveat to that being, I MUST have my coffee in the morning, and I absolutely can not drink it black. Does anyone have this issue?

Thanks!

Ok, I don't know if I can explain this right, BUT: Recently, I've been to a lecture at my university by a professor of molecular biology who explained some experiments related to the influence of nutrition on ageing and health. He put in a lot of information in one and a half hours, so I don't rembemer all the explanations in detail.

Long story short, he said that using a small amount of plant based milk in your morning coffee does not ruin the effects of intermittment fasting. Sorry I can't really give you any hard facts :-) It was something about the antioxidants in the coffee...

GaleHawkins

Last week I ate my normal breakfast and a large 'breakfast' from Huddle House as early as noon and as late a 4 PM and ate next to nothing until the next morning and it really helped me drop about 3 pounds because I had been stuck at 215 for over a month. IF does work and did 40 years ago when I was in college.