Help! Eat to Lose or Intermittent Fasting???

psuLemon

Just an FYI, if you want to aim for 22% body fat, then you want to aim for 140, unless you want to lose 10 lbs of muscle. You can do ESE or IF if you want, but it's not necessary. Or you can start by figuring out your TDEE and cutting 20% and then getting into a good workout routine that incorporates strength training and cardio.

Thanks for pointing that out! Being fit and firm is more important to me than the number on the scale so that helps... I did the TDEE - 20% today and that would make my daily calorie goal about 1700 calories/day (when I set the activity level to moderate)

Sounds about right. i would start with 1700 calories a day and do a mix of ST and Cardio. They will help things along. If you plateau, then add another 200 calories for a month to see if that helps.

Kandyhar

You and I have very similar stats. I am 5'5" and started the year at 175 pounds. I lost 10 pounds on my own but wasn't really looking at calorie intake and gained back 5 which is when I signed up here at MFP at the end of March. I was at 170 then and today weighed 151.2. My goal is 135.

I originally had my numbers set by MFP to be one pound lost a week. My calories were a little over 1400 and I ate back my exercise calories. I then found fat2fitradio and the Eat More to Lose group and have set my own macros. Now I have my calories set to 1800 and I don't eat back my exercise calories. I try to net at least 1400/day since that's my BMR.

Good luck! I personally like being able to eat a little more (I still count everything) and still lose weight.

Thank you so much! You have done excellent and hope to be able to have the same results in a couple months! I set my macros and calories today using the Eat More to Lose recommendations but have had a hard time finding people who were just starting their weight loss journey and success stories. Most I have seen are women who are already fairly fit with just a few pounds to lose or to break free from their plateau. It's nice to hear of someone using this at the beginning and it actually working... :-)

moe0303

I look at IF as sort of a way to train your body. I started out my recent weightloss with a month long dinner fast. The first few days were hard, but now, I feel like I could skip meals with no problem and still have the necessary restraint to stay within my limit. And that's really what it all boils down to, staying within your limit. Figure out what you burn, eat less than that, and you will lose weight. You can do that by eating to lose, IF, or just about any other method in which you stay within your limit. It's just a matter of how quickly you want to lose.

victoria4321

IF isn't a binging plan. You pretty much delay your first meal depends on whatever fasting protocol you're following then you eat the way you normally would. So for example lets say you do a 24 hours fast. Your last meal could be at dinner around 6pm then you won't eat until 6pm the next day giving you a 24 hour fasting period. The next day when you eat, you eat the amount of calories you would normally eat at dinner. You're not gonna gorge yourself to make up for lost time. The extra calories from your fasted days are then spread over the rest of the week.

You can do both together and I think it's more beneficial to do so. I started eating 800 calories two days a week at dinner then the other five day's I'm eating around 2200 calories. I'm pretty active too so my exercise is included in those calories.

Kandyhar

Just an FYI, if you want to aim for 22% body fat, then you want to aim for 140, unless you want to lose 10 lbs of muscle. You can do ESE or IF if you want, but it's not necessary. Or you can start by figuring out your TDEE and cutting 20% and then getting into a good workout routine that incorporates strength training and cardio.

Thanks for pointing that out! Being fit and firm is more important to me than the number on the scale so that helps... I did the TDEE - 20% today and that would make my daily calorie goal about 1700 calories/day (when I set the activity level to moderate)

Sounds about right. i would start with 1700 calories a day and do a mix of ST and Cardio. They will help things along. If you plateau, then add another 200 calories for a month to see if that helps.

Ok!! :-) Thank you... I feel like this is clearing things up for me and I'm excited to continue and see what happens. Going on vacation in 5 days so I'm worried about my workout plan, but will continue counting calories and try to hit the gym with my fiance. Vacations are always tough, but I am tired of having to spend the whole month afterward losing what I gained (I get an R&R every 3 months so in the past it's been a free for all of drinking and eating all my favorite foods. I can't do that any more! Love the comments and appreciate the feedback

britcurl

You need to try the 1200 calories first. Try it for 2 months and if there is not significant weight loss then go to zig zagging your calories. If that doesnt work then try the fasting. 1200 calories is enough you just need to learn what to eat. Lean proteins are the way to go to stay full. I have been on 1200 calories for the last 6 weeks, it was challenging at first but now is quite easy. I have breakfast, lunch, snack and then dinner. so 250 calories for breakfast, 400-lunch, 150-snack, and 400-dinner. Drink LOTS of water. When you get hungry chug a bottle of water, you will realize you may not have been hungry at all.

1200 calories is retarded. Do not do this. I started at this and did not lose a pound upped my cals and started losing. When you are active, your body needs fuel. Do some research on BMR and TDEE.

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/3817-eat-more-to-weigh-less

This group explains it all very well. You need to eat NO LESS then your BMR. And I can almost guarantee your BMR is not 1200 calories!

ArroganceInStep

To add to what Sidesteal and UsedToBeHusky said, IF is just a method of scheduling your calories. There have been some studies that it can help a little bit (my understanding is the fasting increases growth hormone production or some such, but I don't know too much about it) but that's primarly geared at the already very lean.

Realistically speaking it comes down to what works best for you. Something that's easier to stick with is far better than something you won't be able to keep up with that's 0.00000005% more efficient. For me, it's a LOT easier to go for an extended period of time without eating and then eat a crapton of food all at once than to eat a bunch of small meals throughout the day. I feel fuller, and am less likely to break my diet that way. That doesn't mean I eat everything in sight, it just means if I have a 2000 calorie per day allotment, I'd eat 2 1,000 calorie meals instead of 5 400 calorie meals. It's not mutually exclusive from the 'eating to lose' paradigm. You can do both.

I would strongly suggest making small changes though, instead of jumping whole hog one way or the other. You were at 1200 and are contemplating going up to 1700. Try increasing by 100 calories a week and monitoring your progress (keeping your original eating style). Then once you find the sweet spot for you (maybe it's 1500 or 1750 rather than 1700) you can consider trying IF. For that, if you're eating 3 square meals and 2 snacks a day, try skipping breakfast and having a larger midmorning snack for two weeks and see how you feel (or skip dinner and have a larger mid-afternoon snack). Then skip the snack and split those calories between lunch and dinner and again gauge how you feel throughout the day.

Slow and steady wins the race.

And just to re-emphasize Sidesteal's comment, make sure you're getting adequate macronutrients as well.

Finally make sure that you have a decent resistance training program on top of any cardio you may be doing.

Good Luck.

Kandyhar

IF isn't a binging plan. You pretty much delay your first meal depends on whatever fasting protocol you're following then you eat the way you normally would. So for example lets say you do a 24 hours fast. Your last meal could be at dinner around 6pm then you won't eat until 6pm the next day giving you a 24 hour fasting period. The next day when you eat, you eat the amount of calories you would normally eat at dinner. You're not gonna gorge yourself to make up for lost time. The extra calories from your fasted days are then spread over the rest of the week.

You can do both together and I think it's more beneficial to do so. I started eating 800 calories two days a week at dinner then the other five day's I'm eating around 2200 calories. I'm pretty active too so my exercise is included in those calories.

Thank you! This is probably the most concise and clear description I have read so far and it's starting to click. I think something like that would work great when I'm not working and not on my regular schedule... maybe I'll try it when I'm on leave and see how it goes. It may work out better as I anticipate all the social events in the evening (dinner with friends, bbqs)... Kinda reminds me of not eating all day in anticipation of Thanksgiving, haha... but yes I know to count every calorie during those one-meal days.

Maybe it's just me, but it's hard to break the habit of thinking that if I don't eat all day and then eat 800-1000 calories that my body is going to "hold on to them"

maryb2374

You and I have very similar stats. I am 5'5" and started the year at 175 pounds. I lost 10 pounds on my own but wasn't really looking at calorie intake and gained back 5 which is when I signed up here at MFP at the end of March. I was at 170 then and today weighed 151.2. My goal is 135.

I originally had my numbers set by MFP to be one pound lost a week. My calories were a little over 1400 and I ate back my exercise calories. I then found fat2fitradio and the Eat More to Lose group and have set my own macros. Now I have my calories set to 1800 and I don't eat back my exercise calories. I try to net at least 1400/day since that's my BMR.

Good luck! I personally like being able to eat a little more (I still count everything) and still lose weight.

Thank you so much! You have done excellent and hope to be able to have the same results in a couple months! I set my macros and calories today using the Eat More to Lose recommendations but have had a hard time finding people who were just starting their weight loss journey and success stories. Most I have seen are women who are already fairly fit with just a few pounds to lose or to break free from their plateau. It's nice to hear of someone using this at the beginning and it actually working... :-)

Thanks for the kind words. I actually didn't change my numbers until about 3 weeks ago (May 14). One other thing I did to help me decide to increase my calories was that I got a Fitbit. I was able to see that I burn about 2300 calories/day on average. So 1800 is about 500 less than that. And those numbers matched the calculators from fat2fitradio and the eat more group's link. So I figured I'd try it out and it seems to be working well so far.

Kandyhar

To add to what Sidesteal and UsedToBeHusky said, IF is just a method of scheduling your calories. There have been some studies that it can help a little bit (my understanding is the fasting increases growth hormone production or some such, but I don't know too much about it) but that's primarly geared at the already very lean.

Realistically speaking it comes down to what works best for you. Something that's easier to stick with is far better than something you won't be able to keep up with that's 0.00000005% more efficient. For me, it's a LOT easier to go for an extended period of time without eating and then eat a crapton of food all at once than to eat a bunch of small meals throughout the day. I feel fuller, and am less likely to break my diet that way. That doesn't mean I eat everything in sight, it just means if I have a 2000 calorie per day allotment, I'd eat 2 1,000 calorie meals instead of 5 400 calorie meals. It's not mutually exclusive from the 'eating to lose' paradigm. You can do both.

I would strongly suggest making small changes though, instead of jumping whole hog one way or the other. You were at 1200 and are contemplating going up to 1700. Try increasing by 100 calories a week and monitoring your progress (keeping your original eating style). Then once you find the sweet spot for you (maybe it's 1500 or 1750 rather than 1700) you can consider trying IF. For that, if you're eating 3 square meals and 2 snacks a day, try skipping breakfast and having a larger midmorning snack for two weeks and see how you feel (or skip dinner and have a larger mid-afternoon snack). Then skip the snack and split those calories between lunch and dinner and again gauge how you feel throughout the day.

Slow and steady wins the race.

And just to re-emphasize Sidesteal's comment, make sure you're getting adequate macronutrients as well.

Finally make sure that you have a decent resistance training program on top of any cardio you may be doing.

Good Luck.

Excellent information! Thank you so much for the knowledge and insight!

victoria4321

IF isn't a binging plan. You pretty much delay your first meal depends on whatever fasting protocol you're following then you eat the way you normally would. So for example lets say you do a 24 hours fast. Your last meal could be at dinner around 6pm then you won't eat until 6pm the next day giving you a 24 hour fasting period. The next day when you eat, you eat the amount of calories you would normally eat at dinner. You're not gonna gorge yourself to make up for lost time. The extra calories from your fasted days are then spread over the rest of the week.

You can do both together and I think it's more beneficial to do so. I started eating 800 calories two days a week at dinner then the other five day's I'm eating around 2200 calories. I'm pretty active too so my exercise is included in those calories.

Thank you! This is probably the most concise and clear description I have read so far and it's starting to click. I think something like that would work great when I'm not working and not on my regular schedule... maybe I'll try it when I'm on leave and see how it goes. It may work out better as I anticipate all the social events in the evening (dinner with friends, bbqs)... Kinda reminds me of not eating all day in anticipation of Thanksgiving, haha... but yes I know to count every calorie during those one-meal days.

Maybe it's just me, but it's hard to break the habit of thinking that if I don't eat all day and then eat 800-1000 calories that my body is going to "hold on to them"

I find it easier on days where you are working or busy because you don't have to spend time cooking. I try to cook all my meals so it frees up some time for me during the day. For myself, I still eat in moderation and count calories on holidays and events so I wouldn't use this as an excuse to over eat. By the end of the week my average calories are still going to be where I like them. I think my diary is open to friends so you can add me to see.


Also just wanted to add that I agree with the the posts about trying to have a sensible eating plan and exercise routine first. You still really do have to eat pretty healthy even if you are going to fast.

edengrrl

I agree with most of the posts that say 1200 is too few calories! Not only are you near starvation mode at that point... it's impossible to get all your nutrients from food.. which is where we should be geting them whenever possible. I found it helped me tremendously when I started focusing on eating the most nutritionally powerful foods available and the weight fell away naturally. We want to eat for our insides (heart, arteries, etc.) as much as for how we'll look on the outside. I found that a plant-based way of eating (not a diet!) with an emphasis on whole foods was key to feeling great and beating those cravings. You might consider checking out the films "Forks Over Knives" and "Let me be Frank" and "Vegucated". Best of luck with achieving your goal!

edengrrl

P.S. I found this to be a very helpful description of what happens in our body when we intermittently fast (go below our BMR):

http://drbenkim.com/fasting-fast-one-day-week.htm

sniperzzzz

That article is highly misleading, and does not take into consideration, adequate protein consumption, to prevent muscle breakdown. To anyone thinking of doing IF i highly recommend you, do some research first. I am doing IF and have been for 5 months, have a look at my pofile pics, do i look like my muscles have, withered away and turned to nothing, as the article suggests.

amnski

You need to try the 1200 calories first. Try it for 2 months and if there is not significant weight loss then go to zig zagging your calories. If that doesnt work then try the fasting. 1200 calories is enough you just need to learn what to eat. Lean proteins are the way to go to stay full. I have been on 1200 calories for the last 6 weeks, it was challenging at first but now is quite easy. I have breakfast, lunch, snack and then dinner. so 250 calories for breakfast, 400-lunch, 150-snack, and 400-dinner. Drink LOTS of water. When you get hungry chug a bottle of water, you will realize you may not have been hungry at all.

**Do not do this...do as other have suggested and keep your calories up and eat nutrient dense healthy food. Starvation is no way to lose weight.

Have you ever heard of BODY BY VI 90 DAY CHALLENGE? Our business is to help people reach their goals! Check out overview.visalus.com and my website is http://debib0721myvi.com. We are the #1 HEALTH FITNESS COMPANY IN THE WORLD! Please check it out and give me a call. 216-533-8522. Thank you and Good Luck!

First thing you do is ignore this garbage. Lousy salespeople...

I could not agree more with this statement...

That being said, I second sidesteal. Good luck!

UsedToBeHusky

P.S. I found this to be a very helpful description of what happens in our body when we intermittently fast (go below our BMR):

http://drbenkim.com/fasting-fast-one-day-week.htm

You have no idea what you are talking about. IF has nothing to do with going below BMR. Most people who IF eat 2,000 calories plus. Unless you are morbidly obese, your BMR would never be above 2,000 calories.

IF is about eating ALL of your daily calorie allotment in one or two meals a day rather than the prescribed 5 or 6 meals.

Kandyhar

You need to try the 1200 calories first. Try it for 2 months and if there is not significant weight loss then go to zig zagging your calories. If that doesnt work then try the fasting. 1200 calories is enough you just need to learn what to eat. Lean proteins are the way to go to stay full. I have been on 1200 calories for the last 6 weeks, it was challenging at first but now is quite easy. I have breakfast, lunch, snack and then dinner. so 250 calories for breakfast, 400-lunch, 150-snack, and 400-dinner. Drink LOTS of water. When you get hungry chug a bottle of water, you will realize you may not have been hungry at all.

**Do not do this...do as other have suggested and keep your calories up and eat nutrient dense healthy food. Starvation is no way to lose weight.

Have you ever heard of BODY BY VI 90 DAY CHALLENGE? Our business is to help people reach their goals! Check out overview.visalus.com and my website is http://debib0721myvi.com. We are the #1 HEALTH FITNESS COMPANY IN THE WORLD! Please check it out and give me a call. 216-533-8522. Thank you and Good Luck!

First thing you do is ignore this garbage. Lousy salespeople...

I could not agree more with this statement...

That being said, I second sidesteal. Good luck!

Thank you Amnski! No worries, I ignored that immediately :-) Glad you saw this and responded... it is hard to break from the mindset of being able to eat more than 1200 calories. I was on daily plate years ago before this and that's what it said as well. It just has proven impossible to keep the weight off... I'm hoping this time I can do it and keep the results around.

ChelseaM18

After reading what you wrote, I don't think Intermittent Fasting would suit your eating patterns, my mom is very similar to you! There are so many methods that make people lose weight, and IF is just one of them.

If you end up eating badly throughout the day on 1200 calories, you may tend to binge eat even on healthy foods when you are finished your fast, which defeats the purpose in a sense.

Test some methods out and see what works for YOU and most importantly keeps you comfortable and satisfied, at the end of the day, the only way you'll keep the weight off is when you can stick to a method of eating.

Hope it helps, good luck

itsjustdawn

Have you ever heard of BODY BY VI 90 DAY CHALLENGE? Our business is to help people reach their goals! Check out overview.visalus.com and my website is http://debib0721myvi.com. We are the #1 HEALTH FITNESS COMPANY IN THE WORLD! Please check it out and give me a call. 216-533-8522. Thank you and Good Luck!

First thing you do is ignore this garbage. Lousy salespeople...

AGREE!!!!
Please don't resort to shakes for weight loss. It sounds like you know what to eat anyway :-)

secretlobster

Intermittent fasting (IF) is not a method of weight loss, it is a lifestyle that some people ascribe to because their body reacts well to it. If you're looking to lose weight, IF will not help you by itself. You're going to have to look at calories in/out, and the quality of the food you eat, but timing is not at all important.

1200 calories is too low for most people, even women. If your BMR is more than 1200, your metabolism will suffer for it.

If I were you I would figure out my BMR, TDEE, and set up a calorie deficit of my TDEE minus 15% or 20% (depending on how much weight you have to lose). Then I would make sure to always eat more than my BMR, but less than TDEE. You need to fuel your body depending on your activity level, whether you are IF or not.

Believe me. I was at 1200 calories and completely stalled (for a couple of years) until I started eating MORE (I have an active lifestyle). I make sure to eat nutritious food that consists mostly of meat and vegetables. Some fruit and dairy. Relatively low simple carbohydrate intake (I'm kind of sensitive to gluten personally). Finally I'm seeing my body change for the better.

IF isn't going to make a difference if you don't have your nutrition nailed down