Questions about Intermittent Fasting

I_WATCH_NIKITA

What are some of your thoughts on intermittent fasting ? has anybody here tried it & if so how are the results coming along ? I'm thinking about doing a 16 hour fasting with an 8 hour eating window daily & was wondering if anybody here has experience in fasting ? any input on the subject would be appreciated, thanks

inatay7

I havent done it consistently I just do it every so often when I need it. For example... go to a party on the weekend, more calories than I need are consumed, 24 hour fast and I feel fine. Doesn't even feel like a fast to me because my calories for the week are simply balancing out.

I really would like to be able to do it a couple of days a week on a regular basis regardless of parties and outings where I have been particularly bad..........

Let us know how it goes for you

LexyDB

16 hour fast and 8 hours eating is classic lean gains, it works and works well.

You may want to look at carb back loading which is as if not more than effective than lean gains. You'll notice the difference after the first ten days.

andyroo7

I have been fasting a bit lately and it's easier to do if you keep yourself busy. That way you don't have time to think about food, and your cravings or hunger pains don't seem to be as strong.

joyzeejay

I do it. I LOVE it. It's so easy, not anything I really have to think about. Doing Leangains with weights and cardio, I lost 46lbs in 4 months. Mostly fat. I've been at maintenance ever since. Actually, I'm struggling not to lose weight on maintenance...have to eat like, 2500-3000 cals a day and I'm 5'6", 145lbs now. I find it VERY effective and easy.

LexyDB

I'm struggling not to lose weight on maintenance...have to eat like, 2500-3000 cals a day and I'm 5'6", 145lbs now. I find it VERY effective and easy.

Most people won't believe this but this is why so many others fail. The key to fat loss is to regulate your hormones and whey you know how, the fat drops off you.

That plus the fact that it is so easy and simple but most on here will never try it.

Very well done with your efforts so far.

LCSoulkat

I've started doing 18 hrs fasting on a daily basis and added 2 days of 24hrs fasting while having begun strength training as well (4x a week).
So far, have dropped 19lbs and the funny thing is...even during the fasting, I don't have nor feel the urge of being hungry and looking for food.

However I'm sure I will hit some roadblocks along the way, as the body is a complex and very 'intelligent" machine where it knows and feels that you're trying to fool it thus it adjusts and sometimes causes hiccups on your weight loss. The important thing is to not give up if you get a bad result...just keep going on with your plan and stick to it no matter what....In the end, YOU and only YOU will turn out the winner.

Good-luck everyone...We're already all winners for being here

Miiimii

I started intermittent fasting some weeks ago and feel pretty with it. I fast two days a week with only eating 500 to 600kcl a day. On one day a week I'm having a completly salt free day (which sucks much more than the fasting days). The other four days I eat "normal" (means in my calorie goal but without restrictions what I eat as long as it fits) and don't have bad feelings if I'm overeating a bit. I feel realy great with this, it's easy to do and I'm losing (not very fast, but I never did, probably because of my Hypothyroidism).

First week was a bit hard, but since then it works realy good. I even go to the gym at fasting days and do yoga. Just wouldn't do the two days in a row - this made me feel realy dizzy in the first week. No good idea.

On my fasting days I eat lunch (around 200kcl) around 1p.m. and I eat dinner around 8p.m. (around 300kcl). I mostly eat veggies on that day, because you a lot of veggies for 200kcl. But also selfmade soups like lentille soup or oatmeal soup is fine. So my fasting days a mostly carb free, but just because they have to much calories to fit in and fill me up. After dinner at 8p.m. I eat nothing untill the next day 13p.m. only drink tea and water, but that has nothing to do with my fasting, I always have my first meal of the day at 1p.m. (don't need breakfast, I'm not hungry in the morning).

Just try it for yourself - if it works and you like it, do it. If not, skip it.

SideSteel

I would urge you to use a meal timing and/or frequency that fits your personal preferences and allows you the easiest path to hit your calorie and macro targets by end of day.

For example, if you try IF and give it a week or two and just discover that it's a poor fit for your lifestyle I'd stop doing it. Dietary adherence should still be at the top of your list.

That being said, while I don't strictly follow a feeding window, my eating habits most closely resemble an LG style since I skip breakfast and eat most of my calories in a shorter feed window.

There's certainly some research showing it to be favorable but hitting your end-of-day nutritional targets will trump anything nutrient-timing related. Choose the method that suits you best. I'd still recommend that you give IF a try because for many people it's the best thing ever. Eating large meals at night is full of win.

ZoeLifts

I absolutely love LG, and what SideSteel said is right, it is all about finding what fits for your routine and is sustainable for your life. I absolutely love being able to eat more later in the day because that is what works for me. The timing is even more of a benefit to me than the fact that I am losing body fat (though, that is definitely in the plus column). I am currently on a large cut, so I cycle my calories to be quite a bit lower on non training days and higher than my TDEE on training days. I am actually going to switch to a recomp during the Holidays because a) I want more strength gains (on a large cut, this can be difficult) b) It is recommended to take a "diet" break every now and then, c) I want to eat more cause its the holidays, obviously and c) because its just so convenient to be able to switch it up like that.

I highly recommend anyone to try it, but if it doesn't work for you, it just doesn"t, that's ok!

Cranktastic

I would urge you to use a meal timing and/or frequency that fits your personal preferences and allows you the easiest path to hit your calorie and macro targets by end of day.

For example, if you try IF and give it a week or two and just discover that it's a poor fit for your lifestyle I'd stop doing it. Dietary adherence should still be at the top of your list.

That being said, while I don't strictly follow a feeding window, my eating habits most closely resemble an LG style since I skip breakfast and eat most of my calories in a shorter feed window.

There's certainly some research showing it to be favorable but hitting your end-of-day nutritional targets will trump anything nutrient-timing related. Choose the method that suits you best. I'd still recommend that you give IF a try because for many people it's the best thing ever. Eating large meals at night is full of win.

I dont stick to an exact schedule but saving my calories until later in the day has made a MAJOR difference in my being able to stay with the program...i LOVE eating later AHMNOMnomNOMnom!

Tilran

Yeah I agree, it is all personal preference. For me, IF would not work...I am hungry by the slightest smell or sight of food. I need to constantly shut the beast up in my stomach. I drink alot of water to keep myself full and snack/graze throughout the day. Unfortunately this makes it impossible for me to enjoy a big full meal outside of cheat days which is frustrating....but it appears to be the only saving grace I have.


I could not imagine doing 24 hours without any food or just 200-300 calories. I'd simply be unable to concentrate or function.

CoderGal

What are some of your thoughts on intermittent fasting ? has anybody here tried it & if so how are the results coming along ? I'm thinking about doing a 16 hour fasting with an 8 hour eating window daily & was wondering if anybody here has experience in fasting ? any input on the subject would be appreciated, thanks

I decided a few days ago I was going to go with the 16hr fast 8 hour eating window daily thing to figure out what all the fuss is about :P So my experience with it has been limited to a few days. Personally, as long as I keep the calories the same, I feel no different. If I mess the math then I feel hungry for a while. My vision of it is it really doesn't matter when you eat, but I've read some positive things about IF so I decided to try it. Especially since there's a crap ton of people who seem to be against it but never seem to be able to list proof as to why? The only negative things I've really heard is the evidence that supports it can be bad in some ways for females...

http://www.marksdailyapple.com/women-and-intermittent-fasting/
http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/

Since you're not one give it a whirl. Especially if it's convenient. If you're doing it because it's popular and you think it will be life changing, then don't bother.

I would urge you to use a meal timing and/or frequency that fits your personal preferences and allows you the easiest path to hit your calorie and macro targets by end of day.

For example, if you try IF and give it a week or two and just discover that it's a poor fit for your lifestyle I'd stop doing it. Dietary adherence should still be at the top of your list.

That being said, while I don't strictly follow a feeding window, my eating habits most closely resemble an LG style since I skip breakfast and eat most of my calories in a shorter feed window.

There's certainly some research showing it to be favorable but hitting your end-of-day nutritional targets will trump anything nutrient-timing related. Choose the method that suits you best. I'd still recommend that you give IF a try because for many people it's the best thing ever. Eating large meals at night is full of win.

^Keep in mind that if you're a female, the results may not be so 'favorable' (see links above). With that being said, who knows for sure...I haven't wasted away to a skinny-fat blob yet

ohh_myy_quad

I want to try the Lean Gains method...seems doable...I have fasted without intending to in the past but have always consumed an incredible amount of water, helping me feel satiated and not finding myself obsessing with the thought of food. Ideally, I want to aim for 1200 calorie consumption, 40 protein/40 carbs/20 fats and hope to drop body fat % and build muscle.

I'm unsure as to when my 8-hr eating period should be. I typically do Insanity workouts at 4:30 a.m., work from 8 to 5, and will be adding strength training to my routine 3x per week. Could someone give me a suggestion as to when I should be fasting?

CoderGal

I want to try the Lean Gains method...seems doable...I have fasted without intending to in the past but have always consumed an incredible amount of water, helping me feel satiated and not finding myself obsessing with the thought of food. Ideally, I want to aim for 1200 calorie consumption, 40 protein/40 carbs/20 fats and hope to drop body fat % and build muscle.

I'm unsure as to when my 8-hr eating period should be. I typically do Insanity workouts at 4:30 a.m., work from 8 to 5, and will be adding strength training to my routine 3x per week. Could someone give me a suggestion as to when I should be fasting?

Interesting you say that. So I use to be really good at drinking a impressive amount of water every day and for whatever reason when the semester started I started drinking 1 cup of coffee a day....and that was about it for liquids minus milk every so often...

Then after reading a thread like this one almost a week ago I was like hey I'm gonna try eating in a 8hr window (I believe that's all leangains is?) Well, since I switched to "IF" at about 9oclock every night I turn into a unquenchable thirst monster. The first night it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like wow, this is definitely something out of my normal and I haven't changed anything other then IF...I'm blaming this on IF...and I don't think it's a bad thing...it's making me drink the water that I stopped drinking completely. Then the second day came...same thing...9oclock and bam, thirst monster. the next etc etc anyway....it's quarter to 9... *glug glug glug*

ohh_myy_quad

I want to try the Lean Gains method...seems doable...I have fasted without intending to in the past but have always consumed an incredible amount of water, helping me feel satiated and not finding myself obsessing with the thought of food. Ideally, I want to aim for 1200 calorie consumption, 40 protein/40 carbs/20 fats and hope to drop body fat % and build muscle.

I'm unsure as to when my 8-hr eating period should be. I typically do Insanity workouts at 4:30 a.m., work from 8 to 5, and will be adding strength training to my routine 3x per week. Could someone give me a suggestion as to when I should be fasting?

Interesting you say that. So I use to be really good at drinking a impressive amount of water every day and for whatever reason when the semester started I started drinking 1 cup of coffee a day....and that was about it for liquids minus milk every so often...

Then after reading a thread like this one almost a week ago I was like hey I'm gonna try eating in a 8hr window (I believe that's all leangains is?) Well, since I switched to "IF" at about 9oclock every night I turn into a unquenchable thirst monster. The first night it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like wow, this is definitely something out of my normal and I haven't changed anything other then IF...I'm blaming this on IF...and I don't think it's a bad thing...it's making me drink the water that I stopped drinking completely. Then the second day came...same thing...9oclock and bam, thirst monster. the next etc etc anyway....it's quarter to 9... *glug glug glug*

LOL! It's awesome you are now drinking an insane amount of water...one of my friends was saying how much of a chore she feels it is to drink it. I, on the contrary, enjoy water. It's my favorite beverage! Sooo, when do you work out and what time do you fast? Do you begin your fast at 9 p.m.?

CoderGal

I want to try the Lean Gains method...seems doable...I have fasted without intending to in the past but have always consumed an incredible amount of water, helping me feel satiated and not finding myself obsessing with the thought of food. Ideally, I want to aim for 1200 calorie consumption, 40 protein/40 carbs/20 fats and hope to drop body fat % and build muscle.

I'm unsure as to when my 8-hr eating period should be. I typically do Insanity workouts at 4:30 a.m., work from 8 to 5, and will be adding strength training to my routine 3x per week. Could someone give me a suggestion as to when I should be fasting?

Interesting you say that. So I use to be really good at drinking a impressive amount of water every day and for whatever reason when the semester started I started drinking 1 cup of coffee a day....and that was about it for liquids minus milk every so often...

Then after reading a thread like this one almost a week ago I was like hey I'm gonna try eating in a 8hr window (I believe that's all leangains is?) Well, since I switched to "IF" at about 9oclock every night I turn into a unquenchable thirst monster. The first night it hit me like a ton of bricks. I was like wow, this is definitely something out of my normal and I haven't changed anything other then IF...I'm blaming this on IF...and I don't think it's a bad thing...it's making me drink the water that I stopped drinking completely. Then the second day came...same thing...9oclock and bam, thirst monster. the next etc etc anyway....it's quarter to 9... *glug glug glug*

LOL! It's awesome you are now drinking an insane amount of water...one of my friends was saying how much of a chore she feels it is to drink it. I, on the contrary, enjoy water. It's my favorite beverage! Sooo, when do you work out and what time do you fast? Do you begin your fast at 9 p.m.?

My favorite drink as well. I have no idea why I stopped drinking it?

The 8 hr window I do every day. My workout schedule is kind of all over the place since I'm in school. Basically, I don't usually have a sitting where I say this chunk of time is dedicated to this. For example. I have no parking spot and I managed to find a place I can park on campus...that's 20 minutes away from the building I'm usually in. I got there and realized my assignment was late today...and while I had plenty of time to walk, I decided to run like a lunatic for 15 minutes to get there and back and then walk around. I got up this morning and did a few chin ups and pushups...and again when I got home...and again after I ate...and occasionally when I get off the toilet. Sounds like allot but that all probably added up to a few minutes of weights and a fair bit of meandering. I don't notice it and I hate lifting things so it makes it more tolerable (back problems). My time was dedicated to hiking but me and the person I usually hike with got busy (and being in the woods for 20 km with bears and moose by yourself is no fun). Once class is out things will get more regular and pilates/yoga will likely jump back into the scene. Also, hiking is where this IF idea started to be a good idea for me. Going on those longer hikes would have killed me at first. Then I discovered if I pigged out on carbs I felt a lot better, and that was alright because my body needed them. Then I thought I really enjoyed the idea of eating larger meals and less often. Because even if I pigged out my body would want food on the hike because I was used to eating every few hours....stupid ghrelin.

I_WATCH_NIKITA

Thanks for all the info everyone ! I started my fasting 3 days ago with a 18 hour fast & a 6 hour feeding window (due to my daily schedule) and must say I'm really impressed with how my energy levels have gone up since. i no longer feel the urge to take a pre workout before the gym & found my self no longer feeling sleepy & hitting the snooze button upon waking up. i eat 3 bigger meals now about 2 1/2 hours apart. 1st meal after the gym complex & simple(very lil simple) carbs and protein around 70~90 grams of carbs & roughly 70 grams of protien (800~1000 calories) , 2nd meal 50~70 grams of complex carbohydrates 60~70 grams of protein 20 grams of fats (600~800 calories), 3rd meal 50 ~ 60 grams of protein 20 grams of fat 10~20 grams of carbs (400~600) calories.

I'm currently in a cutting phase and trying to preserve as much muscle mass as possible.
Did anybody else here feel extremely bloated the first day or two of trying to fit all your macros in a smaller time frame ?
thats they only con i have of fasting so far is that bloated feeling after the 2nd meal. lol

CoderGal

Thanks for all the info everyone ! I started my fasting 3 days ago with a 18 hour fast & a 6 hour feeding window (due to my daily schedule) and must say I'm really impressed with how my energy levels have gone up since. i no longer feel the urge to take a pre workout before the gym & found my self no longer feeling sleepy & hitting the snooze button upon waking up. i eat 3 bigger meals now about 2 1/2 hours apart. 1st meal after the gym complex & simple(very lil simple) carbs and protein around 70~90 grams of carbs & roughly 70 grams of protien (800~1000 calories) , 2nd meal 50~70 grams of complex carbohydrates 60~70 grams of protein 20 grams of fats (600~800 calories), 3rd meal 50 ~ 60 grams of protein 20 grams of fat 10~20 grams of carbs (400~600) calories.

I'm currently in a cutting phase and trying to preserve as much muscle mass as possible.
Did anybody else here feel extremely bloated the first day or two of trying to fit all your macros in a smaller time frame ?
thats they only con i have of fasting so far is that bloated feeling after the 2nd meal. lol

The first day I felt full, just like the last time I changed my diet I felt full. But after the first day it didn't affect me.

KANGOOJUMPS

yep, i do it, and it works for me,,, there is a group here, join it!