Intermittent fasting?

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donbell85
donbell85 Posts: 14 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I was curious if this is a good or bad thing. Ive seen people have success by doing this. Also i am currently doing this just kinda out of habbit. I usually eat twice a day at 5pm and 11pm. I know that it seems to work for weight loss, but im curious as to effects on metabolism. Some people say x amount of small meals is better but its never worked for me.

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  • Christine_72
    Christine_72 Posts: 16,049 Member
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    I don't buy into the 6 meals per day thing either.
    I do alternate day fasting. I've lost 10kgs ( 22lbs) ) in 2mths.
    This is the ONLY woe that I've lost weight doing, and easily!
  • SergeantSausage
    SergeantSausage Posts: 1,673 Member
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    Beyond maintaining an appropriate Caloric Deficit ... whatever. It's all personal preference and absolutely irrelevant to losing weight. There may be health or other related benefits/drawbacks, but it ain't gonna affect your weight loss if net calories over time is the same.
  • alanlmarshall
    alanlmarshall Posts: 587 Member
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    Short fasts are completely safe for most people. It works for many, but not for everyone.

    The frequent eating thing is a myth.
  • DeeTee68
    DeeTee68 Posts: 198 Member
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    Don't do it you will lose to much lean mass. just make sure you have a calorie deficit everyday based on your RMR.
  • KarenJanine
    KarenJanine Posts: 3,497 Member
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    If it's working for you then carry on as you are. 18:6 is a fairly commonly used IF protocol.
  • watto1980
    watto1980 Posts: 155 Member
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    I'm using 16hr(fast):8hr(eating). I usually don't eat like this but it helps reel my diet back in when it gets out of control (Xmas time :smile: ). Once I'm used to it I'm only hungry for the 30 mins before the fast ends.

    I wouldn't worry too much about meal timing, I don't think it makes that much difference unless you're a performance athlete or have very low body fat levels. Just do what works for you. You won't lose all your lean mass either, we aren't as fragile as some people believe.
  • TimothyFish
    TimothyFish Posts: 4,925 Member
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    I've never used fasting as a means of weight loss, but my experience from fasting for other purposes has been that it is a good thing.
  • donbell85
    donbell85 Posts: 14 Member
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    Thanks for the advice. I have no problem with the IF. Im kinda use to it. Never hungry in the AM. Just someone mentioned its a bad idea because of a slower metabolism. Its worked last time i lost alot of weight. Just trying to do it right this time. Blew all my progress... cause of bad times
  • dawn0293
    dawn0293 Posts: 115 Member
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    I do alternate day fasting with a zig zag calorie allotment. I feel great and seem to be losing just as much weight. The structure is a lot less rigid compared to the 1200 calorie daily diet I was on. Now I can adjust my eating to fit my week much better. I don't think I'll go back to that 1200 every day diet, ever again.
  • LAWoman72
    LAWoman72 Posts: 2,846 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I seem to just naturally do a form of IF. I don't like to eat until around noon, I only like to have two meals a day and then a snack at night. So I am generally not eating between around 8pm and noon the next day.

    When I eat more frequent "small" meals and force myself to have breakfast, I am constantly starving and wind up face-down in a binge.

    I followed the always eat breakfast, eat several small meals and snacks conventional wisdom for years, always trying to force it to work, and just getting fatter and fatter.

    I finally gave it up, went to two meals and a snack within a 6-8 hour window (at MFP's suggested caloric intake for me) and am losing like crazy, and my energy is way up. Thank God, as I am hypothyroid and energy is an ongoing issue for me.

    I say, to each his own.
  • obscuremusicreference
    obscuremusicreference Posts: 1,320 Member
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    donbell85 wrote: »
    Thanks for the advice. I have no problem with the IF. Im kinda use to it. Never hungry in the AM. Just someone mentioned its a bad idea because of a slower metabolism. Its worked last time i lost alot of weight. Just trying to do it right this time. Blew all my progress... cause of bad times

    It won't slow your metabolism. Like you, I seem to fall naturally into a 16:8-type pattern. I also seem to want more food if I start earlier in the day.

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