Has anyone GAINED weight/fat doing intermittent fasting?
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i've been researching IF the past couple of days, and am currently trying the 16/8.
no problems so far, and i really like the fact that i am in a sense reteaching my body when i actually am hungry.
Yay!! Good stuff.
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I love IF so far. Down 15 total from my high of 260 and I find that this is is the first eating pattern I can actually stick to. Eating 6 meals a day like may plans teach was actually leading me to consistently over eat. Now that I have been fasting I have to make myself eat more just to hit proper nutrition levels. That is truly exciting for someone like me who has struggled for so long.0
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Hi, well my overall goal isn't to lose weight since I am 6'1" with a 34 inch waist. I wanted to get more lean, which actually does involve losing weight, but I wanted to replace that weight with muscle. I read that proper IF can up natural HGH levels up to 2000%.
In the gym or during my workouts I feel more aggressive and I do have more energy. In the first 10 days I lost 3 KG (6.5 lbs) and then I gained back 1. I have only been doing this for 3 weeks.
I eat about 1200 calories daily and much of those are carbs, mostly pastas.
So, I am wondering why are my fat loss results much slower than what others are experiencing...0 -
why are you only eating 1200 cals?
On those cals, the majority should be from protein.0 -
why are you only eating 1200 cals?
On those cals, the majority should be from protein.
The goal of this is to keep some muscle. If I were to do low carbs, wouldn't I just lack energy and I'd lose a lot of strength and muscle mass? The reason I ask this is because I did this before and I felt significantly weaker and I had less energy.
The 1200 calories is to create a large caloric deficit. I am not trying to bulk up now, just maintain as much muscle as I can while losing a little bit of body fat.0 -
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why are you only eating 1200 cals?
On those cals, the majority should be from protein.
The goal of this is to keep some muscle. If I were to do low carbs, wouldn't I just lack energy and I'd lose a lot of strength and muscle mass? The reason I ask this is because I did this before and I felt significantly weaker and I had less energy.
The 1200 calories is to create a large caloric deficit. I am not trying to bulk up now, just maintain as much muscle as I can while losing a little bit of body fat.
You are a 25 year old male. You don't appear to have a large amount of fat to lose. There is no reason whatsoever that you should be eating 1200. With a caloric intake that low there is absolutely no way you can get enough protein in your intake to spare muscle loss and there is no way you will hit your fat minimums.
The leaner you are the smaller your caloric deficit should be. It doesn't work the way you think it does.
What do you mean, "the way I think it does"? If you take a significantly less amount of calories in, you will lose weight. That is the point I am trying to make. That does work. And, I think that applying 1 set of rules to people who have various genetic backgrounds doesn't make sense.
Anyway, I said I lost 3kg and gained 1kg. I can't even tell for sure if I gained 1 kg in fat. What I know for sure is that I am 2kg less than I was 3 weeks ago and I am stronger. I can tell I am stronger since I hit heavier weight and/or more reps when I'm in the gym. So, whatever I am doing is working. I honestly think that a portion of that 1kg, even though it may be a small portion, is muscle weight. In any case, I just started so it is too early to tell for sure and 1 kg isn't much anyway.0 -
Watch the bad science in this thread, a lot of people obviously don't know the difference between intermittent fasting and normal fasting.
The answer is... almost any diet if followed correctly will result in you LOSING weight. That said, is intermittent fasting something you're planning on doing forever? If not you may wish to look for a better solution. Don't look at something and go "I can do that for a few months to lose xyz weight" because after that loss you will just gain it back when you stop doing that thing. Find something you can do day in and day out indefinitely. Some people do well with IF, some do well with Atkins, some do well eating clean, paleo, vegan, raw, fast food, etc.. find your method and you'll make the life change necessary to lose weight and keep it off long term.0 -
What do you mean, "the way I think it does"? If you take a significantly less amount of calories in, you will lose weight. That is the point I am trying to make. That does work. And, I think that applying 1 set of rules to people who have various genetic backgrounds doesn't make sense.
Does not work exactly that way. If you have a lot of weight to lose then yes, I huge deficit is in order. As you get leaner so needs to be your deficit. Simply because your body has less fat stores to draw from. Typically you take your body fat% and multiply by 30. If you don't know your body fat multiply the amount of weight left to lose by 30. This will give you an appropriate deficit. The reason you multiply by 30 is because the body can only access 30 calories per pound of fat. I have a paper somewhere on this computer, I will try to dig it up.
Example:
200 lbs male @ 20% body fat = 40 lbs fat
40 lbs x 30 calories per lbs fat = 1200 calorie deficit
200lbs male @ 10% body fat = 20 lbs fat
20 lbs x 30 calories per lbs fat = 600 calorie deficit
Reduce that deficit the leaner you get or the body will most likely look to other sources for it's energy needs...
Mike, how much weight are you looking to lose?0 -
I have been experimenting with the 16/8 fasting approach. (about 3 days a week), I write a blog and like to be the guinea pig (so to speak) hehe....and then write about my results. I do like it. I have a long day...my work day isn't usually until about 10..but being a single mother, I'm obviously up and at em pretty early. So I tend to start my caloric intake around 6:30 (usually a little cream in my coffee).and eat a good breakfast. Lately it's been grapefruit and organic oatmeal. Sometimes banana. Later on I will have snacks. Like nuts or seeds. Then lunch is usually a good salad with spinach, veggies, etc. and a nice bowl of soup. I usually have a piece of chocolate or something. And then by 2:30 PM I am done for the day. I drink a ton of water too. (Have been for years) and green tea. But I work from 10-6 some days, and 11-7 on Fridays. So it's pretty easy for me to not eat dinner. By the time I get home and settled I just don't want a lot on my stomach before bed.
So I continue to drink all my water and when I go to bed I feel really good. And I have zero heartburn or stomach problems. I don't feel as bloated. I am a healthy eater in general but sodium is in everything and bloats us up! I sometimes feel a little hungry but not unbearable....and I wake up feeling awesome. Not starving at all. And my stomach feels good.
I haven't experienced gain with it at all. I do work out well and eat healthy. I tend to follow the 80/20 rule with foods. 80% being healthy and 20% being cheat or fun foods. I find my cravings for the bad stuff greatly diminished.
I think it's a great tool for weight loss and/or management if done the right way. I lost 135 lbs without doing IF...but I can see it being beneficial for it. Mainly because knowing your "Window" is closed can be helpful to keep the snacking at bay. The picking at foods, snacking etc...can be a downfall for many of us!
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BigMIke, I too would recommend a higher protein diet, especially if there is going to be a large caloric deficit.
I once was much larger (300lbs plus)and went on caloric restriction. I'm a carb junky by nature. when I restricted my calories I neglected following protein counts. As a result I ate too little protein, (and also did too much cardio, another subject BTW). I can tell you I did lose a lot of muscle over my early period of weight loss.
In times of severe caloric restriction your body will use some ingested protein as a fuel source. That means there will be even less available for muscle repair& growth. There is research online you can find that supports this.
Bottom line, don't skimp on protein, I would also not go low fat for too long a period, due to dietary fat playing a role in proper hormone function.
To stay on topic, I have tried IF for a few weeks. One of the things I didn't like about intermittent fasting was trying to cram that much protein (200 gs plus)in the 8 hr eating window.0 -
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Hi, well my overall goal isn't to lose weight since I am 6'1" with a 34 inch waist. I wanted to get more lean, which actually does involve losing weight, but I wanted to replace that weight with muscle. I read that proper IF can up natural HGH levels up to 2000%.
In the gym or during my workouts I feel more aggressive and I do have more energy. In the first 10 days I lost 3 KG (6.5 lbs) and then I gained back 1. I have only been doing this for 3 weeks.
I eat about 1200 calories daily and much of those are carbs, mostly pastas.
So, I am wondering why are my fat loss results much slower than what others are experiencing...
IF for the HGH benefits but eat to maintenance, or even a little above maintenance and LIFT to build the muscle.
6'1" with a 34" waist... you need not lose any weight.0 -
I think what you have to remember with IF is that you can't eat anything you want (no you can't eat cheesecake only during your 8 hour window). You need to eat low carb and high protein. My boss swears by IF and has lost 20 lbs in a year, but I simply can't eat low carb since I get too cranky.0
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I think what you have to remember with IF is that you can't eat anything you want (no you can't eat cheesecake only during your 8 hour window). You need to eat low carb and high protein. My boss swears by IF and has lost 20 lbs in a year, but I simply can't eat low carb since I get too cranky.
You have to eat high protein low carb with IF? Why?0 -
weight training should be a part of any fat loss plan.
^^This, this and this.
16:8 IF is terrific, I like it, but it's not for everyone. As suggested, try it for a month, if you don't like it, stop.
Eating at a surplus will cause weight gain whether or not you eat those calories in an 8 hour window or every 2 hours.0 -
awe yeah!:drinker:0
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This is from the webMD page on fasting-
"When you fast, your body is forced to dip into energy stores to get the fuel it needs to keep going, so you will lose weight. The big question is how long you will keep that weight off. Because food was often scarce for our ancestors, our bodies have been genetically programmed to combat the effects of fasting. When you eat less food, your metabolism slows down to conserve energy. Then, when you go back to your usual diet, your lowered metabolism may cause you to store more energy, meaning that you will probably gain back the weight you lost and possibly even put on more weight when eating the same calories you did before the fast.
As you fast, your body will adjust by reducing your appetite, so you will initially feel less hungry. But once you have stopped fasting, your appetite hormones will kick back into gear and you may actually feel hungrier and be more likely to binge.
Research has shown that fasting on alternate days can help people lose weight, but not for long. In one study, people who followed an alternate-day fasting diet shed weight, even when they ate all they wanted on the non-fasting days. However, they could not maintain the weight loss over time."
IF, especially 16/8, isn't in any way like when our ancestors experienced food shortages. Eight of the sixteen are sleep time. EVERYONE, for the most part, fasts while they sleep.0 -
weight training should be a part of any fat loss plan.
Eating at a surplus will cause weight gain whether or not you eat those calories in an 8 hour window or every 2 hours.
These are the take home points.
And no HP/LC is not a requirement of IF. Getting enough protein should be a secondary priority after total cals on any diet.0 -
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This is from the webMD page on fasting-
"When you fast, your body is forced to dip into energy stores to get the fuel it needs to keep going, so you will lose weight. The big question is how long you will keep that weight off. Because food was often scarce for our ancestors, our bodies have been genetically programmed to combat the effects of fasting. When you eat less food, your metabolism slows down to conserve energy. Then, when you go back to your usual diet, your lowered metabolism may cause you to store more energy, meaning that you will probably gain back the weight you lost and possibly even put on more weight when eating the same calories you did before the fast.
As you fast, your body will adjust by reducing your appetite, so you will initially feel less hungry. But once you have stopped fasting, your appetite hormones will kick back into gear and you may actually feel hungrier and be more likely to binge.
Research has shown that fasting on alternate days can help people lose weight, but not for long. In one study, people who followed an alternate-day fasting diet shed weight, even when they ate all they wanted on the non-fasting days. However, they could not maintain the weight loss over time."
I know this is a real old thread and post, but I felt like I needed to msg.... WebMD is FULL of half and untruths. They are stuck in the 80's & 90's as far as nutritional education goes. Fasting - especially what is being talked about here does NOT do anything negatively to your metabolism. In fact it actually increases it. Check out Martin Berkhan & Brad Pilon. They have done their research and are much more credible than webmd.0 -
I just did it for a month, and gained 3 lbs. In 2 weeks of going back to clean eating and regular intervals of eating, I've lost 2 lbs. again.0
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I did the 18/6 for one working week, because it fit well with my school hours, but once the wekend came I was off it. I lost 2-2.5 kgs in that week, but I found it impossible to do during weekends, and since it's holidays now, I've stopped it. All the weight came back on (and more, I'm afraid to say-but that is solely my horrible eating habbits) but if you're commited it would work so well for you.0
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Of course people have gained weight doing IF. If they ate too many calories. IF is an interesting idea, but scientific results are still scant on the benefits. I can't work out fasting. I blood sugar crash big time, but that's just me.0
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Of course you can gain weight while IF.. If you're in a caloric surplus every day, you WILL gain weight, regardless of your eating window being 8 or 2 hours...And this goes for every single diet approach..It's that simple...Calories in, calories out applies equally with all diets..(IF is not a diet actually, it;s just an eating time frame)... That being said, if you do IF at the calorie maintenance THERE IS NO WAY you can gain weight, and if you do IF on a caloric deficit you can lose a lot in a fairly short period of time...
I've been doing IF for a year now and love it.. First off, I used it to lose some fat and my love handles which weren't bad at all but i just hated it..,, Once I saw veins again around my waist and abs after 2 years of being relatively sedentary, I switched to lean bulking process using IF approach..Both ways, the results were great..
Some people might find it hard to adapt, some find it easy.. I found it easy, I never cared for breakfast anyway and can go for hours with no food after I wake up.. However, after I'm done with the gym my first meal is like 2000 calories easily....And in the next few hours I top up to 3000 calories, which is a really slight caloric surplus for me..And guess what, I'm still able to see veins around my waist but slowly putting on some muscle..0 -
And may I also add.. I don't think that eating 3000 calories evenly spread in 6-8 meals would be less beneficial for me.. IF suits me all the way cause I work evenings, I workout in the morning and I love working out fasted.. Other than that, I wouldn't mind hitting my macros in the traditional 3 square meals+snacks pattern or 6 small meals which I find inconvenient for me..0
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By reading some comments in this thread I can see there's a lot of people who have misconceptions when it comes to IF.. Some of them said they have actually gained weight using IF which was quite the opposite from their goals, namely, to lose weight.. Well, guess what .. ? You've gained cause you misunderstood IF concept from the beginning, probably thinking that fasting for 16 or 20 hours will entitle you to eating whatever you want, or to be more exact, AS MUCH as you want .. Again, IF or no, you still have to track your calorie intake, calories in vs. calories out is still the key to lose, maintain or gain weight.
IF might have some other benefits for your body but it doesn't mean you can engorge yourself with food like there's no tomorrow. I find it ridiculous when someone says, I did IF to lose weight, but I actually gained..0
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