Intermittent fasting?

MeganG12345

I've been looking into intermittent fasting diets (diets where you aim for weekly net calories instead of daily- some days you eat over your average calorie goal, somedays under) because I think it would fit better with my lifestyle. Most of the articles I've come across seem to say that it's a healthy option as long as the foods you're eating are healthy on both "feed" and "fast" days.

Does anyone have any personal experience with these diets? Was it manageable and how were the results?

fattarzan

I am on it and it is easy. IF consist of fasting for 16 hrs daily and the 8 hr window period you can eat anything in moderation. just make sure that from your last meal make sure you fast for 16 hrs.

A

MeganG12345

Thanks I didn't mean actual fasting though, I meant alternating days when you eat over your average calorie goal and under it to hit a weekly rather than daily calorie goal.

I've read that it can be really helpful and might help some people prevent their metabolisms from slowing down. Mostly though I think it would just fit better with my lifestyle.

nicoled_220

Does the fasting window include while you sleep? ie: Eat between 10 am - 6 pm and then fast the rest of the day through the night?

beattie1

I'm doing the 5:2 diet where you eat lightly on 2 separated days in the week (500 cals max if you're a woman, 600 cals if you're a man) and eat "normally" (though healthy food choices are assumed) for the other 5 days. I eat enough sensible food not to feel hungry on the 5 feed days. There was a documentary about it on the BBC about 2 months ago, you can watch it on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfna7nV7WaM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9480451/The-52-diet-can-it-help-you-lose-weight-and-live-longer.html

There's also Alternate Day Fasting or the Up Day, Down Day Diet
http://www.johnsonupdaydowndaydiet.com/html/how-to-do-the-diet.html

And Eat, Stop, Eat - http://www.eatstopeat.com/

and you may find this interesting
http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting

Have a look on MFP for groups for these diets - there are several, I believe

nick1109

I've been IF for nearly a month now and its working great along side my low carb, high fat, high protien diet.

The book above noted 'Eat Stop Eat' is a great read. This is pretty much the method I use. I go 24 hours without eating a thing (usually from 19:00 Friday to 19:00 Saturday)

Dropped a nice amount of BF so far.

@nhermus "Does the fasting window include while you sleep? ie: Eat between 10 am - 6 pm and then fast the rest of the day through the night?" Yes it includes while you sleep. Some people do 16/8 (hour) fasts as advocated at www.leangains.com so you have a window between 12pm to 8pm for example.

Choose which ever one suits you and your lifestyle best. For me 16/8 wasn't the best so I do 24 hours once a week and finding it very easy to sustain.

R_is_for_Rachel

I'm doing the 5:2 diet where you eat lightly on 2 separated days in the week (500 cals max if you're a woman, 600 cals if you're a man) and eat "normally" (though healthy food choices are assumed) for the other 5 days. I eat enough sensible food not to feel hungry on the 5 feed days. There was a documentary about it on the BBC about 2 months ago, you can watch it on youtube.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Pfna7nV7WaM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/lifestyle/9480451/The-52-diet-can-it-help-you-lose-weight-and-live-longer.html

i've just started this too, only on my 2nd fast though! it's not as hard as i thought, and i really like the 'light at the end of the tunnel' aspect where you know that tomorrow you get to eat again! already planning breakfast! lol

i'm doing it to kick start my weight loss, partly to inspire me but also because my BP is high and i want to lower it before my next doctors appointment!

clairemc26

Word of caution. I started the Michael Moseley-style two days on 500 calories three weeks ago. And I've gained weight! I'm not trying to lose weight at the moment, I just keep an eye on it because I've been very overweight in the past. My interest in the two-day fast is around cancer prevention rather than weight loss.

I now have to look carefully at where I'm going wrong for the rest of the week, during which I thought I was pretty much eating as normal.

Has anyone else had this experience?

Incidentally, I started off eking out the 500 calories over the course of the day, then tried having them all at the end of the day, and found that easier.

hintonh357

My husband has been doing Intermittent fasting for about 2-3 months now and has had amazing result.. He has been cutting fat and gaining muscle faster then anything he has done before. I started doing IF about a month ago and I myself have been getting great results. We both have our eating window during the day from around 11:30-12 in the afternoon to around 5:30-6 in the evening. Most of the fasting is during the night while we sleep and it's pretty easy not eating during the morning hours since we are so busy with work/kids. I like to have my main meal (during my eating window) in the evening so by the time I got to sleep I am not hungry nor full. I have been eating healthy (5-6 small meals a day) and workout 5-6 days a week yet I somewhat hit a platue about a year ago... Since I have been on IF I seemed to losing fat and muscle..... Pretty amazing.. Never would have thought..

houstonian

A couple of you, including OP have confused Intermittent Fasting (IF) with caloric cycling.
Neither methods of eating are diets. A diet is WHAT you eat, and these are methods of HOW you eat, and both can be very efffective.

I have been doing IF for about 6 weeks now, and I've seen results like I've never seen in the past with the traditional approach to eating.

clairemc26

Is there anybody out there using IF for reasons other than weight loss?

I was treated for cancer last year and that's my motivation. I'm in week 4, so far haven't lost any weight (my 'weight gain' of earlier this week looks like a blip, which is a relief) and don't want to.

What I'd like to know is whether 22 hours or so of fasting, followed by all 500 calories in the evening, twice per week, still qualifies as a fast. And also, if my weight does drop and I go down to one day per week of fasting, will that be equally effective.

Dave198lbs

Does the fasting window include while you sleep? ie: Eat between 10 am - 6 pm and then fast the rest of the day through the night?

yes. if you are not eating then you are fasting. we all fast every night.

houstonian

Yes and yes. You can set your eating window to whatever time of the day and for whatever duration you want. My eating window right now is from 12-6. It works great for me. You may have to try different windows to find your groove. And you can be flexible too. If you're schedule is different one day during the week, go ahead and switch it up. There are no rules, except that it's recommended you fast for at least 16 hours. This can be as easy as skipping breakfast. Just wait a little while longer, that's all.

I have also implemented 2 'off days' during my week, where I am fasting for a whole day. I do that on days that the garbage truck comes, it's Mondays and Thursdays. So I stop eating Sunday night at 6, and don't begin again until Tuesday at noon. I make sure to get plenty of water, and I have my black coffee in the morning. 0 calories for that time.

This stuff works for me, it may not work for you. Like I said, you just have to try different things and find your groove. I will be trying to build more muscle in a few weeks, so I will probably eliminate the off days, get more complex carbs, but maintain my current eating window.

nick1109

Is there anybody out there using IF for reasons other than weight loss?

I was treated for cancer last year and that's my motivation. I'm in week 4, so far haven't lost any weight (my 'weight gain' of earlier this week looks like a blip, which is a relief) and don't want to.

What I'd like to know is whether 22 hours or so of fasting, followed by all 500 calories in the evening, twice per week, still qualifies as a fast. And also, if my weight does drop and I go down to one day per week of fasting, will that be equally effective.

Yes, I'm not using it for weight loss. I'm about as light as I'd like to be and hovering around 12% BF right now. Using IF for the health benefits, hormonal changes during the fast and psychological aspect. I like going without for 24 hours just to remind me that food is not needed every 3-4 hours such as conventional wisdom may suggest. There is also much research suggesting cells recover and your body heals itself.

If I drop a little BF then thats all good but its not the reason I fast

fastforlife1

There is an Intermittent Fasting group and a JUDD group on MFP.

OSC_ESD

Is there anybody out there using IF for reasons other than weight loss?

I was treated for cancer last year and that's my motivation. I'm in week 4, so far haven't lost any weight (my 'weight gain' of earlier this week looks like a blip, which is a relief) and don't want to.

What I'd like to know is whether 22 hours or so of fasting, followed by all 500 calories in the evening, twice per week, still qualifies as a fast. And also, if my weight does drop and I go down to one day per week of fasting, will that be equally effective.

Yes, I'm not using it for weight loss. I'm about as light as I'd like to be and hovering around 12% BF right now. Using IF for the health benefits, hormonal changes during the fast and psychological aspect. I like going without for 24 hours just to remind me that food is not needed every 3-4 hours such as conventional wisdom may suggest. There is also much research suggesting cells recover and your body heals itself.

If I drop a little BF then thats all good but its not the reason I fast

Everything he said is correct .... it can be used for many reasons, but more importantly one should understand it is not a " diet " ... it is a lifestyle ... aka, choice of eating habits. There are MANY resources on the web that will give you more info than you can possibly digest ... But if you want to see how the different days / windows work and what kind of results will benefit a " fit " person ... definitely read the free ebook at :

http://www.precisionnutrition.com/intermittent-fasting ~ John Berardi is brilliant ! He can show you exactly what the capabilities are of " IF ".

Also check out Martin Berkhan at http://www.leangains.com/ ~ He really introduced the " concepts " of reality into this fitness world of the usual idea that breakfast is an absolute necessary meal ... just not the case ... everybody is different.

I have been doing " IF " for about 4 months now ... I have a 6 hr window on most days and I do a 24 hr fast occasionally throughout the month. This has been a spectacular improvement to my overall health. This should be measured by real numbers ... such as in measurements ... not a scale ! You will lose weight if this is your goal ... but more importantly you can really reduce your BF% and have an overall healthy body.

Just remember ... it's not for everybody ... nothing is ! What works for me, may never work for you ... just experiment, try and sample different approaches ... give each test at least 2 weeks to see how your body is reacting. There will be weak moments ... the only way we become stronger ... is from first being weaker. Triumph your fears by finding what works for you.

Best of luck !

:flowerforyou:

opuntia

Is there anybody out there using IF for reasons other than weight loss?

I was treated for cancer last year and that's my motivation. I'm in week 4, so far haven't lost any weight (my 'weight gain' of earlier this week looks like a blip, which is a relief) and don't want to.

What I'd like to know is whether 22 hours or so of fasting, followed by all 500 calories in the evening, twice per week, still qualifies as a fast. And also, if my weight does drop and I go down to one day per week of fasting, will that be equally effective.

This way of fasting (500 calories two days per week) is a type of recommended fasting for longevity and reduced risk of age-related diseases, including cancer. It was recommended on the documentary 'Eat, fast, live longer'.

I am doing this kind of fasting, not for weight loss, but for improved energy, clarity of thought, and better all-round health. Longevity would be good too! I've actually been doing it only one day per week, but I'm looking to increase it to two days a week when I get more used to it. I'm on the autism spectum and I find that fasting helps with regulating my mental processing.

liittlebrunette

bump

clairemc26

That's really interesting. I haven't felt any improvement in my ability to concentrate, but I have at least got over thinking about food all the time on a fast day!

One of the very revealing things about the experience is how much of a big deal hunger isn't! As a lifelong dieter (now on an even keel for several years, but careful, hence my use of MFP) I think I had an exagerrated fear of being hungry. It's uncomfortable sometimes, of course, but I haven't had any of the tummy-rumbling desperate craving I was expecting. I'm easily distracted and a cup of black tea can get me over the occasional pang. Saving my calories for the evening has worked well for me - I found hungry evenings a bit miserable and didn't sleep well.

I'm very motivated to stick to it because I've had cancer and don't want to get it again, but it's not for everybody, and I'm sure it's already been said here that those with any kind of eating disorder should probably avoid fasting.

pullipgirl

I do IF for health reasons. Before joining MFP I would eat 5-6 small meals a day and it made me gain weight