intermate fasting/binge eating and loosing that last 10lbs

Hi,

I was wondering if anyone else has tried intermate fasting to help stop binge eating. I am desperatley trying to loose some weight as I am going on holiday soon, about 10 pounds. I started intermate fasting 3 days ago and all is going well so far. I am doing 18/6 which seems to be working for me. I find this better as i can have one big meal and a couple of healthy snacks in this time rather that eating small meals and still feeling hungry after (resulting in a binge late on)

I have tired eating 6 smalls a day but I always end up binging because the small meals i dont find satisfying. I will eat anything and everything I possibly can. 6/7 chocolates bars, biscuits, i eat out of the jar of peanut butter, loads of pieces of toast and more in one night. sometimes the binge lasts for about 3 days straight or more! Thats plus all the meals iv eaten earlier that day. I then feel horrible about myself, depressed and im heavier then I was when I started. It then takes me a few days to get back to normal and i slowly sort myslef out to eat healier again. Ill loose some of the weight again but then binge again. its a visious circle.

I dont think im overweight. im 5ft2 and 115 pounds. slowly getting heavier each week. I just need help to loose that last 10 pounds. (I am unable to excerise at the moment due to an pulled muscle caused from running) should be back to the gym in 4 weeks. I have recently completed a 10k run in 54minutes for charity. I absolutly love the gym and usually go 4/5 times a week. So the gym isn't a problem.

Does anyone else have this problem or have any advice?
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Replies

  • SLLRunner
    SLLRunner Posts: 12,942 Member
    I suspect you won't want to hear this, and no offense intended, but you really don't need to lose any weight at 5 ft 2 and 118 pounds. If that's you in the avatar, you already look pretty thin.

    However, if you choose to lost 10 pounds, why not do it at .5 pounds a week so it's slow and easy. I'm sure you will look fine for your holiday whenever it comes up. :smile:

    As far as binge eating goes- no I have never tried intermittent fasting for this. However, binge eating is usually a symptom of not eating enough. When I learned how to eat enough to properly fuel my body, I stopped binge eating. Sure, I go over my calorie goal sometimes, but a binge to me was compulsively eating 1,200 calories or more of sweets in one sitting without giving it any thought. I haven't done that in about a year now.

    Oh, and congrats on the 10k. I am also a runner. Today was 6.25 miles in about 55 minutes, something I couldn't do last year. :bigsmile:
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Fasting will exacerbate the problem. It is not a solution for permanent weight loss. If you starve your body, you will lose weight. But when you get back to normal patterns, it will come back.

    You are a good weight for your height right now. I would suggest talking to a doctor to see if additional weight loss is wise, and possibly speak to someone about how your relationship with food is. Food is fuel, and isn't something you should feel stressed about. May be wise to see if the binging is being caused by something else.
  • Wolvmarine
    Wolvmarine Posts: 3 Member
    Fasting is a great way to get past a plateau. I have broken through many plateaus with 3 -4 fasted days. I practice IF(Intermittent Fasting) google: LeanGains there is plenty of information there. This concept of fasting is bad for you is crazy. It people still talk about Paleo in the same breath.

    Do you think our early ancestor woke up and walked over to the kitchen for a bowl or high glycemic carbs?

    Of course not, we were "fasted" for much of the day if not the week if they could not find a food source. Humans would have died off very quickly if we needed substance so readily.

    Fasting with water is healthy and a good way to get your body to start repairing itself. I actually enjoy fasting because I'm burning off calories while doing NOTHING. I'm not eating 5 little meals thinking I'm

    "losing weight by eating _____...". What a great concept by the food market.

    "Calories in, calories gained", simple.

    So, our bodies burn roughly 1700 - 2000 cals per diem, you'll have to look at your basal expednitures plus daily activity to find a more precise number.

    **Burn 1 LB fat Per Diem

    I've figured that if I fast a day and run 10 miles that same day without eating I have successfully burnt a whole pound of fat from my body.

    No, I don't do this back to back. I am far from that level of athleticism but olympic athletes burn way more calories. But this is a nice measure/benchmark to point at the virtues of fasting and exercising.

    I am NOT recommending anyone to do this if they have not condition themselves for this. But, once your body is used to fasting doing cardio in a fasted state is so much more effective is trimming down.

    -Fasting, is incredibly easy and no its not popular because company can't make money off of "fasting"

    -Fasting causes "starvation mode", this is an old study with people that were very low body mass and only showed that caloric burn slowed down but never stopped. Also caloric expenditure increases within a 3 day fast, which is the regular interval I do when I've been a bad boy.

    Next time you visit the scale and you feel like your never going to get past that magic number. Just fast for a couple of days. Remember each day you fast is about 1/2 LB of fast and yes it will come back IF you eat a 1/2 LB of fat in your next sitting. But, of course if you don't your body is going to magically create 1/2 LB fat from sensible meal afterwards.

    Americans eat too much in general. Fasting is a good way to give your body a break and help clean up those arteries and veins of that pesky cholesterol.

    My triglycerides dropped 100 points from a minimal calories diet/fast of <500 cals/diem

    Actually, I'm back at my cubicle after running and burning some 881 calories for "lunch" and feel great and haven't eaten a morsel since I've gone to bed last night. I try to keep this up 3 times a week and have seen great improvements.

    -Adam
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Fasting is a great way to get past a plateau. I have broken through many plateaus with 3 -4 fasted days. I practice IF(Intermittent Fasting) google: LeanGains there is plenty of information there. This concept of fasting is bad for you is crazy. It people still talk about Paleo in the same breath.

    Do you think our early ancestor woke up and walked over to the kitchen for a bowl or high glycemic carbs?

    Of course not, we were "fasted" for much of the day if not the week if they could not find a food source. Humans would have died off very quickly if we needed substance so readily.

    Fasting with water is healthy and a good way to get your body to start repairing itself. I actually enjoy fasting because I'm burning off calories while doing NOTHING. I'm not eating 5 little meals thinking I'm

    "losing weight by eating _____...". What a great concept by the food market.

    "Calories in, calories gained", simple.

    So, our bodies burn roughly 1700 - 2000 cals per diem, you'll have to look at your basal expednitures plus daily activity to find a more precise number.

    **Burn 1 LB fat Per Diem

    I've figured that if I fast a day and run 10 miles that same day without eating I have successfully burnt a whole pound of fat from my body.

    No, I don't do this back to back. I am far from that level of athleticism but olympic athletes burn way more calories. But this is a nice measure/benchmark to point at the virtues of fasting and exercising.

    I am NOT recommending anyone to do this if they have not condition themselves for this. But, once your body is used to fasting doing cardio in a fasted state is so much more effective is trimming down.

    -Fasting, is incredibly easy and no its not popular because company can't make money off of "fasting"

    -Fasting causes "starvation mode", this is an old study with people that were very low body mass and only showed that caloric burn slowed down but never stopped. Also caloric expenditure increases within a 3 day fast, which is the regular interval I do when I've been a bad boy.

    Next time you visit the scale and you feel like your never going to get past that magic number. Just fast for a couple of days. Remember each day you fast is about 1/2 LB of fast and yes it will come back IF you eat a 1/2 LB of fat in your next sitting. But, of course if you don't your body is going to magically create 1/2 LB fat from sensible meal afterwards.

    Americans eat too much in general. Fasting is a good way to give your body a break and help clean up those arteries and veins of that pesky cholesterol.

    My triglycerides dropped 100 points from a minimal calories diet/fast of <500 cals/diem

    Actually, I'm back at my cubicle after running and burning some 881 calories for "lunch" and feel great and haven't eaten a morsel since I've gone to bed last night. I try to keep this up 3 times a week and have seen great improvements.

    -Adam

    tumblr_mvjw8fThtS1qmr857o1_400.gif
  • Wolvmarine
    Wolvmarine Posts: 3 Member
    Binging, is probably the biggest problem I have had with IF. But, my wife just had surgery so our diet has become incredibly limited. Which has allowed only fresh produce to be our main staple now. So I allow myself to binge on veggies and fruit til my tummy aches but at least its full of earthly goodness. I try to make up for it the next day and am usually pretty good about it.

    The small meals a day you had mentioned are so very annoying it seems to keep me on the cusp of constantly being hungry.

    With IF, obviously there are different plans for it but I usually just eat a sensible dinner with the wifey and I'm satiated and go to bed. Oddly enough any hunger pains usually arise from a binge the night before. Sadly my body quickly adapts to over eating and tends to cry for it more often after being overfeed. So I expect the hunger pangs to hit pretty hard the next day. But, I know they will subside and I'll still live with my 20 some pounds of "fat storage" still hanging on my body.

    If your trying to knock 10 pounds off quickly I would fast 3 days have a wee healthy meal and keep cycling 3 day fasts. You should have the 10 pounds knocked off in about 20 days, that is since your currently broken. I know it sounds like a lot a misery to endure but our bodies adapt really quickly I've done a 4 day fast by accident not realizing I was on my 4th day there really isn't some screaming alarm of death from fasting. Especially if your body if just chewing on the fat usually stored throughout our bodies.

    I love to tell myself I'm running on Butter Power when I'm running on a fasted state. I love the idea that every single calorie I'm burning during my run is coming from body fat calories.

    Hope this helps

    -Adam
  • Iknowsaur
    Iknowsaur Posts: 777 Member
    I would ignore this Adam fellow who has been here since 2011 and now has two posts.
    You really don't seem like you need to lose 10 pounds. If you're unhappy with your body, maybe consider recomp instead of weight loss.
    I personally am not a fan of intermittent fasting. Do you plan on doing that for the rest of your life? Why not just eat a reasonable number of calories every day?
  • kuolo
    kuolo Posts: 251 Member
    Binging, is probably the biggest problem I have had with IF. But, my wife just had surgery so our diet has become incredibly limited. Which has allowed only fresh produce to be our main staple now. So I allow myself to binge on veggies and fruit til my tummy aches but at least its full of earthly goodness. I try to make up for it the next day and am usually pretty good about it.

    The small meals a day you had mentioned are so very annoying it seems to keep me on the cusp of constantly being hungry.

    With IF, obviously there are different plans for it but I usually just eat a sensible dinner with the wifey and I'm satiated and go to bed. Oddly enough any hunger pains usually arise from a binge the night before. Sadly my body quickly adapts to over eating and tends to cry for it more often after being overfeed. So I expect the hunger pangs to hit pretty hard the next day. But, I know they will subside and I'll still live with my 20 some pounds of "fat storage" still hanging on my body.

    If your trying to knock 10 pounds off quickly I would fast 3 days have a wee healthy meal and keep cycling 3 day fasts. You should have the 10 pounds knocked off in about 20 days, that is since your currently broken. I know it sounds like a lot a misery to endure but our bodies adapt really quickly I've done a 4 day fast by accident not realizing I was on my 4th day there really isn't some screaming alarm of death from fasting. Especially if your body if just chewing on the fat usually stored throughout our bodies.

    I love to tell myself I'm running on Butter Power when I'm running on a fasted state. I love the idea that every single calorie I'm burning during my run is coming from body fat calories.

    Hope this helps

    -Adam

    Please please ignore this dangerous advice, it is a sure fire route to harming your body, losing muscle mass and developing an eating disorder.
  • Showcase_Brodown
    Showcase_Brodown Posts: 919 Member
    IF is one of those strategies you can use to help meet calorie goals. I do it. However, if it is leading to an unhealthy relationship with food, maybe try somethng different.

    Intermittent Fasting isn't all about drastically cutting calories, it just creates a window where you should be eating the calories you need. It doesn't really create a special advantage for weight loss; the same rules about your energy balance apply. Use it if it fits your life and schedule.

    I will also say, if that is your photo, you appear more than thin enough, but if you really want to lose more, use a small deficit and go slowly.
  • missiontofitness
    missiontofitness Posts: 4,059 Member
    Binging, is probably the biggest problem I have had with IF. But, my wife just had surgery so our diet has become incredibly limited. Which has allowed only fresh produce to be our main staple now. So I allow myself to binge on veggies and fruit til my tummy aches but at least its full of earthly goodness. I try to make up for it the next day and am usually pretty good about it.

    The small meals a day you had mentioned are so very annoying it seems to keep me on the cusp of constantly being hungry.

    With IF, obviously there are different plans for it but I usually just eat a sensible dinner with the wifey and I'm satiated and go to bed. Oddly enough any hunger pains usually arise from a binge the night before. Sadly my body quickly adapts to over eating and tends to cry for it more often after being overfeed. So I expect the hunger pangs to hit pretty hard the next day. But, I know they will subside and I'll still live with my 20 some pounds of "fat storage" still hanging on my body.

    If your trying to knock 10 pounds off quickly I would fast 3 days have a wee healthy meal and keep cycling 3 day fasts. You should have the 10 pounds knocked off in about 20 days, that is since your currently broken. I know it sounds like a lot a misery to endure but our bodies adapt really quickly I've done a 4 day fast by accident not realizing I was on my 4th day there really isn't some screaming alarm of death from fasting. Especially if your body if just chewing on the fat usually stored throughout our bodies.

    I love to tell myself I'm running on Butter Power when I'm running on a fasted state. I love the idea that every single calorie I'm burning during my run is coming from body fat calories.

    Hope this helps

    -Adam

    tumblr_inline_my8nitWz7S1rqli3p.gif
  • tappae
    tappae Posts: 568 Member
    In for Butter Power!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    I follow a different intermittent fasting routine but one of the groups of people that are not recommended to fast are those with an eating disorder.
    Really I think doing IF would be reinforcing a binge/restrict cycle for you rather than addressing whatever it is that makes you binge.
  • Mischievous_Rascal
    Mischievous_Rascal Posts: 1,791 Member
    I follow a different intermittent fasting routine but one of the groups of people that are not recommended to fast are those with an eating disorder.
    Really I think doing IF would be reinforcing a binge/restrict cycle for you rather than addressing whatever it is that makes you binge.

    So true! What is your calorie goal?

    Most people binge simply because they're not feeding themselves enough. IF won't fix this.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Fasting will exacerbate the problem. It is not a solution for permanent weight loss. If you starve your body, you will lose weight. But when you get back to normal patterns, it will come back.
    Not true.
    At least not for me.

    Note were talking 'fasting' for, say, 4 hours after getting up and 4 hours before bed. Many people don't eat outside an eight hour 'window' anyway because that's just how they work, rather than following a specific plan.

    I do 16/8 and have been for a good while now. It helps me eat less and skipping breakfast works just fine for me as I'm not that bothered by it - but will eat just as much or more later if I do have it.
    I do eat


    I follow a 'lean gains' style approach where I eat more on workout days.
    1000 calories more on weights days (3.5 times a week).
    I currently weigh around 175lb Before anything but daily cardio (short commute) I AVERAGE at least 2000 calories a day and lose 2lb/week or so, maybe a little over.
    I haven't hit any platueas doing it this way since December 1st.
    I mostly ignore fat as it works out that even my higher calorie days are under TDEE.

    If I want to eat more food, I do more cardio on top of everything else. I've had some weeks where I've averaged over 3000 calories a day and STILL lost 2lb/week.

    If you're not doing weights, I'd certainly suggest looking at 'starting strength' or similar to work along with it - works for me, but a little different genetics!.
  • Kelly_Runs_NC
    Kelly_Runs_NC Posts: 474 Member
    In my personal experience the binging comes from not eating enough...it's your body trying to feed itself....up your calories a little, trust the process and you'll be okay. I can guarantee it will not get any better until you do this.

    Good luck.
  • ElliottTN
    ElliottTN Posts: 1,614 Member
    I would think IF would really bring out the binge monster faster than anything else but if it works for you then so be it.
  • hitsnooze
    hitsnooze Posts: 79
    take it on good faith here that any kind of fasting is the worse thing to be doing to combat binge eating. you WILL binge more, i bet you anything. the only reason i've ever binged is from eating not enough, and at your weight i bet that's pretty likely. so up your calories instead and the binge urges will largely disappear.
  • JonnyQwest
    JonnyQwest Posts: 174 Member
    IF is great if and only if it fits your individual eating habits, I am the type that isnt hungry in the morning therefore I have to force myself to eat breakfast and the other smaller meals throughout the day when going by the standard 6 meal a day advice that is force fed as the only proper way to diet.....then I am still STARVING at night regardless. IF simply allows me to eat when I am the most hungry and allows for larger meals when I want them (at night)--the calories taken in are the same either way.....everybody is different so I think its wrong to follow a one size fits all diet (the eating 6 meals a day routine is not for everyone). If that is you in your avatar, you certainly dont need to worry about IF......you may want to look into some counseling if you think you have 10 pounds to lose.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    take it on good faith here that any kind of fasting is the worse thing to be doing to combat binge eating. you WILL binge more, i bet you anything. the only reason i've ever binged is from eating not enough, and at your weight i bet that's pretty likely. so up your calories instead and the binge urges will largely disappear.
    No, good evidence, not faith, please!
    Maybe that's true for you.
    For me it certainly isn't. I can be sedentary, eat 3000 calories by 6pm and still 'binge' after that.
  • hitsnooze
    hitsnooze Posts: 79
    No, good evidence, not faith, please!
    Maybe that's true for you.
    For me it certainly isn't. I can be sedentary, eat 3000 calories by 6pm and still 'binge' after that.
    It depends why you as an individual binge. the majority of people are more likely to binge when they deprive their bodies, it's your body trying to feed itself, and that IS science. we have a remarkable sense of self preservation. fasting is very unlikely to help a binging problem for this reason.

    i'm not saying it doesn't work for you, i'm happy for you if it does
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    and that IS science.
    I'm not denying that - it seems very likely.
    But have you got any backup to prove it as you used 'IS' in capitals before 'science'?

    One of the ways that a 16/8 window and especially the lean gains approach work for many people is that it makes more days more like a 'binge' - you know that when you start eating, you don't have to pick at food /wait a long time for another meal.
  • Thankyou for all your advise. I apriciate it and I will take everything on board.

    I wish that was me in the pic but unfortunatly it is not! I really want to see my abs that is my goal and why i am trying to loose 10pounds because I hold all my fat on my stomach.

    I am going to give IF a go. As some have said it may work for me. I am eating between the hours of 3pm and 9pm. I am making sure im eating my daily calories needed in this time.

    The small meals where not helping because I always felt hungry after and then binged at the end of the night. I dont think I was eating enough and think I was resricting myself from foods alot because I was eating more often. I was never eating proper meals. I am making sure I have a big meal at night now and having 1 or 2 heatly snacks now like nuts and fruit and yogart.

    I now feel I can say yes to going out for meals with friends which I didnt before. I will save myself all day and then enjoy a big meal with them!

    The test is when I go out drinking on saturday. Usually the day after I binge and dont stop for days.
  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,716 Member
    Fasting will exacerbate the problem. It is not a solution for permanent weight loss. If you starve your body, you will lose weight. But when you get back to normal patterns, it will come back.

    She's talking about IFing, not starvation. Please understand the two are completely not related.

    One of the ways that a 16/8 window and especially the lean gains approach work for many people is that it makes more days more like a 'binge' - you know that when you start eating, you don't have to pick at food /wait a long time for another meal.

    Yes, exactly.

    OP, if you are "binging" to feel more satiated, then IF can definitely help with that. That is exactly why I do it. I like to have my larger meal at dinner, with my family, in the evenings.

    I know for years we heard 5-6 small meals throughout the day and for some people this works to help them reach their goals in a healthy matter. But now we know it doesn't matter when you take in your calories throughout the day.

    "We aren't supposed to eat before bed" either and one of the fitness pros I follow on Instagram eats a bedtime meal every night.
  • edisonsbulb
    edisonsbulb Posts: 93 Member
    *gouges eyes out with a lobster fork*
  • 12by311
    12by311 Posts: 1,716 Member
    The test is when I go out drinking on saturday. Usually the day after I binge and dont stop for days.

    IF will not be the quick fix here.

    To keep myself on track, even if it was brutal, I would exercise the day after drinking in college…even if it was in the evening time.

    Also, when we would go out on a Saturday and come back to the apartment everyone would order Pizza. I would fix my Healthy Choice Pizza and eat that. LOL!
  • I am totally jealous I have been getting back to to the sing of things after having my 5th kid I have under eating and over excersicering for two weeks and I so dont feel like I have lost anything I am also 5 2 but this suck I havent sleep since my first i am so mad I havent been able to weight myself but I need a friend who is competley ready.
  • Sarah4fitness
    Sarah4fitness Posts: 437 Member
    If you're serious about dropping fat, "going out drinking" with your friends is the opposite of productive.
  • geebusuk
    geebusuk Posts: 3,348 Member
    Recently I've been making more effort to 'earn' my calories.

    If there's the option of a big meal or similar, I'll try and make sure I've done exercise BEFORE it.
    Then I can enjoy eating quite a lot of food and still be on target.

    On Saturday I was on a 'rest' day - so 1400 calories. But I needed to do some shopping, so I took the push bike. Including getting a 15kg pack of dog food from the town 6 miles away, and so on.
    Ended up consuming just under 3600 calories. Including a 'healthy' snack of a magnum infinity ice cream (carbs ideal for the cardio, sat fat to boost testosterone) and so on :).
    It would have been a bit less, but the on-offer Pain aux Raisin I had was so tasty I HAD to have the other one too. Was going to give the dog a rest as he's had a lot of exercise recently, but instead took him out on a 350 calorie jog to earn me my other pastry. Everyone wins :).
  • PhearlessPhreaks
    PhearlessPhreaks Posts: 890 Member
    take it on good faith here that any kind of fasting is the worse thing to be doing to combat binge eating. you WILL binge more, i bet you anything. the only reason i've ever binged is from eating not enough, and at your weight i bet that's pretty likely. so up your calories instead and the binge urges will largely disappear.
    No, good evidence, not faith, please!
    Maybe that's true for you.
    For me it certainly isn't. I can be sedentary, eat 3000 calories by 6pm and still 'binge' after that.

    Same here. I've actually found that fasting (when in the proper mental and emotional state) has helped me in terms of willpower.

    Keep in mind, just because *you* don't have a particular issue, or that one thing does or does not work for you, that the same holds true for the next person.
  • Tanya949
    Tanya949 Posts: 604 Member
    Fasting for 3 or 4 days in a row and burning an extra 1000 calories by running, not the way to go. I understand proper IF... eating inside a window, that sounds OK to me. As I was reading this topic I realize that I am an IFer too... I eat between 6am and noon, and 5-9pm. :laugh: Half my calories in the morning, the other half at night. I don't do this on purpose either, it fits with my job and my need for a big dinner and later snacking. I've learned that my body likes it this way.
  • If you're serious about dropping fat, "going out drinking" with your friends is the opposite of productive.

    I only go out about once a month. This is a treat for me as I work every Fridays Saturday and Sunday. I will be watching what I drink. Thinking vodka soda and lime