fasting

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Melistia
Melistia Posts: 16 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone tried fasting and does it work?
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  • lottewiegeraad
    lottewiegeraad Posts: 64 Member
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    Has anyone tried fasting and does it work?

    I am doing 5:2 (sometimes 6:1) and it works for me, I broke my plateau with it
  • Ashwee87
    Ashwee87 Posts: 695 Member
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    For some it works.

    I just started doing a 16:8 while also making sure I stay in my calories. (2,000 daily goal)

    For me, weight loss in general is a HUGE mental struggle with stress eating and other issues. I feel that in fasting 16 hours a day gives me more mental strength vs just eating through-out the day. (Essentially, I don't eat anything between 8pm to Noon.)

    I am on day 2 and so far I am doing much better. I find it easier for ME to stay in my calorie goals and I find more mental strength in it as well. (Yeah I know, just day 2, but I already feel more positive about weight loss and everything so if you hate, shoo!)

    Just be careful and overall remember calorie deficit = weight loss. If a fasting program helps you attain that goal, then do it. :)
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    What kind of fasting are you interested in and what kind of results are you looking for?
  • UmmSqueaky
    UmmSqueaky Posts: 715 Member
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    I have fasted for religious reasons for years - no food or drink during daylight hours for a month, and then on and off throughout the year as I want.

    I tend to lose weight during the month, but it's never sustainable and it throws me off my game. I don't exercise while I'm fasting, and my idea of portion control gets all out of whack. My dinners are much larger than normal, and so I tend to continue to eat more after I'm done with fasting, and gain weight when I go back to a normal eating schedule.

    I'd personally never recommend fasting for weight loss. I'd much rather keep in the groove and build habits that I can continue for the rest of my life.
  • gkauf744
    gkauf744 Posts: 128 Member
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    I'm not a big fan of Ramadan either. I hate not being able to workout, and I always overeat when the sun goes down. :(
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Has anyone tried fasting and does it work?

    20.4 lbs in the first month on the 4:3. Fast 3 cycles of 24 hours (M-W-F), weigh in on Sat AM. Sat usually am at my mainetance of 2500 and the rest of the days at the 2000 mark.

    I started on the 5:2 but that wasnt enough so I added in an extra day in.

    the first time or two was a little different, but then you start to realize many times when us humans eat it isnt because we are hungry, it is because we are just thirsty, or bored, or becaus the clock tells us it is time to eat.
  • JonnyQwest
    JonnyQwest Posts: 174 Member
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    Intermittent Fasting is awesome, you pick any 8 hour window of the day to eat.....for me, its usually 3 PM to 11 PM because that is the window of time I am hungry....interesting because it throws the whole "you MUST eat breakfast, you cant eat after 6 PM" BS out the window.....I do it during the week and eat normally on the weekends (while still staying under my calorie limits) and it works great-lost 40 pounds since January 2.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    I have fasted for cultural reasons (basically to support my family who fasts for religious reasons). Actually I've only been off that pre-Easter fast for a few days now. I struggled, and I mean REALLY struggled to hit my minimum goal because not only did the fast include not eating till the afternoon, but also most days you are not allowed to eat anything cooked or has a drop of oil in it. I lost about 8 kg in the 6 weeks it lasted, but all the deprivation during that period made me binge like crazy on easter.

    I tried reverse IF (where you eat in the morning and abstain after 2 pm) and it worked nicely for me, being a morning eater. That limited my social life quite a lot, so I quit. If something isn't sustainable, I'm not doing it.

    Basically, if you are interested in fasting read up on it and decide for yourself which one would most closely fit you then try it. If you find yourself getting too stressed or restricted, it's not written in stone, you can quit any time.
  • Melistia
    Melistia Posts: 16 Member
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    40 pounds is awesome! I'm interested in the intermitted fasting! I'm doing a 1200 calorie diet...can I still fast a couple days without bringing in more calories on my regular days? For instance, yesterday I had my last meal at 630(1200 calorie day), so I won't eat again until tonight at 630. I want to eat my normal meal, not a bunch calories to make up?!?!
  • Hearts_2015
    Hearts_2015 Posts: 12,031 Member
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    interested to know more about intermittent fasting... thanks for the feedback:happy:
  • weird_me2
    weird_me2 Posts: 716 Member
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    For those interested in IF, either 5:2 or a 16/8 or 20/4 there are a few things to know.

    First 5:2
    You are supposed to eat as maintenance 5 days of the week and "fast" for 2 days.
    Fast does not mean eat nothing for 24 hours ~ fast means you eat 500 calories for women or 600 for men (I've also read that fast day is 1/4 of maintenance so I actually am having closer to 700) on fast days
    It would not be a good idea or healthy to eat nothing on fast days and it wouldn't be a good idea to eat at a significant deficit on your reregular days. The PP who said they do 4:3 and only consume 6500 calories for the week is not following IF and I cannot recommend that anyone tries this. This averages ou too only 900 something calories a day.

    For 16/8 or 20/4 or any other combination IF, you set a period of time for eating and only eat during that window. For women, it's generally best to make that window no more than 16 hours fasting 8 hours eating, from what I've read. You would then eat at your calorie goal during your eating window. I also generally do about 15/9 and usually don't eat before noon, then I have a decent lunch, a snack, a large dinner and room for a nighttime snack, usually whatever I'm craving at the moment. I find this way of eating leaves me more satisfies than doing a lot of smaller meals did and I have less problems with binging while doing IF.
  • Iwishyouwell
    Iwishyouwell Posts: 1,888 Member
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    Of course it does.

    It's a matter of whether incorporating fasting into your program is realistic or not. I fold fasting in; it's like second nature to me at this point, and I've lost about 100 lbs using it as a tool. But it's not something that is sustainable for everyone.
  • jane1969l
    jane1969l Posts: 7 Member
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    Well done on the loss, I have started fasting again today after a brief fall off the wagon, I found it worked, it's flexible, in that, I do what I like really, only "side effect" is I feel cold on an afternoon of my fast day, nice hot drink helps, then come my evening meal I am fine, the next day, back to my usual grub no problem x
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Has anyone tried fasting and does it work?
    Yes,
    4:3. Fast 24 hours cycles 3 days a week. Eat at maintain for 1 (cheat meal day) and 500 below maintain the other 3.

    Been steadily easier and easier and it is feeling very, very good.
    To the point where I dont even need to count calories because I know what it takes to reach those totals.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    For those interested in IF, either 5:2 or a 16/8 or 20/4 there are a few things to know.

    First 5:2
    You are supposed to eat as maintenance 5 days of the week and "fast" for 2 days.
    Fast does not mean eat nothing for 24 hours ~ fast means you eat 500 calories for women or 600 for men (I've also read that fast day is 1/4 of maintenance so I actually am having closer to 700) on fast days
    It would not be a good idea or healthy to eat nothing on fast days and it wouldn't be a good idea to eat at a significant deficit on your reregular days. The PP who said they do 4:3 and only consume 6500 calories for the week is not following IF and I cannot recommend that anyone tries this. This averages ou too only 900 something calories a day.

    For 16/8 or 20/4 or any other combination IF, you set a period of time for eating and only eat during that window. For women, it's generally best to make that window no more than 16 hours fasting 8 hours eating, from what I've read. You would then eat at your calorie goal during your eating window. I also generally do about 15/9 and usually don't eat before noon, then I have a decent lunch, a snack, a large dinner and room for a nighttime snack, usually whatever I'm craving at the moment. I find this way of eating leaves me more satisfies than doing a lot of smaller meals did and I have less problems with binging while doing IF.

    Yes, fast CAN mean eat nothing for 24 hours. Eat. Stop. Eat promotes that. That is what I have been doing and works well, and hasnt been taht difficult
  • BlueBombers
    BlueBombers Posts: 4,065 Member
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    I only fast for blood tests.

    That is all.
  • MelanieMamaof5
    MelanieMamaof5 Posts: 75 Member
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    For religious reasons I fast once a month for a 24 hour period. It's a great reminder that our minds/spirits are stronger than our bodies. That I, I mean really ME, is in control over my body and not my body in control over my mind/spirit. This is helpful for a number of reasons.

    I don't buy into the intermittent "diet" fasting. I think being moderate in all things is best.
  • Asherah29
    Asherah29 Posts: 354 Member
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    I typically do not eat anything until 12 partly because my tummy is not a morning person, and partly because I usually don't start getting hungry until then. I don't usually eat anything after 6-7 at night so it ends up being around a 17 hour fast. I typically get in all the rest of my calories from 11am -12 noon - 6 - 7pm in lunch, small snack, super, possible snack depending on whether or not I had a snack between lunch and super or if I am hungry or not. It works for me because its how my body naturally sets itself, but like all diet and exercise plans it may not be for everyone.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
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    I don't follow it daily but I do 16/8 IF at times (just the way it works out). If nothing else, I find it really helps learn when you're truly hungry versus boredom eating/wanting a snack/etc. The first time I tried it I felt a bit hungry, but these days I can go for 16+ hours without eating and still feel fine. And that's really helpful to be able to do, since it helps you budget calories when dining out, it's useful for skipping dinner if you've already hit your goals earlier in the day and not feeling miserable in the evening, and all around just makes it easier for me to hit my numbers.
  • Jestinia
    Jestinia Posts: 1,153 Member
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    I like the version I'm doing now, which is a modified 4:3. Two day fast, two day feed, with either no food on fast days at all or under 500 calories. I still have to count calories on feed days, because I'm a pig. But it does seem to be cutting down on my stomach's carrying capacity. Sometimes I get an actual inkling of what it's like to be full. And since I started trying to get all my vitamins and minerals, my sugar cravings do seem to be down a little.

    But I've only been doing it a couple of weeks. I'm five pounds up, seven pounds down. For a two pound loss in total. It's like the damn Cha Cha of diets for me, you have to have a sense of humor about the scale.

    Before I settled on this one, I was also playing around with different versions of IF. Lost around 10 pounds over a total of ten weeks, but with lots of ups and downs and a few extremes I won't be trying again. But I didn't grow any extra limbs, faint, or throw fits, at least so far. Longterm? Who knows!

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