Intermittent Fasting/Flexible Dieting

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  • lautour
    lautour Posts: 89 Member
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    liekewheeless wrote: »
    I tried the every other day thing. Where you eat 500-600 every other day and eat a normal diet (maintenance calories) on the other days.

    For me it failed, I learned I don't have the discipline to put down that fork yet.

    For some reason I can stick to the low part but totally mess up on the high days...Plus I was eating to much junk on my high days... it was like a free for all.

    Back to 1300 -1500 for now.

    Yeah, that's a concern and I hope you have found what works for you.

    I felt that way the first time I tried every other day. 90% (my rough guess) of people who do it seem to struggle with the high days. Everyone thinks it will be the low days but it's the high days. Dr. Krista Varady (author of The-Every-Other-Day Diet and the one person who has led the most research on this particular way of eating) says to give it 6-8 weeks and focus on consistent low days. I've been at it for 4 and a half weeks and certainly have some wacky Up days (like this past Sunday when I consumed an entire loaf of cinnamon raisin bread). I'm still losing weight, just more slowly as I work on the binges. It can get scary and frustrating but it helps that even if I have a hellacious Up Up And Away Day I know that the next day I'm taking a break.

    For example, when I was doing 1500 a day there might come a day when I ate too many brownies and hit 3000 calories. Then the next day I'd try to get back down to 1500 and I'd plan for it but still count it as a victory if I had an extra midnight snack and hit 1700 because, hey, it's better than 3000! I still did good right? These little cheats doomed everything for me. But with ADF, hitting a 3000 calorie day will be followed by a 500 day where very few calories are consumed no matter what. Super easy to plan because there isn't much leeway, and being so stuffed from the day before can make it even easier. The hardest thing for me is not freaking out when I fail but instead using it as a learning opportunity, and this is useful no matter what way of eating a person follows. Yes I ate an entire loaf of cinnamon raisin bread (and...other things) but I weigh less today than I did that morning before I went a little crazy. I've lost 6 pounds in a month which isn't the world's fastest weight loss but it's a pound and a half a week and it's manageable for me.
  • liekewheeless
    liekewheeless Posts: 416 Member
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    lautour wrote: »
    liekewheeless wrote: »
    I tried the every other day thing. Where you eat 500-600 every other day and eat a normal diet (maintenance calories) on the other days.

    For me it failed, I learned I don't have the discipline to put down that fork yet.

    For some reason I can stick to the low part but totally mess up on the high days...Plus I was eating to much junk on my high days... it was like a free for all.

    Back to 1300 -1500 for now.

    Yeah, that's a concern and I hope you have found what works for you.

    I felt that way the first time I tried every other day. 90% (my rough guess) of people who do it seem to struggle with the high days. Everyone thinks it will be the low days but it's the high days. Dr. Krista Varady (author of The-Every-Other-Day Diet and the one person who has led the most research on this particular way of eating) says to give it 6-8 weeks and focus on consistent low days. I've been at it for 4 and a half weeks and certainly have some wacky Up days (like this past Sunday when I consumed an entire loaf of cinnamon raisin bread). I'm still losing weight, just more slowly as I work on the binges. It can get scary and frustrating but it helps that even if I have a hellacious Up Up And Away Day I know that the next day I'm taking a break.

    For example, when I was doing 1500 a day there might come a day when I ate too many brownies and hit 3000 calories. Then the next day I'd try to get back down to 1500 and I'd plan for it but still count it as a victory if I had an extra midnight snack and hit 1700 because, hey, it's better than 3000! I still did good right? These little cheats doomed everything for me. But with ADF, hitting a 3000 calorie day will be followed by a 500 day where very few calories are consumed no matter what. Super easy to plan because there isn't much leeway, and being so stuffed from the day before can make it even easier. The hardest thing for me is not freaking out when I fail but instead using it as a learning opportunity, and this is useful no matter what way of eating a person follows. Yes I ate an entire loaf of cinnamon raisin bread (and...other things) but I weigh less today than I did that morning before I went a little crazy. I've lost 6 pounds in a month which isn't the world's fastest weight loss but it's a pound and a half a week and it's manageable for me.

    I may give it another go in the future. I didn't give it much of a go to begin with. Glad it works for you!
  • PeachyCarol
    PeachyCarol Posts: 8,029 Member
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    18:6 here

    I was naturally eating 18:6 and didn't even know it was a "thing" until I came on here. Being older and short, I have a pretty small calorie budget, so when I started feeling hungry on my deficit, increasing my intake wasn't an option. I started playing around with some things, and one of the things I did was close down my IF window by 2 hours. It really does help manage my hunger a lot. In that 6 hours, I eat 4 small meals about every 2 hours (noon, 2, 4 and right before 6 pm).

    I find it quite manageable, as I've never been one much for breakfast anyway, and I always naturally stopped eating well before bed time.
  • zerothree84
    zerothree84 Posts: 1 Member
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    It works perfectly. I wourkout 4-5 Times a week and my feeding window is 16/8 and im in a caloric deficit of 770 calories. I just started IF a month ago but I already see results. I would recommend this feeding schedule to everyone who wants to loose weight.
  • CSlupe11
    CSlupe11 Posts: 31 Member
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    Annie_01 wrote: »
    CSlupe11 wrote: »
    How many of you follow intermittent fasting/flexible dieting? Do you feel it works better than when you eat just your allotted calories/macros whenever you want throughout the day?
    Trying to decide if its truly a good "diet" plan or if it works more like a placebo affect.

    You might also take a look at zigzag dieting. I am trying it now to see if it fits my life style. My calorie level is 1370. Two days a week I eat lower...two days higher...and three days at 1370.

    I was interested in the 5:2 but just didn't know if I could go that low in calories for those two days. The zigzag allows me to have one day on the weekend at a higher range and one day mid-week.

    That's a good idea. I tried that for 1 week and it was much easier than IF.
  • fastforlife1
    fastforlife1 Posts: 459 Member
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    Hi my new blog http://www.myfitnesspal.com/blog/fastforlife1 tells of my experiences with Intermittent Fasting and gives a brief description of different types. Whatever plan you choose, calories count. I think the Warrior Plan is the most effective for weight loss, but I usually eat 1000-1400 calories in a 6 hour window 5 days a week. 2 days -1800 calories. But I'm older than you and it is a real struggle to lose weight.
  • CSlupe11
    CSlupe11 Posts: 31 Member
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    FoxyMars25 wrote: »
    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!

    Don't be sorry for the long post. LOVED reading it! Glad you have found something that has worked for you. As far as being hungry all the time, you're exercising often which means you have a higher metabolism than people who don't exercise. When I strength train I'm hungry all freaking day! LOL

    Yes the wine calorie intake doesn't help so that's good that you're taking that calorie deficit into consideration BUT I will tell you that alcohol can totally destroy all your hard work. I used to like to drink on the weekends but when I read on what it does to the body, it totally ruins all the exercise, diet, etc you did all week. Bummer!
  • fastforlife1
    fastforlife1 Posts: 459 Member
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    @SLL & @HSmith - IF and HIIT have lowered my fasting glucose to 85 - before it was 99. (Nor bad for a 59 year old who still has 50 pounds to lose). When working out in a fasted state, the body's glucose has already been depleted, so the body draws its energy from fat. If nothing else the hormone blast and the high that follows makes working our fasted awesome! I also walk and lift.
  • MimGSR
    MimGSR Posts: 61 Member
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    I do 16:8 too, although most days is closer to 20:4. I am really hungry in the evenings and get very irritable! It just makes sense for me to save my calories and eat in the late afternoon/evening (and then I don't want to kill my husband!). I still weigh and count everything I eat/drink but it makes it much easier to stick to my goals.

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