Has anyone out there tried Intermittent Fasting "IF"

As I mentioned in another post, I have a couple of days a week when I eat mostly fruits and veggies, and it's maybe 1000 calories total. What scares me about genuine fasting is that eventually your body goes into "starvation mode" and starts burning calories more slowly. That's not what you want! I also do pretty vigorous workouts and want the energy to continue them.

I did find that the low-calorie days have gotten me off the instant response to hunger: "I need munchies, I need protein, etc." and I'm more likely to live with a feeling of mild hunger than immediately going off in search of food. That's been a very good change. I've decided against any true fasting, though.

As I mentioned in another post, I have a couple of days a week when I eat mostly fruits and veggies, and it's maybe 1000 calories total. What scares me about genuine fasting is that eventually your body goes into "starvation mode" and starts burning calories more slowly. That's not what you want! I also do pretty vigorous workouts and want the energy to continue them.

I did find that the low-calorie days have gotten me off the instant response to hunger: "I need munchies, I need protein, etc." and I'm more likely to live with a feeling of mild hunger than immediately going off in search of food. That's been a very good change. I've decided against any true fasting, though.

IF is not really "fasting" though...you simply eat all your alloted calories during a 6-8 hour window each day, but you're still eating the SAME amount of food. It works well for people who like to eat larger meals, and who like to eat a big dinner, but aren't really fans of breakfast. Most people have a "feeding window" from like noon-8 p.m., or 1-9 p.m....whatever they decide. But they are NOT starving themselves...TRUST ME, I never would've tried it otherwise. People who do IF generally LOVE to eat...and eat large meals...that's (one of the reasons) why they do it.

Actually there are many different ways of intermittent fasting that are all referred to by that term. My favorite is Brad Pilon's "Eat Stop Eat" program which you can google if interested. He recommends fasting for a 24 hour period once or twice a week. So you still eat every day. I do it from dinner one day until dinner the next during fasting days. I try to do at least once a week, but shoot for twice.

Bump

Yes, and it's very good when on a caloric deficit for restricting hunger.

Depends how much you like breakfast though..
I find myself far more productive in a fasted state throughout the day too, and so I've stuck with it since my last diet.

That's true. I was referencing Berkhan's Leangains program...I should have specified that.

i.e. the best, and the guy who popularised IF.

I don't think the benefits are that great. I had a very hard time getting all my calories in in such a short period.

I though the point of IF was to restrict our calories not eat them in a smaller window of time. The benefits like most things are NOT short term NOR about dieting, but putting your body in repair mode. It is supposed to get your body repairing cell damage thus slowing down the ageing process and reducing cancer the chances of various cancers. Weight loss is a side effect.

The point of any weight loss diet is obviously to lose weight.. Achieved by remaining in a caloric deficit.

The beauty of IF is that by fasting you increase your Grehlin sensitivity, which regulates appetite and metabolism. Also more alertness through the day due to not digesting.

As long as you're in a caloric deficit it makes little difference whether you eat it in one meal or 20, really.


As for preventing cancers and slowing the ageing process.. I have no idea, the science on that is forever changing.

And repair mode? Please explain? If you're referring to protein synthesis then it's unaffected by IF.

I don't think the benefits are that great. I had a very hard time getting all my calories in in such a short period.

I think that's the idea! You eat less because you spend less time eating.

And I agree with the people who say they're more focused/energetic on the fast days. I've found that with my own system, too.

The benefits of Calorie Restriction was discovered in experiments on lab rats in the 1930s; essentially they lived around 20-30% longer, do not develop cancers, diabetes or heart disease. Experiments on primates showed similar results but the effect on their mental health was marked (showing low mood, depression and in some cases violence). CRONYs (Calorie Restricted Optimal Nutrition Society) are a group of people who CR. Their physiology on a cellular level belies their numeric age, showing little of the damage or wear & tear that would be expected.

Scientists played around with CR and came up with IF as bringing the same benefits in longevity. It is also more manageable & seems to address the mood issue. Indeed, it is being looked at in relation to neuro degenerative disorders such as Alzheimers.

I read loads on this a few years ago when I first heard of but there is tons more stuff articles and research around. This is just one paper:

The effect on health of alternate day calorie restriction: Eating less and more than needed on alternate days prolongs life by
J B Johnson Department of Surgery, Louisiana State University Medical Center,
Donald R Laub Department of Surgery, Stanford Medical School, Stanford
Sujit John Department of Mathematics, University of New Orleans,

http://www.genomenewsnetwork.org/articles/2004/07/09/calorierestriction.php - this is a link to a 2004 article called Eat Less live longer which is easier to read.

I made the mistake of IF for 2 days then 5 days normal - but the body goes into 'starvation mode' at around 36hrs so the 24hr fasting at a time is probably better.

Oh and see http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women it seems women may not react to IF in quite the same universally positive way as do men.

I've tried IF before, and had a lot of success with it, because it helps me to not go over my calorie goals. Lean Gains (http://www.leangains.com/) has some good information, and he usually cites his references! I have a 9 hour window to eat in (women have larger windows than men, though), and I have a "normal" calorie goal - nothing too low. If I could eat all day and not go over my calories, I'd do it, but when I eat breakfast I'm usually hungry. It took me a couple weeks to get used to it again (I got hungry in the mornings at first, because I always used to eat breakfast), but it was worth it!