A few questions about Intermittent Fasting...
orangesmarties
Posts: 49 Member
OK, so I have tried several different methods of weight loss now, and I'm considering coming back to this one now, but doing it differently to the one-day-on-one-day-off approach I did before. That was awful! I got quite obsessive and made myself ill with it. But anyway!
The way I'm interested in is called the Leangains method (I'm pretty active and don't want to lose muscle mass). So I am thinking (let me know if you have better ideas) of fasting from 8pm ish (a time when it is guaranteed me and family will have had tea) until about 2 o'clock/4 o'clockpm, when I will eat "breakfast". I am a vegan, so need to make sure I get what I need, most of which is in my breakfast of bran flakes, almonds, dairy free yoghurt and dairy free milk. And then I will have tea with my family. So here are some questions.
- Have any of you had any significant success with the fasting method? If so, how did you do it?
- I want my weight loss to last. How do I maintain what I've lost? I will be starting university in September and I don't want to keep skipping breakfast, because I will be rushing around wards, and my mum is adamant that I've got to eat breakfast otherwise I will collapse and if that happens I'll be chucked off the course. Not cool. So what do I do to keep off the weight I lost?
- I exercise loads. How will it affect my performance? And how can I keep my performance from slipping?
- Does it make any difference whether you fast while you sleep or when you're awake? I hear that your metabolism slows down at night.
- How do you make the fasting fit in with family life (I'm 19 and still living at home)? And how do you deal with people saying it is a stupid idea/parents disagreeing with it?
- Have you had any problems with it?
- How many calories do you aim for? Bearing in mind that I'm a 133 pound teenage girl on the go, but aiming for 120 pounds, what do you think I should be going for? I was kind of edging away from counting calories, but does the breakfast plus healthy vegan tea sound sensible? (I estimate breakfast is about 300-400 ish calories, and tea between 300 and 500 calories, but I wouldn't swear to anything. Typical dinners in our house include vegetarian bean chilli and rice, or curry and rice, or vegetable risotto, or pasta and tomato vegetable sauce).
- Also! How fast do you think I'll lose? I run about twice a day, and work out doing circuits/spinning/boot camp several times a week. I don't drink alcohol or smoke, or drink soft drinks. I am prepared to do whatever it takes!
- Is there anything else I should be doing other than exercise to lose this weight?
Sorry that was such a long question! Please help me!
The way I'm interested in is called the Leangains method (I'm pretty active and don't want to lose muscle mass). So I am thinking (let me know if you have better ideas) of fasting from 8pm ish (a time when it is guaranteed me and family will have had tea) until about 2 o'clock/4 o'clockpm, when I will eat "breakfast". I am a vegan, so need to make sure I get what I need, most of which is in my breakfast of bran flakes, almonds, dairy free yoghurt and dairy free milk. And then I will have tea with my family. So here are some questions.
- Have any of you had any significant success with the fasting method? If so, how did you do it?
- I want my weight loss to last. How do I maintain what I've lost? I will be starting university in September and I don't want to keep skipping breakfast, because I will be rushing around wards, and my mum is adamant that I've got to eat breakfast otherwise I will collapse and if that happens I'll be chucked off the course. Not cool. So what do I do to keep off the weight I lost?
- I exercise loads. How will it affect my performance? And how can I keep my performance from slipping?
- Does it make any difference whether you fast while you sleep or when you're awake? I hear that your metabolism slows down at night.
- How do you make the fasting fit in with family life (I'm 19 and still living at home)? And how do you deal with people saying it is a stupid idea/parents disagreeing with it?
- Have you had any problems with it?
- How many calories do you aim for? Bearing in mind that I'm a 133 pound teenage girl on the go, but aiming for 120 pounds, what do you think I should be going for? I was kind of edging away from counting calories, but does the breakfast plus healthy vegan tea sound sensible? (I estimate breakfast is about 300-400 ish calories, and tea between 300 and 500 calories, but I wouldn't swear to anything. Typical dinners in our house include vegetarian bean chilli and rice, or curry and rice, or vegetable risotto, or pasta and tomato vegetable sauce).
- Also! How fast do you think I'll lose? I run about twice a day, and work out doing circuits/spinning/boot camp several times a week. I don't drink alcohol or smoke, or drink soft drinks. I am prepared to do whatever it takes!
- Is there anything else I should be doing other than exercise to lose this weight?
Sorry that was such a long question! Please help me!
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Replies
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I follow this method of eating but not as a weight loss method - it just suits my personal lifestyle. If you want to lose weight it's calories in/calories out - no matter when you eat them.0
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I think IF is one of the more effective FAT burning options out there.
I IF from 12 to 5 day to day and go a bit harder on the weekend. Use it combined with some moderate cardio 3+ X a week combined with some heavy lifting.
Up your proteins and fats and you'll see results but give it a few weeks before allowing yourself to feel discouraged.
The thing is though, for weight loss their are probably better methods out there.
For me though it's ideal. Fat falls off and it fits into your work / life schedule pretty well.0 -
Thank you for your reply, it is really helpful. You say you fast from 12-5, is that both pm (so like 5 hours)? And what kind of things do you do in your workouts? I run 6 days a week, often twice a day, and have recently started circuits and boot camp a few times a week, but haven't seen any great results in the change yet.
What would you say were better weight loss methods?0 -
44 lbs since march 16th doing the 4:3 version of fasting. 3 twenty four hour cycles a week I eat 500 calories, 4 cycles I eat at my maintenance if I can even get to that many calories.OK, so I have tried several different methods of weight loss now, and I'm considering coming back to this one now, but doing it differently to the one-day-on-one-day-off approach I did before. That was awful! I got quite obsessive and made myself ill with it. But anyway!
The way I'm interested in is called the Leangains method (I'm pretty active and don't want to lose muscle mass). So I am thinking (let me know if you have better ideas) of fasting from 8pm ish (a time when it is guaranteed me and family will have had tea) until about 2 o'clock/4 o'clockpm, when I will eat "breakfast". I am a vegan, so need to make sure I get what I need, most of which is in my breakfast of bran flakes, almonds, dairy free yoghurt and dairy free milk. And then I will have tea with my family. So here are some questions.
- Have any of you had any significant success with the fasting method? If so, how did you do it?
- I want my weight loss to last. How do I maintain what I've lost? I will be starting university in September and I don't want to keep skipping breakfast, because I will be rushing around wards, and my mum is adamant that I've got to eat breakfast otherwise I will collapse and if that happens I'll be chucked off the course. Not cool. So what do I do to keep off the weight I lost?
- I exercise loads. How will it affect my performance? And how can I keep my performance from slipping?
- Does it make any difference whether you fast while you sleep or when you're awake? I hear that your metabolism slows down at night.
- How do you make the fasting fit in with family life (I'm 19 and still living at home)? And how do you deal with people saying it is a stupid idea/parents disagreeing with it?
- Have you had any problems with it?
- How many calories do you aim for? Bearing in mind that I'm a 133 pound teenage girl on the go, but aiming for 120 pounds, what do you think I should be going for? I was kind of edging away from counting calories, but does the breakfast plus healthy vegan tea sound sensible? (I estimate breakfast is about 300-400 ish calories, and tea between 300 and 500 calories, but I wouldn't swear to anything. Typical dinners in our house include vegetarian bean chilli and rice, or curry and rice, or vegetable risotto, or pasta and tomato vegetable sauce).
- Also! How fast do you think I'll lose? I run about twice a day, and work out doing circuits/spinning/boot camp several times a week. I don't drink alcohol or smoke, or drink soft drinks. I am prepared to do whatever it takes!
- Is there anything else I should be doing other than exercise to lose this weight?
Sorry that was such a long question! Please help me!
It has taught my body what hunger is. Most times we think it is hunger but it is thirst, or boredom, or just our routine of what society says we have to eat.
I have had many benefits of fasting and I absolutely L O V E it.
Works awesome with parties/anniversaries/holidays, etc. People on here fret all th etime about a certain holiday, or date night, or work party, or family gathering, etc etc etc. With fasting you just make that your eating cycle and adjust your fasting cycle to another time if it was to coincide with the party.
I no longer "require" eating as much food either,0 -
Thank you! And wow, what an amazing weight loss! How fast did it start coming off? Do you struggle at all with energy/concentration/hunger levels? How do you make your fasting cycles work with daily life?0
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That seems like a pretty short window to get your calories in, but as long as your not hungry and are satisfied with the meals you're eating then great. (also an acceptable caloric intake, ie you shouldn't be eating less than 1000 calories a day)
I only eat twice a day, 1st meal is at noon and then supper at 6ish with the occasional snack in between. It puts me at about a 17 hour "fast" but this isn't for weight loss, its simply how I prefer to eat. Eating early makes me sick to my stomach, and multiple small meals brings bloat from Hades, so I choose two large meals a day. Its not about how many times you eat a day, its about what/how much you eat when you do eat. If you eat 4 spoon fulls of cottage cheese and that's your only meal, obviously that's bad, but if your eating one or two meals in which you meet a caloric goal (mine is 1500 a day) then there is absolutely nothing wrong with that.0 -
I am a bit concerning about one thing if you wouldn't mind clearing it up. You appear to work out a number of times a day... are you saying here -> "(I estimate breakfast is about 300-400 ish calories, and tea between 300 and 500 calories, but I wouldn't swear to anything. Typical dinners in our house include vegetarian bean chilli and rice, or curry and rice, or vegetable risotto, or pasta and tomato vegetable sauce). "
that you are only consuming between 600-900 calories a day? or are you not adding in supper? With the amount of exercise you say that you are doing you intake should be relatively high.0 -
My husband (a registered nurse) and I have been doing Dr. Michael Mosely's "The Fast Diet" for about a year. My husband lost 40 pounds and had to drop back to only "fasting" one day a week. I continue to "fast" two non-consecurive days (Mondays and Thursdays) and have lost 27. It really is about being healthy, the side benefit is that you lose weight. It is a way of life which I don't plan to ever stop. It's easy and good for you. You can read all about it online - you don't need to buy his book. thefastdiet.com Good luck!0
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Concentration levels went up. Hunger levels went down. Energy went up as I starting to lose weight and get alittle bit more active.Thank you! And wow, what an amazing weight loss! How fast did it start coming off? Do you struggle at all with energy/concentration/hunger levels? How do you make your fasting cycles work with daily life?
My fasts are for 24 hours and not a calender day.
A normal week looks like this.
Sunday 8pm (or so) until monday 8pm (or so). Fasting and up to 500 calories.
Mon 8pm-tues 8pm. Eat to my TDEE (around 2200 cals)
Tues 8pm - wed 8pm. Fast up to 800 cals.
Wed 8pm - thurs 8pm. Eat to my TDEE of 2200.
Thurs 8pm-fri 8pm. Fast up to 500 calos.
Fri-sat 8pm. UP to TDEE.
Sat 8pm - sun 8pm - TDEE.
REPEAT.
I like the 24 hour cycle and the author of the book Eat. STop. Eat proposes to do that as well. Think he liked the 2pm-2pm cycle.
Works great for me. If I eat my 5oo cals on fast days it is usually late AM, early PM for a snack or sandwich. Knowing that in the evening I can have a big meal is enough to get me through. Typically have 800 or so that evening and then the next 1400 the next day.
It gets tougher and tougher to eat up to the TDEE though as your body adapts to what hunger REALLY is. I found out i was eating out of boredom and just the societal norms of when we should eat.
3 diff weeks I went "off" of the fasting routine and tested myself to only eat when I was hungery. Two of those weeks I lose weight and the third I gained .2 (that is POINT 2) lbs..which is nothing.
You really start to get into the swing of thigns after a couple of days and it is very enligthening. Instead of the constant thought of :"what should I eat for breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack" each day it gets very simplified....and you save LOTS of money!0 -
- Have any of you had any significant success with the fasting method? If so, how did you do it?
Yes. By eating between 12pm-6pm.
- I want my weight loss to last. How do I maintain what I've lost?
eat your maintenance calories
- I exercise loads. How will it affect my performance? And how can I keep my performance from slipping?
eat plenty of carbs, protein and fat, and your performance shouldn't "slip"
- Does it make any difference whether you fast while you sleep or when you're awake? I hear that your metabolism slows down at night.
it doesn't matter.
- How do you make the fasting fit in with family life (I'm 19 and still living at home)? And how do you deal with people saying it is a stupid idea/parents disagreeing with it?
just eat when you want. if people say it's stupid, give them the finger and keep eating during your eating window
- Have you had any problems with it?
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- How many calories do you aim for?
my calorie goal is different from yours because we are different people. calculate your TDEE and figure out your maintenance calories since you want to maintain.
- Also! How fast do you think I'll lose?
depends on your deficit0 -
Great info!! Following! I've been trying to follow 5:2 for about 2.5 months now and it's hard for me to stick to the 500 calories during the fasting day. Maybe if I shrink my window of eating (close the kitchen at 7p) I can make it! :smooched:0
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Yep. The reason why I am the size I am is that although I will do more or less as much exercise as I can in a day (that can mean 2 dog walks, a long run and potentially circuits), my diet completely lets me down. I can put away embarassing quantities of food. So part of the idea of the fasting is to restrict the eating, and make it healthy and within margin. I wouldn't mind adding a few extra calories - indeed, I have already upped my calories significantly to make sure I get the necessary nutrition - but not sure how. Which is why I'm asking around. Thank you for your concern
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Thank you! 0
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Wow! This is really encouraging! And doing three 24 hour fasts seems more sustainable somehow than a full-blown regime And it is good that you find yourself eating less: I think I tried it at first at the wrong time - over my A levels, so was very prone indeed to either binge or starve on my off days... but this is really positive! 0
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Thank you!0
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Yep. The reason why I am the size I am is that although I will do more or less as much exercise as I can in a day (that can mean 2 dog walks, a long run and potentially circuits), my diet completely lets me down. I can put away embarassing quantities of food. So part of the idea of the fasting is to restrict the eating, and make it healthy and within margin. I wouldn't mind adding a few extra calories - indeed, I have already upped my calories significantly to make sure I get the necessary nutrition - but not sure how. Which is why I'm asking around. Thank you for your concern
I am my own garbage disposal as well. One reason multiple meals doesn't work for me. I just continue to eat all day long. I would suggest as another poster did figuring out your TDEE and BMR and eat at a mid point between those. This -> http://iifym.com/iifym-calculator/ will help you out immensely.0
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