IF?

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KellyUVA
KellyUVA Posts: 255 Member
Has anyone out there had success with intermitten fasting (IF)? All of my life I have heard the importance of eating regular meals, so now I am on the fence about this.

Thanks!

Kelly
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Replies

  • paleojoe
    paleojoe Posts: 442 Member
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    Hey Kelly!

    IMO, intermittent fasting is a natural progression after adopting a pale/primal lifestyle. I have had fantastic results using IF. Here are some blog links that got me going with fasting...

    http://bradpilon.com

    http://thesimplesaloon.com

    http://www.leangains.com

    Quite a bit of info... hope it helps.

    Best,
    J
  • KellyUVA
    KellyUVA Posts: 255 Member
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    Thanks so much!
  • spirit80
    spirit80 Posts: 327 Member
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    I never plan to IF. However I do miss meals when very busy. Good thing is I am not really hunger so not a big deal. Fat burns along time.
  • GalaxyDuck
    GalaxyDuck Posts: 406 Member
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    Intermittent Fasting for men is a little bit different than IF for women.
    http://www.paleoforwomen.com/shattering-the-myth-of-fasting-for-women-a-review-of-female-specific-responses-to-fasting-in-the-literature/

    This isn't to say that IF doesn't work for women, there are certainly women out there who use it all the time with no ill effect. But I've also known several who experienced symptoms as described in the above article (myself included). My suggestion is to do as much research (the links already provided are great resources) as you can, give it a try if you decide it's something you want to try, but keep a good close eye on how your body reacts while you're trying it!
  • mfsenecal
    mfsenecal Posts: 1 Member
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    I usually wait to eat until about 11-11:30 in the morning (after my requisite morning coffee with almond milk). I found this really helps with my digestive system (gives it a break), creates a nice calorie deficit, and most importantly helps me understand what it feels like to be hungry vs. full and everything in-between. The first couple of days were kind of hard - we've been hardwired to eat as soon as we wake up and as soon as our stomachs start to twitch. Now, I'm ok with being a little hungry and the hunger subsides after 9:30.

    That being said, if I am going to exercise vigorously in the morning, I will eat before exercising. If I'm doing yoga - then I will not eat until after yoga.
  • bassdude53
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    I am doing IF now. I enjoy the less bloating aspect, and it is amazing how the hunger hits and then all of a sudden it's gone. I usually eat dinner around 6 and go as long as I can until the next dinner. Sometimes that is 3 PM sometimes it's 6. It just makes things easier and I suffer no ill effects. It is supposed to boost HGH and fat burning and goes right along with the primal paleo lifestyle.
  • digitalalchemy
    digitalalchemy Posts: 56 Member
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    Some women have had a hard time IFing, but I'm one who is works fantastic with it. I just try and keep my eating window to 8 hours a day (some people do 4 or 6). Once a month I'll do a 24 hour fast, and it hasn't ever really been a problem when I'm fully on the primal diet. I would say try it and if you have problems with it, then just go back to normal. Here is a really good article behind the science of eating breakfast.

    http://www.dangerouslyhardcore.com/3750/eating-breakfast-causes-weight-loss-worst-research-ever/
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
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    I've been IFing fr about a month now. Love it.

    Why IF? Well, I'm never hungry in the morning, generally not hungry come midday and... food makes me sleepy. Eating earlier in the day means less activity for me =/= I'd lay on the coach rather than hit the gym if I ate breakfast.

    I'm also a volume eater (or, well, a gluttonous pig) a love MASSIVE meals. It's not unusual for me to eat a kilo of potatoes a night covered in meat, cheese, guac and salsa - freakin' nachos, baby. :D Followed by homemade ice cream? Perfect.
    Yeah, after eating massive meals nightly, I don't think I could go back. "Regular" serving sizes amuse me at how puny they seem.
  • JohnNull
    JohnNull Posts: 133 Member
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    I liked it for about six month, then I stopped seeing benefits (at least visible ones). Now if it happens to happen, I'm fine. But I no longer plan it. Unless I accidentally ingest nightshades or similar.
  • alaskaang
    alaskaang Posts: 493 Member
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    Most of what I have read suggests that women do far better with a 12-14 hour fasting window due to hormones. Since moving to a paleo/primal type of eating, I don't feel the need to eat multiple times a day. I used to be that "have to eat every 3-4 hours, or was a cranky b*tch". The relief of being off that roller coaster is immense. As to taking it to the IF level, after being paleo for a few months, I normally just ate an early lunch and then dinner as my only two meals of the day.

    Then, last summer, I had the opportunity to travel across the country and compete in a reality show for Food Network. During days that we filmed, IF was a lifesaver. Not needing to eat in the morning & early afternoon, also meant not needing the restroom and the ability to just keep going throughout the day. I literally didn't eat until some time between 6pm & 8pm and occassionally later three to four days a week. I never felt tired or deprived. I was just too busy to bother with eating. On non-camera days, I ate more normally - aka three meals a day. Being on the road and eating out for most meals, most everyone gained weight. Because of IF, I didn't eat much during filming and was one of the few that lost.

    So on one hand, I've had a great experience with IF. On the other hand, I've had some other changes which may or may not be related. Within a couple months of being home, my ovaries quit working. I've had significant female issues over the years with fibroid tumors and endometrioses (sp?). Bad enough that I had a full hysterectomy except ovaries two years ago. Was my ovaries shutting down is related to IF... who knows???? I have read about several instances where women have tried IF and had hormonal issues soon after. And with the lack of actual research regarding IF for women specifically, anecdotal experience is about all we have to look at. I do know that I have to take hormones now, and that if I was of reproductive age or desired to have children, I would be very cautious about IF.
  • KellyUVA
    KellyUVA Posts: 255 Member
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    Thanks for the feedback. So far, I have just been skipping one meal a day and have notices great results. As you noted, since I switched to primal eating, I am just not nearly as hungry as I used to me. (I totally agree with your "cranky b*tch" comment!) However, skipping two meals does leave me cranky . . . so perhaps just one for now. I will listen to my body!
  • ichorica
    ichorica Posts: 475 Member
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    IF for years here. Never really was on board with the whole breakfast thing. I eat USUALLY at 2pm-8pm. I will have breakfast sometimes but it's rare. I am lucky that I have never experienced those things from the article.
  • idauria
    idauria Posts: 1,037 Member
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    I have been reading a lot about IF. Part of me is struggling with skipping meals, thinking that it can be a glorified form of anorexia. You always hear anorexics talk about how good it feels to not eat, how thin and flat their stomachs are, etc. I do realize that it is a mental disorder, but is it possible that we can get so obsessed with shaving off calories that we use starvation as a way to get there?
  • bdotshaw
    bdotshaw Posts: 90 Member
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    @idauria, IF is not about shaving off calories; it is simply a set feeding window, during which you are supposed to eat your recommended daily calories. In no way, shape, or form is it similar to anorexia.

    I like IF because it takes off the pressure to "fuel the fire" every 3-4 hours. Ain't nobody got time for all that meal prep, tbh. AGAIN, you are supposed to eat ALL your daily calories within that window. It works for those, like a poster above, who like to eat big satisfying meals, as opposed to snacking on baby carrots all day.
  • ichorica
    ichorica Posts: 475 Member
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    @idauria, IF is not about shaving off calories; it is simply a set feeding window, during which you are supposed to eat your recommended daily calories. In no way, shape, or form is it similar to anorexia.

    I like IF because it takes off the pressure to "fuel the fire" every 3-4 hours. Ain't nobody got time for all that meal prep, tbh. AGAIN, you are supposed to eat ALL your daily calories within that window. It works for those, like a poster above, who like to eat big satisfying meals, as opposed to snacking on baby carrots all day.

    Agree. You are still suppose to be eating the same calories regardless. I know when im not hungry I don't eat, but if I find myself craving food and it isn't my "window" time I'm going to feed my body cause its telling me too. (I don't necessary follow the IF thing but have the same basics going on).

    That doesn't mean some people aren't doing IF at the same time starving themselves but that's not what it's about.
  • idauria
    idauria Posts: 1,037 Member
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    So if you 're still eating your allotted calories, then what's the point of the fast? Shouldn't people naturally just eat when hungry?
  • Shadowknight137
    Shadowknight137 Posts: 1,243 Member
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    So if you 're still eating your allotted calories, then what's the point of the fast? Shouldn't people naturally just eat when hungry?

    Some people enjoy bigger meals rather than spacing them out. Like me, for example. If I eat earlier in the day, I get hungry and - strangely - sleepy, and barely do anything for the day. By postponing eating to a later time within a window of time, I can eat one or two large, satisfying meals that will both help me sleep and have the freedom to pretty much be anything I want.
    It is eating when hungry for me - I don't really wake up hungry and generally only get a by peckish around 2PM.

    And it's definitely not about just shaving off calories; I'm currently in a surplus of calories, as I have been all week. It's just a preference.
  • idauria
    idauria Posts: 1,037 Member
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    Thanks for clearing things up for me. There's just so much information out there and it can get confusing.
  • ichorica
    ichorica Posts: 475 Member
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    So if you 're still eating your allotted calories, then what's the point of the fast? Shouldn't people naturally just eat when hungry?

    Some people enjoy bigger meals rather than spacing them out. Like me, for example. If I eat earlier in the day, I get hungry and - strangely - sleepy, and barely do anything for the day. By postponing eating to a later time within a window of time, I can eat one or two large, satisfying meals that will both help me sleep and have the freedom to pretty much be anything I want.
    It is eating when hungry for me - I don't really wake up hungry and generally only get a by peckish around 2PM.

    And it's definitely not about just shaving off calories; I'm currently in a surplus of calories, as I have been all week. It's just a preference.

    Agreed.

    I don't agree with initially going hungry to lose weight. But you would be surprised how long a person could go without having to eat. I think Mark refers to it as being fat adapted. Eat when hungry is what I do. For me usually it doesn't happen until later. I eat my first meal at over 1000 cals.
  • Frankenbarbie01
    Frankenbarbie01 Posts: 432 Member
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    I'm sorry for what I said when i was Hun/An-gry =(
    lol