intermittent fasting

rowenaaitken
rowenaaitken Posts: 48 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Is anyone doing the intermittent fasting (IF) as seen on the BBC's Horizon http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-19112549?

In a nutshell you fast for 2 days a week but you can consume 500cal/day for females, 600cal/day males; eat normally the other 5.

Does anyone have a great way to break that 500cal/day down? 1x500cal meal? 2x250cal? 3x175cal? 5x100cal?

If so what do you eat? How do you stop yourself from feeling hungry?

I'm doing it for the first time tomorrow so i'm expecting to be hungry, but it should get easier as my stomach shrinks.

Thoughts?

Replies

  • msmac74
    msmac74 Posts: 23 Member
    Hi
    Have a look at the link for meal ideas. I do the 16/8 IF myself
    http://www.telegraph.co.uk/foodanddrink/9483381/52-diet-healthy-recipes-250-calories-or-less.html
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    IF has worked for me but I think if you are going to get the real benefits of fasting then you really need to actually fast. Eating 500 calories is not fasting. This BBC method may indeed work, but it isnt really fasting if you eat 500 calories. That is simply a very low calorie day.
  • 228lrt
    228lrt Posts: 49 Member
    I have started doing 1 to 2 fasts per week. I base it on a book written by Brad Pilon, Eat Stop Eat. You can read about it at eatstopeat.com. His is a 24 hr. fast, no calories. I like it and seems to work really good.
  • shelbyfrootcake
    shelbyfrootcake Posts: 965 Member
    I'm doing it. Minimum 5:2, aiming for 4:3 on 'good' weeks. So far so good. I feel pretty energetic, particularly the morning after the fast day.

    Today is my second fast day of the week and I may do tomorrow as well. Feel free to add me if you want.
  • shelbyfrootcake
    shelbyfrootcake Posts: 965 Member
    I generally drink a lto of herbal tea (and a Berocca) during the day on fast days and eat all my calories in the evening. If I start eating earlier in the day I end up irritable, but I can stave off hunger during the day with a big mug of redbush tea.
  • Cardamomdeb
    Cardamomdeb Posts: 5 Member
    I started the 5:2 on Monday. It's not "absolute fasting", but it is fasting. I have done my two 500 calorie fast days this week and have lost 6lb. I had already cut down and had been exercising for a month, so didn't expect such a big loss (although I do need to lose 3 stone). I do a 5.6km walk/run every morning before breakfast with the dogs, plus I'm swimming and doing a bit of gym work most days.

    On Monday, I did my walk/run then had fruit for breakfast and lunch, and roasted veg for dinner. However, I found that eating my first piece of fruit triggered hunger pangs and I stayed hungry all day. On the following day when which was a non fasting day I did my walk/run, went on the cross trainer and swam. I still couldn't seem to sate my hunger from the previous day until after dinner. I think this is because I was still slightly trying to limit my calories and ate a smallish breakfast. I ate 2300 calories that day which is 300 calories more than the recommended daily amount for women which I don't want to exceed on my non fasting days, however I burnt 800 calories with exercise.

    Yesterday I changed tact and decided not to eat until I was hungry, which was 1pm, when I had a spicy red thai chicken and noodle soup, I had the same for dinner (because it was easy). I did my walk/run and swam, and I didn't feel hungry all day and felt ok this morning too. Did my walk/run this morning, and was a little tired, but still managed a normal time. This time I had a big breakfast of 600 calories (toast, beans and poached eggs) and it really filled me up.

    I am not making the mistake of eating everything and anything on my non fasting days, which I know some people do. If you want to lose weight, you simply have to restrict calories. So that means fasting two days a week and not exceeding the daily recommended calorie allowance for a women (or a man) the rest of the time.

    Good luck with what you decide!

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