Intermittent Fasting advice needed please

penneyEmma · February 2013

I started on a 18:6 IF on Monday. Therefore I only eat between the hours of 1pm and 7pm.

I have 2 outcomes that I am hoping for
- Better control of my eating (as I have a terrible binge habit that got out of control last Sunday)
- weight loss

I am 5ft 6, 175lbs. Have lost about 25lbs over the last year (using a variety of largely faddy diets) and I would like to lose another 25lbs.

I exercise regularly and always have. I am currently doing Insanity each morning and run 5km two lunchtimes a week and a long run when possible at the weekends

The IF routine works well during the working week as I am busy all morning and can easily distract myself. I also drink a few cups of tea with skimmed milk. The problem will come tomorrow morning where I have no structure and will be far too near to my kitchen all day long and am going to struggle with my will power.

Q1. Is the tea drinking during the fasting period scuppering the effectiveness of the IF?
Q2. Do I IF 5 days a week and stick to 1200 on the weekends?
Q3. Do i push through and stick to IF every day?
Q4. What calories am I meant to be eating during the feeding period in order to lose weight? 1200 as per MFP, 1500 as per Insanity guidelines or something else?
Q5. Am I doing this right at all?

I would appreciate any comments or thoughts, particularly from those that have followed IF and can relate

Thanks, Emma

LolBroScience · February 2013

1. No the team drinking won't have any impact as it is 0 calories.
2. It depends on the style of IF you are doing. Some do a 24 hr fast 1-2 days a week, other's do LeanGains style which is 16/8 everyday (this is my preference).
3. It's really up to you and what you feel will provide the best consistency
4. I'm not sure how Insanity calculates the calories, I would aim to the 1500 and see if you can continue to lose weight. Think of it as wanting to take in the most amount of calories, while still being able to lose at a steady pace.
5. You are fine, don't worry. For more information i would reccomend. www.leangains.com

Alexfit12 · February 2013

IF isn't an all or nothing kind of thing. You get a benefit from each day you fast, so keeping the schedule on the weekends is an added benefit, but if you can't then it's also fine to stay within your calorie allotment for the day.

As for how many calories you should consume, I cannot say. In my opinion, if you feel ok eating 1200 calories a day, then it's fine. When I do insanity I can just sense if my body needs more food based on how I recover from one workout to the other. If my muscles are sore for too long, then it's time to up the calories.

Some of those questions you need to answer for yourself, because everyone will answer based on their own experience. Do the research, but ultimately make your decisions based on how you feel.

verzanie · February 2013

hi Emma, I just joined MFP and was looking at doing the fasting. I also started insanity (I'm on day 18). MFP tells me to eat 1200 calories and eat calories back. On Insanity I get around 1470. When I add both up it shows that I should be either eating calories back (I only burn between 15 to 200 calories p/workout at the moment) or stick to the Insanity calories allowance (Insanity takes into consideration exercise MFP doesn't). I haven't lost much weight at all but look a lot more toned and lost inches. Also I am making an effort from today to eat more calories as Ive been on 1100/1200 a day and I do think it stops your weight loss. After reading
some articles on the fasting I don't think tea will make any difference. How are you finding Insanity? emy x

penneyEmma · February 2013

Thank you for replying so quickly.

I was concerned about the milk in the team. I reckon its about 100 calories worth. Is this okay?

I am doing the 18/6 split

LolBroScience · February 2013

100 calories i would say a bit much, and would end up breaking the fast.

Key Points from LeanGains site:

* No calories are to be ingested during the fasted phase, though coffee, calorie free sweeteners, diet soda and sugar free gum are ok (even though they might contain trace amount of calories). A tiny splash of milk in your coffee won’t affect anything either (½-1 teaspoon of milk per cup at the most - use sparingly and sensibly if you drink a lot of coffee). Neither will sugar free gum in moderation (~20 g).

* The fast is the perfect time to be productive and get things done. Don’t sit around, get bored and brood about food.

* Meal frequency during the feeding phase is irrelevant. However, most people, including me, prefer three meals.

* The majority of your daily calorie intake is consumed in the post-workout period. Depending on setup, this means that approximately 95-99% (fasted training), 80% (one pre-workout meal) or 60% (two pre-workout meals) of your daily calorie intake is consumed after training.

Alexfit12 · February 2013

100 calories worth of milk may break the fasted state... it depends on your body, but i would reduce a bit. maybe get a creamer that's denser, so you use less of it? i know a creamer has a higher fat percentage, but fewer carbs than regular milk, and it's the sugary content that breaks your fast more so than the fat. (carb -> fast absorbtion -> insulin spike -> goodbye fasted state).

penneyEmma · February 2013

Thank you all for your input. I have done some more research and am feeling much better about it now.

Am much clearer about what cals I should be eating and when. Have cut down the milk in my tea and have a focussed mind. Am going to continue IF over the weekends and make sure I keep myself busy until 1pm

Check out thehodgetwins on youtube as they have some great and very amusing (slightly weird) videos about IF.

LolBroScience · February 2013

Indeed, great channel!

MorbidMander · February 2013

Thank you all for your input. I have done some more research and am feeling much better about it now.

Am much clearer about what cals I should be eating and when. Have cut down the milk in my tea and have a focussed mind. Am going to continue IF over the weekends and make sure I keep myself busy until 1pm

Check out thehodgetwins on youtube as they have some great and very amusing (slightly weird) videos about IF.

This must be a sign.. or a weird coincidence. I was watching thehodgetwins ALL last night and with how they spoke about it, I'm going to try out this intermittent fasting today, freaking love them. I hope I have some success with it like they have.

Will_Thrust_For_Candy · February 2013

I am a 14/10 girl based on LeanGains approach and I absolutely love it. I train fasted in the morning with a shot of BCAA as per Martin's recommendation and I don't eat after that until lunch time.

One thing I did want to note to you is that often it's recommended for women to do more of 14/10 split. Basically I wanted to point this out so that if at some point you are having difficulty with the 16/8, it's okay to change it up a bit.

As for the calories, IF is not about VLCD at all so just eat as many calories as you would normally eat (I mean in relation to your goals...not out of control :laugh: ) regardless of the type of routine and/or method you follow for your meals!

I noticed a huge difference in my relationship with food once I started this approach! Good luck!

daterminedfatburnerX · February 2013

hi Emma, I just joined MFP and was looking at doing the fasting. I also started insanity (I'm on day 18). MFP tells me to eat 1200 calories and eat calories back. On Insanity I get around 1470. When I add both up it shows that I should be either eating calories back (I only burn between 15 to 200 calories p/workout at the moment) or stick to the Insanity calories allowance (Insanity takes into consideration exercise MFP doesn't). I haven't lost much weight at all but look a lot more toned and lost inches. Also I am making an effort from today to eat more calories as Ive been on 1100/1200 a day and I do think it stops your weight loss. After reading
some articles on the fasting I don't think tea will make any difference. How are you finding Insanity? emy x

fasting while doing insanity is a bad bad idea unless you want to faint

Will_Thrust_For_Candy · February 2013

hi Emma, I just joined MFP and was looking at doing the fasting. I also started insanity (I'm on day 18). MFP tells me to eat 1200 calories and eat calories back. On Insanity I get around 1470. When I add both up it shows that I should be either eating calories back (I only burn between 15 to 200 calories p/workout at the moment) or stick to the Insanity calories allowance (Insanity takes into consideration exercise MFP doesn't). I haven't lost much weight at all but look a lot more toned and lost inches. Also I am making an effort from today to eat more calories as Ive been on 1100/1200 a day and I do think it stops your weight loss. After reading
some articles on the fasting I don't think tea will make any difference. How are you finding Insanity? emy x

fasting while doing insanity is a bad bad idea unless you want to faint

You will be fine doing IF(16/8 or some variation) while doing Insanity providing you are eating enough in your feeding window. No VLCD!!!!!! On a program such as 5:2 you would not want to do Insanity on your fasting days.

towens00 · March 2013

Bump

Intermittent Fasting advice needed please

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