Intermittent fasting friends!
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I've been intermittent fasting for a while now, a little more than 6 months total actually. Personally I'd say it's the best thing I've tried, my energy is WAY better than when I used to eat throughout the day! I hit the gym 6 days/week.
5 days resistance training followed by 1 day of cardio. The main reason I started doing IF was to lose fat, but the reason I continued doing it, is because it just feels right.
At least that's my opinion on it, I don't really have much to lose given I'm in the military and I've been working out (on and off) for over 4 years total.
Feel free send me a mail or add me if you have any questions about IF or training in general. I'd be more than happy to help out!0 -
A cautionary word for anyone thinking of going down the intermittent fasting route.
This hasn't worked for me at all and there are suggestions emerging that it's not always a good idea for women*.
I haven't found it difficult to stick to 500 calories on fast days and have worked out some good, very low calorie meals. However, I have slept poorly on fast nights, I have gained weight (not much, but still) and I have become increasingly preoccupied with food. I've also had to work my running regime around fast days - I'm not one of those people who can run for miles without fuel.
I took up the IMF more as a cancer prevention strategy than for weight loss but I've reluctantly admitted that my overall health and wellbeing isn't being served well by this regime. The most uncomfortable effect is the psychological one - I feel like I'm losing the plot with normal eating on non-fast days, which I guess explains the weight gain.
I've hung in there for about 6 months because the science is persuasive. I certainly haven't felt unwell on it and I'm definitely not anti giving it a try. My husband has lost weight and seen his cholestrol level fall so I'll continue to support him with it.
*http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/373665/Caveman-fasting-diet-may-leave-women-diabetic0 -
A cautionary word for anyone thinking of going down the intermittent fasting route.
This hasn't worked for me at all and there are suggestions emerging that it's not always a good idea for women*.
I haven't found it difficult to stick to 500 calories on fast days and have worked out some good, very low calorie meals. However, I have slept poorly on fast nights, I have gained weight (not much, but still) and I have become increasingly preoccupied with food. I've also had to work my running regime around fast days - I'm not one of those people who can run for miles without fuel.
I took up the IMF more as a cancer prevention strategy than for weight loss but I've reluctantly admitted that my overall health and wellbeing isn't being served well by this regime. The most uncomfortable effect is the psychological one - I feel like I'm losing the plot with normal eating on non-fast days, which I guess explains the weight gain.
I've hung in there for about 6 months because the science is persuasive. I certainly haven't felt unwell on it and I'm definitely not anti giving it a try. My husband has lost weight and seen his cholestrol level fall so I'll continue to support him with it.
*http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/373665/Caveman-fasting-diet-may-leave-women-diabetic
I read this article but couldn't find anything that suggested fasting lead to diabetes in women?0 -
I did IF and lost about 2 stone (28 lbs). I started off fasting every second day but when I got near goal I kept my weekends free and only fasted 3 days. I feel that the fasting helped me realise that I didn't need as much food as I thought I did and it was better than constantly denying yourself, if I really wanted something I just reminded myself I could have it tomorrow. I now just do calorie control but I am seriously considering going back to IF and doing 2 days, just so that I don't have to be so strict at the weekends. Oh, I also found that I had much more energy and my mood was much better. I thought that was because I had been put on Thyroxin for my thyroid but I am still on the Tyroxin but my energy is rubbish now. Hoping going back to the fasting might boost my energy and mood again.0
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Whats this? How does it work
Imagine if there was a magical search engine that allowed you to ask such questions and found them for you...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting
Really if you're going to use sarcasm when someone asks a perfectly legit question on a forum board, telling them to go to Wikipedia would not be the best advice to give. My kids aren't allowed to use it as a source on any school papers because of it's inaccuracies.0 -
Yes, well worth joining the IF group. There's also an active group on Facebook.
I lost 20 lbs working out 6 days a week and tracking calories on MFP. Then I stalled for a year (yes, a year!). Nothing seemed to work - carb cycling, calorie cycling, adding additional cardio etc etc) and despite careful food tracking on MFP, the numbers just did not see to add up - there's certainly more to it than "calories in/calories out" IMO.
Anyway, I started Eat Stop Eat in February and since then have been losing about 1.5 to 2 lbs a week - and all fat too as my measurements are all unchanged apart from my waist, which has dropped 3 inches.
I fast for two 24 hour periods (8pm dinner to 8 pm dinner) per week, and i generally try to eat Leangains-style on the other days although I do have to have an early breakfast on a couple of days due to super-long bike workouts with friends which are just impossible to do fasted.
I love this way of eating - it gives me more control over what I eat than if I just tried to eat at a small deficit every day, and in my experience it is also more effective than generating the same weekly deficit over the whole week rather than in two days. I know technically this shouldn't be the case, but practical experience show that it is, for me at least. The fasting days can be tough at first, but by the 3rd or 4th session I had gotten used to it and you just tend to forget those triggers that make you eat (like, "Oh, it's lunchtime - I'm hungry!") That said, the last 4 hours or so are still tough, but you CAN get through them and my God, do you enjoy that meal when you finally get it!
In addition, I'm recovering faster after workouts and some niggling tendinitis issues have also started to heal up despite nagging at me for several months. It's not for everyone, but for "all or nothing" people like me, it works like a charm.0 -
A cautionary word for anyone thinking of going down the intermittent fasting route.
This hasn't worked for me at all and there are suggestions emerging that it's not always a good idea for women*.
I haven't found it difficult to stick to 500 calories on fast days and have worked out some good, very low calorie meals. However, I have slept poorly on fast nights, I have gained weight (not much, but still) and I have become increasingly preoccupied with food. I've also had to work my running regime around fast days - I'm not one of those people who can run for miles without fuel.
I took up the IMF more as a cancer prevention strategy than for weight loss but I've reluctantly admitted that my overall health and wellbeing isn't being served well by this regime. The most uncomfortable effect is the psychological one - I feel like I'm losing the plot with normal eating on non-fast days, which I guess explains the weight gain.
I've hung in there for about 6 months because the science is persuasive. I certainly haven't felt unwell on it and I'm definitely not anti giving it a try. My husband has lost weight and seen his cholestrol level fall so I'll continue to support him with it.
*http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/373665/Caveman-fasting-diet-may-leave-women-diabetic
Let me see if I understood you correctly, or if I'm just being stupid for misunderstanding.
Did you say you ate only 500 calories on fasting days? If so, you've misunderstood the concept of IF.
You might have read about the muslim fasting, lol!
If you actually did only eat 500 calories on fasting days, I could tell you right away, you did a big mistake.
IF is based upon how we humans lived way back when we didn't have food served on silver plates for us.
Back then, people didn't have food to eat, so they were basically going hours and hours without food. When the hunters killed an animal, they feasted. Ate a lot, in other words.
That lifestyle has been mixed with modern science and what not, which is how IF is born. IF is based on that lifestyle, where you basically don't eat anything for hours, and then you have a eating window where you eat a lot (the hunters brought you food!).
In that eating window, which normally is between 8 and 4 hours, you eat your caloric needs, which is not 500 calories.
How does IF work if you eat just as much as before, you might think. The body produces more hormones, which eases the process of both burning fat and building muscle (isn't that amazing?).
That's just IF in a nutshell, don't hate on me for not going into details on what the hormones are, thought I'd just tell the basics
0 -
A cautionary word for anyone thinking of going down the intermittent fasting route.
This hasn't worked for me at all and there are suggestions emerging that it's not always a good idea for women*.
I haven't found it difficult to stick to 500 calories on fast days and have worked out some good, very low calorie meals. However, I have slept poorly on fast nights, I have gained weight (not much, but still) and I have become increasingly preoccupied with food. I've also had to work my running regime around fast days - I'm not one of those people who can run for miles without fuel.
I took up the IMF more as a cancer prevention strategy than for weight loss but I've reluctantly admitted that my overall health and wellbeing isn't being served well by this regime. The most uncomfortable effect is the psychological one - I feel like I'm losing the plot with normal eating on non-fast days, which I guess explains the weight gain.
I've hung in there for about 6 months because the science is persuasive. I certainly haven't felt unwell on it and I'm definitely not anti giving it a try. My husband has lost weight and seen his cholestrol level fall so I'll continue to support him with it.
*http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/373665/Caveman-fasting-diet-may-leave-women-diabetic
Let me see if I understood you correctly, or if I'm just being stupid for misunderstanding.
Did you say you ate only 500 calories on fasting days? If so, you've misunderstood the concept of IF.
You might have read about the muslim fasting, lol!
If you actually did only eat 500 calories on fasting days, I could tell you right away, you did a big mistake.
IF is based upon how we humans lived way back when we didn't have food served on silver plates for us.
Back then, people didn't have food to eat, so they were basically going hours and hours without food. When the hunters killed an animal, they feasted. Ate a lot, in other words.
That lifestyle has been mixed with modern science and what not, which is how IF is born. IF is based on that lifestyle, where you basically don't eat anything for hours, and then you have a eating window where you eat a lot (the hunters brought you food!).
In that eating window, which normally is between 8 and 4 hours, you eat your caloric needs, which is not 500 calories.
How does IF work if you eat just as much as before, you might think. The body produces more hormones, which eases the process of both burning fat and building muscle (isn't that amazing?).
That's just IF in a nutshell, don't hate on me for not going into details on what the hormones are, thought I'd just tell the basics
Actually, alternate day fasting (ADF) is a very valid form of IF, supported by a lot of research. I don't know where the 500 calorie "24 hour fast" came from (I'm guessing it is part of that documentary and new book that is recently making the rounds), but all the studies I've seen on the subject of 24 hour fasts (up to twice a week) revolves around no caloric intake other than low calorie beverages like water, tea, and black coffee. To use your analogy of the hunters bringing back food, which I dislike because of the connotations to the paleo lifestyle, what happens when the hunt is unsuccessful? I'm sure hunters weren't batting 1.000 back in the day.
On the subject of women and fasting, although there isn't much research on it, it has been found that IF tends to be harder on women than on men. The solution to this is for women to have (or at least start with) a much larger feeding window, usually around 10-12 hours per day, and reduce it as they grow accustomed to it. Also, a lot of problems that people (both men and women) face on IF is that they don't eat enough during their feeding window. Whether you are practicing ADF (5:2) or leangains (16/8) style IF, your weekly deficit (or surplus if bulking) should still be the same as with a more traditional diet.0 -
A cautionary word for anyone thinking of going down the intermittent fasting route.
This hasn't worked for me at all and there are suggestions emerging that it's not always a good idea for women*.
I haven't found it difficult to stick to 500 calories on fast days and have worked out some good, very low calorie meals. However, I have slept poorly on fast nights, I have gained weight (not much, but still) and I have become increasingly preoccupied with food. I've also had to work my running regime around fast days - I'm not one of those people who can run for miles without fuel.
I took up the IMF more as a cancer prevention strategy than for weight loss but I've reluctantly admitted that my overall health and wellbeing isn't being served well by this regime. The most uncomfortable effect is the psychological one - I feel like I'm losing the plot with normal eating on non-fast days, which I guess explains the weight gain.
I've hung in there for about 6 months because the science is persuasive. I certainly haven't felt unwell on it and I'm definitely not anti giving it a try. My husband has lost weight and seen his cholestrol level fall so I'll continue to support him with it.
*http://www.express.co.uk/life-style/health/373665/Caveman-fasting-diet-may-leave-women-diabetic
Let me see if I understood you correctly, or if I'm just being stupid for misunderstanding.
Did you say you ate only 500 calories on fasting days? If so, you've misunderstood the concept of IF.
You might have read about the muslim fasting, lol!
If you actually did only eat 500 calories on fasting days, I could tell you right away, you did a big mistake.
IF is based upon how we humans lived way back when we didn't have food served on silver plates for us.
Back then, people didn't have food to eat, so they were basically going hours and hours without food. When the hunters killed an animal, they feasted. Ate a lot, in other words.
That lifestyle has been mixed with modern science and what not, which is how IF is born. IF is based on that lifestyle, where you basically don't eat anything for hours, and then you have a eating window where you eat a lot (the hunters brought you food!).
In that eating window, which normally is between 8 and 4 hours, you eat your caloric needs, which is not 500 calories.
How does IF work if you eat just as much as before, you might think. The body produces more hormones, which eases the process of both burning fat and building muscle (isn't that amazing?).
That's just IF in a nutshell, don't hate on me for not going into details on what the hormones are, thought I'd just tell the basics
Actually, alternate day fasting (ADF) is a very valid form of IF, supported by a lot of research. I don't know where the 500 calorie "24 hour fast" came from (I'm guessing it is part of that documentary and new book that is recently making the rounds), but all the studies I've seen on the subject of 24 hour fasts (up to twice a week) revolves around no caloric intake other than low calorie beverages like water, tea, and black coffee. To use your analogy of the hunters bringing back food, which I dislike because of the connotations to the paleo lifestyle, what happens when the hunt is unsuccessful? I'm sure hunters weren't batting 1.000 back in the day.
On the subject of women and fasting, although there isn't much research on it, it has been found that IF tends to be harder on women than on men. The solution to this is for women to have (or at least start with) a much larger feeding window, usually around 10-12 hours per day, and reduce it as they grow accustomed to it. Also, a lot of problems that people (both men and women) face on IF is that they don't eat enough during their feeding window. Whether you are practicing ADF (5:2) or leangains (16/8) style IF, your weekly deficit (or surplus if bulking) should still be the same as with a more traditional diet.
I'll be honest with you, I don't know much about the ADF, and i must've skipped the part where she mentioned she did ADF.
Though I do agree with you on most parts, I would also point out that I did not mean that people ate as much back in time as they do now. But the way they ate, was somewhat the same as IF. My point was that IF origins from that kind of lifestyle, and as I also mentioned, with mix from new science, it brought us to what we now call IF.
I also skipped the part where I would normally advice to start of with larger eating windows and slowly lower the time, simply because it seemed she was educated enough about IF itself, but got her calories wrong.
Although it still didn't clear my mind on why the 500 calories. What confused me even more, is 500 calories after a 24 hour fast? I mean, 500 calories in one day after a 16-20 hour fast is bad enough.
And arguing about ADF is above my level of knowledge of IF, so if the calories actually are right, I apologize if I confused any minds out there. I was simply refering to the refular IF.0 -
Hey guys. I'm in need of more friends ????????????
Add me!0 -
Whats this? How does it work
Imagine if there was a magical search engine that allowed you to ask such questions and found them for you...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting
Really if you're going to use sarcasm when someone asks a perfectly legit question on a forum board, telling them to go to Wikipedia would not be the best advice to give. My kids aren't allowed to use it as a source on any school papers because of it's inaccuracies.0 -
Thanx! Yes on google theres so many diff things i got confused!0
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I do the 5-2 program. I fast from before sunrise to after sunset on the weekends.....when I am usually home and KNOW that I will eat many snacks throughout the day, which will add up and go over my calorie limit. Before sunrise and after sunset I eat normally though and can range from anywhere between 600-1000 calories depending on how hungry I am.0
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Thanks Everyone for the awesome comments, and some brief debate. I think I should have realized that I might have had some questions about what exactly Intermittent fasting (IF) is, so here is a brief definition in my own words.
Intermittent fasting tells you when to eat! that's it, pretty simple IF doesn't tell you how much to eat or what to eat, but just when to eat. Rather than eating all day long through various snacks or meals, IF says to eat only in certain window - the most common being 8 hours and fasting for the other 16. This is not as bad as it may seem, as at least 8 of it you sleep, and then its up to you to figure out a schedule that will extend your fasting time, by at least another 8 hours. During the fasting period your body will use fat stores to run on rather than the food you put in your body allowing you to burn more fat. There are lots of benefits of fasting and many ways to do IF, just experiment till you figure out what works for you.
if anyone would like to add to this that would be great! also if you post something I will try and be your friend, giving your a fare warning! haha0 -
I don't go with a specific plan. I tend to follow my body. Some days I feel like I need a good 12 hr fast, and there are times when I go no more than 72 hours. I believe it is important to listen to what your body is telling you. Some times I feel as though my body doesn't want to fast, so I wait until another day. It's funny, there was another thread about this very thing just a minute ago.0
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Whats this? How does it work
Imagine if there was a magical search engine that allowed you to ask such questions and found them for you...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intermittent_fasting
Really if you're going to use sarcasm when someone asks a perfectly legit question on a forum board, telling them to go to Wikipedia would not be the best advice to give. My kids aren't allowed to use it as a source on any school papers because of it's inaccuracies.
WOW..... :noway: if someone doesn't want to answer a question, then why in the world do they even come to the forum? I believe people who ask questions of their MFP peers would like to hear personal experiences of others. You can't get that from a google search. Really, if you can't do better than that, you should just stay out of the forums. :huh:0 -
^ Hmm that's interesting I like the idea of letting your body tell you whats right. I feel like if more people did that we would have less injuries and just feel better. Also I've heard of people using a 24 hour fast right after they had a crazy cheat meal or day as a way to cleanse their body. I don't know if its the best way to go about it, as I believe it can promote unhealthy eating, but it is still interesting.0
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I love the IF lifestyle! check out the Hodgetwins IF channel on Utube they have tons of GREAT info on IF.0
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I do a cross between ese (fasting completely for 24hrs) and leangains (16/8) and it has worked really well for me
In 4 weeks I have lost 6kgs in weight! (1kg = 2.2lbs)0 -
Here's a little clarity on 5:2
The point of the 500 cal is that you are fasting from dinner one day until dinner the next (24hrs). During that 24hrs you can only have water/plain tea/black coffee. When you eat dinner that night, it is suggested that you eat a normal sized meal (rather than gorge) which for a woman, who would normally eat 3 meals a day with one or two snacks, is ~500 cal. You are not suppose to eat 500 cal stretched out over that 24hr fast period, since that is NOT fasting. I see a lot of confused "fasters" do this and eat small snacks all day. I believe the confusion comes from a thinking that 5:2 is all about cutting calories (eating only 500 cal x two days is around a 3000 cal restriction each week, and you can then eat at maintenance the other five days) and not realizing that the purpose is actually the fasting part, while the calorie deficit is just a perk.0
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