A couple of questions about fasting

orangesmarties
orangesmarties Posts: 49 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
So my current regime is working like a charm - I have lost a load of weight and am still going, without even batting an eyelid. I fast until 4 o'clock, when I eat a bowl of bran flakes, flaked almonds, dairy free yoghurt and dairy free milk. I make sure I've eaten a decently portioned tea with my family by 8 o'clock. I exercise loads, and all is good :)
1) I am eating quite low calories, albeit with no ill effects whatsoever, not even hunger. When I go back to eating at maintenance calories to maintain my weight, is it likely that I will gain weight because my metabolism has slowed?
2) What happens differently to your body when you attempt a longer fast? Are there actually any concrete benefits to it?
3) Does anyone have any wise words about doing something like this working heavy 13 hour shifts in a care home??! I work on the bank and tried it recently and have just decided to treat the days I work there as normal days and try to keep calories low...

Replies

  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    What's quite low calories? :huh:
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    1. No
    2. Nothing
    3. Eat more
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 792 Member
    http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2013/08/06/a-beginners-guide-to-intermittent-fasting/

    http://dailyburn.com/life/health/intermittent-fasting-methods/

    http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2014/06/14/intermittent-fasting-longevity.aspx

    http://abcnews.go.com/Health/reasons-intermittent-fasting/story?id=24934679

    1) Define low calorie cause as a 5'1 female I define low at 1500 cals, this being said no your metabolism shouldn't slow down.

    2) The links above have some good info about intermittent fasting including the downsides in one (I have more but they're in my phone.)

    3) And honestly I always ate before I went to work however my job has typically been in the afternoons and my pattern is usually between 1-9 in the afternoon. This being said I'd ensure I'm eating enough every day.
  • SkepticalOwl
    SkepticalOwl Posts: 223 Member
    You might want to ask your questions in the IF group: http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/49-intermittent-fasting.
  • orangesmarties
    orangesmarties Posts: 49 Member
    Well I put my breakfast as being no more than 300 calories, as I measure everything out carefully to count it. And I'd estimate my tea as being a maximum of 500 calories, seeing as it is always healthy and vegan...so low calories being approximately 800. Honestly with no hunger! Thank you for your replies guys :)
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 792 Member
    :noway: Forget intermittent fasting try actually eating something I eat meals bigger than that daily intake wow 800 calories. But in all seriousness that is not enough for a day.
  • randomtai
    randomtai Posts: 9,003 Member
    Eat more. :noway:
  • flumi_f
    flumi_f Posts: 1,888 Member
    Doesn't matter when you eat your cals or how you split them up, but 800 is definitely too low over a longer period of time. Even more so if you are exercising alot.

    1200 + most of your exercise cals should be your average daily goal. If you are very short, you may be able to get away with a bit less.

    I do a form of intermittent fasting called 5:2. I do two 500cal days a week and eat maintainance the other 5. For me that's about 1800-1900 on the other days. I'm 5'1'', at a normal BMI and exercise regularly. Fasting can help with weightloss as you have a weekly cal deficit of about 3000 cals and lots of people experience other positive health effects (allergies / pain / etc) or a better relationship to food / food control / hunger pangs. I really like it, because I don't have to restrict daily. I belong to those, that NEVER have problems eating up their TDEE!
  • persistentsoul
    persistentsoul Posts: 268 Member
    I was trying out having a couple of days a week on very low calories. It was ok until the last time when after not eating all day at 6pm I got a very painful gallbladder attack that lasted 8 hours. That has put me off doing it again. Now make sure I get 2 or 3 meals a day to keep my gallbladder working.
  • NK1112
    NK1112 Posts: 781 Member
    Well I put my breakfast as being no more than 300 calories, as I measure everything out carefully to count it. And I'd estimate my tea as being a maximum of 500 calories, seeing as it is always healthy and vegan...so low calories being approximately 800. Honestly with no hunger! Thank you for your replies guys :)

    Question for you ... are you getting your calorie count from logging your food into MFP? I don't think so ... and I also think you might be underestimating it. Just for the heck of it, I searched out the food you listed as breakfastt and it could easliy be double the calories you state you estimate your breakfast to be.

    For example ...
    3/4 cup of bran flakes = 96 calories
    1/4 cup of flaked almonds = 122 calories
    1 yoplat non dairy yogurt = 170 calories
    1 cup of almond milk is 70 calories, and 1 cup of generic non-dairy milk is 65 caloreis ...
    That addes up to between 518 and 523 calories. And if you say your are eating a bowl of bran flakes, you may be eating twice the amount in one serving, which might also up the amount of milk. And yogplait is a tiny serving of yogurt ... if you are eating more like an 8 ounce serving, those calories would be higher also ....

    This is not to be snarky ... it's just that I tried what you are doing at one time also. I thought I was eating less than 1000 calories a day by my estimations and wondered why I wasn't losing weight ... I had done a lot of fasting to lose weight and contributed it to a slow metabolism because of the low calories and the fasting ..... well .... that was a joke because when I started to actually track my food, measure it and pay attention to the nutritional labeling for servings .... I was eating more like 1800 calories.

    But ... to your other questions .... Eat however you want to and whenever you want to. IF you feel weak because you haven't eaten, then eat something. It's a good idea to eat before you go to work ... you will burn off that food from the work you are doing and will be better prepared to do it because you will not be underfed.If you are going to work out, it's ok not to eat beforehand if you are strength training ... but it's better for you to eat if you are going to do cardio ... and with strength training its advisable to eat some protein like right away after the workout. Your body will naturally need less calories as it gets thinner and you get older ... so you will have to monitor yourself when you go on maintenance and make adjustments to your routine and food intake.

    Good luck. Stay well.
  • orangesmarties
    orangesmarties Posts: 49 Member
    Doesn't matter when you eat your cals or how you split them up, but 800 is definitely too low over a longer period of time. Even more so if you are exercising alot.

    1200 + most of your exercise cals should be your average daily goal. If you are very short, you may be able to get away with a bit less.

    I do a form of intermittent fasting called 5:2. I do two 500cal days a week and eat maintainance the other 5. For me that's about 1800-1900 on the other days. I'm 5'1'', at a normal BMI and exercise regularly. Fasting can help with weightloss as you have a weekly cal deficit of about 3000 cals and lots of people experience other positive health effects (allergies / pain / etc) or a better relationship to food / food control / hunger pangs. I really like it, because I don't have to restrict daily. I belong to those, that NEVER have problems eating up their TDEE!
    I actually tried 5:2 (albeit when I wasn't really in the right place to be dieting at all) and it more or less led me to bulimia. I would find that I would stick to the fast days, but then have phenomenal binges on other days and try to make myself sick. It was one of the worst seasons of my life. I don't think it really lends itself to working sustainably under stress, or the huge levels of exercise was doing. I just find that fasting daily works better for me. Although I think you may be right in upping the calories. Thank you for your advice on that one :)

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