Who does intermittent fasting?

opuntia

I'm very interested in intermittent fasting - over the past 18 years, I've occasionally fasted, and whenever I've done it, I've always felt really great as a result. More energy, healthier, more focused, happier, more clarity of thought. Of course, until recently there weren't the scientific discoveries and hypotheses that are being made now - I read up on it, but whatever I read was anecdotal (although it all described the same as what I was experiencing). So I was of course really fascinated to watch the Michael Mosley documentary, and that has made me consider a more structured type of intermittent fasting (in the past, I've tended to fast as a way of clearing my mind or feeling healthier when I've been feeling overwhelmed, rather than doing a structured, regular intermittent fast).

If I do intermittent fasting, it's unlikely to be the kind where all eating is within a confined space of time each day (although I haven't ruled that out completely). It's more likely to be the two day a week thing that Michael Mosley decided to do. Two days of eating 500 calories and the rest of the week eating as many calories as I like.

Anyway, with this in mind, I'm wondering who else does this, or a similar sort of intermittent fasting (or any kind of intermittent fasting, really - the whole topic fascinates me) and whether I'd be able to add any of you to my friends.

I think I'd find it really useful and interesting to see how others do it and the effects it has on them. I know there's an intermittent fasting group, and I'm a member of that too, although finding it a bit hard to keep up with as there are so many types of intermittent fasting that people are doing! I'd love to have some intermittent fasters as friends here, and maybe see your food diaries and hear about how you do it and how it works and the results it has. My food diary is open to friends, and I also have a Tumblr blog of photos of my meals: http://mealpix.tumblr.com/

A bit about me if you want to friend me - I'm 38, English, and not really looking to lose weight, but more to have increased energy and health and strength. And hopefully also reduce risk of diseases as I get older, and have better quality of life, etc. I'm doing the 30 day shred at the moment, and looking to do more strength exercises at the gym. I have Asperger Syndrome, so I get a lot of sensory sensitivity and fatigue, as well as food sensitivities, and am always looking for ways of managing these effectively, and enjoying life to the full. I try to eat intuitively - to listen to my body and eat what my body wants, and this works quite well, although I'm not sure how this will work with regular intermittent fasting. In the past when I've fasted, it's generally been because my body has wanted to have a day of resting, rather than because i had a set fast day.

opuntia

Anyone?

zacksnana

If you search intermittent fasting on mfp you will find lots of information on it and groups to join with others who follow this program.

I tried it for a week and lost 4 pounds but really did not care for the 19/5 eating window so i reverted back to normal meal patterns.

Good luck!

KarmaxKitty

I think if you posted this in either the fitness or the chit-chat sections you night get more answers. There's loads of people on this site who practice IF. :flowerforyou:

Dave198lbs

If I do intermittent fasting, it's unlikely to be the kind where all eating is within a confined space of time each day


. Two days of eating 500 calories and the rest of the week eating as many calories as I like.

I do IF. I do 16-20 hour fasts then eat my decided calorie amount over the remaining hours. I am not familiar with any IF protocol that says "Two days of eating 500 calories and rest of the week eating as many calories as I like"

If I ate as many calories as I wanted, I doubt I would achieve my goals. I am not hungry after I feed but I do need to keep an eye on my totals. I pay attention to hitting my protein and fat targets and limit my grains to basically little to none. My carbs come from vegetables, dairy, limited fruit, yams and occasionally black beans.

manderson27

Saw this the other week very interesting information relating to IF especially the 2 days at 500-600 then the rest of the week eat normally.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01lxyzc

opuntia

I think if you posted this in either the fitness or the chit-chat sections you night get more answers. There's loads of people on this site who practice IF. :flowerforyou:

Ah, okay, great - thanks for the advice. I wasn't sure about where to post.

rachelbethany

I've read a lot about it, and there are some vloggers I used to watch on YouTube who post videos each day of their fasting/non-fasting. I think it might be highly effective! My Indian friend's mother has practiced it her whole life, although her "fasting" days are not actually no food days. She just eats certain fruits and drinks veggie juices on the "fasting" days. She's quite healthy though-- never misses a day of work in her life!

I don't think I could stick with it at this time in my life, though, because my moods swing too much (I'm bipolar and also have hormone imbalances from time to time), so I think keeping my body on a regular DAILY schedule is better for me right now. Sometimes I need to take certain meds, too, and I feel more comfortable taking them with food. I also like to exercise daily-- yoga keeps me much saner, haha, and I wouldn't want to burn too many calories on the no food days.

However, after I graduate from college (this is my last semester) and have a more regular waking/sleeping schedule, I might be able to play with my food schedule more, and IF is definitely on my list of interests! GOOD LUCK!!!

opuntia

I do IF. I do 16-20 hour fasts then eat my decided calorie amount over the remaining hours. I am not familiar with any IF protocol that says "Two days of eating 500 calories and rest of the week eating as many calories as I like"

It's a type of fasting that was described on the BBC Horizon documentary. I've mentioned it before on other threads, and people have also said the same as you. I'm surprised so many IFers haven't heard of it, because there have been loads of threads about the documentary. But then it was a British documentary and most people here are American. It's available to watch on YouTube though. As a method, this kind of IF has apparently been tested on various people and has had good results. It's not about weight loss though - it's about health and reducing risk of age related diseases and thus living longer with a better quality of life. Although people do tend to reach a health weight while doing it, but that is not the overall aim.

Spartan_Maker

I don't do it by design, but because I don't eat after dinner, I end up fasting for 15 hours each day. My so-called "feeding window" is typically from 10AM to 7PM.

For generations, the women in my family have said it's not good to eat after dinner. It's now called "intermittent fasting."

KarmaxKitty

I don't do it by design, but because I don't eat after dinner, I end up fasting for 15 hours each day. My so-called "feeding window" is typically from 10AM to 7PM.

For generations, the women in my family have said it's not good to eat after dinner. It's now called "intermittent fasting."

:laugh:

daisiecpa

i just started intermittent fasting about 2 or 3 weeks ago. i started mfp and dieting march 4th. but stopped losing weight at end of june. in july i added execise but still did not lose. so i asked someone for advice and they directed me to look up lean gains. i do not like breakfast i am not hungry and it is hard to eat. plus i would rather save my calories and have a nice big dinner. so intermittent fasting is perfect for me. i do 16 hours no eating and 8 hours eating. i try to stop eating by 8 pm then by noon i can eat. it is perfect it makes me stop eating at night which was my favorite time to eat and i sometimes would have no control. now i tell myself nope cant eat because it will make it later to i can eat the next day.

i feel some much better now and i have lost 1.4 pounds this week and last week 2 pounds down. plus it is so much easier to stay in my calorie goal or under.

opuntia

I don't do it by design, but because I don't eat after dinner, I end up fasting for 15 hours each day. My so-called "feeding window" is typically from 10AM to 7PM.

For generations, the women in my family have said it's not good to eat after dinner. It's now called "intermittent fasting."

Hehe - yes, I often do that kind simply by lifestyle. I don't really see it as IF - lots of people do it naturally. The kind of IF I am talking about is a different kind, which is being tested as a way of reducing growth hormone and therefore reducing risk of cancer, stroke, heart disease, and increasing longevity. It's about having regular days where you only eat around 500 calories - either every other day, or two days a week.

kathym59

I'm just starting the 5 2 intermittent fasting.I've upped my calories to 1700 + exercise cals on the non fasting days, and eating 500 on the other two. I need to lose more weight, but am also doing this for the health benefits mentioned in the programme. I also think I will be able to stick with the regime more easily if I have more calories on certain days, as we eat out a lot.

Spartan_Maker

I know: that was tongue-in-cheek. :happy:

jpvieira

I tried this as suggested by the book "The Alternate Day Diet" which you might want to check out. I gave it a couple of weeks and while I enjoyed it I didn't lose any weight. Perhaps on my feasting days I was over doing it, I might revisit it at some point in the future but not until I hit my goal weight first. Good luck!

Dave198lbs

I do IF. I do 16-20 hour fasts then eat my decided calorie amount over the remaining hours. I am not familiar with any IF protocol that says "Two days of eating 500 calories and rest of the week eating as many calories as I like"

It's a type of fasting that was described on the BBC Horizon documentary. I've mentioned it before on other threads, and people have also said the same as you. I'm surprised so many IFers haven't heard of it, because there have been loads of threads about the documentary. But then it was a British documentary and most people here are American. It's available to watch on YouTube though. As a method, this kind of IF has apparently been tested on various people and has had good results. It's not about weight loss though - it's about health and reducing risk of age related diseases and thus living longer with a better quality of life. Although people do tend to reach a health weight while doing it, but that is not the overall aim.

ok. I understand that method to be "the rest of the week you eat normally" and not eating as much as I like. I guess it depends on what is normal. Normal eating is what got me here. Normal eating in the U.S. is basically being a pig. If "normal" eating is also sensible eating, then it would probably work. I am no longer in a weight loss mode, I am more in a stay healthy get healthier mode.

Experiment. When I got here many moons ago, I bought into the 6 meals a day and other ideas that no longer apply or work for ,me.

good luck.

opuntia

I know: that was tongue-in-cheek. :happy:

Lol - oops! :happy:

opuntia

ok. I understand that method to be "the rest of the week you eat normally" and not eating as much as I like. I guess it depends on what is normal. Normal eating is what got me here. Normal eating in the U.S. is basically being a pig. If "normal" eating is also sensible eating, then it would probably work. I am no longer in a weight loss mode, I am more in a stay healthy get healthier mode.

Experiment. When I got here many moons ago, I bought into the 6 meals a day and other ideas that no longer apply or work for ,me.

good luck.

On the documentary, they really did stress that it's as much as you like - so Michael Mosley was stuffing his face, to experiment and see if there would still be all the good results when they tested his blood - and there were still the good results. But realistically, I imagine people aren't going to be stuffing their faces till they're uncomfortable - I know for myself that if I have a day of fasting it makes me a lot more aware of what my body needs, and I eat more healthily and stop eating when I'm full.

But yes, definitely I agree with experimenting. That is what I always do. Different things work for different people, and I try to be sensitive to what my body wants, and what makes me feel well and healthy.

opuntia

I tried this as suggested by the book "The Alternate Day Diet" which you might want to check out. I gave it a couple of weeks and while I enjoyed it I didn't lose any weight. Perhaps on my feasting days I was over doing it, I might revisit it at some point in the future but not until I hit my goal weight first. Good luck!

Ah, that sounds interesting. That alternate day fasting was also something mentioned on the documentary.

bradp1979

So now I'm interested in trying this out, but I'm curious. Is the 500 cal/day for fasting days a good number for just women, or does it apply to both genders? According to this website, I'm supposed to eat ~1610 cal/day, and my BMR is around 1850. So on exercise days I try to eat right around that 1850, and the rest days, <1610. I'm considering making my two rest days IF days, but how much should I eat on those days? Anyone know?

Male, 5'10, 205, age: 32

shanice_22

I'm watching the programme that was on BBC2 about intermittent fasting (recorded it and only just had the chance to watch it). I don't currently do it myself, but now tempted after watching this programme.


Edit: Also, I think the programme I'm watching is the same one you've mentioned!!

ChelSleeve

I've unknowingly been doing IF for years.. i dont eat after 9:30- 10:00 pm.. and normalling dont eat again until 2:30-3:00 pm.. i eat most of my food while im at work.. i have a job where im pretty much confined to my desk for 8 sometimes 12 hours.. and sometimes its so busy that i CANT eat

mfpcopine

I do it from time to time, sometimes inadvertently, that is, I'll wake up not feeling hungry and won't eat until the late morning or early afternoon. Sometimes I feel the need for at least some coffee and milk. I think it's a great, elegant, simple method if you have the system for it.

My brother-in-law is gradually losing weight by eating one large meal a day. He learned this method when he was a wrestler in high school.

beattie1

So now I'm interested in trying this out, but I'm curious. Is the 500 cal/day for fasting days a good number for just women, or does it apply to both genders? According to this website, I'm supposed to eat ~1610 cal/day, and my BMR is around 1850. So on exercise days I try to eat right around that 1850, and the rest days, <1610. I'm considering making my two rest days IF days, but how much should I eat on those days? Anyone know?

Male, 5'10, 205, age: 32

Men get to eat 600 calories a day on "fasting" days, women get 500. Why not look up the programme on Youtube? I notice different people are taking away slightly different ideas from the same programme. I'm going to do my third fast day tomorrow (did Tuesday & Friday last week)

BinaryPulsar

I'm curious about understanding why this is effective. Is it simply a choice of how to take calories in? I naturally have a few days in a row in which I eat more (say 2500 calories), followed by a few days where I eat less (1600 calories), so it's not extreme, but my body just knows when it's more hungry and then feels less hungry after being well fed. I'm not sure I would like IF. I just like to eat the same basic amount from day to day according to my hunger and energy levels, and allow natural fluctuations. I don't think I would feel very good on fast days, but maybe that is because I am already quite slender and do not have large fat stores to draw from in times of famine. My brain tells me I am not supposed to go hungry, so I would be ignoring the signals of my mind and body.

Is this just for people trying to lose fat? Or is it especially helpful to bodybuilders? I would put myself more in the body building interest.

I'll look it up and read more about it.

opuntia

I'm curious about understanding why this is effective. Is it simply a choice of how to take calories in? I naturally have a few days in a row in which I eat more (say 2500 calories), followed by a few days where I eat less (1600 calories), so it's not extreme, but my body just knows when it's more hungry and then feels less hungry after being well fed. I'm not sure I would like IF. I just like to eat the same basic amount from day to day according to my hunger and energy levels, and allow natural fluctuations. I don't think I would feel very good on fast days, but maybe that is because I am already quite slender and do not have large fat stores to draw from in times of famine. My brain tells me I am not supposed to go hungry, so I would be ignoring the signals of my mind and body.

Is this just for people trying to lose fat? Or is it especially helpful to bodybuilders? I would put myself more in the body building interest.

I'll look it up and read more about it.

The documentary talks about the science behind it. The research is still in its infancy - they started by doing trials on mice, and the subsequent trials on humans have only been going for ten years, I believe, so there is not yet a solid evidence base for it. But there have been positive results so far. It's about inhibiting growth hormone - which makes children grow and makes adults age, and contributes to diseases like cancer.

It's not about losing fat, and the documentary didn't talk about body building. It's more for health and longevity. I recommend watching the documentary - it's very interesting. It's on YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfna7nV7WaM

Like you, I tend to listen to my body and eat more on some days and less on others, according to how my body feels, so I'm also not sure about how intermittent fasting would work for me. I'm interested to try though.

In fact, it might not be suitable for bodybuilding, as it also talked about reducing protein to the regular amount that your body needs.

BinaryPulsar

Thanks, I'll check that documentary out.

BinaryPulsar

I watched the documentary. It was very good. Actually, I think I saw that before a long time ago. I did not know that the people that restrict calories to extend life are of the same philosophy as IF. I thought it was different. I already eat in a very similar way as the movie described, but just not nearly as strictly. I'm going to show the documentary to my husband and discuss it with him (he is a scientist also). The amount that they restrict the calories on a day to day basis is not too low. I generally eat between 1800 and 1900 a day (but I am small). Sometimes I increase for a day here and there and sometimes eat less (but I try not to go below 1600 or 1700). I already have a low BF%, so I do have to be careful not to drop weight. I also have a high metabolism partly because I am very active. Also, I'm not a body builder. That may have been the wrong word for me to use, I've just seen body builders talk about it before. I'm a contemporary dancer, but have always been interested in fitness and optimum health, so lifting weights and increasing LBM is part of that for me. Thanks so much for this post and sharing that full documentary and discussing this topic. I am interested in learning more about it. I could relate to the man in the movie very much that eats the low calorie, dense nutrient diet. I also like to eat smaller amounts that are dense in nutrition. I find that tasty. And I enjoy the benefits of a healthy diet. I don't usually crave junk foods.

myIF

I just started a new blog and I posted my own personal account of my journey to IF.

http://shaylhem.blogspot.com/2012/09/nom-stop-nom.html

hope it helps!
By the way, I'm 18, 5'5 (or 5'6) and went from 140 lbs to 115-118.
If anyone would like to know if they could use IF to maintain their weight, the answer is YES!