the 5:2 diet - eat, fast and live longer.

Options
2»

Replies

  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Options
    I did IF for a bit. One thing i learnt is that you can't exercise while fasting. I personaly struggle to exercise on a healthy stomach, so when i went to karate without breakfast i ended up fainting. So yeah, if you do it, make sure you don't do it on exercise days.

    Not true. What you learnt is that YOU can't exercise while fasting. Some people adapt just fine. I've actually made plenty of PB's fasted. Also will differ depending on what type of exercise you are doing.
    i also stopped because of insomnia. One thing it does is make ou way more alert. I already had insomnia, but with this i ended up unable to sleep for two days.

    I've heard a few people have issues with that. I personally haven't though. If you do get it and you can narrow IF down as the cause then it's definitely not for you though.
    I would recomend it for men, because the benefits were obvious. Wouldn't do it solely for weight loss, that would be a bit, counterproductive to your healthy mindset.

    Why? One of the biggest advantages of IFing is that it is so easy to keep a calorie controlled diet.

    And to the last poster: there is an intermittent fasting group.
  • tomcat941
    tomcat941 Posts: 47 Member
    Options
    I understand that everyone reacts differentl, and i was merely pointing out my own experience. I like IF, Although i'm not sure it works for my lifestyle. Who knows? I've been thinking about adding one on my rest days, as i want my memory to improve.
    Dieting (or weight loss) makes you more likely to develop an eating disorder. I'm not saying that you will promote the idea of Anorexia, but i wouldn't do it solely for weight loss. It gives the wrong idea i think. There are lots of other benefits. Also, imagine someone with Bulimia tendency. They binge, they decide IF will work for them afterwards. They take it to extremes in order to control their weights, they stop doing it healthily, and they get ill. Also, the idea of if you mess up on the fast, you must binge, and therefore fast to make up for a binge.
    Again, not saying it leads to eating disorder, but it doesn't help those with the tendencies, but then again, neither does weight loss at all, that's why i focus on fitness instead of scale, and why i would do IF for the other benefits and not solely for weightloss.
    I think what i said might have been read wrong. I like IF, i support it. It's a good idea i think. It just doesn't work for everyone, and i was merely giving my experiences.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
    Options
    I understand that everyone reacts differentl, and i was merely pointing out my own experience. I like IF, Although i'm not sure it works for my lifestyle. Who knows? I've been thinking about adding one on my rest days, as i want my memory to improve.
    Dieting (or weight loss) makes you more likely to develop an eating disorder. I'm not saying that you will promote the idea of Anorexia, but i wouldn't do it solely for weight loss. It gives the wrong idea i think. There are lots of other benefits. Also, imagine someone with Bulimia tendency. They binge, they decide IF will work for them afterwards. They take it to extremes in order to control their weights, they stop doing it healthily, and they get ill. Also, the idea of if you mess up on the fast, you must binge, and therefore fast to make up for a binge.
    Again, not saying it leads to eating disorder, but it doesn't help those with the tendencies, but then again, neither does weight loss at all, that's why i focus on fitness instead of scale, and why i would do IF for the other benefits and not solely for weightloss.
    I think what i said might have been read wrong. I like IF, i support it. It's a good idea i think. It just doesn't work for everyone, and i was merely giving my experiences.

    aaah gotcha :smile:

    Totally agree that anyone with an ED or anything at all related should be staying away from IF.
    :drinker: for not worrying about stupid scale weights.
  • gauchogirl
    gauchogirl Posts: 467 Member
    Options
    I combine a lot of things and have settled on what makes me feel good while achieving weight loss and having amazing energy. WHEN I eat, I eat Paleo in a roughly 80/20 balance. When I'm not eating, it's because of IF (both 18/6 and ESE (Eat, Stop, Eat) dinner-to-dinner fasts.

    Mon - fast until dinner (about a 22-24 hr fast, depending on when I ate dinner the night before)
    Tues - fast until lunch (about a 17-19 hr fast, depending on when I ate dinner the night before)
    Wed - fast until dinner (about a 22-24 hr fast, depending on when I ate dinner the night before)
    Thurs - fast until lunch (about a 17-19 hr fast, depending on when I ate dinner the night before)
    Fri - fast until dinner (about a 22-24 hr fast, depending on when I ate dinner the night before)
    Sat and Sun - eat whenever I feel like it. This may include long periods without eating or it might mean 3 big meals or a day of grazing all day. I listen to my body. This is when my "20" of the Paleo 80/20 comes into play. I try to enjoy my life and not stress about food. I often don't count calories on weekends. It makes it so M-F I have zero temptation to "cheat." While Paleo eschews counting calories, I try to keep an eye on them so I know I'm in the ballpark.

    I can only say what I have personally experienced. I have MORE energy for my daily (twice a day sometimes) workouts with a completely empty stomach. If I have eaten within 4-5 hours of exercising, I feel sluggish.
    Because I eat Paleo, and have for awhile, I feel my body is completely fat-adapted. Meaning it's comfortable burning fat as a fuel source and only burns carbs if they're there. Since they aren't there in abundance, I mostly burn fat. Since I'm fasted much of the time, I burn a lot of fat. I may not be using the right scientific language to describe this, but I know the old me couldn't go 2 hours without eating because I would get so hungry I wanted to stab someone. Serious crashes. Now, I don't crash when I'm hungry, I rarely feel hungry. When I do, it's like a little nudge saying "you could eat if you wanted, but if not, no biggie, I'll wait." It is such a gently nudge that if I am doing anything else, I don't notice it. If I start to go as long as 24 hours, it gets more insistent and I eat.

    I love the way I feel, for the first time, being hungry doesn't have an effect on me. On my moods, constantly thinking about my next meal, etc. I love the days I can leave for work and not have to pack a lunch, snacks, or even think about food. I am mentally more focused and physically stronger. I have tried a lot of things and I have no problem feeling what doesn't work for me and eliminating it. The first time I went dinner-to-dinner it was amazingly easy and I never looked back. It feels good to feel this good.

    So, for me, IF, in many of its iterations, works great.
  • enliven_mal
    enliven_mal Posts: 28 Member
    Options
    I am surprised no one has backed up what they are saying with research yet. I have been looking into this for myself, and think it sounds like the most sensible thing possible. Most of the problems it sounds like people are having are PERSONAL problems. Based on my research, not everyone experiences the same hang-ups and problems.
    Like any 'new' lifestyle switch up, it is going to take your body some time to adjust. Give it some time to adjust.
    Don't worry about whether or not your body knows if it is a feeding day, or a fasting day. When we had to hunt for our food, our bodies didn't know which day it was.
    If you want some more information, these websites are great.
    1. Lean gains. All supported by research. Go through the Top articles.
    http://www.leangains.com/2010/10/top-ten-fasting-myths-debunked.html

    2. Mark's Daily Apple. A Primal eater gives his experience on the situation. Well informed and supported by research.
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting-questions-answers/#axzz2CCQ1eBkO
    http://www.marksdailyapple.com/fasting/#axzz2CCQ9Z7Bd

    3. Anthony Mychal. Funny, informative, and another take on the IF. He has experimented with many different forms of IF and weighs in on his experiences.
    http://anthonymychal.com/2012/10/9-things-you-should-know-before-intermittent-fasting/



    Hope these help to answer some questions and allows you to form your own opinion based on what you are reading, rather what you are hearing on here! Don't be afraid of researching, myfitfriends :)
  • enliven_mal
    enliven_mal Posts: 28 Member
    Options
    Thank you for mentioning your experiences are YOU experiences. I appreciate that :)
  • frangoddard
    frangoddard Posts: 1
    Options
    Everybody is different. I often used to exercise before breakfast and never had energy problems. It's not for everyone though. No one thing will suit everyone.

Categories