Intermittent Fasting/Flexible Dieting

I did alternate day IF for my weight loss phase, used 5:2IF during the transition period between active weight loss and maintenance, and I now do 16:8IF as part of my maintenance plan. I love IF and will always do it in some form

Any diet plan works if it creates the necessary calorie deficit to lose weight (assuming that's your goal). All of these "diet plans" whether they are IF, Paleo, IIFYM, Low Carb, etc... are just protocols that have been used to get that deficit in place. People, using these different protocols, find the one that best works for them, their adherence, and lifestyle. Definitely not a placebo affect if it creates a deficit. You can just as easily gain weight doing IF if the calories you take in are more than needed.

CSlupe11 wrote: »

FoxyMars25 wrote: »

I just started 5:2 this week. Have two fast days under my belt now, and I LOVE it! I am amazed at how great I feel when I just take a break from eating all the damn time.

I've heard it boosts your mood and helps prevent diseases, including diabetes. Those were the main reasons I was seriously looking into this option.

I don't know about mood boosting, but I don't see how IF can specifically prevent diseases and diabetes.

I tried IF for about a week - I actually liked it a lot and it did make it easier to stick to my calories for the end of the day. I ended up giving it up because even though I've heard a few first hand experiences of women who have done IF and have been able to maintain their fertility and have even gotten pregnant while doing it, there is some question as to how possibly detrimental it could be a woman's fertility and since my husband and I would like to grow our little family and give our daughter a sibling I figured I should avoid anything that is questionable in that respect.

With that said if you are someone who finds it easy to skip breakfast and wait until 11/12 to "break your fast" then I say give it a shot! I don't think it will burn more fat or help you drop weight faster BUT I do believe that doing an eating schedule that might make it easier to make your calories last longer will help you in the long run.

Yes, for me, this is pretty similiar to zig-zag dieting or calorie cycling as I tend to go way overboard on weekends when it comes to drinking and my diet as well. I can be doing awesome all week and then drink two bottles of wine on a Saturday night, which screws everything up. Now, I am using 5:2 to create a larger deficit in two days instead of trying to stick to the same 1700 cal each day (which of course, I always surpass with the wine). This week, I had my two 500 cal days on Monday and Wednesday.
On Tuesday and so far today, I am not even that hungry. I have been up since 4:00 am (as I workout in the mornings before work) and I still have not had anything to eat today because I simply am not hungry. So, even though I am allowed to eat at maintenance on these other days, so far, that is not happening as I am not even that hungry. Which is great news for when the weekend approaches as I should be able to have my wine/go out to dinner without destroying the deficit I worked to create all week.
This is also incredibly bizarre as I am ALWAYS hungry. I was doing the TDEE method where I calculated my TDEE based upon the amount of exercise I do (6 days a week average 40 min each day) and was eating at about 20% below that, and I was ALWAYS STARVED. I have been searching the forums trying to find out why I am always hungry. I find people saying to eat more fat, eat more protein, etc etc, well, I was.

And I was still. hungry. all. the. time.

But now, I feel wonderful and I know I just started doing 5:2 but I am simply amazed at how this is really controlling my cravings and my appetite. I also feel more alert and focused at work and have plenty of energy. I just hope this continues as I really think this is going to work for me. I lost 65 pounds since 2012 and then stalled for about a year, and then gained 10 pounds last fall (due to a medication I went on). I stopped the medication but have not been able to get this 10 pounds off. The sad part is that I was not even at my goal yet ( I was maybe 10-15 lbs away and now I am 20-25 away) and have been incredibly frustrated and upset because the weight just won't come off, mainly due to the fact that I like to drink on the weekends and that hurts the deficit I created all week.

Sorry about the long post, I am just so excited about this so far!

I often IF and skip say, eating until I'm home from work at around 5. Because I'm just not hungry in the morning and I don't have any 'breaks', because I'm the only one here most of the time. I have kind of messed up and stopped doing it lately though, right now I'm eating most of my calories for the day in one blow right now because I'm going to be out after work all evening.

I prefer to work out fasted because I hate feeling full and trying to lift. If I start to get dizzy then it's a clear sign to stop but that's almost never happened.

I never liked breakfast anyway.

Lexicpt wrote: »

I unintentionally do IF most days. I don't eat until noon and am done eating for the day by 8pm. It just works out that way because I'm not hungry in the mornings.

Same thing here. I found that no matter what I ate for breakfast it didn't reduce my hunger later in the day. I'd much rather have those calories for later in the day to eat meals which really satisfy me.

I'm a 5:2'er. Been doing it since the beginning of this year. I've lost 11 lbs. I've not exercised in that time, so for me, it's working. I obviously want to exercise more but with a full time job, 10 month old baby, and cold weather, it wasn't happening. I love 5:2 and can really see this being something I can stick to long term. The fast days get easier the longer you do it.