Second Week on Intermittent Fasting

kisa_411
kisa_411 Posts: 3
edited November 2024 in Health and Weight Loss
Hello!

So I'm at 20 year old female trying intermittent fasting for the first time. I decided to start this diet because I'm hoping to shed some extra weight, and this dieting method actually fits well into my lifestyle since I'm a college student and usually have no time for breakfast in the morning or long lunch breaks in between classes. I also live a pretty sedentary lifestyle.

Anyways, I've been doing intermittent fasting for approximately 2 weeks now, and I've been doing mainly the leangains method (6 hrs/18 hrs). However, I'm a little discouraged with the lack of weight loss I've been seeing. :(

I've heard that one common mistake that people make on the intermittent fasting plan is that they overeat during their feeding window or that they eat too much junk food, but I don't think I do that...maybe?

To give a general idea of what I normally eat, I had my first meal at 12pm today and it was steamed white rice with tofu and mushrooms, had a small snack of two red bean steam buns and coffee, and dinner of pad thai at 6pm. And then I haven't eaten anything else for the rest of the day except for tea and water.

Can someone give me tips/suggestions or any success stories that might motivate me? I'm seeing the positive results other than weight loss from this plan though, like less reliance on food and eating only when I'm actually hungry, which is good! But I'd still like some tips on how to actually lose weight. :)

Thanks!!

Replies

  • _Blues_
    _Blues_ Posts: 62 Member
    are you tacking your calories? cant see your food diary its hard to say, make sure you are eating the amount of calories mfp is telling you to eat.
  • kisa_411
    kisa_411 Posts: 3
    edited October 2014
    Yup! I don't know exact calorie counts, but I generally stay under 1300 calories per day - and I'm 5'3" and 59kgs.
  • liznotyet
    liznotyet Posts: 402 Member
    Slower digesting, whole grain carbs (brown rice instead of white) and greens. If you have a microwave, it is easy to make a spinach omelet in a bowl: beat an egg with salt and pepper in a deep microwave-safe dish, top with a cup or two of spinach, cover with a plate, then microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds.
  • LeonCX
    LeonCX Posts: 862 Member
    edited October 2014
    To each their own, but i.f. definitely did not for for me. I would always overeat during the "window" because I would be starving by then. Calories in/calories out. If you don't track, you never really know how many calories you are taking in, which was my mistake.
    ...One thing to keep in mind, you only have 12 kg to lose according to your profile, so huge weekly losses probably won't happen.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    Intermittent fasting doesn't change physics. If you eat more calories then your burn, regardless of what frame of time you eat them in, you will not lose weight in the long run. IF can provides higher satiation for less calories, which is what most people taut as it's chief benefit, but it does not automatically "cause weight loss". I would track calories strictly, not estimate, and then if you don't lose weight over the long run, reduce total calories taken in.
    liznotyet wrote: »
    Slower digesting, whole grain carbs (brown rice instead of white) and greens. If you have a microwave, it is easy to make a spinach omelet in a bowl: beat an egg with salt and pepper in a deep microwave-safe dish, top with a cup or two of spinach, cover with a plate, then microwave for 1 minute 45 seconds.
    The speed at which carbs digest has nothing to do with weight loss. The glycemic index only applies to foods when they are eaten alone. If you have rice with vegetables and eggs, the GI of the rice (white or brown) no longer applies as the other foods alter the speed of digestion.

  • zyxst
    zyxst Posts: 9,149 Member
    Start weighing and measuring your food on a food scale. Log everything on MFP and follow the daily calories MFP tells you for 1#/week loss. IF isn't a magic diet for weight loss.
  • 50sFit
    50sFit Posts: 712 Member
    edited October 2014
    I do intermittent fasting for weight maintenance and fat loss, but you must track food intake and know your zone for earning the best results.
    The science egg heads debate IF benefits, but it has helped me with calorie control for sure. And with a solid calorie and macro balance, I have lost fat.
    u2mv6fmekh9f.png

    Just keep plugging, making adjustments, and you'll find your way. As has been suggested, log your food intake. That's where I'd start.
    GOOD LUCK
    <3
  • kisa_411
    kisa_411 Posts: 3
    Thanks everyone for your help!! I'll work more on keeping a more accurate calorie log and hopefully I'll see better results! :)
  • 1stplace4health
    1stplace4health Posts: 523 Member
    During your eating window, you'll need to calculate your calorie intake to understand why you're not losing weight.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    How much exactly have you lost? You're at a healthy BMI now so whatever you do, it's probably going to be very slow going and require pretty close calorie tracking.

    Good luck!
  • ana3067
    ana3067 Posts: 5,623 Member
    kisa_411 wrote: »
    Yup! I don't know exact calorie counts, but I generally stay under 1300 calories per day - and I'm 5'3" and 59kgs.

    You really should be eating more than 1300 calories. You shoudl also be aware of exact calorie counts in order to know how to adjust your eating based on results.
    50sFit wrote: »
    I do intermittent fasting for weight maintenance and fat loss, but you must track food intake and know your zone for earning the best results.
    The science egg heads debate IF benefits, but it has helped me with calorie control for sure. And with a solid calorie and macro balance, I have lost fat.
    u2mv6fmekh9f.png

    Just keep plugging, making adjustments, and you'll find your way. As has been suggested, log your food intake. That's where I'd start.
    GOOD LUCK
    <3

    Did you do recomp here (eating at/around maintenance)? IF is definitely not something I'm interested in because.. I like to eat whenever lol, as long as I'm tracking my macros/cals of course. But recomping is something I've considered, even though I do have at least 15lbs left to lose I wonder if it'd be something worth trying... how long did it take you to get from before to after?
  • jvs125
    jvs125 Posts: 223 Member
    LeonCX wrote: »
    To each their own, but i.f. definitely did not for for me. I would always overeat during the "window" because I would be starving by then. Calories in/calories out. If you don't track, you never really know how many calories you are taking in, which was my mistake.
    ...One thing to keep in mind, you only have 12 kg to lose according to your profile, so huge weekly losses probably won't happen.

    Same here! I've tried it and lost a bit at first, then gained back because I'd be too hungry and eat more since I didn't have breakfast. Really the best way for me is just to go slow and steady and keep it real with my calorie count, even though it's a PITA..
  • ladyofbugglake
    ladyofbugglake Posts: 37 Member
    The main benefit of intermittent fasting is that it is critical for removing pathogens (like viruses) and waste products from within body cells. Autophagy is a biological process by which the body rids itself of waste at the intercellular level. Autophagy peaks at around 16 hrs of fasting and is greatly suppressed after food intake.

    For some, intermittent fasting helps them lose weight. But the main benefit is improved health through autophagy.

    Word of warning though: prolonged fasting (i.e. greater than 24 hours) can actually retard the autophagy process for several days after the fast ends. Not good. That is why 16 hr. fast/ 8 hour feeding period is just right.
  • ladyofbugglake
    ladyofbugglake Posts: 37 Member
    Forgot to mention, if you tend to get super hungry before lunch time, try eating a spoonful of coconut oil in the morning. It works for me.

    But keep in mind, if you start to feel nauseous or dizzy or some other bad side effect during the fast, then go ahead and eat asap. You don't want to mess with low blood sugar.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    ladyofbugglake wrote: »
    Forgot to mention, if you tend to get super hungry before lunch time, try eating a spoonful of coconut oil in the morning. It works for me.

    But keep in mind, if you start to feel nauseous or dizzy or some other bad side effect during the fast, then go ahead and eat asap. You don't want to mess with low blood sugar.
    Would that not break the fast? If you want to fast, then fast. If fasting makes you uncomfortably hungry, then don't fast.

  • ladyofbugglake
    ladyofbugglake Posts: 37 Member
    I was also curious about whether it would be breaking the fast.

    Seems there are several camps on this: the "all or nothing" type and those that believe small amounts of calories can be consumed during a fast. Still reading up on it, so for now I'm in the latter camp.

    The spoonful of coconut oil was recommended in the fasting section of the Perfect Health Diet (PHD) book.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
    ladyofbugglake wrote: »
    I was also curious about whether it would be breaking the fast.

    Seems there are several camps on this: the "all or nothing" type and those that believe small amounts of calories can be consumed during a fast. Still reading up on it, so for now I'm in the latter camp.

    The spoonful of coconut oil was recommended in the fasting section of the Perfect Health Diet (PHD) book.
    It was a rhetorical question. It absolutely breaks the fast. Fasting mean not eating anything with calories, oil contains calories. It breaks the fast. The thing is, the fasting isn't magic and breaking it won't affect your weight loss results at all. It's totally based on calories. The whole reason to do IF for weight loss is that it should provide increased satiation and decreased hunger. If you find you are always hungry during the fast, then you aren't reaping the benefits as they apply to weight loss, and therefore probably shouldn't be doing IF.
  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
    I don't know much about 18:6 fasting (but would assume you're supposed to actually fast for 18 hours) but I know the alternate day fasting techniques that are popular now are actually modified fasts, where you eat a very low amount, not zero, on alternating days.

    The proponents of IF would argue that studies show it does have benefits besides helping one stick to their overall calorie goals. They found it preserves LBM and lowers bad cholesterol among other things, I think. That is as compared to the same deficit levels without ADF. They also recommend it for maintenance, due to the health benefits, so it's not always only considered to be only a weight loss tool.
  • crisb2
    crisb2 Posts: 329 Member
    edited October 2014
    I kind of fell into IF like you did, because I just skipped meals and ate when I was hungry. I realized I was eating maybe 1-2 meals a day at most. And, the later I started eating, the less hungry I got, and was liking this schedule because it made it easier to eat less calories.

    So then, I did the research, got on a schedule, and realized that it was easier for me to actually stick to my schedule when I ate more protein and fat (WITHIN MY CALORIE GOAL) during my eating window. If I ate a carb heavy food like rice, red beans and pad thai it just triggered cravings for me. And also, if I tried to eat only salads and lean meats during my eating window it was impossible to REACH my calorie goal within my eating window. So, I think you may need to re-think your food choices. Also, I can't fast in the evening. I fast all day long and then eat before going to bed, that way I don't get late night cravings. And I'm in the all or nothing camp. I only have water and tea with liquid stevia drops during my fast. When I break the fast I do try to add coconut oil and other healthy fats to my meals as I find them more filling that way.
  • flinx1241
    flinx1241 Posts: 2,168 Member
    Always feel compelled to chime in on these threads.
    Have lost nearly 100 lbs doing a version of the aforementioned ADF since Oct 2013 (I'm actually 4:3 - low cal fasting on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays). I do exercise (Cardio and lifting) now, but did very little in the beginning.
    It's a great tool to achieve a caloric deficit for some of us. Lines up perfectly with my own eating habits and triggers. For others, there's just no way in hell they'd be able to do it. I certainly never push it as being a cure-all, but am always happy to talk about my own experience with those who are genuinely interested.

    It's a slow and steady thing, though. Not magic. And total calories still trump everything when it's all settled in the end...
This discussion has been closed.

Categories