Intermittent Fasting

donjtomasco
donjtomasco Posts: 790 Member
edited 5:27PM in Health and Weight Loss
Does anyone have thoughts on this type of diet? I heard that Dr. Oz had done a piece on it, but I can't confirm whether it was a suggestive covering of this diet or a cautionary coverage of it. I think Dr. Oz is a quack anyway, so in general do people have thoughts on whether this is a good type of diet? Any positives or warnings regarding it? Thanks.

Replies

  • Adiemus200
    Adiemus200 Posts: 63 Member
    I work with some people who practice intermittent fasting and have done really well with it. One person got to there goal and now fasts one day a week to maintain. I tried it and I didn't get on with it. I felt very unwell on fasting days and being hungry kept me awake at night.
    I rather count calories.

    I read the 5:2 diet by Michael Mosly. It was really interesting but that kind of diet wasn't for me. Maybe you will have better success with it.
  • girlviernes
    girlviernes Posts: 2,402 Member
    I also would rather count calories. I love eating! Breakfast, lunch, dinner, I want all the meals! However, I do try to restrict my eating to a 12 hour window, I usually have breakfast about 7:30 or 8 and will eat dinner between 5-6. I have seen enough research to suggest that this eating style may be helpful for blood sugar control (I have insulin resistance) and weight loss, and, most importantly, it seems to work pretty well for me.
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    I don't do it as a diet. I don't believe in diets, per se. But, I do have days I am just not that hungry and eat very little. Just depends on what the body wants.

    For me, I found if I TRIED to have a fasting day, and my body needed more, I ended up chowing that day, and the next day too. Just didn't work for me.

    I eat to feed my need.
  • flinx1241
    flinx1241 Posts: 2,168 Member
    Count me among those who have found success with this way of eating. Been doing 4:3 (600 cal. approx on M, W & F - eating maintenance or a bit above on the other 4 days of the week) for nearly 18 months now. Approx 90 lbs lost, and I do tend to have one big eating day most weeks (parties, BBQs, etc). For some reason, having a day where I don't eat much of anything comes fairly easily to me, but doing the low cal every day has never worked for me (psychologically, that is).

    But I'm always quick to point out that I don't think this is a way to eat for everyone. My wife, for example, has pretty much the exact opposite eating patterns as I do, and would likely resort to physical violence if someone forced her to do a fasting day. ;)

    It seems to be much more popular over here in Europe - especially in the UK it seems, as it has been shown on some BBC programming, etc. (I'm an American expat living in Austria).
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    I'm a fan. The 16:8 protocol suits my lifestyle well. I have friends that had great success on the 5:2
  • overin2015
    overin2015 Posts: 94 Member
    I tend to binge eat sweets and so I do this to keep from doing that. It doesn't take very many days of it to see that it really does help with this aspect of my eating. Lately I have been eating in a 16 hour window but I am not hard set in that. I can't tell you whether it leads to greater weight loss but I am having an easier time of sticking to my calories and not bingeing on sweets. Lots of prayer and fighting it out mentally too. :-)
  • Unknown
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  • cogsci
    cogsci Posts: 29 Member
    I do it very successfully (16:8), after reading about it in Dr. Mercola's new book "Effortless Healing: 9 Simple Ways to Sidestep Illness, Shed Excess Weight, and Help Your Body Fix Itself". BTW, Intermittent fasting and counting calories are not mutually exclusive! I do both.
  • krazyforyou
    krazyforyou Posts: 1,428 Member
    There use to be a few groups about intermittent dieting on here. Try looking them up and asking questions
  • Kitnthecat
    Kitnthecat Posts: 2,073 Member
    I wouldn't call it a "diet", but rather a lifestyle or a practice. It can help one gain control of cravings and it can help with weight loss. It helps me have greater mental clarity, and I believe it is very good for me. I have one to two 24 to 36 hr fasts every week, and I love it. For instance, I just ate supper and I do not plan on eating again until breakfast on Saturday. I call it freedom.
  • tephanies1234
    tephanies1234 Posts: 299 Member
    It's a lifestyle. I've done it for 3 years now and love the flexible eating patterns. I do 16/8 or 14/10 depending on the day. You still have to count calories for weight loss though unless you're one of those people who can eat intuitively. Fasting helps curb hunger in the morning and let's me eat bigger meals later in the day along with numerous other benefits that it provides.
  • shabaity
    shabaity Posts: 792 Member
    I'm not a breakfast eater so I use a form but I was never a morning eater so this isn't a change
  • aperez8732
    aperez8732 Posts: 6 Member
    Intermittent Fasting is amazing. There are great reads out there; i.e. Brad Pilon's "Eat Stop Eat" and the lean gains website! > leangains.com !!! I am doing extremely well on Brad Pilon's plan. Seems to be easier for me to adjust to. Have seen steady fat loss every week and lots of strength gains.
  • mkookies
    mkookies Posts: 67 Member
    Just curious - wouldn't a 16/8 intermittent fast just be considered normal eating? I mean, unless you eat when you sleep or you don't sleep 8 hours.
  • Cortelli
    Cortelli Posts: 1,369 Member
    mkookies wrote: »
    Just curious - wouldn't a 16/8 intermittent fast just be considered normal eating? I mean, unless you eat when you sleep or you don't sleep 8 hours.

    It's 16 hours of fasting; 8 hour eating window.

    I've thought about doing it as an experiment, but haven't ever done it. I often skip "breakfast" or finish "eating" early enough to be in a 16:8 window, but I drink coffee (with added protein / carbs / fat) in the AM and frequently have a drink with macronutrients late night so I am not ever rally 16:8 fasting.

    My impression is that it is convenient and helpful in maintaining a calorie target for many; for others, less helpful.

    Never tried 5:2, or 4:3 or variables of the same.

  • LisathePizza
    LisathePizza Posts: 8 Member
    It really works for some people (me) but makes others miserable. Not to mention the stigma attached to skipping meals and how it's "unhealthy." I still have to log though to make sure I don't go over, I just do it on a weekly scale so I can eat more some days and less others. I've been doing it for 6 months and lose about 1lb/week.
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