Does Intermittent Fasting work?

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JaysWeightLoss
JaysWeightLoss Posts: 4
in Fitness and Exercise
Hey guys, just wondering if anybody has any experience with intermittent fasting.

If you've ever tried it, let us know what you thought of it, your results etc.

Thanks! :)
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Replies

  • kiarafitjourney
    kiarafitjourney Posts: 33 Member
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    I tried it for a couple of weeks. And here my conclusion :
    It works if you want to lose weight without doing any exercise cuz you basically just cut your daily calorie intake.
    BUT you'll gained it back when you eat normal again.
    And honestly for me, after doing it for few times, i got a severe stomach cramps. So i dediced it was bad for my body.
    I know someone who have to visit a doctor because of this too, but hey results may vary in everyone.
    But for me, i'll just stick on the old ways : eat clean, train hard, and rest.
    I just cant let me starve myself ;)
  • katiewilsonxo
    katiewilsonxo Posts: 85 Member
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    I've just started giving it a go (one week in, I'm giving it a month before I form a proper initial impression) with a 16 hour fast and 8 hour eat window daily. Have noticed fairly dramatic initial weight loss (given the fact that I'm almost at my goal weight) from eating same number of calories as before and I find that my body is responding fairly well to it so far. More than anything, I think it helps you mentally because you understand what it is to feel hunger and can help teach you that you do have the willpower to stop snacking at night.

    Interested to see what other people's long term results are.
  • Tomm88
    Tomm88 Posts: 733 Member
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    I done it for 6 months and i really like how it felt, i liked the fact that it was time efficient, made me feel less bloated. It works and i'd give a go and see how it works out for you, the only time i would'nt recommend it is if someone has a history of eating disorders, it really could light some old sparks.
  • mowree
    mowree Posts: 74 Member
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    It worked for me. I'm not much of a "breakfast" eater. Never have been. So omitting a meal wasn't hard for me. I've went as long as 24 hours between meals. One positive outcome for me for doing that was my stomach shrank so it didn't take eating very much to make me feel full the next time I ate. :-)
  • johnrossmckay
    johnrossmckay Posts: 66 Member
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    Works for me. Day 11 of "Fast 5". This is a 5 hour eating window of your choice. I use 5 pm to 10 pm. I'm losing abdominal fat fast. The weight comes off in spurts but the inches come off faster.

    It is not for everyone though. I'm the only person I know who actually favours this approach. Other people get light headed or cold and can't stand it. For them another choice would be better. But for me it is something I can stick to.

    I find it simplifies the whole process. It boils down to "don't eat outside my eating window" and "do my best to eat healthful foods inside my eating window". I don't feel that much hunger and I am still able to exercise. I sleep much better. My brain is much sharper. I don't feel like gorging for some reason in my 5 hours. The quick fat loss encourages me to stay on track and not eat sugar (my weakness). I hear chocolate cookies calling my name from the cupboard at all times of the night.

    I used this a few years ago to shed weight for a jiu jitsu competition and lost about 15 lbs. Now I'm trying to get down another weight class so that I am competitive with younger guys. Caliper tests peg me at about 20%BF and visually that looks about right so I am not wasting away. I won't take it past 10%BF.
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Hey guys, just wondering if anybody has any experience with intermittent fasting.

    If you've ever tried it, let us know what you thought of it, your results etc.

    Thanks! :)
    Yes.
    I fast 2-3 twenty-four hour cycles a week and the other days eat my maintenance.

    43 lbs since March 16th.

    Have relearned what hunger really is. I dont count anymore and getting near my goal weight. My body has adjusted to what it needs to actually sustain and I just now eat when I am hungry, which is less and less often now that I have been fasting and know the diff between hunger, boredom or eating because society says it is time to eat.
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
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    It's not magic.

    If it fits with your lifestyle and allows you to maintain an overall calorie deficit, then yes it will work.

    If you have to contort yourself to conform to it and make yourself miserable, then no it won't work.
  • greenfirearm
    greenfirearm Posts: 120 Member
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    I've not really heard of it like this, and reading some of these posts makes me wonder if a modified form would be helpful.

    I don't eat regularly (which I think makes me prone to overeating and snacking when I do eat) and perhaps giving myself several windows of a couple of hours a day, would be helpful. E.g. 8-10, 1-3, 4-7.

    Hmm...
  • diannethegeek
    diannethegeek Posts: 14,776 Member
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    Hey guys, just wondering if anybody has any experience with intermittent fasting.

    If you've ever tried it, let us know what you thought of it, your results etc.

    Thanks! :)

    There are many different forms of IF. Were you interested in one in particular?

    I've had good success with 16:8, but switched back to eating breakfast because it worked better for my schedule. I don't think that 5:2 or JUDDD would be very good for me, personally, but I know a lot around here have had good success with it.

    In the end, these are all ways to make staying in a calorie deficit easier for you. Pick whichever method is easiest for you to adhere to.
  • StriversNYC
    StriversNYC Posts: 14 Member
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    it works if it fits your lifestyle i.e. if you like large meals, don't have time for breakfast, prefer to workout in fasted state, etc.
  • lkhaycook
    lkhaycook Posts: 23 Member
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    Hey guys, just wondering if anybody has any experience with intermittent fasting.

    If you've ever tried it, let us know what you thought of it, your results etc.

    Thanks! :)

    There are many different forms of IF. Were you interested in one in particular?

    I've had good success with 16:8, but switched back to eating breakfast because it worked better for my schedule. I don't think that 5:2 or JUDDD would be very good for me, personally, but I know a lot around here have had good success with it.

    In the end, these are all ways to make staying in a calorie deficit easier for you. Pick whichever method is easiest for you to adhere to.

    Did you still log your food with 16:8?
  • thavoice
    thavoice Posts: 1,326 Member
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    Hey guys, just wondering if anybody has any experience with intermittent fasting.

    If you've ever tried it, let us know what you thought of it, your results etc.

    Thanks! :)

    There are many different forms of IF. Were you interested in one in particular?

    I've had good success with 16:8, but switched back to eating breakfast because it worked better for my schedule. I don't think that 5:2 or JUDDD would be very good for me, personally, but I know a lot around here have had good success with it.

    In the end, these are all ways to make staying in a calorie deficit easier for you. Pick whichever method is easiest for you to adhere to.

    Did you still log your food with 16:8?

    Well unless you can figure out eating at a deficit without loggin then yes, you need to still log. That 16/8 is just like skipping breakfast basically and you still have to eat at a def the same way as if you followed the daily cals that MFP tells you to.


    The main fasting that is discussed is the every other day fast, 2 days a week or 3 days a week fasting. Fast day s of 500 calories, the others at Maintenance. The thinking is you really only have to restrict much on the fast days and the other days you eat to your TDEE.

    In actuality, TDEE is a good amount of food, for me at least. So just on the fasting cycles do i even have to think about counting to stay at 500 or below
  • jasonmh630
    jasonmh630 Posts: 2,850 Member
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    It works for me in regards to schedule/lifestyle. I have a 6hr window to eat my calorie goal, from 4-10pm... I also drink nothing but water the rest of the time. It works for me, but may not for others. Just experiment around with what works best for you. :)
  • BigT555
    BigT555 Posts: 2,068 Member
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    I done it for 6 months and i really like how it felt, i liked the fact that it was time efficient, made me feel less bloated. It works and i'd give a go and see how it works out for you, the only time i would'nt recommend it is if someone has a history of eating disorders, it really could light some old sparks.
    thats an interesting point that i had never thought of before. makes sense that it could bring up old demons

    but for me IF works great, makes it easier to count cals, i feel a reduction in hunger and food cravings, i always have energy

    it basically just makes it easier for some to stay within a deficit. for others, the opposite may be true
  • miktone
    miktone Posts: 2 Member
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    Hi, I tried it fairly religiously for 6 weeks, did the 8 hour eating window, kept the calories and macros the same as I was doing prior to going on it, as well as the level of physical activity, because I wanted to see if IF worked, and not have it work because something else was going on like, for instance, starving myself or working out twice as hard. My experience was that I continued to lose weight at the same or slightly slower rate than before, but my workouts which were done in a fasted state, at 10 am without eating since 7 the night before were great, I had lots of energy and strength, a huge surprise.

    So for me, it was interesting and not tremendously effective, but I generally only have a protein shake for breakfast anyways, so maybe that's why it did not lead to bigger results. I did learn that I would not die, or faint or become feeble if I missed a meal or two so that was a big positive, and now I know for cetain that this is not some magic bullet for me that I am missing out on, so ow I can move on to the next one (stronglifts- great if you want to have insatiable hunger and put on weight (some of which may be muscle), which was not exactly what I was hoping for.
  • pjstar31
    pjstar31 Posts: 26
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    I did this in high school (years ago) without actually knowing I was doing it. I was also working fast food at the time so I was taking in less carbs than normal due to primarily snacking on meat and cheese while I was working. In 9 months I dropped from from about 240 to 170 pounds at 6'2" height. It was the most in shape I had ever been to that point and, sadly, have ever been since. I do recall that during the day I would get severe cramps in my stomach but they only lasted 10-20 minutes and occurred every couple hours. I remember that eventually the cramps became tolerable to the point that I didn't even notice them anymore.
  • Orfygirl
    Orfygirl Posts: 274 Member
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    It works well for me. I have done it for many years. I don't get hungry normally until 2-3pm so I have a snack then. I eat a larger dinner and am done eating by 9-10pm. I usually get my allotted calories in during this time frame. I like IF because I am not hungry in the morning and it normally makes me sick to my stomach to even think about food that early in the day. I have tried other eating schedules and I found that if I forced myself to eat breakfast and lunch I would not only feel miserable all day long but I would constantly go over on my calories and as a result, gain weight. Unlike an poster above said, I DO exercise, I burn anywhere between 400- 600 calories a day and I do my workouts first thing when I get up in the morning which is 5-6am. One thing I don't do is let myself go hungry. So if I wake up one morning and I am hungry, I make myself a small breakfast and then just resume a normal schedule for me.

    IF is not for everyone, but neither is having several small meals throughout the day. You really have to play with your "diet" and find what meal times and portion sizes work for you.
  • mkroberger
    mkroberger Posts: 25 Member
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    I did this in the past without realizing it's a "diet" and found it to be effective. I was recently trying to do the 17 day diet, but my personal life has been hectic and I don't have the time to do the food prep, so I am doing the 16:8 now. Cutting out breakfast helps to keep my calorie count low, which I really need when I don't have time to get to the gym.

    My stepfather essentially does this and lost a ton of weight. He eats just one large meal because he knows he has a hard time limiting how much he eats in one sitting. Has worked wonders for him!

    Good luck!
  • mustgetmuscles1
    mustgetmuscles1 Posts: 3,346 Member
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    It's not magic.

    If it fits with your lifestyle and allows you to maintain an overall calorie deficit, then yes it will work.

    If you have to contort yourself to conform to it and make yourself miserable, then no it won't work.

    ^Yep.
  • AquaticQuests
    AquaticQuests Posts: 945 Member
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    Once in awhile I'll go on a fast for religious reasons (I'm christian). Even though primary reason is spiritual it does come with some health benefits eg stubborn belly fat melts away, body detox!

    Usually fast equals one meal per day. I try to keep up my exercise during the fast so thst all remains constant! But this is not for the newbie or inexperienced still learning their body!

    Occasionally I'll be on a more intense fast involving no food for some days!

    In either case fast also has spiritual effects and can be a time of breakthrough and intense communion wigh God

    :-)

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