Intermittent Fasting

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becess96
becess96 Posts: 57 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Has anyone tried it ? Is it better than 6 meals/day ? I'm not trying to lose weight anymore but there's many YouTubers (Hodgetwins, Brandon Carter, Luimarco etc..) that say they had greater results with Intermittent Fasting and one of them suggested a study where your insulin levels were different (in a better way) during IF instead of 6 meals/day and actually Brandon Carter says he uses IF before doing a photoshoot (instead of 6 meals/day). Is there something so special about IF when you're cutting ?
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Replies

  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    It really boils down to what works best for you and your lifestyle. You can easily lose the weight you want eating a couple meals a day as well as you could using IF; there really is nothing special about it. Blood Sugar can be controlled by eating more low glycemic carbs and exercise. My non-fasted blood sugar is better than the measurement for fasted blood sugar and I don't have any issues with blood sugar, I just consume a balanced diet. If IF works for you then do it, if not then don't. The best nutrition plan is the one you can stick to 90% of the time for life.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    I am interested in ready more about the science behind it. Fasting of many durations have been practiced for thousands of year so there has to be something to it.
  • Veil5577
    Veil5577 Posts: 868 Member
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    I'm trying to do it, trying to do the OMAD diet. Lately I've strayed from it but I plan to get back in track now. I did lose a good deal of weight the couple of weeks I managed to stick to it.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
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    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    I am interested in ready more about the science behind it. Fasting of many durations have been practiced for thousands of year so there has to be something to it.

    I read 3 studies related to something I believe was called "alternate day fasting" but I'm not sure about the efficacy of those studies. They test groups were on the ADF plan and the control group was either on a different ADF plan or just doing whatever they wanted. I did not see a study, not saying it doesn't exist, that took something like ADF and compared an ADF test group to a more standard weight loss diet plan in a controlled setting. What it boils down to is what one can do consistently in the long-term.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    Which version of IF?
    Do you mean the Leangains 16:8 version or one of the many other versions of IF such as ADF or 5:2? Or JUDDD or Eat-Stop-Eat..... Worth doing your research before launching into things whichever version you choose.

    If the 16:8 one I believe there's a group on here if you want to get people's experience. There's definitely groups for people following 5:2.

    It's not magic and doesn't suit everyone. There's also people well advised not to follow IF - which is why I would reiterate, do your research thoroughly.

    I followed the 5:2 version while losing weight and found it great in terms of ease of adherence to a weekly calorie goal and also in supporting a very heavy exercise routine.
  • 1911JR
    1911JR Posts: 276
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    I do daily, when I sleep and in between meals..... B)
  • Kevalicious99
    Kevalicious99 Posts: 1,131 Member
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    becess96 wrote: »
    I'm not trying to lose weight anymore

    Hate to ask the obvious ? .. but given the above statement, there really is no point to this thread then. But .. the whole fasting thing, unless you are sleeping, it is so pointless to not eat on a fairly regular basis. If you do want to lose .. well even then, it is still not needed. A calorie deficit will do the trick.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    herrspoons wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    I am interested in ready more about the science behind it. Fasting of many durations have been practiced for thousands of year so there has to be something to it.

    Most people fast for at least 8 hours a day. True story.
    Which makes it more curious why people get their knickers in a twist about people fasting for 16 hours or 24 hours don't you think?
  • bswith22
    bswith22 Posts: 13 Member
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    It all depends on the person, I do intermittent fasting because it's easier for me to stick to my calorie limit. I eat one meal a day at dinner, which isn't really a specific IF plan but it is considered IF
  • happieharpie
    happieharpie Posts: 229 Member
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    I eat all of my calories within a three hour window at around 5:30-8:00. Works great.
  • christineja
    christineja Posts: 22 Member
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    I read the IF guy's book and liked it, and try to fast at least one day a week by his guidelines (less than 500 cals a day).

    IMO the insulin effects aren't a big deal, because of course your levels are going to be lower if you haven't ingested any carbs for a while. So for someone like me with sugar issues, I may fast and have 2 great days of low sugar averaged in and bringing my overall A1C down, but that doesn't mean I wasn't getting 160+ post prandial on the other days. Does that make sense? So anyway, I like IF and will continue to do it when I can, but I don't do it for the effect on my blood sugar nor do I think the lower numbers on IF days will effect me overall long-term. If you have issues with your blood sugar levels, you need to have them consistently low, not just on occasional days. I think they just threw that in to sell the book/diet.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    herrspoons wrote: »
    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    I am interested in ready more about the science behind it. Fasting of many durations have been practiced for thousands of year so there has to be something to it.

    Most people fast for at least 8 hours a day. True story.

    True story for sure. :) I have heard of some who only eat for 8 hours and fast for 16 hours.

    I find there is something to learn from all types of diets.
  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I do intermittent fasting coupled with 16:8. The longer I can keep myself in a fasted state, the better, altho I rarely go over 19 hours. I've read multiple times that our bodies are in prime fat burning mode between 14-16 hours of fasting
  • kcd1961
    kcd1961 Posts: 126 Member
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    The biggest help I found from IF was learning to accept, tolerate and understand hunger. It worked for a while, but I got stuck, even gaining a little - then decided I needed to monitor (not "eat normally"). Eating normally for me is too much.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
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    Other than being able to eat larger quantities within a shorter time period, nothing is special about it. Some people (myself included) do it sometimes because it's easier to stick to. It still boils down to calories. A few studies do show a slight improvement in insulin sensitivity, but it's not substantial enough to warrant eating that way just for the effect. Now if you are choosing to eat that way for adherence, that's a different story and different people react differently.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
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    sijomial wrote: »
    Which version of IF?
    Do you mean the Leangains 16:8 version or one of the many other versions of IF such as ADF or 5:2? Or JUDDD or Eat-Stop-Eat..... Worth doing your research before launching into things whichever version you choose.

    If the 16:8 one I believe there's a group on here if you want to get people's experience. There's definitely groups for people following 5:2.

    It's not magic and doesn't suit everyone. There's also people well advised not to follow IF - which is why I would reiterate, do your research thoroughly.

    I followed the 5:2 version while losing weight and found it great in terms of ease of adherence to a weekly calorie goal and also in supporting a very heavy exercise routine.


    this. there are a lot of intermittent fasting programs out there. but they all basically boil down to eating less.
  • GaleHawkins
    GaleHawkins Posts: 8,160 Member
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    kcd1961 wrote: »
    The biggest help I found from IF was learning to accept, tolerate and understand hunger. It worked for a while, but I got stuck, even gaining a little - then decided I needed to monitor (not "eat normally"). Eating normally for me is too much.

    That is a good thought. I think my mind is programmed to eat by the clock because it is "time to eat". Good point.
  • vismal
    vismal Posts: 2,463 Member
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    GaleHawkins wrote: »
    kcd1961 wrote: »
    The biggest help I found from IF was learning to accept, tolerate and understand hunger. It worked for a while, but I got stuck, even gaining a little - then decided I needed to monitor (not "eat normally"). Eating normally for me is too much.

    That is a good thought. I think my mind is programmed to eat by the clock because it is "time to eat". Good point.
    Unfortunately IF doesn't change this fact, it just changes when "time to eat" is and how often it occurs.

  • WalkingAlong
    WalkingAlong Posts: 4,926 Member
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    Kevalicious99 wrote: »
    becess96 wrote: »
    I'm not trying to lose weight anymore

    Hate to ask the obvious ? .. but given the above statement, there really is no point to this thread then. But .. the whole fasting thing, unless you are sleeping, it is so pointless to not eat on a fairly regular basis. If you do want to lose .. well even then, it is still not needed. A calorie deficit will do the trick.
    There are people who use IF for maintenance and for other health reasons.

    I don't care to debate whether there ARE other health reasons to do it, but many believe there are, including the authors of the popular books on IF.

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