Anyone have success w intermittent fasting and low carbing?

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I'm looking to lose about 20-30 pounds and after some extensive research I've settled on IF and low carb. The low carb will be temporary, perhaps less than 4-5 weeks. The intermittent fasting however is likely something I will do on a weekly if not daily basis.

For exercise I've been doing medium to high intensity cardio in the morning about 5 days a week, I'm looking to add a 2nd session in the evening for maybe 3-4 days out the week. Sundays and Fridays are my lifting days, along with pushups/crunches throughout the week. It's taken me about 3 weeks to come up with this program, so I don't know exactly how well I'll do with it. But I'm committing to it for the next 2-3 months.

So for you guys who are experienced with IF and LC, what were your results? Do you lose weight, gain muscle? How long did it take?

Replies

  • Escape_Artist
    Escape_Artist Posts: 1,155 Member
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    Weight loss = calorie deficit.
    IF or Low carb won't change anything since its about calories consumed vs calories burned. Meal timing is irrelevant.

    A good program with a balance of Weights and cardio (the latter being a personal choice) along with a calorie deficit will result in weight loss.

    To lose weight you need a deficit.
    To gain muscle you need a surplus.

    When cutting you want to eat enough protein to maintain your muscle mass. As you slim down the muscles start to show but you are most likely not gaining any additional muscles since you are eating at a deficit.
  • grubb1019
    grubb1019 Posts: 371 Member
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    I have done IF for two weeks now. I eat from 11:30 to 7:30, which is a 16 hour fast. It has really helped me stay within my calorie goal.

    Yes, you have to have a calorie deficit, but meal timing is not irrelevant. There are scientific studies that show fasting changes our metabolism. During fasting your glucose level is low so your body is more likely to pull its energy from stored fat.

    The following link discusses studies supporting the benefits if IF:
    http://fitness.mercola.com/sites/fitness/archive/2013/03/01/daily-intermittent-fasting.aspx
  • dough21
    dough21 Posts: 216 Member
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    4.7 pounds down in 2 weeks. Open Diary, check it out.
  • Togi11
    Togi11 Posts: 20
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    After playing around, I have had best results with IF so far. I don't do by the book 5-2 but definitely limit cals a few days a week. Low carb doesn't work that great for me since I don't eat meat. If you haven't seen Michael Mosley's doc Eat, Fast and Live Longer. It's worth a look.
  • Xingy01
    Xingy01 Posts: 83 Member
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    I do ADF which isn't much different from IF.

    You have to keep in mind that meal timing doesn't matter as far as weight loss goes, but it can keep you on track if there is something psychologically holding you back. ADF works for me because the more I think about food and plan out my meals daily, the more I want to overeat. With ADF, I can forget about food every other day and just not deal with it.

    I don't do low carb though. I love carbs and they love me. A low carb diet will make you lose water weight the first week, but it's not going to allow you to eat as much protein and fat as you want. You'll still gain weight if you go over on calories.
  • chrisdavey
    chrisdavey Posts: 9,834 Member
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    total macros > amount of time fasted

    Do IF if it fits your schedule and makes it easier to hit macros.

    Low carb is a good option for insulin resistant people. If not, no metabolic advantage. (the studies that have shown that have not matched protein intake)

    I have been IFing for about 3 years I think now. Loosely as I said macros are more important. 16/8ish for me.

    Typically, I only use cyclical keto diet if I want to lose water weight quickly. And IMO it isn't required until you are relatively lean. Go with the simplest method that you can stick with.

    And I've used IF to bulk also so you can definitely gain weight if you can eat enough.
    <<<<< See profile pic :laugh:
  • JonnyQwest
    JonnyQwest Posts: 174 Member
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    I cycle on and off of IF and it works great to stay under calorie limits.....pick the 8 hours of the day you are the hungriest and eat all your calories during that time. Even when I don't stay strict on IF, I do tend to eat most of my calories in an 8 hour period as a general rule....try it out and see how it works- I stay pretty strict with it during the weekdays and then not so much on the weekends. It's also nice to change things up and challenge yourself to keep it interesting....easier to stick to a diet when you aren't bored.
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    Low carb can be challenging if you're doing a lot of cardio. So can IF. I think you're setting yourself up for serious burnout if you go that route.

    Don't make it harder than it needs to be. Do IF if it helps you with compliance and doesn't affect performance. Do low carb if it helps you with compliance and doesn't affect performance.

    See a pattern?

    Compliance to calories and macros, and performance in the gym, are what matter. Do the things that help you with those items and ditch the things that don't
  • Ottawa_Randy
    Ottawa_Randy Posts: 42 Member
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    I did IF following the Eades (Protein Power) for several months, and a longer fasting window using some of Bragg's fasting routines. I was low carb as well and it has worked well while maintaining the fast window and low carb. Carbier food create triggers, especially when severely limiting them. I can see results quickly but it is hard to maintain in a mixed group when others are partaking of treats you used to have.. If you can maintain the low carb, IF it is a definite weight loss tool.

    Coming off of it the body reacts the way it was designed to and begins rebuilding the storage (fat) very quickly. If you can maintain it go for it,
  • flawwd
    flawwd Posts: 32 Member
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    Hi! I'd be worried you might set yourself up for developing an eating disorder. I agree with some of the above writers, sounds like too much exercise for what you're proposing as your intake. Weight loss is so much more likely to stick if you do it gradually. Please be careful!
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Doing both might be too much.

    The more difficult and restrictive you make things the more likely you are to quit.

    I do the ADF and it works fine. I dont worry about carbs during the up days, just the calories and it has worked very well. I Feel if I also did the low carb it may be too inconvenient.
  • nosebag1212
    nosebag1212 Posts: 621 Member
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    IF/low carb won't make you lose fat any faster or slower, they are just tools to make eating at a deficit easier

    that said I do use IF because it makes sticking to a deficit easy
  • catchtheislands
    catchtheislands Posts: 25 Member
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    I wish I could get everyone to understand that there are three laws to thermodynamics.
    And that calories deficit does not work for everyone. If you are 50 lbs overweight, and that is just a loose gauge, there is a good change a calorie deficit will not work. Period.

    Nerd Fitness (coined for people who program or sit a lot of the day in a chair) has a great read on IF

    Also carb backloading principles where you are likely to store carbs if you eat them before 3pm.

    And that if you work out hard, having something ridiculously sugary after a hard workout before bed to replenish the work you've done and trigger muscles to grow, causes your fat to ignite from your body rather than get stored. The science, however boring a read is there.
    This must be resistance training.
    These things are the only thing that has worked for me. I had 100 lbs to lose depending on where my "ideal weight" lands.
    Some places say 180 some say 200. I am a very tall, curvy female.

    Anyway, you must try these things if you are having trouble losing weight.
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/08/06/a-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting/

    This is a great workout that uses every major body part, get through it 4 times and you are on your way.
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2009/12/09/beginner-body-weight-workout-burn-fat-build-muscle/
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
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    I wish I could get everyone to understand that there are three laws to thermodynamics.
    And that calories deficit does not work for everyone. If you are 50 lbs overweight, and that is just a loose gauge, there is a good change a calorie deficit will not work. Period.

    This is false.

    Calorie deficit is literally the only way, besides surgery or some major medical disease that causes breakdown of body tissue, to lose body mass.
  • Xingy01
    Xingy01 Posts: 83 Member
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    I wish I could get everyone to understand that there are three laws to thermodynamics.
    And that calories deficit does not work for everyone. If you are 50 lbs overweight, and that is just a loose gauge, there is a good change a calorie deficit will not work. Period.

    Nerd Fitness (coined for people who program or sit a lot of the day in a chair) has a great read on IF

    Also carb backloading principles where you are likely to store carbs if you eat them before 3pm.

    And that if you work out hard, having something ridiculously sugary after a hard workout before bed to replenish the work you've done and trigger muscles to grow, causes your fat to ignite from your body rather than get stored. The science, however boring a read is there.
    This must be resistance training.
    These things are the only thing that has worked for me. I had 100 lbs to lose depending on where my "ideal weight" lands.
    Some places say 180 some say 200. I am a very tall, curvy female.


    What you are reading is junk from someone who wants to sell you something. The guy has a degree in economics. He has probably never taken a science class beyond the general education requirements. What is written on that site is not "science." It is filth that is designed to convince people to hand him their money.

    What often happens is people will read something on a news website which has incorrectly interpreted results from a scientific study. People read that and start spreading it around as if it's fact. General news sites are an awful place to learn about the latest research because the writers don't have the background to understand what they're trying to report, and they always sensationalize to get more viewers/readers. How many times have you heard that a new hiv or cancer cure has been found? Many. Do you know why? Because those writers see that a drug company is developing a drug which hasn't made it to clinical trials yet. Even if is in clinical trials, it will likely not succeed. What they don't tell you is that phase 1 of clinical trials is to test the safety of the drug. Phase 2 tests the efficacy. Phase 3 confirms the results from phase 1 and phase 2. The odds of success of a drug in phase 1 of clinical trials is only 25%. It would still need to go through phase 2, phase 3, and FDA approval. Less than 10% of drugs that even make it to clinical trials goes to market. And yet these reporters are writing sensationalist articles about drugs that are still being developed, of which a fraction of a percent will ever make it to your drug store. The lesson here is that you need to learn which sources are best. Someone trying to sell you something? Probably not a good source. Someone not educated in the field? Probably not a good source.

    Another, more relevant example of this is the myth that people gain weight if they eat after a certain time. It's not true at all. What is true is that some people tend to eat a lot of high calorie foods at night while watching primetime tv. They have their ice cream, buttery popcorn, nachos, potato chips, and other calorie dense foods. If you tell them that they can't eat after 6 or some other time before primetime tv comes on, they will likely lose weight. That doesn't mean that eating at night makes you gain weight. Alternatively, we could tell people that they can't eat while watching tv. Studies have shown that people who eat while watching tv tend to eat more. Does that mean that eating while watching tv makes your body store more fat? Absolutely not.
  • Cby60
    Cby60 Posts: 38 Member
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    I have done some form of intermittent fasting for most of April. I really like it! I have lost 16lbs and have also started inline skating for exercise. I started fasting from 7 pm to noon the next day. I am now trying to fast 3 days and consume 500-600 calories on those days., usually all in one meal at 6. The other 4 days I eat 1200 calories between noon and 6pm. I also do a lower carb diet as it makes it easy to fast and I feel great with lots of energy. I once made the mistake of eating toast and the carbs made me shaky and tired and wanting more carbs. That day I ate more than 1200 cal. If others are eating around me I drink peppermint tea which takes care of any cravings.
  • shawnleander
    shawnleander Posts: 3 Member
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    Thanks for all the comments, there's a lot information here for me to digest.


    One nice thing I like about this site, is that it really helps to track things. I think I have been eating too few calories. I initially lost some weight before I started working out, I was about 239 down from 250. This is mostly because I was sick for a couple of days and I didn't eat much. Since then my appetite had diminished quite a bit and the next two weeks I was probably eating under 1500 calories a day. I started working out again and my appetite picked up some and my weight went up to 247, now I'm currently at 245 despite the fact I'm working out 5 days a week.

    I think my problem might be that I don't have consistent eating habits, I need to set a better eating pattern. I have phased a lot of bad eating habits though, I rarely eat fast food (maybe 3-4 times per month), same with alcohol and soda (once or twice a month). I don't eat much sweets, although on occasion I like buttery toast with honey or strawberry jam.

    I'm hoping by hanging out on this site I'll learn some helpful information.
  • shawnleander
    shawnleander Posts: 3 Member
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    Anyone else have a desire to workout all the time? Initially I kind of dreaded working out, now it's all I can think about.


    About 20 years ago (I'm nearly 42 now) I used to body build. Not on a competition level, but I just enjoyed lifting weights and training. I'm starting to feel that way again, if I could just figure out how I should be eating I think everything else would fall in line.