Intermittent Fasting?!?!

My question is... does the intermittent diet actually work for weight loss?
And where can I read up on it if I was interesting in starting it?

Replies

  • Beeps2011
    Beeps2011 Posts: 12,161 Member
    You can certainly start with Eat. Stop. Eat.

    http://bradpilon.com/
  • gadenni34
    gadenni34 Posts: 294 Member
    also check out leangains.com
    more info there on a little different way of IF.
    still kinda new to it myself but it seems there are a few ways to do it out there. You have to find what will work for you.
  • Absolutely works for me, primarily because it is so insanely easy for me to adhere to. If I get up at 7 am I naturally don't get hungry til 4-5 in the afternoon/evening. Forcing myself to eat breakfast and lunch never made me less hungry in the evening, if anything it made me constantly ravenous. I was never satisfied after any meal, and going out to eat with friends and finding something to fit my "diet" was nearly impossible.

    There are many other supposed benefits none of which I am truly qualified to speak about, but I can say I feel amazing and my workouts have been fantastic. Using a IF style eating protocol has really changed my life, if for no other reason than it is a way of eating that I can stick to, enjoy, and never feel like I am on a diet. I could go on and on about it, but there are plenty of information and testimonials on the internet so I won't bore you, but its a long list of things I like about eating this way.

    5/2 Diet, Eat, Stop, Eat, Warrior Diet and Leangains I think are some of the more popular IF protocols out there.

    Leangains: http://www.leangains.com/

    http://www.theiflife.com/intermittent-fasting-101-how-to-start-part-i/

    You can also just google IF diets and get lots of information on them.
  • fatsnacker
    fatsnacker Posts: 209 Member
    Michael Mosley has written a book about. I have lost 2lb each week by eating upto 2000 calories Sun to Thurs and approx 1000 calories Fri and Sat. Mosley recommends 600 calories on each of the fasting days but I don't want to go that low. Fasting somehow gives you more control over the subsequent full calorie days i.e. not tempted to overeat. There are other benefits to the body too.
  • Gidzmo
    Gidzmo Posts: 905 Member
    Michael Mosley has written a book about. I have lost 2lb each week by eating up to 2000 calories Sun to Thurs and approx 1000 calories Fri and Sat. Mosley recommends 600 calories on each of the fasting days but I don't want to go that low. Fasting somehow gives you more control over the subsequent full calorie days i.e. not tempted to overeat. There are other benefits to the body too.

    There are spiritual benefits to fasting (depending on your faith tradition), but addressing those would take this thread off-topic. Some can fast, but what if you have a medical condition (where fasting might/might not be a good idea)?
  • justagirlgeek
    justagirlgeek Posts: 49 Member
    Michael Mosley has written a book about. I have lost 2lb each week by eating up to 2000 calories Sun to Thurs and approx 1000 calories Fri and Sat. Mosley recommends 600 calories on each of the fasting days but I don't want to go that low. Fasting somehow gives you more control over the subsequent full calorie days i.e. not tempted to overeat. There are other benefits to the body too.

    There are spiritual benefits to fasting (depending on your faith tradition), but addressing those would take this thread off-topic. Some can fast, but what if you have a medical condition (where fasting might/might not be a good idea)?

    Then don't do it? ;)

    IF works for me.
    (Cross posted)
    I was IFing unknowingly for years before I came across the site.
    This is what my body seems to want, so I oblige.

    I'm a 18/6, which means I fast for 18 hours a day, and eat/snack for the remaining 6 hours. I stay within my 1400 calorie allowance in that 6 hours.

    I was able to maintain a healthy weight for 2.5 years doing this.--but I was eating 2000-2200 calories.
    Then I quit smoking (last April) and put on 50lbs. ;)

    I dropped my calorie intake to 1400, added more fruits and veggies, less processed crap, exercise regularly, and throw in a full day of actual fasting (no food for 24 hours) here and there when my body tells me to.
  • Keiras_Mom
    Keiras_Mom Posts: 844 Member
    Michael Mosley has written a book about. I have lost 2lb each week by eating upto 2000 calories Sun to Thurs and approx 1000 calories Fri and Sat. Mosley recommends 600 calories on each of the fasting days but I don't want to go that low. Fasting somehow gives you more control over the subsequent full calorie days i.e. not tempted to overeat. There are other benefits to the body too.

    My understanding is that the two fast days are not supposed to be back to back. They should be non-consecutive fasting days.

    I have done the Alternate Day Diet for over a year, with fasting every other day (500 calories or less) and have had tremendous success. I've recently moved to 5:2 for maintenance.
  • thedescentofhope
    thedescentofhope Posts: 118 Member
    I'm curious over this too. I shall be fasting for Lent which is fast approaching & am curious as to how it shall affect my weight as I am fasting for religious reasons not physical health.
  • I'm definitnly interested in doing IF. I will do my research for sure!
  • Mini_Medic
    Mini_Medic Posts: 343 Member
    There are IF groups on here as well with like minded people if your interested in networking with other IF'ers. :) I do the eat stop eat method where I fast for 24 hrs twice a week. On fasting day I consume 400 calories in the morning before 8am and then I stop eating and fast until 8am (or later) the next morning. Been working great for me for weight loss, provided I stick to it of course! Good luck.
  • lvtruu1
    lvtruu1 Posts: 211 Member
    Intermittent fasting (IF) is a way for some to meet their caloric needs easier. It isn't a diet. It isn't any better then eating through out the day. It is a way to partition your calories into a smaller time frame. Some find that eating only their desired window makes for far larger meals. Just don't think that you will lose more weight doing it. You won't. It does help control hunger. Once you get used to skipping breakfast, and let's be honest, that is what it is, you may find that you don't get hungry until later in the day.

    I do it most of the time, on those occasions I do eat breakfast the very next day, I'm noticeably hungry in the morning.
  • BarackMeLikeAHurricane
    BarackMeLikeAHurricane Posts: 3,400 Member
    I do 20/4 and I love it. There's an IF group on here http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/49-intermittent-fasting
  • Occasional fasting is healthy for the body as long as you are fueling your body with nutritious foods after.

    I pretty much fast for numerous hours daily though that is because I have no time for some meals. But I do make sure to eat nutritious foods most of the time.
  • Siege_Tank
    Siege_Tank Posts: 781 Member
    I love IF.

    It's not giving me a faster weight loss, but it is a schedule that is more in tune with my natural eating habits. I do the 16/8 fast, and it's a LOT easier to resist food when I can eat as much as I want and be a glutton in my 8 hour window***

    *** disclaimer: glutton in this case means *feeling* like one, as I still stick to my calorie goals for the day
  • emills1970
    emills1970 Posts: 118 Member
    Yes, it's been working for me. I do 16:8. I found these twins on YouTube that have some good info on IF. Their YouTube channel is FastingTwins. Check them out.
  • apriltrainer
    apriltrainer Posts: 732 Member
    It worked for me. and still is working for me. Using it as part of my contest prep diet for an upcoming bikini comp!
  • IF has been my ticket to sustaining a healthy lifestyle as well as losing my second 20 lbs. I am no longer a "slave" to food. Tried the eat every 2-3 hours, and while i did have some results, this is 10x better. Read up on it and learn as much as you can!
  • mabelbabel1
    mabelbabel1 Posts: 391 Member
    I am following Dr Michael Mosley's The Fast Diet it's a 5:2 Fast, I absolutely love it.

    Here's a link to the website: http://thefastdiet.co.uk/
  • sunlover89
    sunlover89 Posts: 436 Member
    I love Love LOVE IF! I agree with others on here, research the hell out of it. I do the 18/6 method, I start eating at 3pm each day and finish at 9pm. I eat 1200 - 2800 depending on the day and how much I've exercised and what time of the month it is!!

    I really don't see it as a diet, because there is no food I restrict myself from eating - however of course there are foods which i eat very rarely! I love the feeling of exercising on a fast and going to bed feeling full and satisfied.
  • stephdeeable
    stephdeeable Posts: 1,407 Member
    IF really interests me, but I work different shifts each week. For example next week I have a 6-2, two 3-11s, a 11-7 and a 8-4, so it is difficult for me to pick a "feeding window" that I can stay consistent on. On my days off though I never start eating until 3 or 4 and then just eat right up until 10-11. I like it and wish I could do it consistently.
  • Mini_Medic
    Mini_Medic Posts: 343 Member
    Eating multiple smaller meals throughout the day was hard for me, because unless I kept very busy and kept my butt out of the kitchen, I would want to continue eating and not stop at a snack sized meal. So IF works for me much better because I eat once a day on fasting days and on my regular days I eat lunch around 11-2 and dinner at 6, sometimes as late as 8 depending on my schedule. Having a smaller eating window worked best because I felt like I was getting enough at each meal and not watching the clock till my next snack sized meal. It's not for everyone but I love it and live it. Sometimes just a small break from eating gets my body back on track.
  • ladymiseryali
    ladymiseryali Posts: 2,555 Member
    I'm giving it a try. I can eat from 10am till 6pm, then I'll fast from then on.
  • fatsnacker
    fatsnacker Posts: 209 Member
    Hi Mabelbabel,

    I agree, it works for me too !
  • spamantha57
    spamantha57 Posts: 674 Member
    I'm giving it a try. I can eat from 10am till 6pm, then I'll fast from then on.
    That's like me eating from 3pm til 11pm haha
  • fatsnacker
    fatsnacker Posts: 209 Member
    well done Keiras Mom for keeping with it. Two consecutive days at the weekend works for me but I do separate them if I have time off from work when my concentration and energy levels need to be on top form.

    fatsnacker
  • CristinaL1983
    CristinaL1983 Posts: 1,119 Member
    I've been doing intermittent fasting for 3 months ( including 3 weeks since i joined MFP). I love it, it is pretty in sync with my actual hunger (I used to mindlessly eat in the morning). I fast for at least 18 hours everyday and shoot for 20. I try to do a 24 hour fast at least once a week and I forgive myself if I only fast 12 or 14 hours on one other day. There is a lot of solid science that show why fasting is good (including increasing the amount of fat lost per pound when combined with strength training). If you read the book Eat, Stop, Eat (which is available for free online if you know where to look) it cites at least a dozen studies that point to the added benefits of intermittent fasting as well as the myths of metabolism and muscle loss.
    [FWIW, I have lost an average of 12 pounds per month for three months.]
  • BeckiCharlotte13x
    BeckiCharlotte13x Posts: 259 Member
    I'm currently doing it. I'm doing the 5.2 diet, which involves restricting calories down to 500 calories twice a week and then eating normally on other days, but you can supposedly eat whatever you want, but within reasons.

    In 3 weeks, I have lost half a stone. 500 calorie days are easy now and my skin and hair and nails feel better and I'm not lethargic or tired!

    Give it a try but be aware there will be lots of people who will preach about how bad for you to is...
  • Ben2118
    Ben2118 Posts: 571 Member
    It's not a diet though, it's just simply a way of eating. You eat the same amount of food, just in a smaller eating window.

    I eat between 1pm and 9pm, 8 hour eating window, 16 hour fasting window seems to be a good starting point. 3 months in and about 21lbs down.
  • blacklaceroses
    blacklaceroses Posts: 48 Member
    i swear by it!
  • apriltrainer
    apriltrainer Posts: 732 Member
    I fast and it works for me....but it's not a one size all type thing. There are different types of fasting. I tried the 24 hour fasting once a week. Didn't work for me at all!

    But it didn't mean fasting doesn't work.

    Just that the variation of it didn't

    What works for me is usually 14-16 hour fast.(I do the leangains style of fasting)

    Depending on how I feel..I will go 14 hours..sometimes 16...

    Heck there are someday I just do 12 hours.and sometimes I surprise myself and go 18! But mostly 14-16. It works for me.

    But you gotta find what works for you.

    Maybe you will find fasting doesn't work at all..and that's ok. But for some people IF works. It also saves me money from not planning 6 snacks/meals a day! (that's how I used to eat!)

    Saves me time and money! If there is no other benefit..I have more money in my pocket!!