Can Intermittent fasting help you to loose weight?

theshaleco
theshaleco Posts: 39 Member
edited November 25 in Food and Nutrition
I have heard conflicting things on this so I was just wondering what you all thought. Does fasting for 24 hours one day a week help to loose weight? Is it healthy?

Thank you

Replies

  • seska422
    seska422 Posts: 3,217 Member
    edited October 2015
    You have a weekly calorie budget and it doesn't really matter how you distribute those calories throughout the week as far as weight loss goes. One meal a day, 6 meals a day, 16:8, 5 days at maintenance and two (non-consecutive) days at 500 calories, etc., are all valid ways to distribute your weekly calories.

    As long as you don't have really long stretches, I don't see anything wrong with fasting. The important part is to figure out what works for you so that you can comfortably stick to your calorie goals. The only "diet" that works is the one you'll stick to using.
  • WastedGetsSmaller
    WastedGetsSmaller Posts: 41 Member
    seska422 wrote: »
    You have a weekly calorie budget and it doesn't really matter how you distribute those calories throughout the week as far as weight loss goes. One meal a day, 6 meals a day, 16:8, 5 days at maintenance and two (non-consecutive) days at 500 calories, etc., are all valid ways to distribute your weekly calories.

    As long as you don't have really long stretches, I don't see anything wrong with fasting. The important part is to figure out what works for you so that you can comfortably stick to your calorie goals. The only "diet" that works is the one you'll stick to using.

    I agree with all this. Personally I love IF because it works with my natural hunger cues. However I don't fast one day a week; I have an "eating window" of 6 hours a day where I have all my meals. I'm new to MFP but I've lost 60lbs in total so far.
  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    My first meal of the day is 6:00 pm. Then I have a smaller meal later before bed. It really is the only way I can do this as having little meals and snacks throughout the day makes me crazy hungry.
  • rybo
    rybo Posts: 5,424 Member
    It may. And it is fine health wise. But its not a magic pill. See if it is an eating schedule that works for you. Personally I like the 16:8, I've had friends get amazing results from 5:2.
  • The_Weaze
    The_Weaze Posts: 511 Member
    I like it because my meals are eaten within a shorter window so they are larger and I'm more satisfied.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    edited October 2015
    This content has been removed.
  • Michael190lbs
    Michael190lbs Posts: 1,510 Member
    rybo wrote: »
    It may. And it is fine health wise. But its not a magic pill. See if it is an eating schedule that works for you. Personally I like the 16:8, I've had friends get amazing results from 5:2.

    This is exactly 100% correct. I think the problem with people is they try other peoples diet plans not find their own and make it work for them. What works for one does not work for all " No magic diet or pill" I eat two- BIG high protein meals a day and sometimes a snack which works for me maybe not anyone else.
  • auddii
    auddii Posts: 15,357 Member
    Michael190lbs wrote: »
    rybo wrote: »
    It may. And it is fine health wise. But its not a magic pill. See if it is an eating schedule that works for you. Personally I like the 16:8, I've had friends get amazing results from 5:2.

    This is exactly 100% correct. I think the problem with people is they try other peoples diet plans not find their own and make it work for them. What works for one does not work for all " No magic diet or pill" I eat two- BIG high protein meals a day and sometimes a snack which works for me maybe not anyone else.

    Yup. If it helps you maintain a calorie deficit, it will help you lose. If you can't stick with it, it's not something for you.
  • caseylizbeth
    caseylizbeth Posts: 112 Member
    I occasionally do a "half-day" fast where I won't eat until late afternoon. Sometimes my natural hunger cues get a little out of sorts and my body tries to tell me that I'm starving all the time, even after I finish a complete meal. So, I'll take a day and wont eat anything until dinner and usually that sort of corrects the problem. Intermittent fasting can be really helpful with working with your body's natural cues. I don't know how well it would work being used directly for weight loss though.
  • hamlet1222
    hamlet1222 Posts: 459 Member
    It works for a lot of people I know, but didn't work for me as I would splurge on my non-fast days and wipe out any calorie deficit I had created (for me just maintaining a small calorie deficit each day works best).

    The 5:2 diet (like many heavily marketed diets) claims you don't have to 'count calories' - but this isn't really true, you always have to control calories, and for many people that means counting them. I even saw an Atkins diet evangelist once grudgingly admit to someone who was failing on it that they were probably failing because of a calorie surplus from cream (something they say you can 'eat as much as you want of').

    I think for a lot of people who don't have gluttonous tendencies they will do well on intermittent fasting because they won't overeat on non-fast days.

    I worked in a chocolate factory once and the staff were allowed to eat as many chocolates going down the conveyor belt as they wanted - strangely most staff would hardly have any, they got tired of them after a while. Didn't happen to me though - I was filling my boots up with them for all the months I was there.
  • Artemiris
    Artemiris Posts: 189 Member
    GSlate wrote: »
    I like it because my meals are eaten within a shorter window so they are larger and I'm more satisfied.

    This.
  • Artemiris
    Artemiris Posts: 189 Member
    hamlet1222 wrote: »

    I worked in a chocolate factory once and the staff were allowed to eat as many chocolates going down the conveyor belt as they wanted - strangely most staff would hardly have any, they got tired of them after a while. Didn't happen to me though - I was filling my boots up with them for all the months I was there.

    This sounds like a dream. Or a nightmare.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Artemiris wrote: »
    hamlet1222 wrote: »

    I worked in a chocolate factory once and the staff were allowed to eat as many chocolates going down the conveyor belt as they wanted - strangely most staff would hardly have any, they got tired of them after a while. Didn't happen to me though - I was filling my boots up with them for all the months I was there.

    This sounds like a dream. Or a nightmare.

    Or a TV show.

    LuuuCYYYY!
  • yayamom3
    yayamom3 Posts: 939 Member
    I've been doing 16:8 IF for a couple of weeks now, and I absolutely love it. I'm steadily losing weight and my stomach is almost flat. Some unexpected side effects I've experienced are:

    *I need less sleep.
    *After a lifetime of binge eating, I have completely lost my urge to binge.
    *I no longer have any desire to eat sweets.
    *I have so much more energy.
    *I am no longer constantly thinking about food and planning my next meal in my head.

    I know it's not for everyone, but it's definitely for me. The first few days are rough, but not nearly as bad as I expected. Drinking a lot and chewing sugarless gum has helped my body adjust. I would encourage you to give it a try.
  • GammieJoy
    GammieJoy Posts: 16 Member
    My husband and I were listening to a talk radio show the other day that was talking about the 5:2 intermittent fast, my husband thinks that might work for him so he's giving it a try. I work from home, the kitchen is the center of our home and I spend a great deal of time in it, me pretty much not eating 2 days out of the week would not work for me but it did get me thinking. I think the 16:8 might work for me, I am giving it a try today, if I can make it until 10:00 this morning without eating I will be golden. I am always hungry first thing in the morning but I find too that if I start eating right when I wake up it sets a tune for the day, once I start I want to continue. Evenings are not an issue for me most days so I've set my 8 hours from 10:00-6:00, anything is worth a try.
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,809 Member
    It made adherence to a weekly calorie goal far easier for me and also supported a heavy exercise routine better (for me) than every day deficit.
    I did the 5:2 version of IF (two very low days a week and five days at maintenance level).

    Would say experiment to see what works for you in terms of adherence.
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