Intermittent Fasting

Crowhorse

seems like it would the body into some unnecessary stress not to mention starvation motion too. This would be unreasonable for me as I have been so successful losing my weight by eating times a day.

I remember reading a while back, that there was a study done about how long it takes for your body to go into starvation mode. It actually takes at least 72 hours, or 3 full days of food withholding, for that to kick in.

From what I understand about intermittent fasting, you are in no danger of actually going into starvation mode, since it will never, ever reach that threshold. Most intermittent fasts are within a 16-18 hour time frame, so basically dinner, nothing to eat until lunch the next day, then all your daily calories after that.

Nothing terribly tragic.

Grokette

Contrary to popular belief, intermittent fasting has numerous and proven health benefits, including but not limited to fat loss. I fast for 24 hours about once a week, and love everything about it. Everyone needs to do a little more research on the studies related to intermittent fasting before they start going off on how terrible an idea it is.

I whole heartedly agree. Research, research, research before speaking about topics you have no clue as the subject at hand.

Here are some articles outlining the benefits of Intermittent Fasting:

http://www.theiflife.com/benefits-intermittent-fasting/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting/

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/intermittent-fasting/fast-way-to-better-health/

Now, to the OP - I started IF in February and I am up to 36 hour fast and it is very freeing not having to worry about food and not being hungry either. Also, I have lost about 20 pounds since February with the combination of Paleo / primal eating and practicing regular IF sessions. I consider this to be part of my new lifestyle now.. The freedom is great and fantastic!!

No more blood sugar swings, my numbers stay stable. No hunger when I am out and about.

Grokette

Fasting only slows your metabolism because it sends your body into storage mode. Along with this, it induces muscle wasting which impairs your BMR. Remember the more muscle you have, the more you burn. Ask any dietitian and they will tell you to avoid it unless it is medically necessary like before a surgery or before blood work.

Depends on how long you do it. Intermittent Fasting is different and there are a number of different options on how to do it.

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/how-to-intermittent-fasting/

And it can be very, very healthy. Our early ancestors didn't always have access to food at all times. When I decided to try out Primal Blueprint I started it off with a 26 hour fast and I felt wonderful.

Intermittent fasting can be just skipping a meal that day. Or getting your day's calories in a 4 hour window.

awesome!! thanks!

Intermittent Fasting is likened to Eat only when hungry. For me, that is eating around 1pm and then maybe around 7:00 in the evening..............So I typically have an IF window from around 7:30 PM until around 1:00 PM the next day.

hpsnickers1

Contrary to popular belief, intermittent fasting has numerous and proven health benefits, including but not limited to fat loss. I fast for 24 hours about once a week, and love everything about it. Everyone needs to do a little more research on the studies related to intermittent fasting before they start going off on how terrible an idea it is.

I whole heartedly agree. Research, research, research before speaking about topics you have no clue as the subject at hand.

Here are some articles outlining the benefits of Intermittent Fasting:

http://www.theiflife.com/benefits-intermittent-fasting/

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/health-benefits-of-intermittent-fasting/

http://www.proteinpower.com/drmike/intermittent-fasting/fast-way-to-better-health/

Now, to the OP - I started IF in February and I am up to 36 hour fast and it is very freeing not having to worry about food and not being hungry either. Also, I have lost about 20 pounds since February with the combination of Paleo / primal eating and practicing regular IF sessions. I consider this to be part of my new lifestyle now.. The freedom is great and fantastic!!

No more blood sugar swings, my numbers stay stable. No hunger when I am out and about.

Same here. No more blood sugar swings, no more cravings, no more weak, shaky hunger pangs.

myofibril

IFing is relatively safe and effective if implemented properly. Leangains is a fantastic resource and worth checking out.

I don't do it myself but it can certainly work. There is no real magic in it though. It's simply a way of organising your eating whereby you are eating at a calorie deficit if fat loss is your goal without having to think too much about it. I can see how that would be attractive to some people.

There is no getting around the energy balance equation. Just a word to the wise. If anyone starts speaking about "metabolic advantage" in the context of IF or any other diet to the extent that they say an individual can consume more calories than their body needs to maintain itself and still lose weigh then run...

hpsnickers1

IFing is relatively safe and effective if implemented properly. Leangains is a fantastic resource and worth checking out.

I don't do it myself but it can certainly work. There is no real magic in it though. It's simply a way of organising your eating whereby you are eating at a calorie deficit if fat loss is your goal without having to think too much about it. I can see how that would be attractive to some people.

There is no getting around the energy balance equation. Just a word to the wise. If anyone starts speaking about "metabolic advantage" in the context of IF or any other diet to the extent that they say an individual can consume more calories than their body needs to maintain itself and still lose weigh then run...

And run fast. Yes weight loss still comes down to one main fact: Calories in vs. calories out. As for your long term health, though, I do believe that the quality of that calorie will make all the difference.

myofibril

IFing is relatively safe and effective if implemented properly. Leangains is a fantastic resource and worth checking out.

I don't do it myself but it can certainly work. There is no real magic in it though. It's simply a way of organising your eating whereby you are eating at a calorie deficit if fat loss is your goal without having to think too much about it. I can see how that would be attractive to some people.

There is no getting around the energy balance equation. Just a word to the wise. If anyone starts speaking about "metabolic advantage" in the context of IF or any other diet to the extent that they say an individual can consume more calories than their body needs to maintain itself and still lose weigh then run...

And run fast. Yes weight loss still comes down to one main fact: Calories in vs. calories out. As for your long term health, though, I do believe that the quality of that calorie will make all the difference.

Undeniably true.

pyro13g

I have naturally done it all my life. Usually Friday night to Saturday night. Just never really been hungry too often in that time frame. Never, ever have had weight issues or any health issue outside of a burst appendix. Being between 4%-18% BF, depending where you caught me in my cycle of add muscle/lean up, for over two decades, tells me IF isn't hurting anything.

Many people don't realize they already do it and that a little more can often help them reach goals.

MissKim

I am a supporter of IF'ing also. Definently is just another tool to keep our bodies healthy. People are so scared of starvation mode and ketones, they don't realize how natural fasting can be. You ever woke up with nasty morning breathe? Congrats, you just fasted for 7-12 hours. and that taste in your mouth, your body releasing ketones (burned fat) At least I know i used to sleep 12 hours when I was younger! lol. Just like with anything, it can be abused though. DO RESEARCH PLEASE

oh, and just b/c you fast doesn't mean you are starving yourself, on days i fast i still get in my calories for the day. it's not necessary, but if that's what your worried about.

and ofcourse, not necessary to lose weight! just another optional tool.

(the statements above are my opinions/thoughts/views, not to be taken as medical advice)

skinnybitch1987

Google Eat Stop Eat and Lean Gains for a start. If you're interested do some research. I've had success with it, but tend to not discuss here because people don't understand it and bash it easily. Good luck.

I agree with this. It's not even worth the argument from people who do it, and people who don't really know anything about it. Do the google search. It's great for some people.

Glitter_pumpkin

You get to eat everyday. I've been doing Eat stop Eat which is intermittent fasting and i've had no problems with it. You stop eating around 6-7pm and then you just fast until you eat dinner again around 6pm the next day. You only do this 203 times a week and it kicks your body in action helping it get a break without hurting anything. You don't need to constantly eat, you body needs time to rest and you're never fasting for more than 24 hours so this gives your body some time to heal without causing any problems. This can help with sugar addict problems and blood sugar issues and it just helps your body work better if you do it right. You don't have to ask your doctor unless you want to fast for more than 3 days. But if you have questions it wouldn't hurt to ask them if you really wanted to.

hpsnickers1

I am a supporter of IF'ing also. Definently is just another tool to keep our bodies healthy. People are so scared of starvation mode and ketones, they don't realize how natural fasting can be. You ever woke up with nasty morning breathe? Congrats, you just fasted for 7-12 hours. and that taste in your mouth, your body releasing ketones (burned fat) At least I know i used to sleep 12 hours when I was younger! lol. Just like with anything, it can be abused though. DO RESEARCH PLEASE

oh, and just b/c you fast doesn't mean you are starving yourself, on days i fast i still get in my calories for the day. it's not necessary, but if that's what your worried about.

and ofcourse, not necessary to lose weight! just another optional tool.

(the statements above are my opinions/thoughts/views, not to be taken as medical advice)

Oh wow. I once read a post here from someone who said that the white stuff on your tongue was fat that was burned off during the night. I thought that was completely ludicrous but I bet she was trying to explain this. And that you burn fat through your pee. Maybe she was talking about the ketones.

DrBorkBork

oh, and just b/c you fast doesn't mean you are starving yourself

Right! My last meal was dinner (6 or 7ish). I'm just now cooking lunch (my first meal of the day). Look at my food diary and then tell me I'm starving myself, LOL.

Lleldiranne

My family has participated in a religious fast once a month for as long as I can remember. Little kids, of course, don't participate, and neither do people with medical issues that would make it unsafe. Other than that, there are millions of people in my church (worldwide) who participate in this once a month. We do not eat for two consecutive meals (usually breakfast and lunch on a sunday).

Don't know if this counts as your "intermittent" fasting. But most people claim they feel better if they do this. I never had ill effects until I developed a medical condition. Of course, most of the benefits for us are religious, but my point is that I don't think it would hurt anything from time to time (I haven't seen any empirical evidence about benefits either, but hey, if you want to go for it, it won't hurt you!)

MissKim

I am a supporter of IF'ing also. Definently is just another tool to keep our bodies healthy. People are so scared of starvation mode and ketones, they don't realize how natural fasting can be. You ever woke up with nasty morning breathe? Congrats, you just fasted for 7-12 hours. and that taste in your mouth, your body releasing ketones (burned fat) At least I know i used to sleep 12 hours when I was younger! lol. Just like with anything, it can be abused though. DO RESEARCH PLEASE

oh, and just b/c you fast doesn't mean you are starving yourself, on days i fast i still get in my calories for the day. it's not necessary, but if that's what your worried about.

and ofcourse, not necessary to lose weight! just another optional tool.

(the statements above are my opinions/thoughts/views, not to be taken as medical advice)

Oh wow. I once read a post here from someone who said that the white stuff on your tongue was fat that was burned off during the night. I thought that was completely ludicrous but I bet she was trying to explain this. And that you burn fat through your pee. Maybe she was talking about the ketones.

yep, probably so. we all naturally go in and out of ketosis, based on how many hours it's been since we ate, and first thing in the morning after fasting all night. if you burn fat, you are participating in ketosis. whether it be from fasting, low carbing, or just creating a calorie deficit from counting calories and working out. it's all just different forms of starving your body in order to trick it into using stored fat as energy. but for people like me that are insulin resistant, your body stops learning how to burn fat for energy, that's why it just keeps getting stored more and more, and i just have more and more cravings. esp while counting calories. if i go more than a few hours, my sugar drops, i get shaky, weak, cold sweats, etc. and when i eat something with alot of sugar (bread is the same once it enters the body) my sugar spikes, i get headaches, and I'm just as starving to death in a matter of a couple of hours. so watching my carbs really helps me. i feel great eating the way i eat, and i feel great IF'ing. we could sit up and argue all day with way is better to burn fat. but we have to remember that we are all different, you just have to find what works for you! and do it!

MissKim

probably didn't do a great job of describing that, but hey i tried. i have a hard time getting the things in my brain out. lol, it's a weakness!

hpsnickers1

probably didn't do a great job of describing that, but hey i tried. i have a hard time getting the things in my brain out. lol, it's a weakness!

I know that feeling well. And you did a great job. I think that is where I was a couple of years ago. I thought it was starvation mode. All I ate was carbs and lots of sugar carbs and fat for a long time and had no issues with weight. I turned 38 and within a year I had packed on almost 20lbs. And the more I ate the more I craved. I could eat spoonsful of sugar straight out of the cannister. I think that was the beginning of my insulin resistance. My dad's on dialysis, my older brother became diabetic at 42 (he's doing great now!) and I'm 40 now. So my time was coming. BUT NO MORE!!!

I had an immediate response going Primal. I was expecting any kind of results so soon. I never went through 'carb flu' just a little light-headedness/dizziness on occasion. I never felt faint. My energy levels increased immediately. That's how I know this way of eating is perfect for me.

pyro13g

Burning fat does not mean Ketosis. You are always using fat as energy whether at a reasonable deficit, maintenance, or surplus calories..slow cardio, intense cardio or sitting on the couch watching TV. Barring disease.

Ketosis is an elevated level of ketones in the blood when liver glycogen is depleted.

You'll never function entirely on ketones. That is why skinny fat happens and total emaciation in the end. Otherwise, ketosis would only result in a ripped, muscular physique, instead of a walking corpse when taken too far.

AllyS7

Congrats, you just fasted for 7-12 hours. and that taste in your mouth, your body releasing ketones (burned fat) At least I know i used to sleep 12 hours when I was younger! lol. Just like with anything, it can be abused though. DO RESEARCH PLEASE

I guess I never realized this but I've been sort of IF'ing for a while. I was just looking around seeing if I should eat closer to bed time (I was worried that I was going to long not eating) and found some IF threads.

I usually stop eating around 5 pm and then don't eat again until 7-8 am. It just works naturally with my schedule. I still get in all my calories. I feel fine (actually I don't know if it's related but I've been sleeping awesome), still losing weight and building muscle.

Barneystinson

I'm going to eat a very filling diet tonight of beef stuffed peppers and see if I can go through a full 24 hours tomorrow with a lifting session included.

I'm going to skip doing any intervals tonight and stick with a walk - so long as it stays sunny here.

Cletc

Aaaaaarghhhhh!!!!!! :explode:

Start another thread.
I do want to hear about it and read the discussion.
Thanks
:-)

Cletc

I
Many people don't realize they already do it

Yes, I would think so too

Grokette

Gotta be careful with the fasting, not just for the slowing of the metabolism and starvation mode, but also setting yourself up for a binge. But if you think you can handle it and your not worried about your metabolism then go for it. Oh one more thing, I have heard that fasting for less than 24 hours is not even enough time to give your body any benefit from ridding itself of waste or clearing anything out.

Intermittent Fasting works quite the opposite of what you described............

No more cravings, so binging is way less likely to happen. Not Fasting long enough to slow the metabolism or enter starvation mode (which personally I don't believe it exists until your at the anorexic or starvation point)..........

For most of us here, it stabilizes our blood sugar, no more cravings and resting our digestive tract.

You should really do some research about the subject before coming into a topic and stating a whole bunch of nonsense.................

heniko

People who fast for religiously reasons don't go in starvation mode. They are healthy afterwards in fast. I was fasting before detoxing really not IF it helped me curved some of my addictions and cravings. But since I've started IF with more and more space between the meals - working on my body's rithum I'm having trouble getting in the calories. But I'm not worried. I can easily walk past a pâtisserie without wanting to walk in - rather I have this feeling that nothing in there is worth my time nor tastes better then a steak au poivre. I track my blood sugar levels also. During IF they don't dib. And during this time I'm mentally clear too!

jene77

Bump

jensmith2005

I am so glad to find women who are doing this. I have been searching the web for a week and I only ran across men who were weight lifters and trying to get to 4% body fat. Right now I am just trying to get below 40%. I completed to 22 hour fasts and lost 3 pounds I am very jazzed. I can't wait to do it again.

inafit16177

I don't think I would try anything like this without discussing it with a doctor. I know people see success with zigzagging calories (low a few days, then back up to calorie limit for a day or two,) so that may be a less extreme option. As a Catholic, I fast a few times a year and I am always ravenous the next day. So I don't think this would even work for me.

SophJakesmom...
I see that one of your goals is the ladies half marathon in Indy...I am training right now for it myself...Good Luck to YOU!

Bootzey

I am a faster. I normally fast 1 day a week and then an additional 3 weeks a year. I feel great when I do this and very energized and clear headed. I do it for other reasons than weight loss. I am NOT worried.

Teemo

I do IF, no better or worse for me than eating regularly timed meals nutritionally.

Benefits have been:

- More time to sleep in.
- Less time spent preparing meals.
- Easier to include so-called "social dinners" in my meal plans because I "budget" 75-99% of my daily calories for after I leave work and hit the gym.

Teemo

I don't think I would try anything like this without discussing it with a doctor. I know people see success with zigzagging calories (low a few days, then back up to calorie limit for a day or two,) so that may be a less extreme option. As a Catholic, I fast a few times a year and I am always ravenous the next day. So I don't think this would even work for me.

Intermittent fasting isn't a "Oh, I think I'll skip a few meals tomorrow and see what happens." It's a year-long or life-long lifestyle change.

Obviously if you're used to eating 3-5 meals a day spread over 16 hours then skipping one will cause you to be "ravenous". That doesn't happen when you become accustomed to eating the same meals spread over 4-6 hours. Also the type of fasting you're describing is NOT EATING. Intermittent fasting is NOT NOT EATING (double negative, lol).